Jeremiah Booth, the father of Joseph Booth, entered the crane making business with partners Jeremiah Balmforth and David Smith. They had established their business in the Calverley area of Leeds in 1820 and were joined by Jeremiah Booth in 1833. The company made machinery for mills, and from 1840 their range included hand-operated cranes.

In 1847 Jeremiah Booth left and established his own crane making company at the 'Union Foundry' in Rodley, West Yorkshire. The works was situated on a narrow strip of land between Town Street and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. In 1855 the company passed to Jeremiah Booth's son Joseph, and the name Joseph Booth & Bros was adopted. For most of the company's history, it operated alongside the 'Old Foundry' of Thomas Smith & Sons,Thomas Smith being the son of the David Smith who had formerly been in partnership with Jeremiah Booth.