USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Metropolitan Boston; a modern history; Volume IV > Part 41
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Sidney A. Eisemann supports the principles and candidates of the Republican party. He is a member of the Harvard Club and the Uni- versity Club of Boston, and he is a member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce. He is a member and past president of the Boston Wool Trade Association. During the World War, he served as a sergeant in the First Motor Corps of the Massachusetts State Guard. He finds recreation in tennis, golf, and badminton, having been awarded the varsity "H" in tennis when he was at Harvard.
In 1912, Mr. Eisemann married Helen Muhl- felder, who was born in Pittsfield, Massachu- setts. Their children are: Jane, and Albert (2).
Walter C. Donald, Mr. Eisemann's associate in business, was born in Andover, Massachu- setts, on April 24, 1877, was educated there in the public schools and the high school, and in 1895 entered the wool business with the Wash- ington Mills of Lawrence, Massachusetts, with whom he remained until 1897. Thereafter he worked with the E. Frank Lewis Company, for one year; the S. Walter Jaynes Company, of Boston, for three years; the Denny Rice and Benedict Company for three years; and the
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H. C. Judd and Root Company, of Hartford, Connecticut, for six years. At the end of that time, in 1910, he became associated with the firm of Eisemann Brothers, and finally, in 1917, was taken into partnership. In politics he is a member of the Republican party. He is a mem- ber of North Andover Country Club, the St. Mathew's Masonic Club, the Corinthian Yacht Club, and of the Boston Chamber of Com- merce and the Boston Wool Trade Association. He attends the Congregational church, and is interested in yachting, to which he devotes much of his spare time. His father, Walter S. Donald who was born in Andover, Massachu- setts, and is a manufacturer of printing inks, and his mother, Clara (Clement) Donald, also born in Andover, are still living.
Lawrence Ilfeld, who is also a member of the Eisemann Brothers firm, was born on Decem- ber 2, 1889, at Albuquerque, New Mexico, a son of Louis Ilfeld, who was born in Ham- burg, Germany, and is now engaged in the wool, hide, and pelt business, and of Anna (Staab) Ilfeld, who was born in Santa Fé, New Mexico. Lawrence Ilfeld attended the public schools and the high school of Albuquerque, and spent one year at the University of New Mexico. Coming East, he entered Phillips- Exeter Academy, and later Harvard Univer- sity, where he was graduated in 1911, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. When he com- pleted his education, he entered the employ of the American Woolen Company, remaining with them only one year, after which he became associated with the firm of Eisemann Brothers, and in 1916 became a partner of the firm. Po- litically, he is a member of the Republican party, and he is a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. He is a member of the Kernwood Country Club, the Harvard and the University clubs of Boston, the Boston Chamber of Con- merce, and the Boston Wool Trade Associa- tion. During the World War, he served in the United States Naval Reserve Corps, with the rank of ensign, and was stationed at Washing- ton, where he had charge of all the wool used by the Navy Department. Mr. Ilfeld is a trus-
tee of the Hecht Neighborhood House. He at- tends the Jewish Temple, and finds relaxation in music and golf. In 1916, he married Mar- garet Stein, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their children are: Ellen Louise, and Susan.
JOHN ARNOLD FARRER-Member of the firm at law of Farrer & McCormack, with offices in the Old South Building, Nos. 701-2- 3-4, city of Boston, John Arnold Farrer was born on a farm near Fords Mills, Province of New Brunswick, Dominion of Canada, on July 14, 1872, but came to the United States as a youth, in 1887, to Connecticut. He is a son of William Farrer, and a great-grandson of the founder of the family in North America, who came to New Brunswick from Yorkshire, Eng- land, and settled upon homestead land, as farmer. The family is well known in the vi- cinity of Fords Mills, where it has been repre- sented for more than a century, always hon- orably.
William Farrer was born in New Brunswick in the year 1841, and after a useful and highly respected life on the soil died, in 1912, at the place of his birth, near Fords Mills. He mar- ried Eliza A. Reid, also a native of the com- munity. William and Eliza A. (Reid) Farrer were the parents of eight children, seven of whom have reached maturity. Of these: John A., the eldest, of whom further; Edward, Stephen, Leslie, and Elizabeth, all are pleas- antly situated as to material goods. Edward Farrer occupies the homestead farm in New Brunswick, continuing with prosperity on the soil broken years ago by his forefathers, and Leslie Farrer is a Baptist minister.
John A. (J. Arnold) Farrer attended the com- mon schools of the Fords Mills district in New Brunswick until he reached the age of fifteen years, when his courageous love of adventure took him away from his comfortable home into
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several years of much varied experience in the United States. It required no small heart for a lad of his age to go out into a foreign land, and without a goodly proportioned purse of money; but John Farrer did this. For one year he was in the employ of a telegraph com- pany, at Willimantic, Connecticut, and there he learned to use the key, and became an opera- tor in spite of his limited years. But the de- sire for new fields seized him once more, and assisted by his savings as telegraph operator and by a small allowance from home he was enabled to spend two years at Mount Allison College, at Sackville, New Brunswick. His next move was back to the United States, where, with headquarters in Boston, he went to work for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, remaining in their employment for three years, meanwhile attending Boston University Law School. One may be sure that such a program was arduous, calling for strict purpose toward a certain ¿ oal not to be reached in less than years of time, and during this time giving satisfaction to most exacting demands of a railroad. Neither school nor the position could be shirked, nor did Mr. Farrer try to give less to the one than to the other, and it was not until after the degree of Bachelor of Laws had been conferred upon him, in 1896, and he had been admitted to prac- tice before the bar of Massachusetts the follow- ing year, that he relinquished his place with the railroad company. Since 1897 Mr. Farrer has occupied himself diligently and intelligently in the legal profession in Boston, engaging in a general practice; and he is by confreres in the fraternity greatly admired for the ability and high ethical code which have combined with his industry in the creation of a substan- tial success in the profession. He is an active member of the Bar Association of America and of the Massachusetts State Bar Association. Also he is active in Masonry, a member of the University Club of Boston, the Vesper Club, and the Winchester Country Club, and is ar- dently interested in the projects fostered by these societies, notably as they are directed toward
the welfare of the Greater Boston community. Just as he is known to be a loyal and public- spirited citizen of the community, so is he a patriot in the cause of his adopted country. During the World War, though too advanced in years for service in the military, Mr. Farrer served wherever and whenever requested on the various boards and committees prosecuting the war from within this country, and supported liberally, both financially and spiritually, the several Liberty Loan campaigns. He is a com- muniçant of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, gen- erous in his contributions to charitable and kindred worthy causes, whether or not they are sponsored by the church of his denomina- tion.
John Arnold Farrer married, and is the father of one child, a son, John Arnold, Jr., born on February 16, 1900, and a graduate of the Engineering School of Harvard Univer- sity, now with the General Motors Corpora- tion. During the World War he was one of the contingent of young men from the Massa- chusetts Insitute of Technology to go to Platts- burg, and of this body was one of forty selected for service at Camp Hancock. Here he was recommended for a commission, having per- formed his duty most honorably.
HENRY B. DILLENBACK-As one en- ters the pleasant town of Winchester, Massa- chusetts, there looms prominently in view the imposing plant of the Beggs and Cobb Tan- ning Company, a concern which was founded back in 1880, more than forty-five years ago. The two hopeful young men who established the business in that year with a combined capi- tal of $4,500 probably had rosy dreams of ulti- mate success, but the chances are that they did not for a moment vision the spaciousness, the modern machinery, and the efficient routine of the present plant. Neither could they foresee
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the present store at No. 76 South Street, in Boston, or the shops at Woburn, Massachu- setts, and in other cities, the branch offices in Chicago, and St. Louis, and the far-flung busi- ness affiliations reaching out to every part of this country and to South America, Europe, and Australia. One of the young men. Mr. Beggs, died thirteen years ago, and the other, Elisha W. Cobb. died August 5, 1928. Many new men are bearing the burdens and reaping the benefits of the success of the vast organiza- tion, and among those who have been long as- sociated with the development of this prosper- ous concern is Henry B. Dillenback, who has been sales manager and a member of the board of directors since 1906, a period of twenty-two years.
Henry B. Dillenback was born in Haverhill. Massachusetts. August 26. 1858. His father, Henry G. Dillenback, was born in New York State and was engaged as a shoemaker to the time of his death. He was a veteran of the Civil War, who served with the 11th Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers. as first lieuten- ant. and was wounded in action: he was a member of Haverhill Post. Grand Army of the Republic. Henry G. Dillenback married Helen M. Sargents. who was born in Derry, New Hampshire, and who also is deceased. The son, Henry B. Dillenback, attended the public schools of Haverhill, including the high school, and then took a course in Bryant & Stratton Business College in Boston. When his com- mercial training was completed, he entered the employ of Hubbard and Blake. of Boston, and since that time his connection with the leather business has been continuous, though he has held several different positions. It was in 1876 that he became associated with the Hub- bard and Blake firm, and about 1892 the name of this concern was changed to that of the Bassell, Brown and Company, of Boston. Mr. Dillenback remained with the new firm, and in 1895 he was made a partner in the business. In 1899 the company sold out to the American Hide and Leather Company, and again Mr. Dillenback remained with the new concern,
this time remaining until 1906, completing a period of thirty years in the leather business. In 1906 he became associated with Beggs and Cobb, Incorporated, as sales manager ant é- rector, and for twenty-two years he has held that office and that responsible position, gr- ing to the work his best energy and the az- vantages of his earlier experience.
The Beggs and Cobb. Incorporated. as hus already been stated. is one of the old cracems of the country, dating back to January 1. 2500 when William Beggs and Elisha W. Com then young men, with a combined capital zi $4,500, formed a partnership and commentei business as curriers, leasing for that purpose the old mansion in Peabody, Massachusetts : structure known as the "Crowninshield Shop They also opened a store at No. 67 Som Street. in Boston, for the sale of their products. The partnership was a fortunate one, in: M- Beggs was a practical and skilled tanner and currier. accustomed to the management of a big plant, and possessing a personality and character which enabled him to handle ezmir a large force of workmen in such a manner as to secure the best possible results, while M: Cobb was a very efficient salesman. The com- bination of two such personalities brought smx- cess from the beginning, and at the end of a year the business had outgrown its accommo- dations and larger housing had become zerzs- sary. The business was removed to Woben Massachusetts, where the partners rented a factory on Cross Street, and in 1884 erected a currying factory with a capacity two thousand sides per day. In 1889 they be gan tanning on their own account in the ker Maxwell tannery in Winchester, Massache- setts, and this establishment they operated for one year. At the end of that time Alexander Mosely was admitted to the firm as a special partner, and the company leased from him the Mosely Tannery at Winchester, which al the time was the largest tannery for the pre- duction of upper leather in the United States
In June, 1897, Mr. Beggs and Mr. Cobb per chased Mr. Mosely's interest, and in 1996 :
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concern was incorporated with a capital of $850.000, and the following official personnel: President. William Beggs; vice-president, Dan- iel T. Beggs; treasurer, Elisha W. Cobb; super- intendent, Harry Cox. From the beginning of their business enterprise to the present time, a period of forty-eight years, Beggs and Cobb have continued their original policy of produc- con. confining themselves to the production ci cowhide upper leathers, and specializing in imitation of calf in side leather, and in patent leathers, which have achieved a national repu- mation under the trademark, "Bee and See Leather." From 1880 to 1904 the firm used bark in tanning, but since the latter date they have used the chemical or chrome tannage, for which their plant is fully equipped with all the most modern machinery. The plant is most modern and scientific in every particular, even to the placing of the machinery so that there may be the least possible loss of effort and sme. In the Winchester factory they employ from seven hundred and fifty to eight hundred Sands, and in addition to the Winchester tan- zery and the Boston store, they also have two Japan shops, one in Woburn, and one in Win- chester, Massachusetts; and business affilia- Ecas throughout this country, South America, Europe. and Australia. In January, 1915, Wil- liam Beggs. who was then seventy-one years of age. died, and his passing removed from the community a business man of unusual ability, a citizen of great worth, and a friend and as- sociate who was greatly loved and esteemed. The watchwords of the concern from earliest days have been justice, application, and integ- rity. and on these solid foundations a substan- tial and lasting success has been reared. Daniel R. Beggs succeeded his father in the present Susiness as a tanner and is one of the ablest tanners of leather in this country, a worthy successor of his father; Sydney A. Beggs, a younger brother, assists him in the manufac- care of leather, while Warren M. Cox, who succeeded his brother, Harry Cox, is superin- senden: of the tannery. The present personnel ci the official family is as follows: Daniel R.
Beggs, president and treasurer; Sydney A. Beggs, vice-president; Donald H. Smith, secre- tary; Charles O. Howe, assistant treasurer; and additional members of the board of direc- tors are Henry B. Dillenback and Warren M. Cox.
SCOTT D. STONE-Among the commer- cial establishments in Boston that are devoted to wool, that of Scott D. Stone, Incorporated, of No. 210 Summer Street, is one of the most important in the trade. Mr. Stone, incorpo- rator and president of the company, has been actively engaged in the wool business for more than thirty-five years and has made for him- self an enviable name in his line. Specializing in carpet wool, he has drawn to his house a large and valuable trade, which long since dis- covered the important fact that business done with this concern was always on lines of high ethical honor, a code established by its presi- dent and followed with stern regularity. State- ments of value made by this house are facts which may be depended on and quality of merchandise is of more importance to its per- sonnel than profit. Such are the characteristics that have operated to place the house of Stone upon a high plane in the commercial field of a great wool-dealing center, and to accord to its head the honor of perfect faith in his word and his merchandise.
Mr. Stone was born in Gardiner, Maine, July 24, 1873, a son of George H. Stone, de- ceased, and Mary L. (Whitmore) Stone, both natives of Gardiner. The elder Stone was engaged in the woodworking business and was a veteran of the Civil War, in which he served as sergeant of the 16th Regiment of Maine Volunteers. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and a citizen of the highest character. His son, Scott D. Stone, was educated in the public schools of Gardiner
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and graduated from high school, following which he entered the wool business with the house of Brown & Adams, of Boston, where he remained for five years, leaving in 1898 to become associated in wholesale furniture. This he continued until 1904, when he again took up wool, engaging with William H. Harris here and remaining with that concern for two years, when he assumed the position of manager for the North Eastern Trading Company in its Boston office. In 1914 he became a partner in the house of Carl Gurbnan & Sons, and in 1925 established and incorporated the firm of Scott D. Stone, of which he is president and treasurer. His house handles carpet wools principally and imports from China, Serbia, In- dia, Turkey and Persia, ranking among the highest of its kind in the country. Mr. Stone's hobby in sports is golf and his clubs include the Boston Athletic Association, South Shore Country, Penn Athletic, of Philadelphia, and the Boston Wool Trade Association. His pol- itics is Republican. He attends the Protestant Episcopal church.
Scott D. Stone married, in 1903, May Belle Anderson, of Boston. They are the parents of one child, Dorothy.
MOSES W. SNYDER-One of the most prominent men in the New England shoe and leather industry is Moses W. Snyder. In association with his brother, Harry S. Snyder, he is a member of the firm of H. S. and M. W. Snyder, Incorporated, manufacturers of all sorts of skins and leathers for the shoe trade, supplying both domestic and export markets. This company, which is the result of the growth and development of several earlier companies which Mr. Snyder established, handles every phase in the manufacture of shoe leathers, including the tanning, which is done in its own tanneries at Woburn, Massachu- setts. The Boston offices in South Street are
headquarters for a world-wide trade, their special leathers, as for instance the famous "Ebony Cobretta," having sold into the hun- dred of thousands of dozens a year. Mr. Snyder has always been especially interested in bringing out new styles and leathers, and in improving details in the manufacture, and in these and other particulars his firm has been consistently in the front rank. Their India goat skin is marketed under the name of "Salley Kid," and their colored patent side leather is tanned by a process quite independ- ent of sun or weather, which has reduced the period for tanning from days to hours. Aside from his business interests, Mr. Snyder is ac- tive in civic affairs, and can always be counted on to support any movement for the welfare of the community.
He was born in Latvia, now one of the Baltic Republics, but then a province of Russia, on May 24, 1878, a son of Elias and Sarah (Levit) Snyder, both natives of Russia and both now deceased. Until the time of his death, his father was a journeyman tailor.
Moses W. Snyder was educated in private schools and in 1890 came to the United States to find work. For four and a half months he worked in the grocery business, and then be- came a fruit pedlar, selling his wares through the various shoe factories of Haverhill, Massa- chusetts. For a short time thereafter he worked as a bicycle repairer and also, later, sold books, but he soon entered the shoe in- dustry, in which he worked for five years at Haverhill. Finally, in 1899, in association with his brother, Harry S. Snyder, he established the Bay State Leather Remnant Company at Haverhill, which continued in operation until 1911. When this enterprise was begun, the combined capital of the two brothers totaled about one thousand dollars, but the business prospered from the very beginning. In 1909, they were able to purchase the Green estate at Haverhill, which consisted of the factory of Emory and Marshall, shoe manufacturers, the plant of the Andrews and Woods Bottling Company and of the Haverhill Tack Company,
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as well as the power plant which furnished power and heat to Phœnix Row in the shoe district. In the same year they established in Boston the Bay State Leather Company, this branch of their business handling whole skins. In 1912 or 1913 Mr. Snyder and his brother joined a tanner and hide man in the formation of the City Tanning Company, of Salem, Mass- achusetts, this company being liquidated a few years later. Finally, in 1914, the H. S. and M. W. Snyder Company was established, with offices on South Street, Boston, and in 1917, the firm was incorporated, with Harry S. Snyder as president and Moses W. Snyder as treasurer. Mr. Snyder has continued to serve in that capacity since that time.
Politically, he is an independent voter. He is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in this fraternity is a mem- ber of Boston Lodge, No. 10. He is a mem- ber of the Boston Chamber of Commerce and of the Newton Chamber of Commerce, of the Boston Boot and Shoe Club, the Shoe and Leather Club of Cincinnati, the New England Shoe and Leather Association, the Tanners' Council of America, and the Boston City Club.
In 1902, Mr. Snyder married Sarah Rapo- port, who was born in New York City. Mrs. Snyder has taken an active interest in the shoe and leather industry, especially in connection with the financing of an invention, known as the "Perma Process," for covering heels with lacquer instead of celluloid. This has long been an objective of the manufacturers of wooden heels, but has always proved too expensive. "Perma Process" is based upon an entirely new principle and is fully protected by four patents. The machine in operation somewhat resembles a stationary tractor with many detachable bars to which the heels are fastened. These are carried forward and from time to time dipped in a lacquer pan, time being allowed for the drying of each coat before the next application. All operations are automatic and require no skilled labor, and many intricate designs and color schemes can be obtained by this method at very slight expense. Following Mrs. Snyder's
interest, Mr. Snyder has become the sole dis- tributor of this machine.
Mr. and Mrs. Snyder are the parents of two children: Nathalie, and Edna Mae. The fam- ily home is at No. 463 Waverly Street, Newton Center, Massachusetts.
EUGENE F. SCHWERDT-The treasurer of the Fuhrman Wool Corporation of Boston, Massachusetts, Eugene F. Schwerdt was born in Antwerp, Belgium, on January 10, 1897. He is the son of Eugene Schwerdt, a native of Muenster, Germany, and Katherine Grace (Breese) Schwerdt, who was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father is engaged in the wool business in Boston and was at one time in this same line of business in Antwerp, Belgium, and also in other places in this country. Eugene F. Schwerdt was educated in private schools in Antwerp, Belgium, and on completing his edu- cation, he came to the United States in 1914 and started to work for the Botany Mills of Passaic, New Jersey. He remained there until 1916, and then went to work for the J. Webb Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was sent by this firm to South America, where he spent a year, and then returning to this country remained with this firm until 1919, when he went to New York City as manager of the wool department of the firm of Neuss Hesslein and Company, where he remained until 1920. He then became associated with his father, Eugene Schwerdt, who was in the wool business in New York City, and remained there until 1924, when he went to Philadelphia as manager of the office of his father's busi- ness in that city, remaining in Philadelphia un- til 1927. He then went to Amsterdam, Hol- land, where he made a connection with the firm of Fuhrman and Company. In August, 1927, the firm of Fuhrman Wool Corporation was started in Boston, Massachusetts, as a sub-
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sidiary of the Amsterdam firm, with Eugene F. Schwerdt as treasurer, which position he holds at the present time. This firm is a sell- ing agency in the United States and Canada for the firm of Fuhrman and Company, hand- ling a line of foreign wools and by-products such as waste and noils. The business is done chiefly with the wool dealers in the country.
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