History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men, Part 68

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1358

USA > Missouri > St Louis County > St Louis City > History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men > Part 68

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On the 23d of January, 1818, James Brand an- nounced " a new stock from Philadelphia in the house formerly Sergt. Hall's printing-office ;" on the 30th it was stated that " Thomas Estes has removed to the house formerly Peebles' tavern and since S. R. Wig- gins' store ;" February 13th, L. W. Boggs and Thomas Hanly gave notice that they had dissolved partnership, Boggs having purchased Hanly's interest. March 12th, Renshaw & Hoffman gave notice that they were just from Baltimore, " with all new goods, at the store for- merly Collet & Daily's ;" May 1st, J. Macklot & Co. advertised their goods in the store " lately M. Scott's, opposite the Indian office ;" June 12th, Thomas P. Williams & Co., in the store recently occupied by Perkins & Drips; July 1st, Renshaw & Hoffman " removed to the centre frame store of the three re- cently put up by F. Dent, on Smith's lot, opposite Von Phul & Co., 'Sign of the Plow ;'" July 24th, James Ciemens & Co., third door above the market on Main Street (Smith's store); July 31st, Samuel R. Ober, large stock new goods next below Collet & Daily, Block 37; August 19th, William Prout & Son,

KORSWAG

LINHAKY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LLINOIS.

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TRADE, COMMERCE, AND MANUFACTURES.

" new goods just opened in Clark's old Indian office, opposite Porter, Glasgow & Nivin ;" September 4th, Edward Tracy, just from New York, with new goods at the store of Dent & Rearick; September 4th, Jonathan Guest " has just opened his new goods in Maj. Douglass' new brick house," Elm Street ; Sep- tember 11th, Charles Wahrendorff & Co. " removed to next below the new banking-house, opposite to James Clemens' ;" September 25th, Jonathan Guest removed to Pratte's warehouse, at the lower corner of Market Street; December 1st, Thomas Hanly re- moved "to his new briek on the river ;" December 4th, Réné and Gabriel Paul dissolved partnership, R. Paul retiring; December 11th, Gabriel Paul advertised an " auction and commission house, in R. Paul's stone house."

About 1819 business began to be classified, and there were separate dealers in groceries, in dry-goods, in hardware, although many houses still continued to deal in mixed merchandise ; but Scott & Rule (Capt. Scott and William K. Rule) established a house in St. Louis almost exclusively for the sale of groceries, chiefly brought from New Orleans. Then there were Shackford & Ranney, then Gay & Estes, doing each a large business in the grocery line; James Clemens, John Smith, the Powels, Warburton, and several others almost exclusively dealers in dry-goods. On the 15th of January of this year James and George H. Kennerly advertised their business as being con- dueted in Clark's brick house, Block 10; January 22d, Dent & Rearick, Main Street, opposite H. Von Phul & Co., Block 33; February 3d, Chouteau & Sarpy removed to the store between Moses Seott and the old Indian council-house ; February 10th, Chris- tian and Andrew Wilt's new firm was advertised, and on the same day G. Paul's auction-room, " in his new From this mixed beginning the dry-goods trade of St. Louis sprang, just as the present magnificent city rose from the humble abodes which preceded the palaces and warchouses that now attraet the admira- tion of every visitor. brick house, opposite the theatre, Main Street," Block 11 ; April 7th, Renshaw & Hoffman " have removed next door north, lately Dent & Reariek, large warehouse in the rear ;" April 28th, Charles W. Hunter " has re- moved from M. Kerr's old stand diagonally opposite his The well-known wholesale and retail dry-goods house of William Barr & Co. was established in 1849, the original location being at the corner of Third and Market Streets ; but after a few months the estab- lishment was removed to the corner of Fourth and Olive Streets, where it remained until 1857. In that year the firm removed to a building which was after- wards enlarged until it occupied the entire block bounded by Third, Fourth, Vine, and St. Charles Streets. The present quarters of the firm, which is known as the William Barr Dry-Goods Company, and composed of William Barr, Charles H. Berking, former place;" June 2d, Michael and Francis Tes- son, copartnership ; June 9th, partnership of Thomas Collet and Michael Daily dissolved, and a copartner- ship formed between Michael Daily and Madame Pescay ; June 23d, Joseph Wiggins " removed to No. 2 in Chouteau's new brick row, nearly opposite Bank of Missouri ;" June 30th, Julius de Mun, " new stock in M. Lisa's new house, opposite the Enquirer office ;" July 24th, David W. Tuttle removed to No. 3 in Chouteau's new brick row, nearly opposite the Bank of Missouri; August 4th, James Timon & Son, new store next above Riddick's auction-house, late | and Joseph Franklin, arc a handsome and imposing

Low & Trask ; August 11th, David E. Cuyler "has a lot of goods for sale in Mr. Dillon's new briek store, opposite the Farmers' and Mechanics' Hotel;" De- cember 8th, Theodore Papin and Joseph Amoreaux " have purchased the stock of Macklot & Co., and will continue the business in Gratiot's stone store ;" De- cember 23d, Charles Billon removed to his new estab- lishment, North Main, at the corner opposite the old Gratiot residence ; December 29th, Thomas Estes re- moved to No. 2 of Col. A. Chouteau's new brick row, South Main Street.

In 1820 the following firms advertised : January 5th, Castillo & Gilhuly, store in Moses Scott's former stand, South Main Street; January 19th, Joseph Hertzog, from Philadelphia, "will continue the business of C. & A. Wilt at the same place ;" Jan- uary 26th, William H. Savage ; March 8th, Gilhuly & Cummins' store, in McKnight & Brady's brick house, north of the corner store; March 29th, Hastings & Simpson's store, South Main Street, in Collet's brick building ; Samuel R. Ober, next below Hastings & Simpson ; April 8th, Joseph and Francis Robidoux removed their store from old stand to Papin's brick house, Block 32; April 10th, "Charles Wahrendorff & .Co. have dissolved ;" April 19th, John Shackford & Co., third in Chouteau's briek row ; May 3d, the new firm of Traey & Wahrendorff formed "in old stand;" May 30th, Nathaniel D. Payne's new store, North Main Street, in Auguste P. Chouteau's new brick house ; August 9th, George Burchmore, new goods; August 17th, Paul & In- gram, from Philadelphia, dry-goods, etc., in No. 1 in Auguste Chouteau's new brick row, Block 7; August 23d, Giles and John Samuel, merchants, in R. Paul's stone corner house, North Main Street.

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HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.

structure located on Sixth Street, extending from Olive to Locust.

The failure of the Illinois banks in 1842, the low price of produee, and the stagnation of business in the West contributed to bring on a erisis in St. Louis. Many business men found themselves, after years of toil, left without a dollar ; and the most for- tunate were content if, by the sacrifice of all their past profits in trade, they could preserve their eredit, and be prepared to eonimenee business anew when the storm passed over It required some two years to relieve the country of its embarrassments, to restore

taken place in various firms, some lost their books by the great fire of 1849, and others again declined giving any statement, although assured that it should be strictly confidential."

The statements of the business of six dry-goods houses were obtained, which sum up as follows :

Sales in 1845

$1,119,057.20

1853

4,074,782.01

Increase in eight years. $2,955,724.81

There were over twenty wholesale dry-goods houses, besides those situated near the North Market and o

JULIA

BARKS

FOURTH

OLIVE T PARK

MISSOURI RAILWAY.

WILLIAM BARR DRY-GOODS COMPANY, Corner Sixth, Olive, and Locust Streets.

confidence and give a healthy tone to trade, especi- ally in a city like St. Louis, where men had to rely mainly upon their own capital, being limited to one bank, with a capital of only six hundred thousand dollars.

From 1845 business maintained a steady and healthy growth, and " we have endeavored," says a local journal, " to gather some statistics illustrative of this faet. We have found difficulty in attaining our objeet, which was to give the business of the same houses in 1845 and 1853. Some of our business men have died, others have retired, changes have

Carondelet Avenue, nearly the same number, that transacted a large jobbing and retail business.

The above statement embraced two of the largest houses, and it also embraced two that were considered among the small houses in amount of business.

Another long-established firm in the dry-goods trade is that of Samuel C. Davis & Co., whose name is one of the business landmarks of St. Louis. The founder of the house, Samuel C. Davis, first came to St. Louis from Brookline, Mass., and began business in a little store at Market and Commercial Streets, then the business centre of the town. His partner was

TRADE, COMMERCE, AND MANUFACTURES.

1297

J. R. Standford. In addition to the dry-goods busi- ness the firm conducted a flourishing trade in boots and shoes and groceries. Mr. Standford finally re- tired, and Jolm Tilden and Eben Richards were ad- mitted into partnership. In 1849 the house escaped the great fire, and in 1857 the business was removed to Nos. 8 and 10 North Main Street. In 1867, Mr. Tilden and Mr. Richards retired, and the house was then composed of Samuel C. Davis, Andrew W. Sproule, and John T. Davis, who still remain the partners in the firm. In 1872 the grocery depart- ment, and in 1873 the shoe department, both of which had been removed to. No. 12 Main Street,

the reception and delivery of goods. The basement extends under the sidewalk of the streets, and is lighted by thick glass set in iron-work overhead. The building is amply provided with conveniences for the prompt and speedy handling of goods, and the establishment is altogether one of the most complete, as it is one of the most extensive, in the West.

About 1850 the leading dry-goods house of St. Louis was that of Rutherford & Day. Franklin O. Day, the junior member of the firm, and afterwards one of the most prominent merchants of the city, was born in Burlington, Vt., Oet. 31, 1816, both of his parents being natives of that State. His ancestor,

SAMUEL C. DAVIS & COMPANY, Washington Avenue and Fifth Street.

were sold, and the house thenceforward restricted itself to the dry-goods trade. In August, 1871, was commeneed the ercetion of the present magnificent building at the northwest corner of Fifth Street and Washington Avenue, which was completed and occupied in March, 1873. This structure, which is in the Italian style of architecture, and of spacious and imposing appearance, has a frontal of one hun- dred and seventy-five feet on Fifth Street by one hun- dred and twenty-five feet on Washington Avenue, and contains, including the basement, six floors. In the rear of the immense building there is a broad, paved area, left open to insure sufficient light and to facilitate

Robert Day, came to America from England with his wife, Mary, in 1634. It is a family tradition that the Days originally came from Wales, the name"having been Dee, but in time it came to be written Daye or Day, to agree with the pronunciation.

Mr. Day received a common-school education, but at a very early age evineed a desire to obtain a knowl- edge of business in order that he might earn his own livelihood, and when a mere boy was employed in his father's dry-goods house. At the age of seventeen he left home and went to New York, where he ob- tained a situation in the same business. Two years later (when nineteen) his father's sudden death called

1298

HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.

him home, and being the eldest son he settled his father's cstate, and proved himself already to possess excellent business qualifications.

At the age of twenty-two he formed a partnership for the sale of dry-goods at Northfield, Vt. The business docs not appear to have been a very large or paying one, for in three years he abandoned it and removed to St. Louis with only two hundred dollars. It is believed that this moncy was the fruit of his own industry and thrift, for he appears to have always taken care of himself after leaving home, and there is no record of his having received anything from his father's estate.

Upon arriving at St. Louis (in 1842 or 1843) he was employed by T. S. Rutherford in the wholesale dry-goods business, and so distinguished himself for efficiency that about January, 1845, he was admitted as a partner by Mr. Rutherford, the firm being T. S. Rutherford & Co. Four years later a second partner- ship was formed under the title of Rutherford & Day. Mr. Rutherford, who is still living (1882), continues to speak in the highest terms of the qualities shown by Mr. Day thus early in his business career.

During the latter years of his partnership with Mr. Rutherford the California excitement prevailed throughout the West, and St. Louis was the starting- point of numerous expeditions overland. A favorite speculation which brought fortunes to many was the shipping of live-stock across the plains to the Western El Dorado. After dissolving his partnership with Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Day engaged in a venture of this kind, accompanying a herd to California in 1853, but was too late to reap the expected profits, although the scheme was far from being a failure. His part- ner in the speculation was Mortimer Kennett, and the wearisome overland journey consumed six months.

In 1854, Mr. Day returned to St. Louis, and in the following year established himself in the wholesale liquor business with Charles Derby, the firm being Derby & Day. This enterprise, like everything un- dertaken by Mr. Day, prospercd, and from quite a moderate beginning grew to be one of the largest in- terests of the kind in the city, its name being a syn- onym for careful, judicious management and honorable dealing. Mr. Day continued in this business until his death, Feb. 16, 1882. For some years he had been in declining health, but up to within a week of his death was able to visit the office and keep himself informed as to the general condition of affairs.

The leading characteristics of Mr. Day's business life were the exercise of unusual tact and foresight and the avoidance of all hazardous enterprises. As a result of his stcady application to business he amassed

a fortune, at one time very large, consisting of val- uable real estate in various portions of the city. Its value afterwards shrank somewhat, but he still left his family an cstate estimated at perhaps half a million. He was a public-spirited property-owner, and but a short time before his death erected several very handsome five-story buildings on Locust Street, ncar the Equitable building, corner of Sixth Street.

On the 2d of October, 1849, Mr. Day married La- vinia M. Aull, who was born in Lexington, Mo. At his death he left a wife and four children, three sons and a daughter, the latter married to J. R. Truesdale, formerly of Pittsburgh, Pa., and now a leading busi- ness man of St. Louis. Of the sons, Frank P. Day and Lawrence W. Day were associated with their father in the cstablishment, and have practically suc- ceeded to the management, in which capacity they have shown the possession of excellent business quali- fications.

Mr. Day was associated in many important public enterprises, such as the St. Louis Bridge, the Mer- chants' Exchange, etc., and was a director in the Merchants' National Bank, the Franklin Savings- Bank, and the Boatmen's Insurance Company.

In one respect Mr. Day will long be held in grate- ful remembrance by all lovers of the beautiful. He was a man of fine taste, and was among the first in St. Louis to exhibit the desire to collect works of art. Among the famous pictures which he owned from time to time was " Paying the Rent," by Erskine Nicol, which took the second prize at the Paris Exposition of 1867. Mr. Day paid ten thousand dollars for this picture, and subsequently sold it to William H. Van- derbilt, whose gallery it adorns. Mr. Day also ex- tended hearty encouragement to the establishment of art societies, etc.

Mr. Day was not a member of any church, but at- tended the Holy Communion (Episcopal), to which members of his family belonged. He was one of the most liberal contributors in the parish, and had a high appreciation of the worth of religion in matters of every-day life.

Among the business men of St. Louis who have been prominent within the past thirty or forty years few achieved a more substantial and meritorious suc- cess than did Mr. Day, and among those who have passed away none were more generally or deeply re- gretted than he. Many have lived and died who made a much more pretentious figure, but none possessed in richer store the essentials of true manhood, as exem- . plificd both in business and in private life. Franklin O. Day and the class to which he belonged were worthy successors to the remarkable men who founded

hn.

Sortun

.O. Way.

LIBRARY Ot THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

LIBRARY O+ THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

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TRADE, COMMERCE, AND MANUFACTURES.

St. Louis and set upon it the seal and signature of future greatness.

One of Mr. Day's most active and successful eon- temporaries in building up the dry-goods trade of St. Louis was Daniel W. Bell. Mr. Bell was born Feb. 27, 1831, at Salisbury, Md., and was the oldest son of Henry Bell, for many years a leading wholesale mer- chant of Lexington, Ky. Daniel W. Bell received his business training in the wholesale and retail store of his father in Lexington, and his scholastic edu- cation was obtained at Transylvania University. He began as salesman, but developing great commercial ability, he was after a few years admitted as a partner. He had a thorough knowledge of the trade, and was favorably known for his industry and integrity.

In 1857, Henry Bell & Son opened a wholesale dry-goods house in St. Louis, the management of the business being intrusted entirely to D. W. Bell, under whose personal supervision the house grew to be one of the most important west of the Alleghenies. At the beginning of the war it was merged into that of Henry Bell & Son, and continued until 1875, when Henry Bell withdrew from the business, which was carried on by D. W. Bell, who died Sept. 4, 1877.

Another house which has contributed immensely to the development of the dry-goods trade of St. Louis is that of Scruggs, Vandervoort & Barney, the mem- bers being Richard M. Scruggs, Charles E. Barney, Gustavus A. Scruggs, and William L. Vandervoort. The firm has long been one of the commercial insti- tutions of the city, and occupies a fine warehouse, 421 to 425 North Fourth Street.

Richard M. Scruggs was born in Bedford County, Va., Feb. 10, 1822, of a well-known and prominent family. The only educational advantages he enjoyed were obtained at the "old field school," taught, as Was common in those days, for a few months in the year by the most competent person living in the neighborhood. At the age of fifteen he entered a dry-goods store at Lynchburg, Va., where he remained for eight years. He was repeatedly promoted until he became the confidential clerk and book-keeper of the concern, which was the leading one of its class in the place. One of the partners having sold his in- terest, Mr. Scruggs accompanied him to Richmond, Va., where he held the same confidential position in his establishment for two years. He then started out to seek a new field in the South. He intended to settle at New Orleans, but passing through Hunts- ville, Ala., the beauty of the place and the attractions of its society induced him to remain there, and he entered the branch office of a large New Orleans cotton house as confidential clerk.

In May, 1849, he visited St. Louis, where he de- termined to settle, and in March, 1850, became a resident of the city, engaging in the retail dry-goods business in the firm of McClelland, Scruggs & Co. From modest beginnings the business grew rapidly, and the firm ultimately became one of the leading houses of its class in St. Louis. In 1860, Mr. Scruggs withdrew from the establishment, which passed into the hands of W. L. Vandervoort & Co., and in 1861 he assisted in organizing the wholesale dry-goods firm of McClelland, Pye & Co. In 1862, however, the derangements occasioned by the war rendered the dis- continuance of the enterprise advisable. In 1865 he re-entered the retail business, the firm being Vander- voort, McClelland & Co. In 1868, Mr. McClelland retired, and the present firm of Scruggs, Vandervoort & Barney was organized, Mr. Barney having been a valued employé of the establishment since 1860, and for several years junior partner in the com- pany.

The career of the house of Scruggs, Vandervoort & Barney has been characterized by an uninterrupted and generally increasing prosperity, and it may justly be ranked with the most prominent concerns of the kind in the country. As head of the firm, and as mana- ger to a certain extent, Mr. Scruggs may be held (without detracting from the credit due to his effi- eient partners) to have prominently contributed to this result. His characteristics as a business man are unswerving integrity, careful attention to the financial details of the establishment, keen perceptive faculties, a ready and sound judgment, and a hearty enthusiasm in all he undertakes. His energy and aggressiveness have made him a popular and useful citizen, and his services are constantly in demand to push forward works of a public nature. Personally, he is sympathetic to a high degree, and gives freely but systematically and judiciously. Not only his means but his time have been largely given for the public benefit. For many years he has been a direc- tor in the Mercantile Library, and in 1870-71 was president of that corporation. He has long been a member of the board of commissioners to administer the Mullanphy Emigrant Relief Fund, and was unan- imously elected president, serving from July, 1879, to October, 1881. For many years also he has been eonnected with the Missouri School for the Blind, and for two years has been, and is still, president of the board of directors. He has been often solicited to' accept offices of a political nature, but shuns pub- licity and has invariably declined.

For several years Mr. Scruggs has been a member of St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church (South).

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HISTORY OF SAINT LOUIS.

· Beginning his church experience somewhat late in life, he quickly developed a remarkable fitness for re- ligious work, and became a leader in all the church enterprises, religious as well as material. For seven years he has been superintendent of the church Sun - day-school, and in this eapacity has been remarkably successful. For about four ycars he has also been superintendent of the afternoon Sunday-school of the Page Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a trustee and steward in St. John's Church, and as a

of the representative houses of the Mississippi valley. J. H. Wcar associated with him John W. Hickman, under the firm-name of Wear & Hickman, in the wholesale fancy dry-goods business in 1863. The original location was at the corner of Main and Chestnut Streets, where they remained until 1865, when they removed to 319 North Main Street. In 1867, Mr. Hickman withdrew, and the firm-name was changed to J. H. Wear & Co. His quarters having become too cireumscribed for the business,

POLYS WIN

J. H. WEAR, BOOGHER & CO .. DRY-GOODS, Sixth and St. Charles Streets.

member of the official board has sought to infuse into church management as much of business-like principles and methods as possible. His counsels in church matters are always large-hearted and generous, and he infuses as much life and spirit into his religious undertakings as he does into his secular concerns. Though zealous in the cause of Methodism, Mr. Scruggs is free from narrow sectarianism, and gladly extends a hand to those of other denominations as co-workers in religious effort.

The firm of J. H. Wear, Boogher & Co. is one

Mr. Wear removed in the spring of 1871 to No. 508 North Main Strect. Another removal soon became necessary, and on the 1st of January, 1875, the firm occupied the six-story building at the corner of Fifth Street and Washington Avenue. The_present quar- ters are at the southwest corner of Sixth and St. Charles Streets. The firm is composed of J. H. Wear and Jesse L. and John P. Boogher.

One of the earliest dry-goods merchants of St. Louis was Wayman Crow. Mr. Crow removed to St. Louis from Kentucky in 1835, and opened a dry-

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TRADE, COMMERCE, AND MANUFACTURES.

goods jobbing-house under the firm-name of Crow & Tevis, his associate, Terhune Tevis, residing in Philadelphia. Then all, or nearly all, the business was confined to the Levce (Water Street then) and Main Street, and the new firm located themselves temporarily at the corner of Water and Oak Streets) (the latter now known as Cherry), removing in the next spring to the stone house at the corner of Main and Olive Streets, which had been the residence of Col. Réné Paul. Of all the merchants engaged in business at the time the firm of Crow & Tevis began operations, none now remain actively engaged in trade. At that date the lines of communication be- tween St. Louis and the East were by river to New Orleans, and thence by sca and by river to Pittsburgh, and thence by wagons to Philadelphia. Sixty days was then quick time between New York and St. Louis, and purchases of goods for the spring sales of March and April were made in the preceding September ; those for the fall sales were made in June and July, and the arrivals of boats from New Orleans and Pitts- burgh with the season's stock of goods for the dif- ferent merchants of the town formed marked events. The communication with the interior was even less convenient, and sales were made always upon six months' time, with an indefinite period for collec- tion. Commencing thus with a business of less than one hundred thousand dollars, Mr. Crow has remained at the head of the firm, 'increasing its business to millions of dollars per annum, and passing through all the financial revulsions that have marked the his- tory of the West, in some of which as high as thirty per cent. interest was paid for the use of money that was even then obtainable only upon pledges of per- sonal property, and not once did his house suspend or fail to meet all obligations promptly at the date of maturity. In 1837 the firm removed to a three-story brick house on the west side of Main Street, at the corner of Locust, belonging to Gen. Ashley, and in 1839 or 1840 to the O'Fallon block, nearly opposite that location. In this last building the firm continued in business until burned out by the fire of 1849, changing its style from Crow & Tevis to that of Crow, Tevis & McCreery, and afterwards, upon the retire- ment of Mr. Tevis, to that of Crow, McCreery & Barksdale. Up to this time the house had met and successfully passed through two panics, and when their stock of goods was destroyed by the " great fire," the members of the firm instead of faltering, as others of their associates did, were only spurred to greater enterprise. In the fall of 1849, Mr. Crow built a fine four-story brick warehouse at No. 216 Main Street, to which the business was removed. 83

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History of Saint Louis City and County, from the earliest periods to the present day: including biographical sketches of representative men, Part 68

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898 Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts Number of Pages: 1358

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1358