History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. I, Part 147

Author: Shaw, William H
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: [United States :]
Number of Pages: 840

USA > New Jersey > Essex County > History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. I > Part 147
USA > New Jersey > Hudson County > History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. I > Part 147

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

that Newark became the great jewelry work-shop of the American continent, producing works of art in the precious metals and precious stones rivaling in beauty, finish and design not only the richest handi- work of Europe, but the rare and exquisite jewelry, still preserved, of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylo- nians, Etruscans and Romans. At first, owing to a prejudice against home products, as foolish as it was false, the trade met with slight encouragement. American women, like their sisters of the days of the Queen of Sheba and of ('leopatra, have ever been disposed to enhance their beauty hy displays of fine- wrought gold and richly-set jewels ; but it was a long time before they could be made to appreciate the workmanship of American artisans. Jewelry needed a foreign stamp in order to command here a generous sale. In time, however, native skill, wedded to native art, broke down false prejudices, and moved steadily on to a grand triumph. For many years, jewelry made in Newark by such houses as Durand & Co., Carter, Howkins & Dodd (now Carter, Sloan & Co.), Enos Richardson & Co., Wheeler, Paxson & Hays, and others met with a ready sale in New York, Bos- ton, Philadelphia, and the Western cities, when palmed off as l'arisian or London made-goods. Lately, however, it has proved a benefit instead of an injury, except in rare cases, to proclaim our wares home- made, rather than of foreign manufacture. The eyes of the blind have been opened and dazzled by the brillianey of Newark workmanship, as displayed at Tiffany's and other great jewelry bazars in New York and elsewhere. In 1860, according to the United States census, the value of the jewelry produced in

this country was about $12,000,000. Ten years later the figures given by the same authority for New Jer- sey were : Factories, 39; hands employed, 1502 ; capital invested, $1,844,900; wages, $942,801 ; material, $1,622,- 201 ; products, $3,315,679. That these figures are grossly inaccurate is susceptible of ample proof. In July, 1869, a carefully-prepared report in the Newark Daily Journal gave an aggregate approximate amount of capital employed, work turned out and men engaged in the jewelry business, as follows : Capital, 82,259,000 ; work turned out, $4,432,000 ; number of men, 1493; wages paid, $1,791,600. This was for Newark alone. In 1874 there were in Newark about fifty factories, large and small, doing a business estimated at a little over $6,000,000. One firm alone (that which was orig- inally established by Carter, Pierson & Hale a quarter of a century ago, and is conceded to be the largest jewelry factory in the world) has employed as many as 600 hand-, paying $6000 weekly wages, and doing a business of about $2,000,000.'

DURAND & Co .-- About the same time the latter firm started James M. Durand founded the establish- ment of which he is the senior partner. Under his remarkable genius the firm has achieved in the trade

a name and reputation that are international. No man has done more for Newark's exalted fame as a producer of the finest jewelry than Mr. Durand. This house is at 25 Franklin Street .?

ALEXANDER MILLER .-- The most extensive manu- facturer of stem-winding watch-crowns in the United States, is doubtless Alexander Miller, of 19 Ward Street, and he was the pioneer of this industry in this country. He has a well equipped factory with much machinery of his own contrivance.

MILLER BROTHERS is a house especially worthy of mention in the jewelry department. They have con- ducted the business since 1854, and have attained thorough success. The individual members of the firm are James W. and Isaac Miller, and their location is at 47-51 Franklin Street. About seventy-five hands are there employed, and the weekly pay-roll amounts to one thousand dollars, while the value of the annual production is not less than a quarter of a million dollars. They manufacture a general line of jewelry of superior design and workmanship, which has a high reputation and finds ready and wide sale. The New York office of this firm is at 7 Maiden Lane.

JAMES W. MILLER .- The ancestors of Mr. Miller, who were among the earliest settlers in New Jersey, were of English descent. Abner Miller, his grand- father, resided in Westfield, Union Co., where he was by profession a surveyor, and also superintended the cultivation of his farm. By his marriage to a Miss Phillips were born children,-Isaac, Aaron, Abby, Maria, Sarah and Elizabeth, of whom Aaron, now in his eighty-eighth year, is the only survivor. Isaac Miller was born near New Brunswick in 1791, and died in 1869. Ile married Susan, daughter of William Miller of Elizabeth, N. J., and had children,-Mary A. (wife of William B. Broadwell), Sarah P. (Mrs. Dr. Fred- erick Thomas), Susan (wife of William Miller), Eliza - beth M. (Mrs. John Noe), Rebecca M. (wife of Capt. Samuel D. Ward), A. Halsey, James W., William Il. C. and Isaac M. Of the above Susan and Elizabeth are deceased. James W. was born Dec. 16, 1830, at Westfield, N. J. ITis father having removed to the suburbs of Newark, his youth was spent upon the farm with such advantages of education as the country schools, and later the Newark Academy afforded. At the age of seventeen he entered upon an apprenticeship to the business of a jeweler, and on the expiration of his time of service, in 1852, became as- sociated with his brother Halsey in the business in Newark, combining manufacturing with the retail trade. He continued thus engaged until 1861, when his attention was devoted exclusively to manufactur- ing and the wholesale business, having the year previous made his brother Isaac M. a partner. They have, by close attention and the exercise of rare taste and skill, established an exceptional demand for their productions. They have succeeded, by the inventive

1 Atkinson's " !history of Newark."

2 Atkinson's History.

nuo WMiller

Isaac a. Cellig

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INDUSTRIES OF NEWARK.

genius of both members of the tirm, in reaching results by more economical and labor-saving methods, and, while increasing the beauty of their artistic wares, have also been able to manufacture them at a reduc- tion of cost. Mr. Miller was married, on the Ist of May, 1862, to Emily, daughter of Dr. Alexander Guthrie, of Albany, N. Y. Their children are Eugene Guthrie, and t'laude 11 .. who survive, and James Arthur, Alexander Dalton and Maud, deceased. Mr. Miller is in his political predilections a Republican, and served from 1873 to 1877 as member of the Common Council of the city of Newark, acting during the latter year as chairman of the finance committee. He has also twice been honored with the presidency of the New - ark Board of Trade. His addresses before that body have been replete with practical suggestions for the welfare of the city, and manifest un earnest desire for her material prosperity. Mr. Miller has varied the monotony of business by extensivo travel, and on many occasions given the press of the city the benefit of his descriptive pen. Ile is an Episcopalian in his religious views, and member of the vestry of Grace Protestant Episcopal Church, Newark.

SINNOCK & SHERRILL .- Among the houses de- serving of mention in this line of manufacture, none are more so than Sinnock & Sherrill. They began business in 1869 and now have a large factory on Maple Place, Green Street, in which they employ upon the average thirty-five hands. Their special prodnets are seal and stone rings of every description, and a few other goods of similar character. The individual members of the firm are W. P. Sinnock and 11. D. Sherrill.

BARNET BROTHERS & POWELL .- The firm of Barnet Brothers & Powell (D). 11. Barnet, W. Il. Barnet and J. HI. Powell) was organized in 1873. Their manufac- tory is at 74 Lawrence Street and their specialities are rings of all kinds, sleeve and collar buttons, and a few other articles, employing ahont twenty persons.

CARTER, SLONN & Co., jewelry manufacturers, cor- ner of Mulberry and Park Streets, Newark, are among the largest manufacturing firms of the kind in this country, employing five hundred persons in their busi- ness. The company comprising this firm was organ- ized Nov. 1, 1841, and is at present composed of A. Carter, Jr., A. K. Slonn. C. E. Hastings and George K. Howe. Their factory was built in 1852-53, of brick, and was enlarged in 1872 to its present capacity. New York office, No. 15 Maiden Lane.

CHAMPENOIS & Co .- The manufacture of solid gohl jewelry was commenced in 1866 at No. 50 Walnut Street, Newark, by Melntire, Champenois & Co ..

where they continued the business until 1876, when the firm-name was changed to that of t'hampenois & Co., who still continue the business on quite an exten- sive scale, employing over fifty persons in the man- ufacture of their line of goods.

ISAAC A. ALLING & CO., manufacturing jewelers, located at No. 50 Walnut Street. Their New York office is at corner of Liberty and Nassau Streets. This firm, which succeeded Isaac A. & J. C. Alling, who began business over forty years ago, was or- ganized Aug. 15, 1581, and was then composed of Isaac A. Alling, James S. Ilolmes and Thomas B. Cleveland, the last-named of whom retired July 1, 1×84. The specialties of this firm are wire bracelets, bangles, and "American lever" sleeve-buttons, for which they find a market in the United States and South America. They give employment to about tifty persons.

DAVID C. DODD belongs to a long line of succession extending from the firm of Alburg, Hall & Dodd, Clizbe, whose children were David, Haae, Mary, Theo- who established their business more than twenty-five years ago. It came into his possession in 1877, since which time he has been carrying on u successful manufacturing business at Halsey and Marshall Streets.

HAAG A. ALLING .- The Alling family are of Welsh lineage, Connecticut having been the home of those representatives of it who emigrated to the United States. Isaac, the grandfather of the subject of this biography, was a native of Newark, where he engaged in the manufacture of chairs. He married Mary dore, and one who died in childhood. David, the eldest of these, was born in Newark, Sept. 17, 1773, and continued the business of his father. He married, April 7, 1503, Nancy Ball, daughter of Stephen Ball. The latter was born in 1751, and murdered by lles- sians during the Revolutionary war. Mrs. AAlling's death occurred Oct. 15, 1815. Their children are Mary Clizbe (Mrs, lohn Hall), deceased; Stephen B., de- ceased, married to Jane Weir ; and Isaac .A. By a sec- ond marriage, to Eunice Roberts, were born children, --- Joseph C., David W., (dleceased), and Horace. The death of Mr. Alling occurred Feb. 28, 1555. His son isaac A. was born Feb. 17, 1814, at the homestead in Newark. Ile received a substantial English education, and on attaining a suitable age learned the fancy sil- ver plating business, which engaged his attention for four years, when he embarked with his brother Stephen in the jewelry business. On the expiration of the fifth year he became a manufacturing jeweler, and has, under various co-partnerships, continued this branch of industry until the present time, being now known as one of the oldest representatives of the trade in Newark. Mr. Alling was married, on the 12th of April, 1837, to Miss Emeline, daughter of Joseph Moore, of New York. They have no surviving chil- dren. In politics the subject of this biography was for many years a Whig, and has latterly supported the principles of the Republican party. He has de- vated much attention to an extended and lucrative business, and found little leisure for participation in affairs of a political nature. He was one of the in- corporators of the Essex County National Bank, and has been since one of its directors, tilling also the same office in connection with the Newark Insurance

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

Company. He has been since 1832 a member of the Third Presbyterian Church of Newark, in which he fills the office of elder.

WILLIAM RIKER started in the manufacture of jewelry on Broad Street, in September, 1846, and sinee 1870 has been at his present location, Nos. 42-46 Court Street. lle also has an office at No. 3 Maiden Lane, New York.

T. II. BENTLEY, No. 359 Mulberry Street, estab- lished himself in the manufacture of jewelry in 1853. on Green Street, and subsequently removed to his present large and commodious factory, where he em- ploys about forty persons. Ile is also associated with Mr. B. Bryant, of New York, in the manufacture of jewelry. Mr. Bentley learned the jewelers' trade in Providence, R. I.

A. JORALEMON & Co., Nos. 335-337 Mulberry Street, are manufacturers of a general variety of fine jewelry. The firm is composed of A. Joralemon and J. C. Mandeville, and was established in 1861. Mr. Mandeville was born in Newark in 1817, and Mr. Joralemon was born in Belleville, N. J. They em- ploy annually forty-five men.

ENOS RICHARDSON & Co., No. 53 Columbia Street. I and every opportunity was afforded him to gratify his are manufacturers of a general variety of jewelry. The business was established in 1850 by Palmer. Richardson & Co., and in 1860 the Palmer brothers retired, leaving Enos Richardson, L. P. Brown, Frank HI. Richardson, William Richardson, and William Melchar, who are the present firm. They have a large factory, ninety by one hundred feet, three floors, and give employment to three hundred and fifty men.

A. J. HEDGES & Co., No. 90 Mechanie Street, are manufacturers of a general variety of jewelry goods. The business was established at this place many years ago by Alling, Hall & Dodd. They were succeeded by Hall, Dodd & Co., and that firm by Dodd & Hedges in 1866. Mr. Hedges was formerly a mem- ber of the firm of Field & Co. for a number of years. Mr. Dodd retired in 1877, and the firm-name became A. J. Hedges & Co. This firm now occupy two floors of forty by one hundred feet each, and employ sixty persons, who produce annually goods valued at one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars.

Lapidary .- The business of cutting diamonds, sardonyx, black onyx and agates was established in Newark in 1872 at 148 Mulberry Street, by Edward D. Regad, and in 1879 occupied his present large factory, No. 14 Oliver Street, where he gives steady employment to ten men. There are other like estab- lisInnents in the city, but none doing the amount of business completed by Mr. Regad.

Smelting .-- EDWARD BALBACH & SON, Newark Smelting and Refining Works, No. 233 River Street, was established in 1851 by Edward Balbach, Sr., who had been engaged in the smelting business for several years. Mr. Edward Balbach, Jr., subsequently became a member of the firm, when the above firm-name was assumed. Messrs. Balbach & Son receive mixed

metals from the mines in Utah, Nevada. California and other mining districts. The metal is received at the works in ingots weighing one hundred and twenty pounds each, and the percentage of silver varies greatly.

The simplified process, invented by Mr. Balbach, of separating the gold from the baser metals, is now in use by nearly all the smelting works in the United States, and he has also patented the invention in Europe. The works of this firm cover two acres of ground, and, with one exception, are the largest in the world. Nearly or quite fifty thousand dollars' worth of gold and silver is refined each week, and the prod- net of lead for the same time is one hundred and fifty tons. The force employed averages one hundred and twenty-five hands, and the yearly product amounts to over five million dollars.

EDWARD BALBACH, SR., was born in Carlsruhe, Ba- den, Germany, March 19, 1804, and, although now in his eighty-first year, is actively engaged in the man- agement of his extensive gold and silver smelting and refining works. While a young man Mr. Balbach evinced a great partiality for the study of chemistry, inclination in this direction. As he grew okler, and it became necessary for him to fix upon some occupa- tion for life, he determined to become a refiner of precious metals, a business for which he was as fully prepared to engage in as the limited progress which had been made in the science of chemistry at that day permitted. Ile went to work at first in a small way, and by degrees achieved considerable success in his native city, where he continued to reside and labor until he had reached the age of forty-four years. Ilis profits, however, were slowly made, and the pros - peet of accumulating a fortune by the refining of ores under the restrictions placed upon it by the govern- ments of Europe seemed to be very remote. This circumstance, as well as his strong republican senti- ments and love of liberty, induced Mr. Balbach to turn his attention to America, a land where he be- lieved his large experience and industry would insure for him success. In 1848, then, he determined to visit the United States, and satisfy himself as to the correctness of his judgment in this matter. His in- vestigations during his visit at that time were very thorough, and in addition to the fact that in this country he would meet with but little competition he found also that he would be free from the tram- mels under which he had labored in his native land. He visited the principal cities of the Union, inquiring particularly as to their character, commerce and manufactures, his inspection resulting in the decision that Newark, N. J., offered the most favorable ad- vantages for his business by reason of its situation as well as of its peculiar industries. The manufacture of jewelry was here very extensively carried on, and the floors of these factories furnished annually large quantities of the precious metals for the pots of the

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refiner, whose laboratory was generally located in some European city. Here, then, he determined to locate, and was on the point of making his prepara- tions to do so when the sad intelligence reached him that his brother and his brother's wife had both fallen victims to an epidemic, leaving cight helpless, orphan children. His tender heart was touched, and at once abandoning all his projects for the present, he hastened home to make provision for his youthful kinsmen, all of whom he received as his adopted chil- dren. This labor of love having been accomplished. he returned to Newark in 1×50, and there, soon af- terwards, erected the first building of those now im- mense smelting works through which annually passes a greater amount of gold and silver than is corre- spondingly sent out from the United States Mint at Philadelphia. The first work attempted by Mr. Bal- bach in his new establishment was the reduction of jewelers' "sweepings," an operation which had never before been performed in this country except on a very limited scale. This work was done with such entire satisfaction that his name soon became known in all the jewelry manufactories throughout the land, and consignments of "sweepings " began to pour in upon him from New York, Philadelphia and other cities. It became necessary for him to extend his buildings and to increase his machinery. And now he was called upon to perform tasks of a somewhat different nature. Lead from mines in New York and Pennsylvania was forwarded to him to be smelted. The fame of his establishment spread into distant lands, and in 1861 silver-bearing lead was consigned to him from Mexico, and thus be formed a business connection in that country which still exists. But the work of separating gold and silver from baser metals, such as lead and zine, had always been a very difficult one to accomplish, a great percentage of the precious metals being lost by the tedious processes hitherto in use. And now it was that Mr. Edward Balbach, who had inherited the tastes and skill of his venerable father, immortalized himself by the inven- tion of a speedy process by which to accomplish per- fertly this very difficult and delicate task. This pro- cess has been patented in both the United States and Europe, and is known as " Balbach's De-Silverizing Process." It has completely revolutionized gold and silver smelting and refining in this as well as other countries, and by it gokl and silver are separated from the lead, and concentrated.

Idaho, Arizona and Lower C'alifornia, as well as from Mexico and South America. Some of these silver ores have yielded more than six thousand dollars to the ton. Large amounts of crude silver in bars are frequently received at this establishment for separa- tion. In addition to the smelting and refining of the precious metals, Mr. Balbach has for some years past engaged in the preparation of that perfectly pure lead used in the manufacture of white-lead, heretofore imported from Europe. It might naturally be sup- posed that the vast operations of this concern would have long since crowded out the comparatively tri- fling business of reducing the sweepings of the jewelry factories, but this work is still attended to with great fidelity, and it is a matter worthy of remark that dur- ing so many years in which Mr. Balbach has been en- gaged in this business, which required the most per- feet confidence in his integrity, not the faintest whis- per has ever been uttered against him. Fome years ago his son, Edward Balbach, Sr., became associated in business with him under the style of Edward Bal- bach & Son, and the bars of gold and silver which bear their stamp are as current in Wall Street as those of the I'nited States Mint. Mr. Balbach, Sr., as has been already said, is now in his eighty-first year. Ile still possesses remarkable energy of both body and mind, and with a pleasant smile and a cheerful word he welcomes every one who desires to inspect the marvelous works which his great skill and enterprise have founded.

There are four other smelting houses in the city,. viz .: C'alvin S. Dennis, 40 Walnut Street; Ellis P. Earle, 13 New Jersey Railroad Avenue; William L. Glorieux, 13 Franklin Street, and L. Lelong & Brother, a prominent firm at 345-347 Halsey Street.

Assayer .- The business conducted by D. R. Downer (assaying and refining) at 13-15 New Jersey Railroad Avenue was established by David l'rince in 1875, who did a large business until 1881, when they sold out to Crittenden & Earle. In 1882, Mr. Crittenden died, and Mr. Earle then continued the business alone until he sold out to Mr. Downer, the present proprietor, April 1, 1884. Mr. Downer occupies the whole of a large building, and carries on a prosperous business.

C. F. CROSELMIRE, gold and silver refiner, smelt- er and assayer, at No. 115 to 123 Chestnut Street, is a native of Frankfort, Germany. He came to New- ark in 1850, and 1876, in connection with L. Meyer, established the smelting business. That firm was succeeded in 1881 by Hexter & Croselmire, and on Ang. 1, 1884, Mr. Croselmire became sole proprietor, und employs on an average about fifty men.

The discovery and use of this new process did much to increase the already rapidly growing busi- ness of this great establishment, which now covers an aren of two and one-half acres of land. The great mines of Nevada sent to it such large consignments Newark Zinc and Iron Company .- This company was first organized and incorporated in 1849 as the New Jersey Exploring and Mining Company, and in 1852, the name was changed to New Jersey Zinc Company, and changed again in 1980 to present of ore that it became necessary to erect new wharves, buildings and furnaces, and since that time the fires in these vast works have never been suffered to die out. Shipments of ores are continually received from the mines of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Montana, | name. The pioneer officers were James L. Curtis,

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

president ; George W. Savage, secretary ; Samuel T. Jones, treasurer. The works of the company are located at the foot of River Street, and cover an area of seventeen aeres, and cost one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. They were rebuilt in 1856, and enlarged in 1867-68, and in 1884, with two hun- dred and seventy-five men employed, produced six thousand tons of oxide of zinc and six thousand tons of speigeleisen. The officers in 1884 were B. G. Clark, president ; Theodore Sturges, secretary and treasurer, with A. H. Farlin as manager. The an- nual products are over one million three hundred thousand dollars.

The Newark Lime and Cement Manufacturing Company .- The rapid manner in which the city on the Passaic has extended its limits within the past thirty or forty years points to an enormous and rapidly increasing demand for building materials, and Newark not only supplies her own needs in this direc- tion, but furnishes these, as well as a large variety of similar products, to many of the surrounding cities and throughout the country generally.

The oldest established, best known and most exten- sive of these works, are those owned by the Newark Lime and Cement Manufacturing Company, who oc- cupy a site extending about four hundred feet on the Passaic River, one hundred and fifty feet on Bridge Street and about six hundred feet on South Bridge Street.

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History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. I, Part 147

Author: Shaw, William H Publication date: 1884 Publisher: [United States :] Number of Pages: 840

Author: Shaw, William H
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: [United States :]
Number of Pages: 840