Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y., Part 184

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : Munsell
Number of Pages: 1360

USA > New York > Kings County > Brooklyn > Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y. > Part 184

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While his general intelligence was thus sharpened by

"HARKNESS

PAPER

HOUSE & SIGN PAINTING.

GHOUSE & SICH PAINTING

FRESCOIN

. ....

PAPER HANGING

GLAZING

WILLIAM HARKNESS' STORES.

rubbing against the world, and his hand and eye were being trained in the work-shop, such advantages as came in his way for a more literary education were not neglected. Every evening during the night-school term found him in his place, a willing and a diligent pupil. Such were the only facilities for education within his reach, but of them he made the most.

On reaching his majority he started as a journeyman painter. The work was not to his liking. He had a mind that craved for the direction of work-not its mere execu- tion. He felt that he was intended for something higher than to continually work for others, and was determined to reach the goal of his ambition. But how? Capital he had none; and without capital independent work was impossible. There was but one alternative, to borrow money or to continue as a journeyman. He chose the former. In this crisis of his life he appealed to his old employer, Wm. Harvest, for a loan of ten dollars to start in business for himself. The appeal was an extraordinary one, but Wm. Harvest was not the man to refuse a helping hand to a faithful workman. He loaned the money and the journeyman became a capitalist and employer. It is unnecessary to add that Mr. Harkness cherishes the most kindly and grateful feelings toward his early benefactor, who still lives.

Soon Mr. Harkness was in a position to purchase, for a small sum, the stock and good will of a paint store at the corner of Lafayette avenue and Fulton street; and subsequently, in 1864, he bought out the store of John L. Griffin, at No. 692 Fulton street-a stand which he has since occupied, and where he has eminently prospered.

In public life Mr. Harkness is chiefly known through his connection with the Board of Education. He was first ap- pointed to that body by Mayor Howell in 1880, and has since been re-appointed by Mayor Low. Besides taking part in the usual work of the Board, and acting as Chairman of the Local Committee of Public School No. 1, Mr. Harkness has held prominent places on the Evening Schoo! and School House Committees, and is Chairman of the Committee on High and Normal Schools. The recollection of what he himself owes

HANGING

W" HARKNESS

1380

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

to the evening schools has caused him to take a deep interest in night-school work; while his practical knowledge has been of no small value to the Board and to the city in regard to the work of repairing and constructing school-houses. It is, however, as Chairman of the Committee on High and Normal Schools that he is most likely to be remembered. When Superintendent Calvin l'atterson outlined in his Annual Re- port for 1882 a plan for a Normal School, to be exclusively de- voted to the training of teachers, Mr. Harkness saw not merely its feasibility but its desirability. With characteristic energy he threw himself into the work of securing the adop- tion by the Board of the Superintendent's plans, and in April, 1884, his efforts were crowned with success. At that time the Board passed resolutions adopting the Superin- tendent's plan, and placing at the disposal of the High and Normal School Committee a school-liouse on Berkeley place in which to organize a Normal School. At the present writing the school yet remains to be organized; but when, in future times, the history of the educational system of Brooklyn comes to be written, the historian will not, in all probability, be called upon to chronicle a more far-reaching movement than the es- tablishment of an institution for the training of teachers in their special work ; and with it will always be associated the name of William Harkness.

HARDWARE DEALERS.

(See, also, page 821).

Among the earliest in this line, were: 1809, Jocl Bunce, cor. old Ferry and Front; John Moon, nails, ete .; 1821, John C. Thompson, Fulton street; 1823, J. Martense, 46 Fulton street. Among the present repre- sentatives of the trade, we may mention:

S. O. Burnett. .288 Fulton st.

Hardwarc; established 1831, at 81 Fulton street, by I. C. Duryea, who removed to present location in 1846, and was succeeded in 1847 by Young & Palmer, who were in turn succeeded by Young & Burnett. Mr. Burnett has carried on the business since the decease of Mr. Young, in 1866.

William Marlow, Jr. .... 335 Manhattan avc.

Hardware and house furnishing goods; cstablislied 1856, cor. of Franklin street and Greenpoint avenue, by Bliss & Brown, for whom Mr. Marlow acted as clerk until 1861, when he succeeded to the business, removing to his present location in 1880.

PLUMBERS.

(See also p. 815).

The business of plumbing and stcam and gas fitting in Brooklyn has, as elsewhere, been one of gradual and comparatively late development. At first nceded re- pairs were made by men who went from house to house for that purpose, and many of whom were employed regularly as tinsmiths or blacksmiths. With the intro- duction of gas, water and other modern improvements, the business under consideration was developed as a ne- cessity. Some of the mechanies whose attention had been directed to this much needed branch of industry opened small shops, which in time grew to be large es- tablishments with extensive salesrooms and offices at- tached. Following will be found a few interesting items concerning some gentlemen well known in connee-

tion with this branch of business at the present time: The business of Mr. William J. Roche, plumber and gas-fitter, 64 Henry street, was established at 99 Orange street in 1866, by Gilmour and Roche, and was re- moved to 65 Henry street in 1875, whence it was subse- quently removed by Mr. Roche to his present address. The business of Mr. Frederick A. Hutchinson, 334 Myrtle avenue, a prominent plumber and dealer in gas fixtures, was established by the father of the present proprietor in Trenton, N. J., in 1855, and by him sub- sequently removed to Brooklyn, Mr. Frederick A. Hutchinson succeeding him in 1877. Mr. R. M. Moffat, 113 Fourth street, Brooklyn, E. D., established himself as a plumber and lcad-burner at 143 Fourth street in 1872, and has done a sueccssful business, at this time occupying the position of Consulting Plumber and Inspector of Plumbing in the Department of Health. James Hueston, a former Inspector of Plumb- ing for the Board of Health, began business as a sanitary engineer and plumber, at 6 Hoyt street, in 1875. In 1880 he opened a manufactory at Flatbush. His store and office are at 390 Cumberland street. The business of Mr. G. Alfred Smith, 96 Cranberry street, plumber and steam and gas fitter, was established at 11 High street, in 1875, by Messrs. Smith & Heath, who were succeeded by Messrs. Smith & Wright, and they in turn by Mr. Smith. Mr. James W. Birkett, president of the Plumbers' Association of Brooklyn, cstablished his business at 83 Myrtle avenue, and removed thenee to his present location, 83 Myrtle avenue, doing all general plumbers' work, and making a specialty of steam heating. There are few plumbers in the Eastern Distriet who enjoy a larger patronage than Mr. George W. Coger, of whom a biographical sketch is given on the opposite page.

The following-named gentlemen in this line of busi- ness have, from longer or shorter association, become familiar to the residents of various parts of the city:

James Armstrong. 348 Court & 409 Myrtle ave.

Henry Anderson. 236 De Kalb avenue.

Stephen Alexander. 489 Manhattan avenne.

Richard J. Burnett 122 10th street, E. D.

John Buckbee, 183 William street, N. Y.

James W. Birkett. 169 C'mbia & 68 Myrtle ave.

Platt S. Conklin. 594 Atlantic avenne.

Edward Callahan 349 Smith street.

Edward Carley

51 Greenpoint avenue.

Daniel Corcoran

276 Court street.

Geo. W. Coger

104 Broadway, E. D.

Jno. J. Dillon. 541 Atlantie avenuc.

Alexander Davidson 383 Atlantie avenue.

A. Elmendorf 475 Washington avenue.

1. & J. Foley 11 Willoughby avenuc.

Geo. C. Gunning. 100 Orange street.

E. Gateson & Son. 125 Broadway, E. D.

Geo. Gilmore.

,89 Orange street.

Gannon & Hneston 4 lloyt street.

1381

GENERAL TRADE AND MERCHANDISE.

Gfroehrer & McCarty. 492 Grand strect.

John Hasford. 267 Monroe street.

H. Hawkes. . 425 Flatbush avenue.

Henry S. Hartman 324 Court street.

Thomas F. Harrington . 334 De Kalb avenue.

Wm. J. Hosford & Co 460 Fulton street.

Robert Hill. 179 Chauncey street.

James Harley 288 Flatbush avenue.

G. S. James 1088 Fulton street.

James Keenan. 948 Fulton street.

Samuel R. Kimball.

. 619 De Kalb avenue.

Wm. McDonald 83 Cranberry street.

Alex. McGarvey. 140 Vanderbilt avenue.

Thomas Munkenbeck. . 94 Hamilton avenue.

Jas. F. McNulty. ,81 Court street.

J. T. Matthews 288 Division avenue.

O'Keefe & McKenna 473 5th avenue.

Jas. J. Powers. 99 Pineapple street.

Phil Post, Jr., 127 McDougall street.

John Paterson 660 Fulton street.

H. Reid. . 113 Flatbush avenue.

Thos. Read . 822 Fulton street.

John H. Read . 156 Gates avenue:

B. Reid Myrtle avenue.

Henry L. Stiles

973 Fulton street.

Benj. Samnels 108 Atlantic avenue.

Toohill Bros. . 37 Hamilton avenne. Walker & Woods. 38 Myrtle avenue. Henry Williams . 404 Broadway.

J. II. Wamsley 564 Manhattan avenne.

GEORGE W. COGER. plumber and steam and gas fitter, No. 104 Broadway, Williamsburgh, was born in Huntington, L. I., September 10th, 1832. His parents were William and Mary (Jarves) Coger, his father having been a pump and block maker.

Mr. Coger attended the public schools of his native town, and, at the age of fifteen, began a six-years' apprenticeship to the plumbing trade, four years of which he served with John A. Brush, No. 83 Pike Slip, N. Y., and two years with T. & J. Chardavoyne, Cherry street, N. Y., near Catharine street. After he completed the acquisition of his trade, he went to Chicago and worked at it for several years, latterly as super- intendent of pumps and appliances for supplying water to the engines of the Illinois Central Railroad Company.

Returning east, in the fall of 1859, Mr. Coger bought the branch store of John A. Brush, at No. 11 Broadway, Wil- liamsburgh, whence he removed to No. 20, and seventeen years ago to No. 103, and thence, in 1882, to his present loca- tion. His business has been very prosperous, and at this time he carries a large stock of goods in his line and gives employment to a considerable nuir ber of men. He has done the plumbing and other work in his line in the Williams-

1382

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

burgh Savings Bank, the Kings County Savings Bank, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's building, New York, and in other large buildings. For several years he did most of the work in houses erected along the Hudson River, and at this time he does much out-of-town work. He is vice- president of the Master Plumbers' Association of the city of Brooklyn: a member and Past Master of Manual Lodge, No. 636, F. & A. M .; a member of DeWitt Clinton Commandery K. T. No. 27, and of Progressive Chapter No. 198, R. A. M.

In 1856, Mr. Coger married Martha A. Hampson, of Yonkers, N. Y., who has borne him nine children. Their residence is at 102 Rutledge street.

LUMBER DEALERS.

(See, also, page 796).

It would be difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain who was the first lumber merchant in Brooklyn, as some one or more persons must have manufactured or sold

places, and as the building up of the city has progressed they have become very numerous. As representatives of this department of trade, the following gentlemen and firms are well and favorably known, and some of them have been in business so long that their establish- ments rank among Brooklyn's oldest business institu- tions :

Alexander & Ellis Flushing & Wash'ton aves.

Sherlock Austin Kent avenue, c. Cross.

Beers & Resseguie . Flushing ave., c. Wash'ton.

Charles K. Buckley 105 15th st.

Timber Mills. Est. 1868, Prospect and Hamilton aves. Annual business about $3,000,000.

HI. Deringer 134 Leonard street.

HI. E. Fickett & Co 3d street, near Third ave.

Aug. I. Frankenfeldt Van Brunt & Elizabeth sts.

OFFICE

LOUIS ROSSEKT

LUMBER YARD;

LOUIS BOSSERT'S MANUFACTORY.

lumber of some sort, from the beginning of all improve- ment'and progress. Regular lumber'yards were estab- lished about the beginning of the present century, and before that period and after, individuals sold lumber which was brought in by boats for consumption in the growing village. In 1817 Richard Stanton & Co. had "a saw-pit and lumber yard," with " a store of nails and groceries, &c.," at some convenient point in the place. How long they had at that time been in busi- ness is unknown. In 1818 Richard Stanton & Co. were succeeded by Moon de Stanton. In 1820 this firm was dissolved, and Richard Stanton and John Moon each engaged in the same trade for hunself, the latter at the corner of Washington and Water streets. In 1828 a lumber yard was advertised by T. & II. Conkling, the proprietors. Others whose names are not now remem- bered engaged in the business at different times and

Hardy. & Voorhees.

ft. N.1st, & 239 Mon'se ave.

O. F. Hawley Kent ave., c. Rodney st.

Kenyon & Newton. . 528 Union street.

R. W. Kenyon 309 1st street, East.

J. S. Loomis Nevins & Baltic.

Daniel Lake. 25th street, e. Third avenue.

E. D. Newman. 789 Grand street.

Richard G. Phelps & Co. . . Kent & Hewes streets.

Ed. C. Pease Bond & Third streets.

Julian Ross & Sons Nevins & Butler streets.

Elbert Verity 93 Plymouth street.

Wattson & Pittenger .. . Carroll & Nevins.

Chief among the many causes of failure is unfitness for the work, which seems at the time to be the only means of labor by which a livelihood can be obtained.

Many of those who go to make up the large percentage of business ruins, had they been occupied in work suitable,

GENERAL TRADE AND MERCHANDISE.

1383

ALITTLE

LOUIS BOSSERT.

would have made a different showing. Environments are a : great factor; but, with the best surroundings, a natural machinist would not succeed as a musician.

LOUIS BOSSERT, from his earlier years, was particularly fortunate in finding a suitable field for his mechanical genius, Mr. Bossert was born in Germany, 30th of November, 1843, and received the usual primary education of that country. In 1854 he came to America, and until 16 years of age alter- ternately attended school and worked in a factory in Brook- lyn. From then until 1869 he was engaged as a workingman in the manufacture of sash and doors. In that year, with his brothers Henry and Jacob, the firm name being Bossert Brothers, he started, on the land now occupied by him, as a manufacturer of sash, blinds, doors, ceilings, siding, mould. ings and all interior household ornamentations that are made of wood.

In 1875 his brothers both retired, and from that time the business has been conducted by Mr. Bossert, the firm name being his name. In 1883 the commodious buildings, Nos. 18- 30 Johnson avenue (with office and salesroom Nos. 6 and 8 Union avenue, near Broadway, Brooklyn, E.D.), were erected. These buildings occupy over twenty-two city lots. There are eight floors, twenty-five by sixty feet, and four floors one hundred and twenty-five by sixty feet, irrespective of the area of the planing mills. He gives employment to over three hundred men, and the annual output of his inanufac- tory is a half a million dollars, and is the largest concern in this line in New York State. A good cut of his manufactory is shown herewith.

Mr. Bossert was married in 1869 to Elizabeth Neger, and in February, 1884, suffered the irreparable loss of her death, three children, two daughters and one son, surviving her.

In politics Mr. Bossert is Republican, and two years, 1881 and 1882, represented the 16th Ward of Brooklyn as Super- visor. He is Colonel of the 32d Regiment, N. G., enrolling as private sixteen years ago. In private life Mr. Bossert is genial, companionable, and finds his recreation and relief from business cares in out-door sports. Near liis elegant home at Far Rockaway his boats are moored, and there he enjoys the reward of a business life fitly spent.

CONTRACTORS AND BUILDERS.

Henry Bevan. . .566 Bushwick ave.

Contractor; established 1862.

John A. Lachner. . 250 Moore st.

Was foreman for Col. John Rueger, builder, for 11 years; for 15 years connected with 32d Regt., N. G., S. N. Y., in first company org. under Capt. (afterwards Col.) Rueger.

John Rneger . . Stuyvesant ave. & Hart st. Established 1865.

COAL AND WOOD DEALERS.

Among the earliest dealers in this line we find, in 1817, A. Robinson, on Von Bokkelen's wharf; in 1822, John Galloway, at 25 Water street; in 1827, W. & G. Cunningham, on Front street. The oldest establish - ment in Brooklyn is that of

WILLIAM H. MARSTON, born at Newburg, Orange County, N. Y., in 1825. His father, Wm. Marston, was born at Sands' Point, L. I., in 1793. When quite a young man, he

1384

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

A.LITTLE PKILA

removed to Newburg; in his route, he crossed the East river from Brooklyn in one of the early horse-ferry boats.

After becoming a resident of Newburg, he married a Miss Wyatt, of Orange county, whose mother was a Sands, a con- nection of the Sands family of Kings county. The father of the subject of this sketch was a man of intelligence, indus- try, probity and honor ; and he taught his son those princi- ples of integrity and devotion to business and honorable dealing, which has led to his success in life. He lived to the advanced age of 89 years, dying in August, 1882, in Brook- lyn, N. Y.

! . When his son, Win. H. Marston, was five years old, he re- moved to the city of New York ; here young Marston re- ceived an excellent common school and business education, for the bent of his mind tended to the occupation of a busi- ness man. In 1849, he associated himself with George F. Power, Esq., in the coal trade in Brooklyn, and the follow- ing year took up his permanent residence there; and it is an interesting fact that the commodious office which Mr. Mars- ton now occupies stands substantially on the same premises on which he commenced his business thirty-four years ago. Mr. Marston has been longer in the coal business in Brooklyn than any other dealer in that product now living there.

When he began business, the Anthracite coal trade was in its infancy. The facilities for transportation were then limited, and his stock was brought to Brooklyn by the Dele- ware and Raritan, the Morris, and the Delaware and Hudson Canals, and he was compelled to lay in his winter stock of

coal in the Fall. In those days the total product per year of the anthracite mines was only about 3,000,000 tons; now it is more than 30,000,000 of tons per year. In 1849, Mr. Marston was united by marriage to Miss Merrill, daughter of Charles Merrill, Esq., a prominent hardware merchant of Grand street, New York, whose business has been conducted in that city for more than sixty years. Five children were born to this marriage, two sons and three daughters. The eldest son, Frank H. Marston, now about 33 years of age (a young man of acknowledged business talents, and high character as a citizen) is, and for eleven years has been, the partner of his father, under the firm name and style of Marston & Son, a business concern of the highest rank in the city of Brooklyn.

Mr. Marston, the senior member of the firm, is a Republi- can, and has been since the formation of that party. He adopted this party from principle, modestly but firmly main- taining its principles, though in no sense of the word an ac- tive politician, never seeking prominence nor office; indeed, he could not be induced to accept of an office; but he always voted (the ticket of his party, believing that it is incumbent on every citizen to discharge thoughtfully and intelligently the great and responsible duty of an elector.

Ile is a member of the Classon Avenue Presbyterian Church. Many years ago he united with the Presbyterian church, of which Rev. Dr. Rockwell was then pastor, now under the pastoral charge of Rev. T. De Witt Talmage.

Though unassuming, and entirely unpretentious, Mr. Marston occupies a high and influential position among the

Jultte

GENERAL TRADE AND" MERCHANDISE.

1385

business men of Brooklyn. By striet integrity, excellent practical abilities and devotion to business, courteous and manly bearing, he has won the confidenee of the community and achieved a most gratifying success in life.

SHUTTLE'S SON & COS COAL ELEVATOR

S.JUTTLESSON& COL KINDLINGWOOD FADTO

S. TUTTLE'S SON & CO.'S COAL YARDS."

The large and prosperous coal business now con- ducted by Messrs. S. Tuttle's Son & Co., was established in 1846, by Mr. Silvester Tuttle, a well-known New York merchant. His son, Ezra B. Tuttle (whose portrait faces this page, and whose biography will be found on page 305), entered the firm in 1855 ; Augustus P. Day in 1870; and Winthrop H. Tuttle, a son of Ezra B. Tuttle, on the 1st of January, 1884. Since the decease of the senior member in 1874, the business has been conducted under the firm name of S. Tuttle's Son & Co. From a moderate tonnage, it has gradually assumed large proportions. The old plan of unloading coal by horse-power was found inadequate to meet the demands of a rapidly increasing business; and, in 1865, an entire block was bought on the Wallabout water-front, between Ross and Wilson streets, where they built extensive coal-pockets; the first ever erected in Brooklyn. Steam power is used to elevate the coal from the barges to the pockets, and the bins are so arranged that a cart or wagon passing under them can be loaded with well screened coal in two minutes. In the spring of 1883, an addi- tional water-front of five hundred feet on Newtown ereck, between Grand street and Metropolitan avenue, was purchased, with over fifty adjoining lots; and sub- stantial docks have since been completed. In addition to the above supply yards on the water-front, six dis- tributing yards have been located by them on the lead- ing thoroughfares of the city. This firm is one of the

most enterprising in the city, and spares no pains or expense in adopting all improvements. It has a large factory for the preparation of kindling wood by machinery, large and well equipped stables, private telegraph lines, telephone connection, and all kinds of labor-saving machinery, while the general office at No. 40 Broadway, Brooklyn, is fitted up in a manner that is unsurpassed in convenienee and elegance in the two cities.

CHARLES HENRY REYNOLDS is one of the most active, en- terprising, and best known business men on Newtown ereek. His history is that of a boy who early realized that what he was to be in this world depended on what he eonld do, and how he should do it. He was born in New York city, July 21, 1837. His father, Henry Reynolds, eame from Greenwich, Conn., and was the son of Joshua Reynolds, an old and highly respectable citizen of that town, and a soldier in the Revolutionary war. ITis father died when he was four years old, and for a time he went to live with his grandfather Lawrence, in Manhassett, L. I. At the age of 12, he chose to learn the book-binders' trade, and was regularly indentured as an apprentice to Harper & Bros., New York city, for the period of 6 years, 11 months and 21 days. True to his deter- mined purpose, Charles served his time faithfully, and then worked two years as a journeyman, fully mastering a trade that was then done mostly by hand, and now mostly by machinery. The elose times of 1860 compelled a reduction of help in the great publishing house of Harper & Bros., and they most justly diseriminated in favor of married men, dis- charging those who had no families. Mr. Reynolds had, with his mother, lived in Brooklyn since 1850, and now find- ing himself out of work, lie leased a lot, 328 Grand street, put up a building of rough boards, 8 feet by 10, with board roof covered with tar paper, bought a barrel of kerosene, and started an oil store. The next year he took a partner, and the firm, which was Lewis & Reynolds, added the wood trade to the oil business. At the end of one year, George Robinson took Mr. Lewis' place, under the firm name of C. H. Rey- nolds & Co., and the new firm added coal to the wood business, loeating their eoal yard on the corner of South 1st and 9th streets. The oil and wood trade was continued at the old place, the wood being sawed at first by horse power, and then by a small 5-horse steam engine. This arrangement lasted for 10 years, and was so prosperons that Mr. Reynolds paid Mr. Robinson $20,000 for his half interest, when he withdrew and went South. Sinee that time till recently, he has had no partners. In 1877, he came to his present location, and was largely instrumental in opening Grand street, from the bridge to Newtown. Ile bought two aeres of land and built an office, stable, and a large coal pocket of 3,500 tons capacity. Two years later he added a wood yard, with all appliances necessary for the trade. In 1881, he built a planing and moulding mill, equipped with the most approved machinery. Within the past year he has put in an engine of 150 horse power, with ample boilers, all from the engine works of James Bulger, of North 2d street. To supply his large trade, nearly 5,000 cords of wood and 60,000 tons of coal are sold annually. His appliances for handling coal of all kinds are very perfect, and his kindling wood department is a model of its kind. The accompanying eut conveys to the eye a good representation of this large establishment as it appears in the spring of 1884. To do this heavy business, 90 hands are employed, and 25 wagons, carts and trucks. In order to get a little relaxation from constant cares, Mr.

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Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y., Part 184

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909. Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York : Munsell Number of Pages: 1360

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : Munsell
Number of Pages: 1360