USA > New York > New York City > Old New York : a journal relating to the history and antiquities of New York City, Vol. II > Part 42
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lost in the Boston road. No houses were upon Fifth avenue, the streets above Fourteenth existed only on paper, the Croton Aque- duct was only talked about, there were no horse-car lines, and fashionable people lived around St. John's Park, upon East Broadway, and ( Bond and Bleecker streets. The popu- lation was only about one sixth of that lately given to us by Commi :
er, and dwelling houses of respectable
people were . n the Battery to the farthest extreme, on both the East alu ., es. sides. None of the subvisions were tene- ment house districts, and there were no imposing edifices here like those of the present day. The Trinity Church, then standing, was distinctly inferior to the existing one; the Merchants' Ex- change, soon to be burned down, was a much less massive build- ing than its successor, and the City Hall was usually pointed out to strangers as the most ornamental piece of architecture in the town. When the boy landed in the morning he therefore saw nothing that we now regard as magnificent, yet there is no ques- tion it seemed wonderful in his eyes. He followed up the street to Broadway, up Chatham street to the Bowery, and through Grand street to Eldridge, where Mr. Albro had his grocery store, the number being 268 Grand. He concluded an arrangement with him for fifty dollars a year and board, and became a dweller in his employer's house at 252 Broome street. Here he stayed until he had acquired sufficient strength to strike out for himself, each day learning more and more about his calling. So assidu- ously did he labor that in two weeks after going there he was taken sick with a fever; after his recovery he was never again thus attacked till the end of his life. He began his labors at half-past five in the morning in Summer and six o'clock in Winter. The shutters must be taken down, the floor swept, the counters and goods dusted, the fire built, and the water brought. After this had been done, and the early customers waited on, the time came for breakfast. After that goods were to be obtained elsewhere, brought up to the store and unloaded, this work being done chiefly with a hand cart, except with some very heavy and bulky goods. A trip to the neighborhood of Coenties slip or Old slip was frequent, for there were the wholesale grocers. Goods must be delivered at the houses of customers, and the large packages which
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were received from importers and manufacturers must be broken up into smaller ones. There were then few of the handy pack- ages which are now known, the articles coming often in hogsheads and barrels that now arrive in fifty or twenty-five pound boxes. One of Mr. Tilford's recollections of that day was of grinding or breaking up the loaves of sugar that they Commonly used, but which now are so antiquated that many ho Mas have never seen one. Labor did not close till ten o'clock Right, and on Saturdays perhaps not till midnight. Every Thing was done by the boys in such places. They bought, sold, kept books, made out bills and ran errands.
Among Mr. Tilford's fellow clerks was a boy much his junior, now Mr. Joseph Park. He began with Mr. Albro after Mr. Tilford had been there a couple of years. Both were of the same industrious, energetic stamp, and when the Summer of '1840 ap- proached they determined, although having little money, to go into business for themselves. They were men who could work in harmony with each other, and knew that if hard work, persever- ance, and attention could achieve success, they ought to attain it. They accordingly clubbed together their little capital, and armed with a guarantee from Mr. Albro that he would be responsible for their first bills, they launched out for themselves in the little store No. 35 Carmine street. That thoroughfare was not then the busy one it afterwards became, but there was enough business to keep them employed and to make a little money. As they struggled on, they acquired a small surplus, which they reinvested in the business, Mr. Tilford taking charge of the inside work and Mr. Park doing the buying. The year after they began the Direc- tory gave the names of 577 grocers, but Park & Tilford were so obscure they were not included. So far as is known, only one of the houses then mentioned in that line is. in existence, so rapid are the changes in mercantile life in our cities.
In 1847 the business had so grown that the partners determined to seek a new location, which was obtained at the corner of Ninth street and Sixth avenue, then pretty far uptown; their business habitation until the present day in that neighborhood, but when they built they moved a few doors from the corner. It was first No. 112, but is now No. 118. The establishment ceased then to
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be a neighborhood affair, and began supplying the entire region uptown.
Between 1847, when Mr. Tilford removed to the new store on Sixth avenue, and 1860, when the Broadway house was opened, was the period of change in the grocery trade, when it lost the form it had before the Revolution, and assumed the appearance it has now. The points of variance were numerous, but the most important differences were only three or four. The number of articles to be sold were immensely multiplied, their forms were changed, attractive appearances were given to the packages, American manufactures in this line became much larger, depend- ence upon any one foreign country was much less marked, and the variety of importations from abroad increased greatly. A grocery is to-day an epitome of the world. The condensed milk that is upon the table for breakfast comes from Switzerland, the tea from Japan, the coffee from Brazil, the flour from which the . bread is made from Manitoba, the salt from England, the sugar from Cuba, the pepper from the East Indies, the marmalade first from Spain and second from Scotland, and the steak in the same way first from Texas and second from Chicago. It would be easy to set a table entirely with stock from a grocer's, to have great variety, and to have each article from a different country. In this respect preceding generations could not compare with us. The multiplication of railroads and steamboats, the travel from one portion of the globe to another, and the knowledge that men ob- tain in far-off lands of things that cannot be obtained elsewhere, have brought one by one the commodities of foreign countries to our own and domesticated them, so to speak. There were probably not twenty born Americans in New York at the time Park & Tilford began business who could distinguish from each other and name three kinds of foreign cheese; there are now probably ten thousand that can do more than this. Olives were never known upon the tables of the moderately well-to-do in 1840 ; the mushrooms and little peas of France were not brought hither, nor had macaroni become a national American dish. There are now imported regularly many hundreds of these foreign articles, American manufactures have increased, and new articles have come in. Tomatoes were first canned about 1855, and by 1859
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they had become common enough to be kept in stock by grocers. Peaches were canned a year or so later; canned corned beef did not come up till after the war. Petroleum was first sold by grocers in 1856. Biscuits, under this name, or crackers as they were once called, were of only two or three kinds. Forty years since, potted meats were unknown as an extensive article of commerce; tobacco was mostly sold under its cruder forms and not as cigars, and a thou- sand things now thought indispensable to be kept in stock were then unknown. The packages were without beauty. The gay appearance that some now present is the creation of the last quar- · ter of a century, but hundreds of things now ready to be disposed of in little packages could only be obtained in the crude state and by quantities. The dried apples of 1850 cannot be compared with the evaporated apples of 1891, nor the great jars of honey of the earlier date with the attractive little bottles of to-day. The art of arrangement has been studied ; the salesroom made attrac- tive. In all these changes Mr. Tilford took an active part. He made a mental memorandum of whatever was asked for, and de- termined to supply it, if possible. He suggested new forms, new devices, new articles, to importers and manufacturers, and he brought these novelties to the attention of his customers, who thanked him for them. From its earliest history New York has been celebrated for the abundance of its table and its high qual- ity. Lobsters and oysters were caught in the bay in colonial times; edible game birds were in the immediate vicinity, while the waters abounded with fish. The beef and mutton of this city have always been the best in America. In the matter of wines and other articles that grocers sell, the Dutch and English gov- ernors early set a high standard, while the feasting at the Walton House that occasioned the stamp tax and later the Revolution has been continued in this generous, whole-souled city ever since. The people have had the inclination to live well and the money to pay for it. All that heightens the pleasures of the palate is now brought here, as a matter of course, and it is probable more good food is used in New York and Brooklyn than in any other me- tropolis of the world.
Just before the opening of the civil war he opened a new store at the corner of Broadway and 21st street; somewhat later, one at
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38th street and Sixth avenue, and seven years ago one at Fifth avenue and 59th street. These were all conducted on the same plan, and with the same ideas permeating each department. Mr. Tilford was generally at the store at 9th street and Sixth avenue, where he took his part in every labor until past sixty. His habits were very exemplary. At a certain time in the morning he arrived at his desk, and he closed it up at a certain hour in the afternoon. In his younger years he returned at six or half-past six and remained till ten or eleven, then knowing exactly what had been done for the day and what was to be done on the morrow. Every thread of the business was gathered up by him, and while, in his later years, much was done by his leading men and by his sons, he "liked to feel that he himself drove the team," as one who knew him well remarked. He had a wonderful capacity for hard work. Not a tall man, he was a strong one, endowed by nature with much physical power and with perfect health. His good nature was great. No provocation would induce him to say harsh things or to berate an unlucky employee, even though he had done wrong. He made it understood that the error was noted, and his condem- nation of it was evident, but he had nothing of the scolding or fretful manner about him. He was able, by the respect in which he was held, by his thorough knowledge of the business, and by his personal magnetism, to obtain the maximum of effort on the part of those who worked for him. They were willing to exert themselves for him, when they would not have done so for an- other. He was very kind to them when in ill luck or cast down by misfortunes, and did not spare his purse at those times. If there were any altercation or ill feeling between two or more of them, he was always a peacemaker.
The extraordinary success he attained in his calling was long since known, but how it was achieved was more difficult for most people to say. There was, however, no secret about it. He was adapted to the occupation in the first place, and in the second place, labored hard to make it a success. Money was husbanded after it was earned, and then reinvested in the business. No hours were too long, no work too hard to keep the wheels moving. Judgment was used in each act. Goods were bought as closely as possible, consistent with having the quality excellent, and were then disposed of at a
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moderate profit. Whatever was sold came up to the representa- tions made, and if from any cause an inferior article was delivered, it was at once taken back. Good men were selected for responsi- ble places and were then well treated, and the result was a warm attachment to him by his employees. Credit could be extended to all responsible parties who desired it, but the firm always pur- chased for cash or its equivalent. The sagacity displayed in mov- ing into new locations in advance of the population is obvious, yet to few other merchants in any other line has it occurred.
Mr. Tilford grew old gracefully. He had not worn himself out by late hours nor attendance at fashionable parties, and retained his strength almost unimpaired till a short time before his death. He belonged to no clubs. He was a regular attendant at church, but was not a member, and the only two organizations he was connected with towards the last were the New York County Bank and the Greenwich Bank. Besides the land which was necessary for his calling, he had little other real estate, although at one time having considerable in Westchester County. A few years after the business began, Mr. Charles Park, a brother of Mr. Joseph Park, became a member of the firm, and last year, seeing that there might be a possibility of his death, the firm was changed into a joint stock company, the sons of Mr. Tilford being added to the list of incorporators.
Beyond nearly all men, Mr. Tilford was attached to his home. He was married on the 25th of October, 1840, shortly before be- ginning business, to Miss Jane White, who was a native of the town in which he was born and descended from the same Scotch stock, and whom he had known from infancy. The marriage proved a very happy one. Several children were born to them, but only two survived to the age of maturity, Frank and Charles E., who have now been for more than a score of years engaged in the business. Mr. Tilford dwelt for a long time at No. 100 West Twelfth street, but in 1865, removed to No. 4 West 49th street. To this place he resorted as soon as the day's cares were over, asking for no other society than that of his wife and children. Latterly Mrs. Tilford was not in good health, but their end came almost together, her death happening fifteen months only before his, on the 7th of last January. His loss was felt widely. He
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had filled a position of so much prominence that it was felt he- could not be replaced. But those who mourned him most were those who were nearest to him. There was nothing mean nor low about him, and his character had something elevating in it. On his late partner, Mr. Park, with whom he was associated for more than fifty years, this blow falls with crushing force, but the lessons the first members of the firm of Park & Tilford taught the younger ones will not be lost on those who revered his goodness of character and admired his eminence as a merchant. Both were built upon integrity.
The foundation stone of his character, indeed, was integrity. Never to trifle with the truth ; always to represent facts as they were ; never to deceive, or to allow others to deceive; such were rules he held to, from the very beginning of his business career. He could not do otherwise ; to act thus was a very part of his be- ing, born in him and strengthened by every habit of his life. Here came out the spirit of the old Scotch covenanters, from whom he was descended. He thus abhorred the acts that he saw com- mitted by grocers, in the early part of his life, in selling two or three grades of the same thing from one cask or package, and from the beginning of his career for himself he was resolved it should be marked with truth and honesty. That a package should contain the weight it claimed to have, that the quality marked fine should be really so, that there should be no falsifications of labels or titles, were things he constantly insisted upon. His in- quiry when he was applied to for a place for a new man was first as to his character, not as to his ability, although the latter was also highly desirable. Young clerks were cautioned by him against. making false statements, and his inquiry to them was frequently : " Are you strictly honest ? Do you discharge your entire duty to Park & Tilford? Do you misrepresent, or say that articles are other than they are, in order to make a sale ? Is the time that you contract to give the house really all at its disposal, or do you loiter it away ?" These and other questions he asked, not perhaps because he feared that there might be an affirmative answer, but so that the fact that honesty must be paramount might be continually before their minds. He could not remember in his last sickness that he ever wronged another man or deceived him. His integrity was-
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the crown of his life, and one of the great secrets of his success. Every one had confidence in him, knowing that he would betray no confidence, take no unworthy advantage, nor avail himself of the weakness and ignorance of those who were less happily placed than himself. Thus esteemed, thus known, he walked through life, and the end when it came was no surprise to his friends. They knew that his health had been failing, and that his days must soon be numbered, but his good deeds must, as saintly old George Herbert expressed it, "smell sweet, and blossom in the dust."
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THE DUTCH RECORDS OF NEW YORK. [Copied from the Originals in the Possession of the City.]
CHIMNEYS MUST BE KEPT CLEAN.
By His High Mightiness the Director General and their Excel- lencies the Councillors of New Netherland, the Fire-wardens are charged and ordered to prevent all accidents by fire in this city of New Amsterdam ; to visit all around ; to see whether every one keeps his Chimneys clean by sweeping ; and, in case any one is found to be deficient, immediately to demand the penalty of Three Guilders, which shall be appropriated agreeably to Proclamation on this subject, published on the 21st January, 1648. Done and Ordained, in Session, at Fort Amsterdam, on the 28th September, 1648. Present, His High Mightiness the Director General, L. Van Dincklage, la Montagne, Brian Newton, Paul Leendertsen.
RUNAWAY SERVANTS NOT TO BE HARBORED.
Whereas, their High Mightinesses the Director General and the Councillors do daily notice and observe that by some of the inhab- itants of New Netherland, the servants of the Honorable Company, and others of their domestics, whenever the same run away from their Lords and Masters, and also those from without, who come from our near neighbors, are harbored at their homes and in their houses, whereby it is caused that many servants, whenever they serve unwillingly, have the means and the way given to them for running away, which occurs daily; and that their High Might- inesses the Director General and the Councillors may make all pos- sible and practicable provision to prevent such things, Therefore, their High Mightinesses, the Director General and the Councillors do, by these Presents, advertise and warn every person to give no harbor or lodging to any of the servants, whether of the Honor- able Company or any other persons living here or elsewhere, at the longest, no longer than twenty-four hours; and in case any one
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shall be found to have acted contrary to this he shall forfeit One hundred and fifty Stivers as satisfaction, which shall be appropri- ated as the Prosecutor, to whom it is due, shall direct. Done in Session, this 6th October, Anno, 1648: Present, His High Mightiness the Director General : L. Van Dincklage, B. Newton, Paulus Leendertsen.
LOTS MUST BE IMPROVED IN ORDER TO BE RETAINED.
Whereas their High Mightinesses the Director General and the Councillors of New Netherland, by Proclamation, long ago ad- monished the Community in general to improve their house-lots by building on the Island of Manhattan, which before now has been surveyed in Plantations, and the more so since these lots have been built on by some of the inhabitants ; and Whereas, certain persons are desirous of building, and have no place near this, that is suit- able for building a house on, Therefore, by the considerate and excellent the Director General and the Councillors, it is deemed advisable to make known to everyone, for the last time, for the improvement of their house-lots to erect suitable buildings, and in default thereof, that their Excellencies the Director General and Council shall point out to such persons as may be inclined to build houses in this city of New Amsterdam, suitable sites for that pur- pose, and award to the present actual settlers a reasonable compen- sation for the same, at the discretion of the Surveyors of Build- ings .*
It is also hereby farther advertised, in case any one feels in- clined to build, he shall be pleased to give in his name to the Secretary, upon which having been done the Order shall be issued according. Done, published, and affixed, in Session, on the 15th December, Anno, 1648, at New Amsterdam, in New Netherland.
* The Surveyors of Buildings here referred to were Lubbert Van Dincklage, Paulus Leendertsen Vander Grist, and Cornelis Van Tienhoven, whose appoint- ments were made by Order of the Director General and Council, dated the twenty-fifth of July, 1647.
By the same Order, the Grantees of House-lots in New Amsterdam were ordered to improve such lots within nine months or suffer the penalty of forfeiture ; hence the Government, in using the peremptory tone of this Order, was fully warranted by the Supreme Law of the Province .- D.
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Present : The Director General : His Excellency Dincklage, La Montagne. Brian Newton, and Paulus Leendertsen.
MSTERDAM WEIGHTS AND MEASURES TO BE USED.
Their High Mightinesses the Director General and the Coun- cillors of New Netherland having daily noticed that their Order, heretofore made and ordained, on the Subject of Measures and Weights, has not been well observed by some, whereby the good inhabitants have been greatly defrauded, Therefore, their High Mightinesses the Director General and the Councillors do hereby. give notice to all the great and the small Dealers, together with the Bakers, and all others who sell aught by the Ell-measure or by weight, in selling and in buying to make use of the just Amsterdam Ell, weight and measure ; and, that all things may be transacted in an orderly manner, the Director General and the Councillors do, by these Presents, advertise all the inhabitants and traders, be- tween this date and the first day of August next ensuing, to in- spect all weights and measures, as often as he shall think proper ; and in case any shall be found using unjust ells, weights, or meas- ures, he shall pay such fine as in the premises may have been established in Father-land. Let every one be hereby warned and keep himself from harm .*
* On the fifteenth of December, 1644, the board of Accounts "Reported and Advised " the Assembly of the Company to provide, "that the Amsterdam measures, ell and weight shall be used throughout the entire country." It is not clear, however, that this recommendation was adopted-if adopted, it cer- tainly was not enforced-until the arrival of Stuyvesant in the Colony ; and although this Order recites a previous Order on the same subject, it is positively stated in the Remonstrance of the Deputies of the New Netherland, addressed to the States General on the twenty-eighth of July, 1649, by Adriaen van der Donck and others, that this was the first issued on the subject. Their language was : " Not a thing had been done concerning Weights and Measures and the like, previous to the 23d July, of the year 1619, at which time the people were notified that an Order on the subject would be issued the ensuing August, which the Fiscaal would then enforce -- this was as much as to say : ' Water the Pigeons.'"
On the twenty-seventh of the suceeding January (1650) the West India Com- pany presented an Answer to the Remonstrance referred to in which the partic- ular subject now under consideration was thus alluded to : " We are not aware of any other but the Dutch ell, measure and weight being in use ; and an Order was issued, last Summer, that all the inhabitants should bring their weights into the Company's warehouse, to be stamped anew there."-D.
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Done in Session, on the 17th July ; resumed and affixed, the 19th July, Anno, 1649, at New Amsterdam, in New Netherland.
BREWERS NOT ALLOWED TO SERVE BEER.A
The Director General and the Councillors of New' Netherland, to all and each one that may read these presents o" hear them read, Send Greeting :
Whereas with great concern we have noticed and observed that the foregoing Ordinances made against frauds and smuggling, which have been Ordained concerning the Beers given out by the Tapsters and Inn-Keepers ;* also, that notwithstanding our fore- going Ordinances, some few of the Inhabitants make it a business to Tap and Brew at the same time, whereby not only the cus- tomary duty has been defrauded, but, also, other Tapsters who make that their only business, have been injured in their profession ; }
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