USA > New York > Bronx County > The Bronx and its people; a history, 1609-1927, Volume III > Part 34
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Pasquale Sammartino received his education in the local schools of his birthplace, and there he grew to manhood and married. He came to the United States in the year 1901, settling in New York City, where he at once engaged in a grocery business on One Hundred and Twelfth Street, later removing his establishment to Second Avenue, where he added a large stock of imported wines. From the first he was very successful, and prospered to such an extent in the grocery and wine business, that he began to acquire real estate in The Bronx, believing that the
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section would speedily develop. That his judgment was excellent and that his beliefs were well-founded is proved by the present flourishing condition of The Bronx. Mr. Sammartino continued to purchase various properties until the year 1915, when he entered the real estate business on his own account, continuing alone in this field of endeavor until 1923 when he formed a partnership with Thomas A. Man- cini (see preceding sketch), under the firm name of Mancini & Sammartino. The partners have offices at No. 4008 White Plains Avenue, where they have become recognized leaders in the de- velopment of the Wakefield section . of The Bronx. Mr. Mancini is a pioneer in the develop- ment of this section and is an authority on property values and realty estimates, which gives the firm added prestige and a high standing in this section. Mr. Sammartino is also active in fraternal circles, and is a member of Italia Lodge, No. 786, Free and Accepted Masons; and of Naples Lodge of Figlie d'Italia, in both of which he is a valued and deeply interested member.
Pasquale Sammartino was married in Salerno, province of Salerno, Italy, in February, 1899, to Giovanna Fabio, a daughter of Matteo and Concetta (Torre) Fabio, both of whom were natives of Sal- erno. Pasquale and Giovanna (Fabio) Sammartino are the parents of the following children: Concetta, Julia, Vincent, and Josephine. Mr. Sammartino and his family reside at No. 951 East Two Hundred and Twenty-eighth Street, The Bronx.
LEO FRANCIS HYNES-Looking back on sev- eral successes in business, Leo Francis Hynes is one of the younger men of The Bronx able to retire from active life to scan the horizon prior to a new venture or to continue in repose. He was born February 25, 1886, between Eighty-first and Eighty-second streets, in the Yorkville section of Manhattan. His father, James Hynes, was born in May, 1843, in Ire- land, and came to the United States, where he was one of the men most widely known in the undertak- ing business of The Bronx for many years. He married Hannah Morrissey, born in March, 1855, and died April 11, 1904. They moved to The Bronx when their son, Leo Francis Hynes, was two years old. Leo F. Hynes attended St. Jerome's Parochial School at One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Street and Alexander Avenue, afterwards attending Ford- ham Preparatory School. He began work with his father in the undertaking business of his own at No. 362 Willis Avenue. This he continued until 1916 when he sold out to enter the employ of the Inter- borough Rapid Transit Company, continuing until January, 1925. Since that time he has limited his work to occasional odd jobs. He still holds his membership in the Undertakers' Association, and is thus permitted to reenter the business at any time. Mr. Hynes is a member of Century Council, Knights of Columbus, of The Bronx; of Bronx Lodge, Fra- ternal Order of Eagles, of the Monroe Democratic Club of The Bronx; he was the organizer of the Frank J. Manley Association of The Bronx, and is its vice-president. He is a member of St. Jerome's Roman Catholic Church at One Hundred and Thirty- eighth Street and Alexander Avenue.
Mr. Hynes was married, June 18, 1913, in St. Pius's Roman Catholic Church, One Hundred and Forty- fifth Street and Willis Avenue, by his own cousin, the Rev. Gregory O'Brien. The bride was Anna Donohue, who was born in England, in March, 1887, and came to the United States with her parents when she was a year old. The family settled in The Bronx. Her father, James Donohue, was a native of Tarlock, County Cavan; her mother, Rose (Mulligan) Donohue, was born in Tarlock, County Cavan, Ire- land, also. Twins were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hynes on May 21, 1916: Mary Rita Hynes and Gertrude Bernedette Hynes. Mr. Hynes' address is No. 346 East One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Street, The Bronx.
HENRY JOSEPH VAN COOK-Closely inter- woven with the financial development not only of his own company but The Bronx in general has been the career of Henry Joseph Van Cook, vice- president and secretary of The Bronx County Trust Company. He has devoted practically all his adult years to various phases of business growth in the district and has given enthusiastically to his work his unusual constructive faculties. H. J. Van Cook was born in New York City, on March 4, 1880, son of Louis and Mary Van Cook. His father, who had served in the Union Army during the Civil War until he received his honorable discharge, was em- ployed afterward by the Westinghouse Electric
Company.
Henry J. Van Cook received his education in the public schools of New York, which he finished in 1895. The very next day he began work with The Bronx County Trust Company as messenger, with which he has remained for thirty years. In that interval he has held practically every position of- fered there and gained a marvelously complete and well-rounded knowledge of the institution and its aims, the result of which is obvious in his excellent work as vice-president. Mr. Van Cook is also in charge of the Mott Haven branch of this company, located at One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Street and Third Avenue. He is, at the same time, a di- rector of the Eureka Savings and Loan. Association, of which he is treasurer. He is treasurer and direc- tor of the Schnorer Club. As member of the Rotary Club and the Board of Trade, he takes an active part in forward-looking community movements. With his exact financial knowledge and discriminative judg- ment, he is of great value in all progressive en- ideavors. An Independent in politics, Mr. Van Cook votes on measures, not men. His patriotism dur- ing the World War was amply proven by successful enlisting bureau work. His religious affiliations are with St. Catherine's Church at North Pelham.
Mr. Van Cook married, October 28, 1902, in The Bronx, Catherine Oehmke, daughter of Henry and Sopia Oehmke. Mr. Oehmke is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Van Cook are the parents of a son, Walter Van Cook, born February 2, 1905.
FREDERIC CHARLES HARGRAVE, M. D .- Engaged in the practice of his profession in the community of his birth, The Bronx, Dr. Frederic Charles Hargrave lives a modest, retiring life, de-
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voting his time to the healing of the sick, and oc- casionally acquiring some relaxation from the strain of his duties by attendance at the meetings of the various organizations of which he is a member.
Frederic Charles Hargrave, M. D., was born in The Bronx on March 8, 1871, one of seven children of William John and Jane (Martin) Hargrave. The vocation of his father was that of a builder. Their son acquired his early education in Public School No. 61, situated at One Hundred and Sixty- ninth Street and Third Avenue. He subsequently attended the College of the City of New York, and was graduated in medicine in 1896. He served twenty months as an interne in Fordham Hospital, and began to engage in the general practice of medi- cine in 1898. Dr. Hargrave is a general practitioner with offices located in his residence at No. 1036 Woodycrest Avenue, The Bronx.
On October 12, 1902, Dr. Frederic Charles Har- grave was united in marriage to Gertrude S. Turner, of New York City, daughter of James J. and Jane (Garthwaite) Turner. To this marriage were born two children: 1. Frederic Charles, Jr., born August 6, 1904, who is now studying medicine at the New York Homeopathic Medical School and Flower Hospital. 2. Gertrude Schyler, born January 7, 1906, who is enrolled at Barnard College, New York City.
Dr. Hargrave is a member of The Bronx Medical Society, the New York State Medical Society, and the American Medical Association. He is affiliated with the Harlem Lodge, No. 457, Free and Ac- cepted Masons and Sylvan Chapter, No. 188, Royal Arch Masons.
H. HENRY KOENIG-To those citizens of The Bronx who have had the vision and the courage to devote their business years to developing that sec- tion, opening up newer and better residential and commercial areas as need arose, belongs high praise, and of this group H. Henry Koenig is a leader. Practically all his mature life has been concerned with real estate, and he maintains offices at No. 1108 East Tremont Avenue, near the corner of De- Voe Avenue, The Bronx, New York City.
H. Henry Koenig was born in Lower Manhattan, November 26, 1878, son of John Henry Koenig, who came to the United States in 1871, settled in The Bronx in 1891, and nine years later established The Bronx Consumers' Ice Company, which is still in operation. H. Henry Koenig attended the public schools of New York City, first on Eighty-seventh Street, then in The Bronx, and then studied at the College of the City of New York until 1895. Mean- time he had become interested in real estate in 1892 and had been active in that connection. In 1906 he started in business for himself as a general real estate broker. Mr. Koenig was director of The Bronx Con- sumers' Ice Company from 1903 to 1914 and during 1914 served that organization as secretary.
His interests and activities outside business are numerous. He is a member of Company 1, 22nd Engineers, National Guard, formed as a machine- gun company. Popular in fraternal circles, he is a member of the Lily Lodge, No. 342, Free and Accepted Masons, Metropolitan Chapter, No. 140, Royal Arch Masons, Constantine Commandery, No.
48, Knights Templar, and Mecca Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of The Bronx Board of Trade and of the Real Estate Board of that district, and of the Chip- pewa Democratic Club.
AUGUST F. WEHMEYER, president of the Wehmeyer Coal Company, at No. 2970 East Tremont Avenue, near Westchester Square, has risen to his present responsible place as the executive head of one of the strongly established coal-dealing firms in New York, chiefly through his undeviating devotion to the interests of his one vocation throughout his life. He began at the very beginning of things as a coal mer- chant, and not only has he followed the more recent chapters in the city's fuel history, but by his own practical association therewith, he has personally helped in their permanent establishment; and today he is one of of the most highly esteemed in his line in The Bronx.
August F. Wehmeyer, a son of Henry Wehmeyer, who lived on an Ohio farm at the time of his com- ing to the United States, and of Sophia (Berghorn) Wehmeyer, both of whom died in Ohio, was born February 7, 1872, in Hanover, Germany, and when he was thirteen years old he came with his parents to the United States, and there he resided on his father's farm in Ohio three years. He had attended the public schools in Germany, and evening schools in Ohio, and upon his removal to New York City, he made a start in his career with the peddling of coal and ice. Afterwards, Mr Wehmeyer became associated with the Weber, Bunke & Lange Coal Company, at West Ninety-sixth Street and North River, and with whom he held various positions throughout thirty-three years in their employ. In September, 1922, Mr. Wehmeyer established the Weh- meyer Coal Company at the present location. He is a patron of the Cosmopolitan and The Bronx National banks, and of The Bronx Board of Trade. His religious faith is that of the Evangelical Lutheran church.
August F. Wehmeyer married, November 17, 1901, in New York City, Julia Dreier, daughter of Fred and of Elise (Schumacher) Dreier; and their children are: William, born in 1902; Henry, born in 1904; Anna, born in 1907.
LAWRENCE MORRIS ROTHMAN-For al- most a decade The Bronx has been the scene of Mr. Rothman's very successful professional activities as architect, engineer and builder, and many of the most important buildings erected during this period are a testimony to his talent and efficiency. He was born in New York City, July 14, 1898, a son of Adolph and Esther Rothman. His father was a native of Germany, but came to this country at the age of five, and eventually became a cigar manufac- turer in The Bronx in which business he is still en- gaged, while his mother died in 1917.
Lawrence Morris Rothman was educated in the public and high schools of New York City, and then studied architecture at Cooper Union Institute and at Columbia University. In 1916 he established himself as an architect, consulting engineer and
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builder at No. 529 Courtlandt Avenue, where he con- tinues to make his headquarters, being associated in his various activities with S. J. Kessler, who has been an architect, consulting engineer and builder for the past twelve years. Among the many build- ings of which Mr. Rothman has been the architect are the following: Vitreous Enamel Building, Sedg- wick Avenue; Martin Garage, Two Hundred and Thirtieth Street and Broadway; Schwarzler Building, No. 2436 Grand Concourse; Fordham Road Ice Plant; Community Ice Plant, Freeman Street and Stebbins Avenue; Maxwell-Chalmers Building, Grand Concourse and One Hundred and Seventy-fifth Street; Studebaker Building, Morris Avenue and Grand Con- course; Ersthein Garage, Morris Avenue and Grand Concourse; Benenson Theater, Washington Avenue; Freeman Theater, Southern Boulevard and Freeman Street; Mosholu Parkway Garage, Webster Avenue and Mosholu Parkway; Hub Building, One Hun- dred and Forty-ninth Street, Third Avenue and Mel- rose Avenue; and apartment houses at No. 2436 Grand Avenue, at Nos. 1160-1170-1175-1180 Gerard Avenue, and at Vyse Avenue and One Hundred and Seventy-fourth Street. He also was the architec- tural engineer for the following buildings: Forum Theater, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Street and Brown Place; Loew's Burnside Theater, Burnside Avenue; Bronx Shelter of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Grand Concourse and McClel- lan Street; Lewis Morris Apartments, No. 1749 Grand Concourse; and the apartment house at College Av- enue and One Hundred and Sixty-seventh Street. In the case of the Union Hospital, One Hundred and Eighty-eighth Street and Tiebout Avenue, he was both architect and architectural enginecr. Dur- ing the World War he was on the point of receiving his commission in the United States Army, when the coming of the Armistice fortunately made it unnecessary to continue our military efforts. He is a member of Bronx Lodge, No. 446, Knights of Pythias; and of Citizens Lodge, No. 628, Free and Accepted Masons.
Mr. Rothman married, in New York City, August 2, 1921, Christina D. Greenfield, daughter of William and Fanny Greenfield. Mr. and Mrs. Greenfield are the parents of one child, Herbert B., born May 27, 1924. The family home is at No. 3409 DeKalb Av- enue, The Bronx.
DR. JACOB LEBISH-First operations of their kind that have been performed in the veterinary de- partment of medicine, and that have proved entirely successful in their results, brought to the attention of the public, both within and beyond The Bronx borders, the remarkable work that is being done for dumb animals by Dr. Jacob Lebish at his One Hun- dred and Sixty-first Street Veterinary Hospital for the relief of suffering. Dr. Lebish, expert and spe- cialist in veterinary lines, is a doctor of veterinary medicine with a thorough training and a wide ex- perience in the treatment of horses and dogs and all dumb animals. He fills a place in such humanitarian activities in The Bronx that is unprecedented, and that is steadily increasing in proportions.
Dr. Jacob Lebish was born in New York City, October 27, 1897, the son of Wolf and Tessie Lebish,
his father a native of Russia, who came to The Bronx at the age of thirty years to engage in the painting business. He attended the public schools of the city, and studied medicine at Bellevue Medical College for three years. He was graduated from the New York State Veterinary College in the class of 1919, with his degree, and in that year he established him- self in his One Hundred and Sixty-first Street Vet- erinary Hospital. His practice has attained aston- ishing proportions, and he has achieved many triumphs in surgery and in the general medical care of animals, having treated about fifteen thousand dogs during the six and one-half years that have elapsed since he opened his hospital, as well as con- siderable numbers of trained white mice, guinea pigs, monkeys, fish, skunks, snakes, other small animals and birds. In the grafting of bone and muscle, Dr Lebish has done work of unusual character, par- ticularly in the case of the Pomeranian pet of Louis Gold, of No. 780 Fox Street, a dangerous operation, one of the first of the kind, and entirely successful. Other cases that have attracted attention to Dr. Le- bish's skill include his very first case, that of a war dog, brought from overseas, which had received an injury in action, causing what is known as a floating rib on the left side. Dr. Lebish, despite the deli- cacy of the operation for removal of the rib, per- formed it with signal success. Another case was that of a collie dog, one of whose hind legs was am- putated after it had been run over by an automobile. The surgeon fitted an artificial leg to the dog, with the result that the collie was enabled to go about with ease. A police dog, suffering from an injured tooth, was brought to Dr. Lebish's hospital for treatment. After filling the cavity, the doctor fitted the tooth with a gold cap-this was a very unusual experience met with in practice in dog cases. A very rare and deli- cate operation, performed by Dr. Lebish, involved the enucleation of the eyeball in a cat and replacing the member with a glass eye. The feat provoked wide- spread comment on the part of veterinarians over a large area. Still other cases successfully treated at Dr. Lebish's hospital include pneumonia in monkeys, tuberculosis in chickens, removal of foreign objects, as coins and pins, from fowl, and the treatment of rabbits, squirrels, foxes and canaries. Dr. Lebish is also achieving notable success in the treatment of bone and joint diseases in animals, and this depart- ment of his practice is commanding a large part of his attention. His work in general and in outstand- ing cases has received much favorable publicity through the Metropolitan press. One of the most "valuable" operations, perhaps, from the loser's point of view, was that performed on a dog for the recovery of a diamond ring which it had swallowed.
A Democrat in his political views, Dr. Lebish, with his vote and influence, supports that party's principles. During the World War he was a mem- ber of the Student Army Training Corps. He is a member of the Order of Owls, the Samoset Demo- cratic Club, and his religious fellowship is with the Morris Avenue Temple Synagogue.
Dr. Jacob Lebish married, November 30, 1924, in The . Bronx, Sylvia Golder, daughter of Solomon Golder. They have their residence at No. 1475 Grand Concourse, The Bronx, New York City.
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WILLIAM POTTERTON THOMAS - Repre- senting the legal profession and the fraternity of the law with remarkable success in his chosen field in The Bronx, William Potterton Thomas continues his general practice as counsel and a court pleader with abundant proof of his abilities as well as his high standing before the bar. A veteran of the World War, and a civilian of most loyal type as well, Mr. Thomas is an exponent of and a sharer in all affairs and movements that indicate progress for The Bronx. He is a son of John Henry Thomas, who was born May 20, 1868, at Forty-sixth Street and Tenth Avenue, Manhattan, and who for many years was associated with the New York City Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity, and Mary (Mac- Cormack) Thomas, who was born February 18, 1871, at Twenty-eighth Street and Ninth Avenue, daughter of James and Mary (Reilly) MacCormack.
Mr. Thomas was born September 29, 1892, at One Hundred and Forty-fifth Street and Eighth Avenue, Manhattan, where he attended the public schools, the New York Preparatory School, Morris High School, and Wood's Business School. He matriculated at the Law School of Fordham University, where he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in the class of 1917. He was admitted to the bar when serving in the World War, and commenced practicing law in 1919 in The Bronx, where he has won an excellent reputation as a criminal lawyer. Being a very forceful pleader, he has a brilliant future.
In October, 1917, Mr. Thomas joined the United States Naval Reserve, and was honorably discharged from the service in March, 1919. He is a member of The Bronx Bar Association, Fordham Alumni As- sociation, Schnorer Club of The Bronx, James W. Brown Association, and North End Democratic Club.
He was married on September 19, 1922, to Anita Dorothea Torpey, the nuptial benediction being pronounced by Right Rev. Monsignor Breslin, at the Church of Our Lady of Mercy. Mrs. Thomas is the daughter of Michael Torpey, a native of New York City, who was very prominent in Democratic politics in Harlem, and Bessie (Hart) Torpey. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are the parents of Vivienne Rita, born January 23, 1924, and Gloria Anita, born August 10, 1926.
FRANK UTANO-To Frank Utano is due much praise for the attractive and extensive real estate de- velopments in The Bronx and vicinity. For some twenty-two years he has promoted real estate ex- tensions, and many of the finest apartment sections and buildings are the result of his efforts. His offices are at No. 450 East Tremont Avenue, New York City.
Frank Utano was born in Italy, September 19, 1881, and came to this country when about eight years old. His father, Antonio Utano, immigrated in 1886, and his wife, Concetta Utano, came later with the children.
Frank Utano was educated in New York schools. His entire business career has been devoted to real estate, especially to the building up of undeveloped
areas. Originally located in Pelham, Mr. Utano has been in The Bronx for fifteen years, where he is occupied in general real estate, brokerage, and building, operating for the most part through the Inter-County Development Company, of which he is president. He built the fine apartments managed by the company on Two Hundred and Second Street and on Two Hundred and Thirty-fifth Street, and he is largely interested in developing Boston Post Road lands. Mr. Utano is now engaged in buying the Allen Estate for the H. B. Rose Company. He is an active member of the Democratic Club, of Webster Avenue. His religious affiliation is with the Roman Catholic church.
Mr. Utano married, in New York City, January 24, 1904, Christine Adamo, daughter of Domenico Adamo. To them were born four daughters: Helen, October 15, 1904; Susie, March 12, 1906; Edith, June 5, 1908; and Viola, August 17, 1911.
JOHN C. HEINTZ-As president of the John Eichler Brewing Company of The Bronx, John C. Heintz has long been identified with the business and political affairs of the borough, and he is de- scended from a family whose members were early settlers of Manhattan. Born in the Borough of Manhattan, October 28, 1862, he is the son of Louis and Carolina Heintz, the former having come from Germany when a young man, died at the age of thirty-one, and the latter is living at the age of eighty-six. John C. Heintz was reared in The Bronx and attended the public school between One Hun- dred and Sixty-ninth and One Hundred and Seventieth streets and Third Avenue, the Morrisania (known as the "old school") School and the Fuerst Military Academy at College Point, New York. As his business interests grew and widened, Mr. Heintz having become connected with the Eichler Brew- ing Company, became an important factor in the financial and political relations of The Bronx. He was made a director of the North Side Savings Bank, and in his political alliance being joined to the Democratic party, he is an influential member of the Tammany Hall Association. He is also a member of the Democratic National Club. He is a valued member of The Bronx Board of Trade and of the Brewers Board of Trade.
John C. Heintz married, April 23, 1893, Rosa B. R. Riegelman, daughter of John and Augusta Riegel- man, the former died in 1895, and the latter living at seventy-six years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Heintz have one son, John E. Heintz, a biography of whom follows.
JOHN E. HEINTZ-A native and lifelong resi- dent of The Bronx, John E. Heintz is a member of one of the prominent pioneer families of New York's northern borough, and in recent years has himself been prominently and actively identified with its business and financial life. He was born February 2, 1894, at No. 3582 Third Avenue, The Bronx, a son of John C. Heintz (subject of preceding biography), president of the John Eichler Brewing Company, located at No. 3582 Third Avenue.
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