USA > New York > Bronx County > The Bronx and its people; a history, 1609-1927, Volume III > Part 42
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Francis Conlon was born on January 27, 1861, in
francis Conlon
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the village of Keady, County Armagh, Ireland, a son of Patrick and Mary (Mone) Conlon, both of whom were natives of that place, where the father was successful as a farmer and cattle dealer.
Francis Conlon attended the National School of Keady, his native village, and began working on his father's farm when he was still a lad of but ten years. In May, 1878, at the age of seventeen years, he came to America by himself, disembarking from the steamship "Germanic" in New York City, where he settled and entercd the employ of his brother, Thomas Conlon, who had preceded him in coming to the United States. Thomas Conlon con- ducted a thriving business at the corner of Cedar and Washington streets, later removing to the cor- ner of Thirteenth Street and Avenue A, where he owned his own establishment. Francis Conlon re- mained in business with his brother for some time before he decided to strike out for himself, estab- lishing his own business at the corner of Twenty- eighth Strcet and Second Avenue, where he remained for three years. He then bought a place at the corner of Thirty-second Street and First Avenue, where he continued successfully in business for a period of five years. At the end of that time he saw greater possibilities in The Bronx, and decided to move to that section, and bought the corner prop- erty at what was then old Broadway (now Crotona Avenue) and One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Street (now Tremont Avenue), where he has re- mained ever since and where he makes his home. Believing in the future of The Bronx, he has bought and sold many pieces of property, all of which proved to be excellent investments, and which have made him financially independent. In 1916 he was appointed deputy sheriff of Bronx County by Sheriff James Donnelly, and has been reappointed by each succeed- ing sheriff up to the present day. Politically, Mr. Conlon is a staunch member of the Democratic party, and is a charter member of the Arthur H. Murphy Democratic Club of The Bronx. Fraternally, he holds active membership in Bronx Lodge, No. 871, of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and Division No. 6 of the Ancient Order of Hibern- ians, of Fordham. His religious affiliation is given to St. Thomas Aquinas' Roman Catholic Church, at No. 1900 Crotona Parkway, of which he is a constant attendant and a liberal supporter.
Francis Conlon was married, on November 18, 1883, by the Rev. Father John Edwards, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, to Mary L. Murphy, a daughter of Arthur H. and Bridget (Ma- lone) Murphy. The father was a native of Castle Blaney, County Monaghan, Ireland, and the mother was born in Bodak, County Clare, Ireland. Francis and Mary L. (Murphy) Conlon are the parents of the following five children: 1. Arthur C., born March 5, 1888, died in 1918. 2. Mary Ellen. 3. Francis X. 4. Sarah. 5. Edward J. The family home is maintained at No. 1936 Crotona Avenue, at the corner of Tremont Avenue, The Bronx.
SIMON HEFELE-Throughout most of his sev- enty-seven years a resident of The Bronx, New York City, a constructive citizen and fine type of Ameri- can, Simon Hefele was for a long period proprietor
of the florist establishment which had been founded by his father at No. 3361 Third Avenue, in 1853. Mr. Hefele's long residence entitled him to the mem- bership he so greatly enjoyed in the exclusive or- ganization known as Old Timers, limited to those who had for half a century or more, lived continuously in The Bronx.
Simon Hefele was born on August 12, 1843, in Wachenheim, Rhinefalz, Bavaria, son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Raufer) Hefele. The father, a native of the same village, was a florist and landscape gar- dener who brought his family to the United States in the boyhood of the subject of this record. Their first, though brief, residence was in the lower east side of Manhattan, in the old German settlement then thriving there. The family then moved to the Mel- rose section of The Bronx, on Courtlandt Avenue, where was established, in 1853, the first office and florist business of Joseph Hefele. His store and gardening business throve. Soon he was able to pur- chase the property at No. 3361 Third Avenue, to which he moved, and in 1857, he opened there his greenhouse and retail flower shop. He knew all the details of plant-growing and distribution, was widely experienced, and a hard worker. The enterprise therefore grew rapidly, gave excellent service, and came to be regarded as a leader in its line.
Simon Hefele received his early education in Ger- many and completed it in New York. His father taught him horticulture and landscape gardening in his own establishment and the two worked to- gether until the father's death in 1879. The son then took over the thriving business. maintained the same high standards of quality and service as prac- ticed by his father, and ministered to an ever-grow- ing clientele. He met with success and won the es- teem of the community.
On January 20, 1873, in the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, Simon Hefele was married, by the Rev. Father Jungbaur, to Maria Margaret Borst, daughter of George and Apolonia (Goebel) Borst, both natives of Germany. Their children: 1. Joseph Francis, born February 12, 1875, in The Bronx. He has been since 1899. in to Topographical Bureau, and since 1902, assistant en- gineer in the Borough President's Office under civil service. He married Julia Heaney, and they are the parents of two children, Joseph A. Hefele, and Mary Margaret. 2. Mary Elizabeth Hefele, born December 5, 1877, in The Bronx; married William Montgomery, and they have children: Marie, Julia, Helen, William, and James. 3. Frank Hefele, born August 31, 1878, in The Bronx; married Helen Mahr, by whom he had a child, Francis. 4. Anna Hefele, born September 21, 1879. 5. Charles Hefele, born October 7, 1882, and died January 20, 1907, in his twenty-fifth year.
Simon Hefele died in July, 1920, in New York City, to which he had given so many years of constructive service. His host of friends in The Bronx and his loving family have kept his memory green in their hearts, and the Old Timers have paid a grand trib- nte to their departed member.
HARRIS SMITH-Through the remarkable ac- tivities of the real estate field in which Harris Smith
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has a long-established and very successful interest, The Bronx has recorded no small proportion of its material progress, and in aiding to secure new busi- ness and modern homes here for its residents, Mr. Smith has been a factor for the general improvement and increase of the section, in the substantial and satisfactory results that he has guaranteed.
Harris Smith, a son of Morris Smith, a blacksmith by trade, and a native of Kovner, Russia, and of Yetta Smith, was born September 5, 1868, in Kovner, Russia, where he attended the district schools. He served his apprenticeship in the blacksmith trade at his father's shop in Kovner, and coming to the United States when he was twenty-one years old, he first settled in New York City where he followed his trade. Mr. Smith established a blacksmith shop on East Seventy-fourth Street, near Avenue A, where he con- tinued seven years, then removing to One Hundred and First Street, near First Avenue, where he re- mained eight years. He then sold out, in order to enter the real estate business in the Harlem section of New York City, there continuing until 1909, when he removed to The Bronx, where he conducts a pros- perous enterprise, dealing in real estate and operat- ing his own properties.
Harris Smith married, March 4, 1893, in New York City, Sarah Geller, daughter of William and Rose (Ragadsky) Geller. Their children are: 1. Maurice Allen, born March 6, 1894; married Lillian Cooper- stein. 2. Anna H., born December 25, 1896. 3. Iris, born October 10, 1898. 4. Samuel, born March 8, 1900. 5. Ruth, born June 8, 1902; married Emanuel Glucksman. 6. David, born April 1, 1904. 7. May, born January 13, 1907. 8. William, born June 27, 1912.
JACOB FROEHLICH-For more than a quarter of a century Jacob Froehlich has been the owner and operator of a high-class wood-working and manufacturing establishment in The Bronx, located at No. 700 Whitlock Avenue. He is especially skilled in this field, being not only a wood-worker, but a graduate of a five-year course in architecture and engineering at Cooper Union Institute. He has supplied fixtures, cabinet work, and trim for many important church edifices and public buildings in Greater New York and adjacent cities, and wher- ever the highest grade of work is demanded Froehlich fills all requirements.
Jacob Froehlich was born in Rudesheim A. Rhine, Germany, September 28, 1865, son of Casper Froeh- lich, who was born in Rudesheim A. Rhine, Ger- many, where he became one of the leading wood- workers and manufacturers, and where he met an un- timely death as a result of an explosion which oc- curred while he was crossing the Rhine on a ferry boat in 1876, and of Elizabeth (Kretzer) Froehlich, who was born in the same town.
Mr. Froehlich attended the public schools of his native town until he was fourteen years of age, re- ceiving at the same time instruction in wood-working from his father. When he was fourteen years old he came to this country and settled on the lower east side of old Manhattan, at the corner of Avenue A and First Street. He attended the high school at the corner of Fifth Street and First Avenue, from
which he was graduated. Later, he decided to enter Cooper Union Institute, where he took the five-year course in architecture and engineering. When the course was completed he entered the employ of A. G. Grot Brothers' wood-working establishment, where his early knowledge of wood-working, gained in his home in Germany, proved to be especially valuable. He remained in this connection for a per- iod of two years, and then secured a better position with George Sieburg, a leading wood-working manu- facturer of store fixtures and cabinet work. Here he was made foreman of the works when he was but twenty-one years of age, and this position he filled for nine years. At the end of that time he was made general superintendent of the plant, and continued to serve in that capacity until 1901, when he pur- chased the old established plant of Charles Derleth, who founded the business in 1865. He took over the business in July, 1901, and since that time he has built additions to the plant, modernized the ma- chinery in every way, and developed the concern into the most up-to-date, high class wood-working and manufacturing plant in The Bronx. Mr. Froeh- lich furnishes fixtures, cabinet work, and trim of the best quality, and has supplied these items for many important churches, public buildings, and mer- cantile establishments, both in Greater New York and in adjacent cities.
Fraternally, Mr. Froehlich is identified with Lodge No. 871, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and he is an interested member of The Bronx Board of Trade. He was formerly a member of the Schnorer Club of The Bronx.
Jacob Froehlich was married, in Newark, New Jersey, April 11, 1886, to Elizabeth Vetter, daughter of Frederick Vetter, who was born in Baden-Baden, Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Froehlich are the parents of three children: 1. Charles Frederick, born April 27, 1888, married Dora Reimer, and they have three children: Charles F., Jr., Dora, and Robert. 2. Minnie, born January 2, 1900. 3. George Jacob, born August 8, 1902, married Martha Becker, daugh- ter of Dr. Becker, and they have one child, George Jr. In the winter Mr. Froehlich makes his home at No. 725 Beck Street, and in summer he lives at White Plains.
HARRY MALOTTE JACKSON, well-known funeral director of The Bronx, had an experience of a most unusual and varied career prior to engaging in his present profession. Among other earlier ac- tivities he was an actor in various notable theatrical enterprises, and as such, contributed to the pleasures of countless thousands of theatre-goers in all sections of the United States.
Harry Malotte Jackson is the son of the late Alonzo and Maria (Malotte) Jackson, the latter a native of Kentucky. Alonzo Jackson organized the Jackson Iron & Steel Company at Cincinnati, Ohio, which company was the pioneer in the manufacture of iron and steel pipe, and Mr. Jackson was the sole owner of the business. Born in the State of Louis- iana, Alonzo Jackson was a direct descendant of General Andrew Jackson of the War of 1812 fame, and subsequent President of the United States.
Born in the town of Charleston, South Carolina, on
SoySahy
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February 17, 1868, Harry Malotte Jackson accom- panied his parents to the city of Denver, Colorado, when he was in his eighth year. He had begun his scholastic studies in Denver public schools following a trip to Philadelphia in 1876 to witness the marvels of the Centennial Exposition, and having completed his grade-school studies, he entered the Denver High School and was graduated from that institution in 1886. Inspired by a determination to make his mark in the theatrical world, the youth realized his desire primarily by feats of "trick" bicycle riding on the stage. He was eventually retained by the noted producer, Charles Frohman, and played in stock companies, belonging to the latter for a period of three years, at the expiration of which time he be- came a member of the company of Robson & Crane, and participated thereafter in the play, "Henrietta," with which he continued for two years. He then be- came a member of the "Boston Howard Athenium" Company, directed and produced by Rich & Harris, and therewith participated in burlesquing bicycle tricks for two years and toured throughout the United States. His last professional contact with the theatre was in connection with Ed. Rice in the popular mu- sical comedy, "Sinbad the Sailor," which entertained and delighted audiences in Chicago during the course of the World's Fair. Mr. Jackson had by this time tired somewhat of the wandering life of an actor, and decided that he would in the future devote his talents to the medical profession. He therefore took up the study of medicine at the Cincinnati Medical College, but while thus occupied a stringent law was passed to compel medical students to devote a period of eight years to professional study before they would be eligible to receive the degree of Doctor of Medi- cine. Such a long period of preparation did not please Mr. Jackson, and he accordingly prepared to seek a career in another field, and as it happened that the college at which he was a medical student also included a college of embalming, Mr. Jackson de- cided in favor of that profession and proceeded to study to become an embalmer and mortician. In the meanwhile, he received a commission as lieuten- ant in the United States Navy, and served as such during the Spanish-American War of 1898. After hostilities had ceased, Mr. Jackson came to New York, and established his original undertaking estab- lishment at No. 135 East Forty-fourth Street at the corner of Lexington Avenue, where he remained for two years, until April 1, 1900, and then removed his parlors to No. 711 East Tremont Avenue, The Bronx. He continued at the latter address until 1912, and then took over the funeral parlors of his father-in- law, J. P. Garniss, established by the latter in 1870, and there Mr. Jackson has remained ever since, con- ducting an up-to-date establishment with all modern equipment. Mr. Jackson is a popular member of various fraternal and other organizations, among which are the following: Shakespeare Lodge, No. 750, Free and Accepted Masons, Ivy Chapter, attain- ing the thirty-second degree, Manhattan Com- mandery; Bronx Lodge, No. 871, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of which he is a charter member; Bronx Lodge, No. 876, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Actors' Fund and the Arthur H. Murphy Association of The Bronx.
On November 21, 1905, Harry Malotte Jackson was united in marriage to Florence Adele Garniss, daughter of John P. Garniss, who was born in Troy, New York, in 1841, and who died in The Bronx, in 1921. The mother of Mrs. Jackson was, before her marriage, Mary Elizabeth Haight, a native of Mount Vernon, New York, who is now in her seventy- seventh year and enjoying excellent health. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson were married in The Bronx by the Rev. Dr. George Nixon.
GEORGE OSCAR BAHR-In The Bronx, when heavy trucking and rigging is to be done .and an especially skilled man in this line is needed, George Oscar Bahr is usually the man called upon by those who are familiar with his reputation in this field. His whole active life has been associated with this work, first with his father, then with his brother, and since 1922 as proprietor of his own establishment located at Nos. 726-728 East One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Street, The Bronx, where he oper- ates a fleet of heavy trucks equipped to do all kinds of heavy trucking and rigging.
George Jacob Bahr, father of Mr. Bahr, was born in Bahren, Rhineland, in 1842, and died in The Bronx, New York City, in 1907. He left his native land and came to this country when he was sixteen years of age, and as a boy found employment on the old Erie Canal boats. In 1873, he established, at the corner of One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Street and Lincoln Avenue, in the Harlem district, Bahr's Harlem Ex- press, which he developed into a prosperous enter- prise. Later, he admitted his oldest son, Henry D. Bahr, as a partner in the business, and at this time the name was changed to the firm style of Bahr and Son Express Company. George Jacob Bahr con- tinued in this business until his death in 1907, when the business was taken over by his son, under the name of the H. D. Bahr Trucking Company and continued under that name, having associated with him his younger brother, George Oscar Bahr, until he sold out to Lawrence Gerosa, and retired. George Jacob Bahr married Matilda Walters, who was born in Ellenville, New York, and died in 1912.
George Oscar Bahr, son of George Jacob and Ma- tilda (Walters) Bahr, was born in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, February 7, 1875, but was brought to The Bronx by his parents when he was one month old. Here he was reared and educated. He first attended the old public school on the corner of One Hundred and Forty-seventh Street and Courtlandt Avenue, under Miss Purdy, principal, but later attended the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Street school. When he was ten years of age, while still attending school, he began to help his father in the Bahr's Express business which the father had founded in 1873, and to which the older brother, Henry D. Bahr, was admitted later. Young George Oscar continued to assist his father and his brother as a young man, and after the death of the father in 1907, he remained with his brother during the time the business was conducted under the name of the H. D. Bahr Trucking Company. Eventually, however, Henry D. Bahr sold out to Lawrence Ger- osa, and retired from active business responsibility. At this time George Oscar Bahr, having been as-
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sociated with his father and brother in the trucking and rigging business for a period of twenty-five years, and having very thoroughly learned the business while associated with the Harlem River Truckmen and Riggers, decided to enter the business on his own account. In 1922 he established his first head- quarters at No. 163 St. Ann's Avenue, The Bronx, but later removed to No. 843 East One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Street, where he remained until he pur- chased his present modern brick garage at Nos. 726- 728 East One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Street, where he is conducting a very prosperous enterprise. His fleet of heavy trucks is equipped for all kinds of heavy trucking and rigging, and his reputation for skill in the handling of this kind of work is thor- oughly well established. Having spent practically all his life in The Bronx, Mr. Bahr is very well known here, both in a business way and among a large num- ber of personal friends and associates.
Mr. Bahr is a member of Eyrie No. 491, Fraternal Order of Eagles; of Mohawk Council, No. 107, Jun- ior Order United American Mechanics; and of the Tackamuck Democratic Club. During the World War Mr. Bahr was a first-class rigger in the New York Navy Yard.
George Oscar Bahr was married, in Bethany Pres- byterian Church, The Bronx, New York, by Rev. George Birch, to Lillian Arnold, daughter of Leon- ard Arnold, who was born in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, October 6, 1844, and died May 18, 1925, and of Elizabeth (Wetzel) Arnold, who was born in Oberabsteiner, Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, Jan- uary 14, 1842, and died January 29, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Bahr are the parents of six children: 1. Elmer George, who was born August 1, 1898, and served in the Navy during the World War and was dis- charged as second-class quartermaster, highest rating given at that time; married Sadie Hamilton, and they have one child, Marian Bahr. 2. Eva Matilda, born November 16, 1900. 3. Ethel May, born April 24, 1902. 4. Leonard Walter, born October 6, 1903; married Louise Schweyer. 5. Lillian, born June 25, 1905; married Charles Deul. 6. George Ernest, born March 5, 1911. The family home is lo- cated at No. 963 Sherman Avenue, The Bronx.
JACOB WOLINS-Having devoted the last two decades to the real estate business, Mr. Wolins nat- urally is considered one of the leading and most experienced realtors of The Bronx. He was born October 22, 1881, on Allen Street, on the lower east side of Manhattan, a neighborhood which has pro- duced its full share of successful business men. His father, Harris Wolins, born in Sewalk, Russia, in 1838, engaged in the grocery business after having come to the United States, but has been retired for the last thirty years, and his mother, Rachel (Simon) Wolins, was also born in Sewalk in 1850.
Jacob Wolins attended public school on Madison Street, Manhattan, and evening high school, and at the age of sixteen began work, his first position be- ing with Young Brothers as errand boy. Six months later he went with a drug store on East Broadway and Pike Street, where he remained three years. His next position was in the shipping department of Simon & Liedersdorf, manufacturers of caps, where
he proved himself so efficient and reliable that before long he was entrusted with the care of the entire factory as its custodian. After about five years with this concern he took a position with M. Lowenstein & Sons. One year later, in 1906, he decided to enter the real estate business as a member of the firm of Wolins Brothers, real estate and insurance, with offices at No. 5 East One Hundred and Sixteenth Street. In 1908 he joined the firm of Weisberg, Wolins & Brother, at No. 140 Nassau Street, Man- hattan, which connection he continued until 1913, when he opened his own office in the American Ex- change National Bank Building at No. 128 Broadway under the name of J. Wolins, becoming at the same time a special agent under Ferdinand Strauss. When, in 1925, Irving A. Zeitlin (q.v.), for a number of years engaged in the real estate business in The Bronx, decided to associate with himself some other ex- perienced and progressive real estate man in the sale and development of a tract of one hundred and thirty-four acres belonging to the Watson Estate, Mr. Wolins became a member of the new firm of Wolins, Spitzer & Zeitlin with offices on Westchester Avenue, corner of Morrison Avenue. Mr. Wolins, though always interested in all civic affairs, has never taken an active part in politics.
Mr. Wolins was married, June 20, 1920, in Man- hattan, to Sadie Pfeiffer, daughter of Samuel and Lena Pfeiffer. Mr. and Mrs. Wolins have three chil- dren: 1. Sylvia, born August 4, 1921. 2. Fred Sey- mour, born January 5, 1923. 3. Evelyn, born in January, 1924.
IRVING ALLEN ZEITLIN-That the
un- bounded energy of Mr. Zeitlin is now devoted to the development of Bronx real estate rather than to the building up of what seemed to be a promising the- atrical career, is due to a large degree to his mother's objection to the latter. Irving Allen Zeitlin was born April 15, 1891, at No. 142 Madison Street, Man- hattan, a son of Barnett and Ida (Goldberg) Zeitlin. His father, a native of Mannheim, Germany, came to this country in his youth and died in August, 1916, while his mother, who was born here, is still living.
Mr. Zeitlin was educated in the public schools of his native city, graduating from De Witt Clinton High School, and later from the College of the City of New York with the class of 1911, receiving the de- gree of Bachelor of Arts. Like many other young- sters, he had his first business experience as a news- boy, beginning. with this work after school hours when he was only eight years old. Six years later, though only fourteen, he decided that he was old enough to go into business for himself and opened a small bookstore where he rented and sold books. Having gained by this enterprise a certain measure of financial independence, he ran away from home and supported himself, continuing all the time faith- fully with his school work. After about two years he gave up his small bookstore and returned home, devoting his entire time to his studies. Before long, however, he decided to go to Chicago, where one of his uncles, Adolph Bieling, conducted a saloon and restaurant. Going to work there as a waiter and singer, the success with which his musical efforts met soon suggested to him the idea of utilizing the back
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