USA > New York > Bronx County > The Bronx and its people; a history, 1609-1927, Volume III > Part 47
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HENRY DANIEL BAHR, since early in 1925, has been the proprietor of a very prosperous business, handling contractors and builders' supplies. He owns property fronting on The Bronx River and Westchester Avenue, including 34,000 feet of water front, and is handling a large volume of business. Until 1925 he was engaged in the trucking and rigging business. Mr. Bahr is well known in Masonic
Fredrick Herle
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circles, and is a member of The Bronx Board of Trade.
George Jacob Bahr, father of Mr. Bahr, was born in Bahren, Rhineland, Germany, in 1842, and died in 1907. He came to this country as a lad of sixteen years, and found employment on the old Delaware and Hudson Canal, where he remained until the increased building of railroads caused the business on the canals to dwindle. He then came to The Bronx and began the manufacture of soda water and other soft drinks, being among the pioneers in this line here in The Bronx, and continuing in this line until 1871, when he established Bahr's Harlem Express Com- pany, which he operated to the time of his death, in 1907, when he was succeeded by his son, Henry Daniel. He married Matilda Walters, who was born on Rondout, New York, and died in 1912.
Henry Daniel Bahr, son of George Jacob and Matilda (Walters) Bahr, was born in Ellenville, New York, September 16, 1869, but was brought to The Bronx by his parents in 1872, when he was not yet three years of age. He first attended the old public school which was conducted in a store on Courtlandt Avenue, Miss Purdy being principal, and then attended grammar school on College Avenue, under Jonathan D. Hyatt. When he was eleven years old he began work on his father's express wagon, his father at that time being proprietor of an ex- press business which he conducted under the name of the Harlem and Mott Haven Express Company. The association with his father was continued until Mr. Bahr was twenty-six years old, when he decided to establish a business enterprise of his own, which he did, under the name of the H. D. Bahr Trucking Company, which he conducted until February, 1925, when he sold out to Lawrence Gerosa. He then purchased the property fronting on The Bronx River and Westchester Avenue, where he is now located, and engaged in the contractors and builders' supply business. He has 34,000 feet of water front and is known as one of the largest dealers in his special line in The Bronx.
Fraternally, Mr. Bahr is a member of Bunting Lodge, No. 655, Free and Accepted Masons; Sylvan Chapter, No. 188, Royal Arch Masons; Constantine Commandery, Knights Templar; Mecca Temple, An- cient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and Azum Grotto, Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm. He is an interested and active member of The Bronx Board of Trade, and is influential in its councils.
Henry Daniel Bahr was married, in the German Methodist Church at the corner of One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Street and Melrose Avenue, The Bronx, by Rev. D. Miller, January 26, 1914, to Edith Helen Meiner, who was born on Staten Island, daugh- ter of Clara (Hazzard) Meiner, descendant of an old New England family. Mr. and Mrs. Bahr are the parents of one son, Henry Daniel Bahr, Jr., who was born January 29, 1915. The family home is located at the corner of Ellison Avenue and Chatfield Road, in Bronxville.
PATRICK JOSEPH KANE, superintendent of the Department of Parks in The Bronx, and for thirty-five years a power in Democratic politics on
Manhattan Island, is a typical son of Ireland who has made good in his adopted land of America.
Mr. Kane was born April 15, 1871, in Kells, County Meath, Ireland, son of Peter J. Kane, now deceased, a native of Kells, in the same county, and Catherine (Hackett) Kane, born in Old Castle, County Meath, who is also deceased. Mr. Kane attended the Christian Brothers School in his native town, and when he was twelve years of age accompanied his parents to the United States, where they settled in the Harlem section of New York City and he con- tinued his schooling. The elder Kane was a leading contractor and builder, and the son entered business with him; at the age of twenty-one, five years after starting, he branched out for himself, and in a few years became known as one of the thriving contrac- tors and builders of New York City, with a fleet of horses and wagons, and plenty to do on public works and private jobs. He sold out the business in 1917, since which time he has devoted himself to his duties as superintendent of the Department of Parks in The Bronx. He is a man of commanding personality and poise at the same time, so that he makes an ideal executive, and gets along well with his employees. Many years age he organized the P. J. Kane Democratic Club to control political affairs in the Washington Heights section, where he was then residing. He formed an alliance with the promi- nent and popular leader of the northern end of Man- hattan, Thomas McAvoy, and it was to avoid conflict with the McAvoy machine and to set his own up in a fruitful section that he removed the P. J. Kane Democratic Club and his whole political activities to The Bronx in 1900, where he established a home and took hold as a power in the Third Assembly District. Mr. Kane is connected with numerous clubs and societies, and enjoys a deserved popularity over a wide area.
Patrick Joseph Kane was married, in 1901, in St. Charles of Borromeo's Roman Catholic Church, by Rev. Father Gordon, to Anna Maria Fitzpatrick, daughter of Louis J. Fitzpatrick, native of High- bridge, New York City, and Maria (Lewis) Fitz- patrick, born in Westchester Village, East Bronx. Their union has been blessed with two sons: Patrick Joseph, Jr., in the contracting business in The Bronx; and Peter Lewis, who died in infancy.
NAT. SCHNEIDERMAN-In the buying and selling of desirable real estate in The Bronx, Nat. Schneiderman is conducting a very successful busi- ness project under his own name, and his thorough knowledge of locations and values has been, and continues to be, of substantial benefit to his increasing patronage. Mr. Schneiderman is a veteran of the World War, and is much interested in all patriotic and advanced civic movements. He is a son of Albert Schneiderman, who was born in Russia, and came to the United States to engage in the clothing busi- ness when he was nineteen years old, and Rose Schneiderman, who died February 17, 1924.
Nat. Schneiderman was born July 24, 1896, in New York City, where he attended Public School No. 10, and after he was graduated in 1910 he took the course in the High School of Commerce. For three years he was employed in the printing business,
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and for eight years he engaged in the warehouse line. In 1921, Mr. Schneiderman established himself in his present business-the purchase and sale of real estate, and as an insurance representative. In the World War, he enlisted in the Thirtieth Service Company, United States Army, and was stationed with the Signal Corps in New York City, the armis- tice being signed three days before his company ex- pected to depart for service overseas.
Nat. Schneiderman married, June 6, 1920, in New York City, Rose Cohen, daughter of Max Cohen, a Bronx builder, and Sarah Cohen, who died June 17, 1925.
ALOYSIUS CHARLES FOHEY-Among those who have recently opened offices of their own in The Bronx is Aloysius Charles Fohey, architect, who, in association with A. E. Klueppelberg, has opened an office at No. 375 East Fordham Road. Both Mr. Fohey and his partner are thoroughly trained and have had extended experience in architectural work, and there is every indication that a prosperous future lies ahead of theni.
William Aloysius Fohey, father of Mr. Fohey, was born in Leadville, Colorado, about 1877, and for many years has been engaged in the meat packing business, first as an employee of Armour and Com- pany, and during the past four years in the employ of A. Silz and Company, the well-known meat packers and meat dealers of New York City. He married Henrietta Kadel, who was born about 1879, in New York City, and among their children was Aloysius Charles, of further mention.
Aloysius Charles (A. Charles) Fohey, son of Wil- liam Aloysius and Henrietta (Kadel) Fohey, was born on One Hundred and Twenty-first Street, near First Avenue, New York City, March 29, 1905. His parents removed to Theriot Avenue in the West- chester section of the East Bronx while he was a small child, and he received his early school training in Public School No. 3, on One Hundred and Fifty- seventh Street, between Melrose and Courtlandt ave- nues, under Principal Bert P. Seeley, with Miss Fash as teacher. He then continued study in Morris High School, and later took a course in architectural drawing in the Vocational School for Boys on One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Street and Fifth Avenue, from which he was graduated, receiving his diploma in 1921. After receiving his diploma he entered the employ of Walter Thomas Williams, architect, whose offices are located at No. 41 East Forty-second Street, and this connection he maintained for three years. While filling this position he was attending evening classes at the College of the City of New York, taking an engineering course, which he completed in 1924, with graduation as a construction engineer. His next position was with Max Housle, city archi- tect, for the Borough of The Bronx, where he re- mained for a year and a half. At this time he began a course of study in the studios of Columbia School of Beaux Arts and Design, continuing his architec- tural work here for two years. In the meantime, after remaining with Max Housle for a year and a half, he associated himself with Charles Schaefer, a well-known architect, with whom he remained about a year. At the end of that time he decided to establish
a business of his own, and formed an association with A. E. Klueppelberg, another well trained and experi- enced architect, with whom he opened an office at No. 375 East Fordham Road, where they are build- ing up a most desirable patronage. Mr. Fohey has his home at No. 3220 Steuben Avenue, The Bronx. The business has prospered and there is every indica- tion that this will come to be one of the leading ar- chitectural concerns of The Bronx. Mr. Fohey is a member of the American Association of Engineers, and keeps thoroughly well informed concerning the general developments of his profession.
Aloysius Charles Fohey was married, in Proctor, Vermont, August 7, 1926, to Hilda Johnson, daughter of Daniel Johnson, her mother having died when she was but a year old.
H. RAY STRUBLE-The future development and expansion of The Bronx, New York, is in the hands of such able young men as H. Ray Struble, in the real estate business at No. 305 East Two Hundred and Fourth Street. Well-trained, both in business, through his long years of banking experience, and in real estate, endowed with a keen mind and vision, Mr. Struble has already accomplished much and will doubtless continue to play a leading part in the sec- tion of New York to which he has devoted himself.
H. Ray Struble was born April 7, 1890, on Belle- ville Avenue, Newark, New Jersey, son of Harvey Maxwell and Margaret (King) Struble. The father, born in Newark, February 6, 1867, was engaged in the leather trade for many years with his wife's father, William Ray King, who owned the Newark Leather Manufacturing Company of New York, and of late has been engaged with the Martin Dennis Chemical Company of Newark. The mother is also a native of Newark, where she was born November 7, 1866. Their son, H. Ray Struble, was given an excellent education, first, in the Webster Street Public School of Newark, later in that of Kearney, New Jersey, where the family resided for a time, and finally in the Elliot Street School of Newark, from which he graduated. He then entered the employ of the Newark Leather Manufacturing Company, then un- der the ownership of William King, his grandfather. The ambitious boy meanwhile continued his educa- tion by attending night courses at Franklin Evening High School in Newark. After eight years with the leather company, Mr. Struble entered the Ger- hard Mennen Chemical Company offices and re- mained for six years with this famous talcum factory. His next position was with the Bowery Savings Bank, No. 128 Bowery, New York, where he had charge of the New Accounts Department and was assistant receiving teller for four years. By this time Mr. Struble was sufficiently assured of his training in many lines of business to determine on one which would at the same time offer promise of advancement and congenial activity. Real estate offered itself as the ideal field. In 1923 he associated himself with Morton M. Green, at No. 302 East Two Hundred and Fourth Street, The Bronx, and through four years of enthusiastic and ambitious cooperation there gained a comprehensive and well- rounded knowledge of all the ramifications of real estate and allied fields. On January 1, 1927, he
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Thay Shuble
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started in business for himself under the name of H. Ray Struble, opening offices at No. 305 East Two Hundred and Fourth Street, The Bronx.
His devotion to the enterprises with which he has been associated has not prevented Mr. Struble's par- ticipating in many civic and social movements. He enlisted in the Motor Transport Corps for service in the World War and was honorably discharged at the end of the conflict. He is a member of Hope- well Lodge, No. 596, Free and Accepted Masons; Manhattan Commandery, No. 1, Knights Templar; and Mecca Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the National League of Masonic clubs. His club is the Norwood Social of The Bronx. He is executive secretary of the Men's Club of the Church of the Holy Nativity.
On November 11, 1914, in Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Newark, H. Ray Struble married Emma Elizabeth Schultze, daughter of Otto Charles and Louise Elizabeth (Hofmann) Schultze. The father, born in New York City, May 4, 1875, has for forty years been associated with the Citizens' Savings Bank on the Bowery, at Canal Street. His wife was born in New York, August 17, 1876, and like her husband enjoys the best of health. To Mr. and Mrs. Struble was born, March 19, 1916, a son, Raymond Charles Struble.
THOMAS WICKS, a retired stone mason of The Bronx, and a son of one of the early settlers of this region, was born September 4, 1854, at old First Street . (now One Hundred and Sixty-third Street and Washington Avenue), in The Bronx. Mr. Wicks is a son of Thomas and Isabelle (Stacy) Wicks, both of whom were native born to Yarmouth, Eng- land. Isabelle (Stacy) Wicks, the mother, was born in 1821 and died in 1898. Thomas Wicks, the father, was born in 1798, and died in the year 1884. He was among the first settlers in the old Morrisania section of The Bronx, and a pioneer mason and builder of that vicinity. It was he who constructed the first stone fire cistern in the entire Bronx. He had purchased, for the sum of five hundred dollars, the acre of ground on First Street where he located his home and where his son was born.
Thomas Wicks received his education in the Mel- rose Public School, under Miss Rains. Immediately after the. completion of these courses of study he at once branched out for himself, soon afterwards being apprenticed to the bricklaying trade in the employ of George Vassar, a builder with whom he remained for a period of eighteen consecutive years. He then went to work for Wells Newton, remaining there for some three years. At the end of that time, however, he was forced to retire on account of dis- ability. This was in 1898; since which time Mr. Wicks, who is unmarried, has been living with his sister, Mrs. Charles Johnson of No. 507 East One Hundred and Sixty-third Street. Mr. Wicks has kept up a keen interest in the great development work going on around him, and he has continued his membership in the Old Timers' Association of The Bronx.
JOSEPH H. MOUND-For more than twenty years, Joseph H. Mound has been a loyal resident
of The Bronx, and has been an active figure in the business, social and fraternal circles of his com- munity. Genuine in character, earnest in undertaking, and energetic in action, he has conducted a haber- dashery establishment in The Bronx with continued and increasing success and reputation throughout the years of his business life. He came to this country as a young child with his parents and devoting him- self with strict integrity and probity to the interests of his adopted country, he has won the esteem and good will of his host of friends and associates. Mr. Mound is the son of Moses and Dora Mound, both of whom are now deceased, but the father during his life had engaged in the dry goods business in Manhattan. He was a veteran of the war between his native country and Turkey and Prussia in the middle years of the nineteenth century.
Joseph H. Mound was born in Roumania in the Balkan Peninsula, March 17, 1877, and came to this country with his parents when he was ten years of age. He received his school training at the Christie Street School and completed his academic courses in 1892. At that time he entered upon his business career, and after a number of years established him- self in the haberdashery and men's furnishings busi- ness in The Bronx. In 1916, he removed to his present location at No. 520 Willis Avenue, The Bronx, and conducts his enterprise under the style of "Mounds." His name has become synonymous with fair dealing, reasonable prices and high values, and his clientele is drawn from all parts of the county. He is an active member of The Bronx Board of Trade and lends his influential support and advices to all the policies directed toward the promo- tion of community welfare and a better understanding among the commercial and industrial interests of The Bronx. He is also affiliated with William Mc- Kinley Lodge, No. 840, Free and Accepted Masons, and Lodge No. 871 of The Bronx, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His other organizations include the Grand Street Boys and the James Brown Association.
On January 31, 1904, Mr. Mound married Mamie Shapiro, a daughter of Aaron Shapiro, and they are the parents of the following children: 1. Blanche. 2. Maurice, who is a student at the Law School of Columbia University, having been graduated from the Columbia College, during which time he was active in campus activities and was an editor of the "Spectator," the college daily. 3. Doris. The family lives at No. 1749 Grand Concourse, The Bronx, New York
CHARLES EDELSON-The late Charles Edel- son, real estate dealer at No. 3911 White Plains Avenue, The Bronx, was a shining example of a foreigner who landed in this country at a tender age without friends or influence and made his way, to the extent of scoring a gratifying success. Mr. Edel- son came from Poland at the age of fourteen years. With slender purse, but splendid courage, he set to work to make his way. First he was in the manu- facturing business and then went into the real estate business in Harlem where he remained for twenty years, and in 1919 moved to the White Plains Ave- nue address and opened his real estate offices there.
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He did a general real estate and insurance business, and was greatly assisted by his son, Benjamin D. Edelson, whose entire life was spent in close asso- ciation with the father and who is now well qualified to carry on the business. The father was a man of sterling qualities, kindly and helpful to others, and his passing was the occasion for many expres- sions of regret.
Charles Edelson was born at Stutchin, Poland, then a part of Russia, July 1, 1867, and in 1881 came to the United States after having obtained a limited education in the public schools of his native land. He took a keen interest in civic affairs, principally as a member of The Bronx Board of Trade, The Real Estate Board, and The Bronx Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Edelson married, at New York City, May 20, 1888, Anne Leavitt, whose parents are deceased, and their union has been blessed with four children: 1. Joseph M., born February 3, 1889, an attorney at No. 475 Fifth Avenue, New York City. 2. Alexander J., born July 26, 1892, owner of a department store in Waterloo, Iowa. 3. Benjamin D., born May 26, 1894, in business as the successor of his father in real estate and insurance. 4. Dorothy, born July 10, 1896.
The death of Mr. Edelson occurred March 28, 1927, and thus passed from the stage of earthly affairs a man who labored well and who was deserving of all the respect and admiration bestowed upon him by his fellow-citizens.
FRANK ALOYSIUS HOLAHAN-A public official of the city of New York who renders distinc- tive service in the Park Department of The Bronx, Frank Aloysius Holahan is also a public-spirited and constructive citizen. To his country likewise he gave the most devoted and patriotic service during the World War, participating in the offensive cam- paigns in France and receiving a citation from Gen- erals Pershing and Petain and) a Croix de Guerre, as testimonials to his gallantry in action.
Frank Aloysius Holahan was born July 5, 1887, in the house standing at No. 125 East Thirty-first Street, son of Francis and Helen M. (Walsh) Hola- han. The father, born March 19, 1862, in New York City, came of a very old Manhattan family, and rose to distinction in the city as superintendent of Water Supply of New York, a man and political leader of many friends, also a brother of Maurice F. Holahan of Tammany Hall, and companion of Theodore Roosevelt in the company of famous Washington Grays. He died in 1911 and was buried in St. Ray- mond's Cemetery. His wife was the daughter of John Walsh, also of an old New York family, and brother to Judge John L. Walsh, of the Supreme Court.
Liberal educational opportunity was offered to Mr. Holahan, who attended in childhood the Williams- bridge Public School No. 13, after the removal of his parents to The Bronx. He then studied at Ford- ham Preparatory School and Manhattan College, where he took the course in civil engineering, gradu- ating in 1910 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. While at college he was captain of the baseball team. His first position, at the age of twenty, was with
the State Highways Commission at Albany, New York, where he remained for two years. He then entered the services of the Board of Water Supply of New York City at the aqueduct, continuing until 1916. His next connection was with the Park De- partment of The Bronx, in which he has risen through various grades to his present position of aide to Commissioner Joseph P. Henessey. During the World War Mr. Holahan was with the Ambulance Corps of Fordham University, accompanying the Army of Occupation in France, and present in the offensives of Verdun, Argonne, and Champagne sec- tors. Gassed while courageously performing his difficult and dangerous, though humanitarian duties, Mr. Holahan received a citation, as stated above, from the leading American and French generals, Pershing and Petain, for valorous conduct, and the Croix de Guerre. A fine, upstanding, soldierly type of man, he is keenly interested in all aspects of development in The Bronx, giving his time and ability and influence toward helping civic and political ad-
vancement. He is a member of the North End Democratic Club and the Bedford Park Social Club, the Manhattan College Alumni Association, the Alpha Sigma Society, and the American Legion, United Service Post. A member of the Guiding Star Council, No. 212, Knights of Columbus, he is active now and was financial secretary before the war. Mr. Holahan belongs likewise to the Holy Name Society of St. Brendan's Church. Unmarried, he resides with his widowed mother, now in her seventy-first year, at their home on Perry Avenue, in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx.
MAX JUST-Oustanding among the builders and real estate dealers of The Bronx is Max Just, who has been in business there for many years and is active in business and civic organizations. He is a son of Frederick L. and Augusta Just, his mother still living and now eighty-eight years of age. The elder Mr. Just was born in Germany but came to the United States at an early age.
Max Just was born in Manhattan, New York City, August 9, 1869, and attended Public School No. 13 on Houston Street, graduating there in 1882. In 1887 at the age of eighteen he went into business for him- self. He has been for twenty-three years a resident of The Bronx but moved to his present business location on the Grand Concourse only a year ago, putting up his own building, which is up-to-date in every respect. Mr. Just has only recently finished building the Post Office in White Plains and the new Plaza Building there, a modern business center opposite the passenger station of the New York Central Railroad, as well as other structures in that locality. He is a director of the Taxpayers' Alliance of The Bronx, vice-president of the Bedford Park Taxpayers' Association, a member of the United Real Estate and Property Owners' Association, The Real Estate Board of New York, and the National Asso- ciation of Real Estate Boards and takes an active interest in all their concerns. In addition he serves as vice-president of the Manhattan Builders and secretary of the Building Industry League, or Bronx Builders' Club, recently formed to foster better re- lations among the men engaged in the building trade
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