USA > New York > Bronx County > The Bronx and its people; a history, 1609-1927, Volume III > Part 50
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81
HON. ROBERT S. MULLEN, son of Frank Mul- len, who served as alderman for three terms from the Washington Heights section of New York City, was born October 1, 1884, in New York City, where he attended the public schools and the Morris High School. After his graduation from the College of the City of New York, he prepared for his pro- fession at the Law School of New York University, where he was graduated in 1907 with the degree of
Ciasto Beilenday
199
THE BRONX AND ITS PEOPLE
Bachelor of Laws. Mr. Mullen was admitted to the bar in 1909, and his career in his profession has been one of continued progress. He had the honor of serving as deputy attorney-general under Attorney- General Jackson in the Hearst-McClellan recount case. He was clerk to Justice Samuel Seabury; and from 1915 to 1918 he was assistant district attorney of The Bronx under District Attorney Frank Martin. In 1918, Mr. Mullen was elected as Repre- sentative in the State Assembly by both the Demo- cratic and Republican parties in combination against the Gitlow faction.
He was also active in matters of local preparedness during the World War, being prominent in all of the Liberty Loan drives, and was a member of the Local Draft Board of Division No. 8. Fraternally, Mr. Mullen is affiliated with The Bronx Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and with The Bronx Council, Knights of Columbus; he is a member of the Chippewa Democratic Club, and is a communicant of the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Mary of the Sea.
Hon. Robert S. Mullen married, July 20, 1911, in New York City, I'da C. Anderson, daughter of Francis and Margaret (Dingwall) Anderson. Their children are: Margaret Roberta; Alice Frances; Robert S., Jr., and Edwin Dingwall.
JAMES HENRY SPELLMAN-A resident of New York City throughout his active career, James Henry Spellman is prominent in all matters relating to the civic advancement of The Bronx, and he has developed a field of real estate activity of recognized value in the present-day movement for the general progress of this section. He is a son of John and Susan (McNabb) Spellman. John Spellman came from the South of Ireland to raise cattle and to farm in the United States, and located in Highbridge, holding the position of watchman there.
James Henry Spellman was born July 27, 1859, on University Avenue, then known as Lind Avenue and Beach Street, and he attended the public schools of Highbridge. He was employed in different lines up to 1888, when he established a retail liquor business from which he retired in 1919; and he is now as- sociated with real estate interests.
A staunch Democrat in his political views, Mr. Spellman with his vote and influence supports the principles of that party. During the World War, he was a very active factor in several campaigns and aided the work of the Red Cross and the Knights of Columbus. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Bronx Lodge, No. 871, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Schnorer Club, in thirty-five years membership; Old Timers' Club; Bronx Friends of Erin, in charter membership; and Highbridge Prop- erty Owners' Association.
Mr. Spellman is a communicant of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. His hobby is rowing, and he was formerly a member of the Atlanta Row- ing Club, on the Harlem River, at One Hundred and Sixty-third Street, and was quite active in the sports of the club. . He is a property owner in different sec- tions of the borough, and has resided in one house, No. 172 West One Hundred and Sixty-seventh Street, for sixty-eight years.
FRED BERRY- As president of The Bronx County Trust Company and one of the foremost banking men in this part of the State, Mr. Fred Berry directs the affairs of an institution the history of which is inextricably woven with that of progres- sive finance in The Bronx. Mr. Berry has the ad- vantage of training and experience in varied lines of industry, as well as that of having started at the foot of the financial ladder, worming his way gradu- ally and with signal capability to his present position of responsibility, both generally for the bank and specifically for its Bronx interests.
Mr. Berry received his education in the schools of The Bronx and began his business career when he was fourteen years old. Having always had a desire to enter the banking business, he, on July 1, 1899, started with the Merchants National Bank at No. 42 Wall Street, New York City. On August 1, 1900, he joined the forces of the Washington Bank, located at One Hundred and Forty-eighth Street and Third Avenue, that institution being now known as The Bronx office of the American Exchange Irving Trust Company. For many years he was vice- president in charge of The Bronx activities of that institution. Early in the year 1888, a group of prominent business men in The Bronx, feeling the need of a banking institution to provide for the rapidly growing business interests of the section, organized what was then called the Twenty-third Ward Bank. This bank grew rapidly with the in- crease in population of the borough and in 1925 was converted into The Bronx County Trust Com- pany, thus becoming the "First and only Local Trust Company" in The Bronx. On October 1, 1926, Mr. Berry was elected president of the insti- tution. Mr. Berry has won the good will and friend- ship of all who have been associated with hin and whom he has impressed with his personality and tact, the requisites of an officer of a banking institu- tion. By experience and inherent ability, he is ideally suited for the presidency of so upstanding an institution. Consistent work, diligence and honest application to his tasks are responsible for the suc- cess he has known.
During the late war, Mr. Berry exerted his en- ergies in advancing the causes of the Liberty Loan, Red Cross and other important patriotic fund drives. Mr. Berry has been a member of the Board of Trus- tees of the Dollar Savings Bank since October, 1918. He is treasurer of The Bronx Chamber of Commerce; a member of the Board of Governors of The Bronx Young Men's Christian Association, and a prominent member of The Bronx Rotary Club, Piano Club, Bronx Board of Trade, Schnorer Club and the Tax- payers' Alliance of the Borough of The Bronx.
Fred Berry married Emma L. Reynolds, daughter of Adelbert and Mary L. (Hagemen) Reynolds, on September 23, 1902, at White Plains, New York.
LLOYD I. PHYFE-As a civil engineer and ar- chitect Lloyd I. Phyfe has for many years been en- gaged in engineering and architectural work in New York City. He is associated with the City Mort- gage Company of New York City, and is also engaged in business for himself. The high class apartments which he ha constructed are substantial monuments
200
THE BRONX AND ITS PEOPLE
to his taste and his ability, and are worthy contri- butions to the development of the city.
John D. Phyfe, father of Mr. Phyfe, was for many years engaged in business as a manufacturer of Sash, Doors, and Trim, and later as a builder. He erected in the early "eighties," the first cooper- ative apartment house in New York City, located at Gramercy Park and Twentieth Street and known as "The Gramercy" - which is still standing and is unique in that street courts were used for light and ventilation at that early date. He operated in partnership with Mr. Campbell under the firm name of Phyfe and Campbell, which firm' also built the first Plaza Hotel at Fifty-ninth Street and Fifth Avenue. He married Jane Campbell, a native of New York City, but he himself was born in the North of Ireland, of Scotch ancestry. They became the parents of a family of children numbering seven, of whom one was Lloyd I., of further mention.
Lloyd I. Phyfe, son of John D. and Jane (Camp- bell) Phyfe, was born in his father's home on Lexing- ton Avenue, New York City, later moving to Dent- arest, New Jersey, where he received his early education in private schools. His preparatory work for college was done in The Fifth Avenue School and Drisler's Preparatory School at Forty-ninth Street and Madison Avenue. After completing his preparatory course, he matriculated at Columbia Col- lege in the civil engineering course. For a time after leaving college he was engaged in city surveying and continued studying evenings at Cooper Union in the architectural course. His work in architects' offices and practicing in the profession for himself qualified him to become a registered architect in the State of New York. He is associated with the City Mortgage Company of New York City, in which connection his skill as engineer and architect and in the valuation of real property is of distinct value, and in addition he is also engaged in business for himself as an architect. He has erected several high class apartments in New York City, and has made an enviable reputation in his profession. He is a trustee of the Dollar Savings Bank of New York City, a member of The Bronx Board of Trade, and has been on the Grand Jury Panel of Bronx County since its organization, and is actively interested in the promotion of the best interests of The Bronx. Politically, he gives his support to the principles of the candidates of the Republican party. He finds relaxation and social intercourse through membership in the Lions Club, and the Dunwoodie Golf Club, and his religious affiliation is with the High Bridge Union Reformed Church of The Bronx, which he has served as treasurer and in other official capacities. He is well known in the locality in which he lives, and has many friends both in The Bronx and in other sections of New York City.
Lloyd I. Phyfe was married, in New York City, January 15, 1902, to Andretta Wreath, daughter of Samuel and Mary (MacGonigal) Wreath, of New York City. Mr. and Mrs. Phyfe are the parents of one son, Herbert Lloyd Phyfe, who was born Janu- ary 24, 1905. He is a graduate of Public School No. 11, of The Bronx, and The New York Military Academy at Cornwall, New York, and is at the present time (1926) a student in the Civil Engineering
Department of Lehigh University. Mr. and Mrs. Phyfe reside at No. 1001 Anderson Avenue, The Bronx.
DAVID ARTHUR LUBARSKY, M. D .- For slightly more than a decade The Bronx has been the scene of the professional activity of Dr. Lubarsky as a general practitioner. He was born in New York City, March 31, 1890, a son of Jacob and Rebecca (Reitzis) Lubarsky. His father was for many years a successful real estate broker, but is now retired from business. His mother died some years ago.
David Arthur Lubarsky was educated in the public and high schools of New York City and at the College of the City of New York. He then studied medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1914. The next two years were spent as an interne at Newark Beth Israel Hospital, New- ark, New Jersey. In 1916 he established himself in private practice in The Bronx where he has continued since then, with offices at No. 1398 Grand Concourse. He carries on a general practice in which he has met with great success, his circle of patients being continuously extended. In recent years he has been associated with the New York Post-Graduate Hos- pital on East Twentieth Street, one of the largest and most important hospitals of the metropolis. During the World War he served in this country in the United States Medical Corps with the rank of first lieutenant. He is a member of the New York State Medical Society; The Bronx County Medical So- ciety; the Masonic Order; the Knights of Pythias; and the Tackamuck Democratic Club. His political affiliations are with the Democratic party.
Dr. Lubarsky married, in New York City, in Oc- tober, 1918, Fannie Socol, daughter of Nathan and Annie Socol. Dr. and Mrs. Lubarsky are the parents of two children: Rea Gloria and Bernard.
JOHN FRANCIS REIDY-His honored place in the public esteem, and his attainment to office in the New York State Assembly, are, in part, a recognition of Mr. Reidy's personal professional gifts and capa- bilities, and of his broad and practical interest in affairs as a representative of the people. With the training and experiences' both of an educator and an attorney-at-law, and possessing an intelligent and comprehensive understanding and interests con- cerning his district, Mr. Reidy has entered upon a career of civic activity and public usefulness. He is a son of Michael L. Reidy, who was born in Newtown, County Cork, Ireland, in 1857, and died May 28, 1902, and of Mary (Moran) Reidy, who was born at Governor's Island, New York, in 1858, and survives her husband; Michael L. Reidy, was a member of the clerical force of the New York City Fire Department for many years prior to the time of his death.
John Francis Reidy was born August 23, 1893, in the house in which he still resides, in New York City, and he attended the Public School No. 32 in The Bronx, where he was graduated in 1909. He then took the course in the Fordham University Preparatory School, where he was graduated in
Alexander Selkin
201
THE BRONX AND ITS PEOPLE
1913, and in 1917 was graduated from Fordham College, with his degree of Bachelor of Arts, after- wards teaching in Public School No. 32, and in the Fordham Preparatory School. Matriculating in the Law School of Fordham University, he was graduated there in 1922, with his Bachelor of Laws degree, and with his admission to the bar in that year, he began the practice of law in The Bronx, continuing ever since with a very lucrative practice.
Mr. Reidy was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 1923, as a Representative of the Seventh Assembly District of Bronx County. He enlisted in the United States Navy during the World War, and in the course of his service therein he rose to the rank of ensign. Since the war he has been active 'in war veterans' circles.
Fraternally, Mr. Reidy is a member of Lacordaire Council, Knights of Columbus; Saint Martin of Tours Catholic Club; the United Bronx Post of the Ameri- can Legion; for which he has served as county, State and National delegate to all important conventions. He is also a member of the Fordham University Alumni Association; Arthur H. Murphy Association; Fairmount Democratic Club; and Tippecanoe Demo- cratic Club.
ALEXANDER SELKIN-During the past twen- ty years, Alexander Selkin's name has become no- table in real estate and building transactions in The Bronx, where he has well-appointed offices at No. 391 East One Hundred and Forty-ninth Street. As Mr. Selkin was a pioneer of his section, he has played an important part in developing it. Along with his business success, he has shown himself the most human of men, always ready to aid the needy person, always eager to lend personal effort, moral support, and to give money to worthy causes. Alex- ander Selkin was born in Monastershzina, near Smolensk, Russia, December 23, 1866, son of Joseph and Rebecca (Robinson) Selkin. The father, born in Monastershzina Mahiloff, Russia, died in 1910, while the mother, born in Mesritz, Poland, died in 1895.
Alexander Selkin attended the local Russian schools and later a German commercial school in Riga, from which he graduated. At the age of twenty, in 1886, he came to the United States, where he found his first employment in New York City as a shirt-maker, then a cigar-maker, and later a fan- maker. He then entered the employ of the Singer Manufacturing Company at their Elizabethport, New Jersey, plant, where he remained for a year. Trans- ferred then to the New York office, he began selling sewing machines. Successful as a salesman, he worked his way upward until he became manager of sales. It was after twenty years of service with the Singer people that he resigned in 1910 to engage in real estate as an independent dealer. He opened his first office at No. 882 Prospect Avenue, The Bronx, where he was one of the first to engage in business, and in a store building which was the first in the vicinity. As Mr. Selkin's business has grown with The Bronx, which in large part owes its expansion to him and other realtors, it has become one of the most important of the locality and of Yonkers, which has also been the scene of his operations. He has
also executed substantial building projects. A self- made man, he has worked hard and intelligently, and he retains a liking and sympathy for all other men trying honestly to advance over the same path. He is a director of the Cosmopolitan National Bank on Prospect Avenue, The Bronx. Mr. Selkin is a mem- ber of Gothic Lodge, No. 934, Free and Accepted Masons, the Level Club, and the Arc Club. His civic and social service affiliations are many. He is president of The Bronx Hospital; treasurer of the Palestine Foundation Fund; director of the Young Men's Hebrew Association; member of the Fellow- ship Club of The Bronx; member of the Advisory Board of Beth Abraham Home for Tuberculosis; of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children; of the Daughters of Jacob Society; and honorary investigator of the Hebrew Free Loan Society. He is a member of the executive com- mittee of the Zionist Organization of America.
On May 1, 1887, in New York City, Alexander Selkin married (first) Agatha Zeitlin, who died April 13, 1919, daughter of Chazkel and Ziva Zeitlin. Chil- dren: 1. Emma, born January 31, 1888; married Dr. Louis Aronson, by whom she has two children: Arthur Aronson, born June 17, 1916; and Agnes Aronson, born October 16, 1923. 2. Fannie B., born November 8, 1890; married Dr. Samuel P. Sobel, by whom she has three children: Helen, born Sep- tember 12, 1916; Edna, born November 2, 1918; and Agatha, born September 26, 1920. On January 22, 1924, Mr. Selkin married (second) Jeanette Cohen, daughter of Louis and Bertha Cohen, of New York City.
WILLIAM FRANK GEBE, a business man and a public servant of particular note in his borough, was born on October 7, 1889, in the old Melrose sec- tion of The Bronx, New York City. His home, at No. 649 Courtlandt Avenue, was built by Mr. Gebe's father in the days when The Bronx was still the wide open country; and a far-sighted con- struction it was, too, for it stands today, the home- stead of one of the oldest families in this section. Mr. Gebe is the son of George and Barbara (Ulsch) Gebe; George Gebe, the father, being a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, where he was born on June 29, 1829. He died on November 11, 1896, at the Melrose homestead. Barbara (Ulsch) Gebe, the mother, was born in Ltzig, Bavaria, during the year 1847; and she died in the home her husband had built, in the year 1910.
Their son, William Frank Gebe, received his early education in the public schools of the borough in which he was born. But at the age of fourteen he was forced to discontinue his direct study work when he entered the world of commerce as a helper to an engineer. He remained there but a short time, however, changing over soon to the Shubert Piano Company in whose employ he remained for ap- proximately four years. Upon his resignation from this firm, he next entered the employ of the New York Central Railroad, a position which he held for only a short period of time before leaving to enter The Bronx plant of the Anheuser Busch Brewing Company. He remained with this well- known concern for a period of time somewhat in
202
THE BRONX AND ITS PEOPLE
excess of twelve consecutive years; and he only left to branch out into business for himself. This he accomplished in the trucking world, establishing his headquarters in the building in which he was born, No. 649 Courtlandt Avenue, The Bronx. He carried on with this business for about four years, and he only brought it to an end when he was appointed May 4, 1923, on the Democratic ticket, to the office of deputy sheriff of Bronx County, serving under Sheriff Edward Flynn. And yet, along with his many and varied activities, Mr. Gebe has still found time in which to keep up a number of outside interests, among the more important of which is his membership in the Samoset Democratic Club of The Bronx.
William Frank Gebe married, April 10, 1912, in St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church, by the Rev. Father O'Brien, Dorothy Schloemer, daughter of William and Mary (Heine) Schloemer. William Schloemer, her father, was born in Germany but came to this country while he was still a small child. He is still living, although he is now in his seventy-third year. Mary (Heine) Schloemer, her mother, was born of German parents in the United States. She, too, is living, and is now in her sixty-fifth year. Mr. and Mrs. Gebe are the parents of two children, one son and one daughter: George Jacob, who was born on February 23, 1913; and Dorothy Marie, who was born on January 28, 1918. The entire family are attendants of the Roman Catholic church.
GEORGE GEBE-Coming from a family who, foreseeing the great future which lay before The Bronx, established their holdings there in the days when it was wide open countryside, and so, ranking today as one of the older families of that rapidly growing community, George Gebe is well known in that section of New York City. Born on March 21, 1872, at No. 647 Courtlandt Avenue, The Bronx, Mr. Gebe is a son of George and Barbara (Ulsch) Gebe. The father, George Gebe, Sr., was born on June 29, 1829, in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. Bar- bara (Ulsch) Gebe, the mother, was born in the year 1847, in Ltzig, Bavaria. Coming to this country, they settled in The Bronx, building the two houses, Nos. 647 and 649 Courtlandt Avenue, which were the most substantial buildings of which The Bronx could boast in those days. They now form' a part of the family holdings, one of them being the present residence of the son, George Gebe. It was here that George Gebe, Sr., the father, died, on November 11, 1896; followed, during the year 1910, by his wife, Barbara (Ulsch) Gebe.
George Gebe, the son, received his education in the Immaculate Conception Parochial School. When he was thirteen and a half years old he left school to enter the employ of the J. L. Mott Iron Works, but he remained with this concern for only a short period of time. Leaving there, he went to work for the Brewster Carriage Company, learning the trade as a carriage painter, his apprenticeship to this work extending over a period of time some five years in duration; although his total number of years work- ing for this concern was approximately seven. After that he went into business for himself, succeeding his father in the business he had established at No.
649 Courtlandt Avenue, in The Bronx. In this he continued for some thirty-two years, retiring only upon the enactment of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. He is now president of the Gebe Realty Holding Company, a firm' which was created to manage the large real estate possessions of the Gebe families in the old Melrose section of The Bronx.
This Mr. Gebe has always taken a keen interest in the political affairs of his community, an example of which is his membership in the Samoset Demo- cratic Club, an organization prominent in the political life of The Bronx. Mr. Gebe has also held the office of treasurer of the General Committee since the date of its organization during the year 1914. He was, as well, one of the organizers of the Club of Gentle- men's Sons, a fraternal affiliation of which he is, today, the sole surviving member of that original group of men who first filled the membership lists.
George Gebe married, August 15, 1894, in the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Con- ception, the Rev. Father Gudtblet officiating, Barbara Metz, a daughter of Albert and Resina (Scherg) Metz. Mrs. Barbara (Metz) Gebe was born in Hoffstetten, Bavaria, Germany, the birthplace of her father before her; while her mother, Resina (Scherg) Metz, was born in the township of Floxbagch, in the same land-Bavaria. Mr. and Mrs. Gebe are the parents of a daughter, their only child: Barbara Gebe, who was born on September 2, 1897, and who married, on April 21, 1919, Julius Reinhardt, and by him became the mother of two children: Dorothy, born February 24, 1922; and Henry, born on November 7, 1925.
FRANK E. HOLAHAN-Since 1908 a practicing lawyer of The Bronx, Frank E. Holahan, son of Hugh and Josephine (Gray) Holahan, was born in Troy, New York, December 21, 1881. His father was for thirty-five years engaged in the wholesale mil- linery business in Troy, conducting his own estab- lishment.
He received his education in La Salle Institute, from which he graduated in 1899, and in pursuit of his chosen profession entered Union University at Schenectady, New York, graduating in the class of 1903, with the degree of Doctor of Laws, being ad- mitted to the bar in the same year, in the Third Department, Appellate Division, State of New York. Mr. Holahan began the practice of his profession in Troy, but at the end of three years decided to come to New York City. After a brief stay in Manhat- tan he settled, in 1908, in The Bronx, where he has since continued, building up a most substantial clien- tele among the business people of his community. He occupies a leading position among his brothers at the bar and in all matters pertaining to civic im- provements is among the first to respond.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.