USA > New York > Bronx County > The Bronx and its people; a history, 1609-1927, Volume III > Part 58
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George A. Hammel, Jr., son of George A. Ham- mel, who was born in New York City, and is a part- ner in the firm of George W. Fennell and Company, was born November 13, 1894, in New York City, where he attended Public School No. 3, Morris High School, and was graduated at Woods' Business School in 1912. When he first entered upon his business ca- reer, he engaged in the wholesale furniture activities and after five years therein he was associated with the silk and cotton interests. He has been associated with the firm of George W. Fennell and Company, as buyer and manager since 1919.
Mr. Hammel was at one time a member of the Uni- ted States Navy, and was stationed at South and Whitehall streets. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Azure Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; and he is a member of the Schnorer, the Rye Country and the Lions clubs, having served as assistant secretary of the latter organization. He is a communicant of St. John's Episcopal Church.
CHARLES W. RUSSELL-An enterprising and aggressive factor in stimulating business in various lines in The Bronx section of New York City is Charles W. Russell, who is engaged in real estate and in the distribution of gas heating appliances. He is a man of unusual learning and intelligence, whose varied business experiences make him an asset to a new and growing community. Mr. Russell was born in Buena Vista, Georgia, March 24, 1877, son of Rufus A. and Beatrice Nancy Russell. His father, now retired, founded the Jacksonville "Metropolis" in 1885, which he owned and operated for many years.
Charles W. Russell was educated in the Jackson- ville public schools and attended the University of Kentucky for a year. As a young man he was a re- porter for the "Metropolis," and lectured on philo- sophical and scientific subjects, as well as writing on such themes. He is the author of a work entitled "Mind-Creative and Dynamic." Mr. Russell, in 1906, began the manufacture of piston packing, con- tinuing until 1920. In that year he moved to New York, where he engaged in the manufacture of gas appliances and in real estate brokerage. Since he has good judgment and business acumen, he has proved very successful in his work and has con- tributed materially to providing Bronx residents with comfortable home conditions.
In St. Augustine, Florida, on February 17, 1898, Charles W. Russell married Mabel E. Desquira. of Spanish extraction, who died about 1920. To Mr. and Mrs. Russell two children were born: W. Doug- las Russell, in 1900; and E. Mildred Russell, in 1902.
SAMUEL SAWITCH-One of the most enthusi- astic products of the great business development of The Bronx in the future, and one of the citizens to
whom that growth will be in large part due is Sam- uel Sawitch, of the real estate firm of Grudin & Sa- witch, No. 1963 Arthur Avenue. Alert and possessed of an instinct for anticipating community expansion, Mr. Sawitch has proved an excellent realty adviser to his clients. He was born at Poneveze, Russia, December 10, 1886, son of Hyman and Anna Sawitch, who died in Europe, where his father practiced his trade of tailor.
Samuel Sawitch came to this country at the age of eighteen, after he had completed his education in the public and high schools of his native town. Mr. Sawitch was engaged in building contracting before he entered the real estate business in 1918, and, there- fore is an expert on materials, cost and utilitarian de- sign. This has proved of inestimable advantage to hin and to those for whom he acts in property trans- actions and improvements. The present firm was established in 1921 and was located for two years at No. 505 Tremont Avenue, having moved to its present quarters two years ago. With general real estate brokerage as its main function, the firm has also built many apartment houses in The Bronx, which have proved popular and lucrative. Mr. Sawitch is a member of The Bronx Board of Trade, The Bronx Real Estate Board, and American Business Mens' Protection Association, and various welfare organizations. He attends an orthodox syn- agogue.
On November 7, 1907, in New York City, Samuel Sawitch married (first), Sarah Kusner. Children: 1. Joseph, born November 18, 1908. 2. Morris, born July 7, 1910. 3. Abraham, born April 21, 1912. Mrs. Sarah Sawitch died December 31, 1918. On Sep- tember 1, 1921, Mr. Sawitch married (second), Lena Zender and on November 6, 1922, was born a daugh- ter named Audrey.
ARTHUR C. TOERNER, D. D. S .- Having grad- uated from Public School No. 10, under the guidance of Principal Evander Childs, Arthur C. Toerner entered the College of the City of New York. After completing his preliminary education, he entered the dental department of the University of Pennsyl- vania, from which institution he received his degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery, in 1906.
Dr. Toerner has practiced continuously in the Borough of The Bronx for twenty years. During the World War he served on the Medical Advisory Board in the capacity of dental surgeon He is a member of the First District Dental Society, The Bronx Lions Club, Schnorer Club and the Grassy Sprain Golf Club.
On July 10, 1912, Dr. Toerner was married to Mabel Evelyn Neilson, who until that time taught in the public schools, and was a graduate of the Teachers' Training School of New York City.
JOHN THOMAS McGLOIN-For ten years the firm of Hauck and McGloin, stone cutters and con- tractors, has been a synonym for excellence of workmanship. This reputation has in no small meas- ure been due to the influence and activities of John Thomas McGloin, whose long experience in every branch of the industry has made him a master of it. He was born April 22, 1884, on One Hundred
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and Tenth Street, in the old Harlem section of New York City, son of John Thomas and Margaret (Roden) McGloin. The father, born in Clunacool, County Sligo, Ireland, was fourteen years old when he went to Bradford, England, where the mother was born, of Irish parents, and there he served an apprenticeship to the machinist trade. After learning it, John Thomas McGloin, Sr., came to the United States, where he remained for thirty-eight years in the employ of the same company.
John Thomas McGloin, Jr., attended the parochial school on One Hundred and Twelfth Street be- tween Second and Third avenues, and later took the course at Public School No. 83, on One Hundred and Tenth Street. He began work at the age of fourteen, as apprentice to a stone cutter and carver, John Liddle, stone contractor of New York City, located at One Hundred and Seventh Street, east of First Avenue. Mr. McGloin continued to work with his preceptor until he established his present business in 1916 in partnership with Fred- erick Hauck. Hauck and McGloin have a large plant, equipped with the most up-to-date machinery, at One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Street and Webster Avenue, The Bronx, and they turn out work of the highest grade. This firm is much in demand for stone work all over the city and enjoys an ever-growing business.
Mr. McGloin is a member of Queensborough Lodge, No. 878, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Holy Name Society, Precious Blood Branch, Long Island City. His interest in all worth- while civic projects is great, and his support to measures promising to benefit The Bronx is always ready.
On May 3, 1908, in St. Lucy's Roman Catholic Church, One Hundred and Fourth Street, Manhattan, Mr. McGloin was married, by Rev. Father Cronin, to Mary Winifred Walsh, daughter of Patrick Walsh, born in County Mayo, Ireland, and his wife, Catherine (King) Walsh. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. McGloin: 1. Margaret, born April 28, 1910. 2. John Thomas, Jr., born in 1912. 3. James, born February 23, 1914. 4. Catherine. 5. Frances, who died January 2, 1925. 6. Sarah.
EDWARD ALTMANN, born March 24, 1892, in a provincial town of Bukowina, which was then under the control of Austria; son of Leiser and Marie Altmann, the former a banker and merchant. He was then educated in the schools of his native city.
At the age of nineteen, in the year of 1911, he immigrated to the United States, and upon his ar- rival made his residence with an uncle, Mr. Nat Brender. He took his apprenticeship in the millinery business under this uncle, who at that time owned and conducted several millinery stores in The Bronx. In November, 1915, Mr. Altmann opened his first millinery store at No. 2919 Third Avenue, and in 1917 a second store at No. 3033 Third Avenue, where he still maintains his headquarters. Since then his business has gradually expanded, and at this time he controls a chain of millinery stores under the trade name of "Maison Sasa," which are located in the boroughs of The Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn,
and the cities of Rochester, New York, and Balti- more, Maryland. His business success is attributed to his policy of giving the public style and mer- chandise at low prices.
His activities in philanthropic and social work are numerous, and regarded highly in the community. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Young Men's Christian Association, The Bronx Legal Aid Society, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Chil- dren, a Masonic Order, congregations Beth Avero- ham and the Sons of Israel, The Zionist Organiza- tion of America, The Bronx Board of Trade, and the Lions Club. Particular interest on his part has been directed toward the upbuilding and support of the Beth Abraham Home For Incurables, of which he is a member of the Advisory Board. His untiring personal efforts to this institution has been com- mended on various occasions by the governing body.
On July 16, 1916, he married Bertha Pistiner, daughter of Nathan and Yetta Pistiner of New York. He is the father of two children, a daughter, Eleanor Lillian, born May 18, 1918, and a son, Mar- vin Stanley, born April 10, 1923.
HENRY O. WALTEMADE-In 1885, Henry O. Waltemade left his home and his parents in Germany and struck out alone for a new land, with its oppor- tunities for young men of ability who were not afraid to work. He was born in Bremen, Germany, Sep- tember 7, 1868, son of Fred and Dorothy Waltemade.
All the schooling that he had was crowded into the seventeen years of his life in the old country. Coming to America, he went to work at once. For twenty-six years he was identified with manufac- turing interests, making grocers and druggists' spec- ialties in his factory in The Bronx. In 1897, he built his own factory on Tinton Avenue. His con- nection with the life of The Bronx began in 1893. He gradually became interested in real estate mat- ters in that growing section of the great city, and in 1904 he started to operate in real estate. His present office is at No. 633 Melrose Avenue.
Mr. Waltemade has become prominent among the men of The Bronx who are handling real estate, and is now chairman of the board of governors of The Real Estate Board of The Bronx. He is also active in politics. In the campaign of Justice P. A. Hat- ting for the election to the Supreme Court, Mr. Waltemade acted as assistant chairman of his cam- paign committee. He is a member of the Grand Jurors' Association, the United Societies of Bronx County, and is fraternally identified with United Brothers Lodge, No. 356, Free and Accepted Ma- sons, of which he is a Past Master.
In July, 1904, Henry O. Waltemade married Helen Hollander, daughter of William Hollander of The Bronx. To Mr. and Mrs. Waltemade two children have been born: Henry George, on August 24, 1905; Wilfred A., on June 11, 1911. The family attend St. Paul's Lutheran Evangelical Church.
RUDOLPH E. H. MULLER-For nearly three decades Rudolph E. H. Muller has been engaged in business as an expert sheet metal worker, first in partnership with his brother Otto, and next operating
Henry W, altemade
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his own shop at No. 348 East One Hundred and Fifty-third Street, Borough of The Bronx. He learned the trade with his father and is recognized as one of the most expert of his line in the country.
Ernest Philip Muller, father of Mr. Muller, was born in Eisfeld, Germany, in 1827, and died in Strassburg, Alsace-Lorraine, Germany, in 1914. In 1848 he came to this country and among his first employers was the firm of Bruce and Cook. After leaving this firm he was one of those who crossed the continent, under great difficulties, walking a large part of the way, and engaged in making the copper and tin cooking utensils and other tools for the pio- neers of California. He divided his time between working at his trade as an expert metal worker and panning gold from the near-by streams until 1854, when he returned to the East stopping for a time in Philadelphia. From Philadelphia he went to Valparaiso, Chile, in South America, and established a metal working plant, which he continued to oper- ate until 1864, when he gave the business to his brothers, who came to Valparaiso to take charge, and who have continued the business to the present time (1926). Ernest Philip Muller then returned to Eisfeld, and after taking a rest went to Strassburg, where he established the metal working business which became famous as the American House. Here all kinds of expert metal working were carried on, and a very extensive patronage was taken care of. During the Franco-Prussian War, 1870-71, Ernest Philip Muller owned three houses in Eisfeld, and these he converted into a hospital, at his own expense, receiving in compensation only the decoration of the Iron Cross. He married Sophie Molwitz, in 1856, who came to this country as an infant with her parents, who settled in New York City, where she was living until 1856, the year in which High Bridge was opened to the public, which was their wedding trip.
Rudolph E. H. Muller, son of Ernest Philip and Sophie (Molwitz) Muller, was born in Eisfeld, Thuringen, Germany, but his parents removed, when he was three months old, to Strassburg, Alsace- Lorraine, Germany, and in the public schools of that city he received his education. He attended the public schools and then continued study in the "Realschule" which corresponds to the high schools of this country. When school days were over, he learned the metal worker's trade in his father's shop in Strassburg, known as the American House. When his apprentice- ship was completed he came to this country, in 1890, then a young man of sixteen years, and at twenty opened a shop at No. 687 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, in association with his brother, E. A. Muller, known as Muller & Brothers. The partnership was con- tinued until Mr. Muller separated from the part- nership and went to Valparaiso, Chile, in South America, to visit the place where his father had many years earlier established a prosperous busi- ness, which was and is still being conducted by his uncles and his cousins. Upon his return he decided to reenter the metal-working business for himself and formed a partnership with his brother, Otto. On May 17, 1897, the brothers opened a metal-working shop in the Borough of The Bronx,
No. 624 East One Hundred and Fiftieth Street, where they built up a prosperous concern, and where they continued as partners until the business had grown to proportions which were ample for the support of two separate concerns. They therefore decided to separate and to engage in business each for himself, and it was then that Rudolph E. H. Muller opened his shop at No. 348 East One Hundred and Fifty-third Street, in The Bronx. There he has built up a large and prosperous business which is steadily growing and which has made for him an enviable reputation as an expert in his line, a skilled craftsman, as well as a man of sound business principles. He took in his sons, Ernest Philip and Cornelius Amandus, into the business as apprentices, and there is every prospect that the skill which has been the possession of several generations of Mullers will be continued in these young men. Mr. Muller gives his support to the principles and the candidates of the Democratic party, and he is a member of the McLean Heights Democratic Club, of Yonkers, New York.
Rudolph E. H. Muller married, in Arionliedertafel Hall, Courtlandt Avenue, The Bronx, by Rev. Dr. Weiss, Rosie Schuhle, who was born in New York, daughter of Theodore, a native of Constance, in Rhineland, Germany, and Rose (Scheibert) Schuhle. Mr. and Mrs. Muller are the parents of four children: 1. Ernest Philip, born June 23, 1900. 2. Cornelius Amandus, born March 9, 1902. 3. Camilla Junietta, born November 6, 1904. 4. Alpha Beta, born June 16, 1911.
DAVID JOHN HODDER, prominent as an un- dertaker and embalmer at No. 813 Courtlandt Avenue, The Bronx, and for many years active as a linotype operator-in the day when linotype machines were new and operators for them were few and far between -was born on November 6, 1882, at No. 329 East One Hundred and Sixth Street, Manhattan. Mr. Hodder is a son of Richard and Mary (Rossiter) Hodder, both of whom are now deceased. Mr. Hodder's father, Richard Hodder, was born during the month of February, 1858, in New York City, and he died there during the month of March, 1916; while Mary (Rossiter) Hodder, the mother, was born during the year 1857, in New York City, and died there during the month of March, 1889, in her thirty-second year. Richard Hodder, the father, was in the printing business all of his life.
David John Hodder received his education in the Saint Cecelia's Parochial School, and in Pub- lic School No. 92, on One Hundred and Tenth Street, between Second and Third avenues, New York. He had barely finished these courses of study when he began work, receiving his first real contact with the world of commerce at the age of thirteen years. This was as an apprentice to a printer, in order that he might. learn the printers' trade, and he was employed by the Union Printing Company, in Vandewater Street, in New York. After serving a full three-year apprenticeship, young Mr. Hodder entered the employ of the Stillwell Printing Company, also on Vandewater Street, and it was there that he learned how to operate a linotype machine. This proved to be a decided asset to this
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ambitious young man, but after four years steady work at one of these amazing machines, the curse of all printers struck in and Mr. Hodder found himself to be suffering acutely from lead poisoning. He was therefore forced to give over this type of work for a considerable period of time; but as the dreaded effects of this slow, vicious poisoning began to wear away, and good health began to be his once more, he returned to the key-board again. Wages were exceedingly high-high for that day- for a linotype operator, for this machine was just beginning to come into use in some of the larger newspaper and printing establishments in the East, and good linotype men were greatly in demand. But within six months the effects of the lead began to appear once more, and Mr. Hodder was forced to stop again. He then decided, much against his will, it may be supposed, to leave this work entirely and branch out in a fresh line of endeavor. So he accordingly entered the employ of the Williams Brass Company, where he learned the brass finishing trade. This proved to be a successful venture, and he remained at this type of work for a period of time somewhat in excess of five years. He was still not wholly satisfied, however, and he decided to make another try. He then took a course of intensive training at the Renouard School of Em- balming. This proved to be exceedingly interesting work, and after his graduation, he entered the employ of the well-known Frank E. Campbell Company, in New York City, remaining with this concern for a period of about three years. Feeling then that he had sufficient training to set out on his own, he resigned from Campbell's and, during the year 1906, opened an establishment of his own at No. 813 Courtlandt Avenue, The Bronx. This proved to be a most successful enterprise, and Mr. Hodder has since continued in this line of work.
Despite the many varied and exacting duties of his profession, Mr. Hodder has still found time in which to take a keen interest in the civic affairs of his borough. In his political preferences he is strongly inclined toward the Democratic party; and as such he is one of the active members of the Samoset Democratic Club of The Bronx. He is also a member of the Eugene McGuire Association of The Bronx. He is also a member of the Brother- hood of Railway Carmen of America, an organization in which he held the office of president for a period of approximately two years; and he is fraternally affiliated with the Bronx Council, No. 266, Knights of Columbus, in which organization he has filled the office of treasurer for the past two years-and he was also a Deputy Grand Master for a period of two years. He is also affiliated with the Woodmen of the World, in which he held the rank of Com- mander for a period of time somewhat in excess of six years.
David John Hodder married, August 30, 1910, in the Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church at One Hundred and Nineteenth Street, in Harlem, New York, Father John O'Connor officiating, Rosalie Blanche Byrne, a daughter of John and Julia (Tur- bin) Byrne, of New York City. Mr. and Mrs. Hodder are the parents of one child, a son: Richard Aloysius J. Hodder, who was born June 17, 1911.
Mr. Hodder and his family reside at No. 813 Court- landt Avenue, The Bronx, in which part of the city they attend the Roman Catholic church.
JOHN CHARLES GARDINER-Former New York City Marshal John Charles Gardiner, one of the most efficient and thorough of investigators, continues with increasing success in that vocation in The Bronx in association with a well-established real estate business, that is also the result of his interest in realty matters. He is a son of John Baron Gardiner, who came of a noted family in Ireland whose estates were among the finest in that part of the British Isles, and Elizabeth Walsh, of Kilmore, County Roscommon, Ireland, born in 1854, and died in 1922, and whom Mr. Gardiner married in 1870. John Baron Gardiner was born in 1851, in Greyforth, County Sligo, Ireland, and is still living and in the enjoyment of good health.
John Charles Gardiner was born April 21, 1871, in the parish of Kilmore, County Roscommon, Ire- land, and he attended the National school in the town of Danaan, near Kilmore. Coming to the United States in 1886, Mr. Gardiner settled in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, on old Greenwich Street, where he resided for seventeen years. When he first came to this country, Mr. Gardiner entered the employ of John Reid and Son, merchant tailors, who were located at the corner of Broadway and Thirty-second Street, and with whom he remained five years. Later he removed from Greenwich Street to the Fourteenth Street and Eighth Avenue section, and resigning his position with John Reid and Son, he learned the cutting trade and entered the employ of H. B. Claffin, the largest wholesale woolens house in America, where he continued six years. Afterwards he became asso- ciated with the wholesale produce business in the old Produce Market, where he remained until 1914.
In 1914, Mr. Gardiner received the appointment of city marshal from John Purroy Mitchel, then mayor of New York City. He held that office for several years, until he resigned to conduct in- vestigation work, and to carry on a successful real estate business, and in which he is still engaged. He maintains a large office at No. 513 East One Hundred and Sixty-first Street, opposite Bronx County Court House, and he resides at No. 340 East One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Street.
For many years, Mr. Gardiner took an active interest in political matters, and was allied with the Republican party. During the William R. Hearst campaign for mayor of New York City, he took charge of the Seventh Assembly District for Mr. Hearst. He is a member of the John Hay Repub- lican Club, of the Second District.
John Charles Gardiner married, April 24, 1900, Caroline Koop, the nuptial ceremony being per- formed at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Charleston, South Carolina. Mrs. Gardiner, who was born on the lower east side of Manhattan in the old German settlement, is a daughter of Henry Keep, who for many years engaged in the contract- ing business in Elmira, and was a native of Heidel- berg, Germany, and Phillipine (Beuth) Koop, who was born in Alsace-Lorraine.
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LOUIS E. LEVY-To the mercantile activities of The Bronx, Louis E. Levy has for years rendered a popular and a dependable service, and he is widely known throughout the city as well as in this section for his unflagging business zeal, his enterprise, and his proven abilities in the dry goods interests. From the first years of his business career, Mr. Levy has devoted himself to the buying and selling of dry goods, with steadily increasing success, and he is accounted one of the best informed merchants in his line. He is a son of Abraham Levy, who was born in 1834, in Walf, Alsace, France, and is now deceased and of Pauline (Bloch) Levy, born in 1842, in Alsace, and who survives her husband.
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