USA > New York > Bronx County > The Bronx and its people; a history, 1609-1927, Volume III > Part 71
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been very much interested for many years as an amateur character actor of pronounced ability, until he finally formed a team with a fellow-actor, James F. Furey. This partnership was professionally known as Russell & Furey and met with marked success, but, nevertheless, Mr. Schnitzler returned in 1912 to his lithographing and printing business at No. 150 Nassau Street, which he has carried on since with steady and very gratifying success. He is a member of The Bronx Grand Jury, The Bronx Lions Club, the Schnorer Club, The Bronx Board of Trade, the Samoset Democratic Club of The Bronx, the Mott Avenue Community Club, and he was formerly a member of the Xavier Club of Manhattan.
Mr. Schnitzler married, July 11, 1906, at Sherry's, Fifth Avenue and Forty-fourth Street, New York City, Aloise Clotilde Risse, a daughter of Louis Aloysius Risse, first chief engineer of The Bronx, to whose efforts the beautification and development of The Bronx parks and boulevards are due to a greater extent than to those of any other man. Mr. and Mrs. Schnitzler have no children and make their home at No. 599 Mott Avenue, The Bronx.
RABBI JULIAN JOSEPH PRICE, Ph. D .- The very unusual distinction of being the eighth member of his family to bear the honorable title of rabbi belongs to Dr. Julian Joseph Price, who presides over the Sinai Congregation in The Bronx, and is widely known for his deep research in Jewish an- tiquities and his scholarly contributions to the literature of religious and historical associations. Of profound learning acquired at three American uni- versities and a Jewish theological seminary, and bearing three earned degrees, Dr. Price may be said to be as well founded on the tenets of Ameri- can and Jewish education as any member of his faith and office in this country. His services as rabbi have been rendered under favorable auspices and attended with salutary results to congrega- tions in Canada and this country, while in behalf of the governments of both countries he campaigned patriotically in drives during the World War. His coming to The Bronx was signalized by a cordial wel- come on the part of his own people and members of other faiths. He is very highly esteemed by the community-at-large for the sincerity of his religious efforts and the healthful influence he exerts as a desirable citizen devoted to the best interests of the community.
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, June 14, 1887, Dr. Price is the son of Rabbi Abraham D. and Rose Price, the former the head of the Jewish Temple, on One Hundred and Fourteenth Street, between Fifth and Lenox avenues. On the maternal side he is the grandson of Harris Aronson, who founded the family of that name in the United States, and fought for the Union in the Civil War. He attended the Worcester (Massachusetts) High School, whence he entered the University of Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1908. He next did post-graduate work at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, from 1908 to 1910, and from there went to Columbia University, where he studied in 1911 receiving his Master's degree. He took his course in theology at
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the Jewish Theological Seminary, in New York City, from which he received his diploma in the class of 1914. Meanwhile he had pursued his ad- vanced studies at Columbia for his degree of Doctor of Philosophy, which he received in 1914. He also studied at European universities.
Dr. Price's first call to the pulpit was from the University Avenue Synagogue of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which he accepted, being settled there from 1914 to 1918. He did a fine work among his congre- gation there, and also exhibited his patriotic devo- tion during the World War by participation in re- cruiting campaigns throughout the Dominion in behalf of the Canadian Government. In 1918 he accepted the invitation to be rabbi of Temple Sholem, at Plainfield, New Jersey, which he served with increasing favor until 1921, when he came to his present charge, the Sinai Congregation in The Bronx. Dr. Price had hardly arrived in America, the coun- try of his birth, than he made himself extremely useful, in addition to his religious duties and literary efforts, by engaging in war drives in behalf of the Federal Government. His religious activities embrace also the office of chaplain of the New York City Reformatories on Hart's and Riker's islands and of the New York Municipal Farms.
Dr. Price's writings cover a very wide range. In 1915 he published a volume, "Mosaic Essays," which he dedicated to the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Canada. He is also the author of "Talmudic Selections" and many other kindred works, including contributions to "Open Court" and the "Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics," Edinburgh, Scotland; and published "Ye- menite MSS. of Pesahim Mo'ed-Katon; Megilla; Zebahim;" articles on "Canadian-Jewish History," published in American and English historical pub- lications; contributions to the "Expository Times" and the "Queen's University Review," of London, England; and his volume, "Monists and Jews of
China." He wrote on "Rabbinic Conception on Death." He also wrote "Arabic Parallels to Tal- mudic Law," "Dreams in the Talmud," "How the Rabbis Regarded the Commandments," "The Chi- nese State Religion," "The Idea of Fasting in Re- ligion," and "Rabbinic Conception of Work."
He is affiliated with Mt. Sinai Lodge, No. 522, Free and Accepted Masons, of Toronto, Ontario; a member of the New Jersey Consistory; Salaam Tem- ple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Newark, New Jersey; Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and the Knights of Pythias. He is a charter member of the Jewish Theatrical Guild, an honorary member of the Lions Club and a member of The Bronx Board of Trade; an honorary member of Building Industry League of The Bronx; and a member of the Ben Miller Association, Inc. He is also vice-president of the Boy Scouts of The Bronx; a member of the Council of Girl Scouts of The Bronx; member of American Oriental Society; Eng- lish Folk Lore Society of London, England; and the Jewish Historical Society of London, England.
Dr. Price married, June 14, 1916, at Toronto, On- tario, Florence Harriet Cooper, daughter of Ber- nard and Bessie Cooper. They are the parents of
two children: 1. Ira, born May 31, 1918. 2. Winston, born January 3, 1923.
HERMAN FENSTERER-Among the men of long established business connections in The Bronx is Herman Fensterer, manager of the Church E. Gates Company office and lumber yard, who has been with the firm as salesman and manager ever since its organization in 1895, a period of over thirty years. Mr. Fensterer is a son of John Jacob Fen- sterer, a native of Alsace-Lorraine, who came to the United States at an early age and served in the Civil War.
Herman Fensterer was born in New York City, November 15, 1867, and was educated in the New York public schools and the College of the City of New York, graduating from the latter in 1885. His only other business connection besides the present one was with the Knapp Lumber Company, with which he was associated in 1888. Later John F. Steeves became executor for the Knapp Estate, and in 1895 Mr. Fen- sterer left the concern to become associated with the Church E. Gates Company. As salesman and later as manager Mr. Fensterer is largely respon- sible for the substantial development of the concern since that time. In addition to his immediate busi- ness duties, Mr. Fensterer serves as vice-president and a director of the National Family Laundry, and is a stockholder of The Bronx Trust Company. He takes an active interest in civic affairs in The Bronx, and is a member of many local organizations, in- cluding The Bronx Board of Trade, the Lions Club, Schnorer Club, of which he is past president, Old Harlem School Boys' Association, Whitcomb Gun Club, Grand Jurors' Association, Bronx County Kennel Club, of which he was the original presi- dent, and is now secretary, Guiding Star Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and the North End Democratic Club.
Mr. Fensterer married, September 24, 1902, Lillian Nickel.
JOHN G. GERAERDTS-Among the outstand- ing business enterprises which today contribute to the general prosperity of The Bronx, New York City, and to its advancing importance as an economic and industrial center is the Metropolitan Stone Works, Inc., of which John G. Geraerdts is secre- tary and treasurer. The development of the busi- ness has been in large part due to the energy and acumen of Mr. Geraerdts. He was born in Ger- many while his father, though not a citizen of that country, was in business there, January 4, 1895, and the family is of Flemish extraction. The father, Ger- ard H. Geraerdts, was engaged in his present line of business-ornamental stone work-in Holland and Germany in his youth, and was sent to the World's Fair in 1902 to supervise the construction of the German House. He liked the United States so well that he determined to remain and took out naturali- zation papers. He then established himself in busi- ness in America in the manufacture of artificial stone and ornamental garden and hall decorations and has since continued active. In 1909 he started The Bronx business, and in January, 1925, this was
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incorporated as the Metropolitan Stone Works, Inc., with Gerard H. Geraerdts as president, and his son, John G. Geraerdts as secretary and treasurer. The company purchased its present location at the cor- ner of Edgewater Road and Lafayette Avenue and erected its own buildings.
An imposing list of buildings equipped by the company is an indication not only of the prosperity and activity of the enterprise, but of the genuine contribution to the upbuilding of that section of the city which these two men have made.
John G. Geraerdts, interested in every phase of civic life, is a product of New York's public schools. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Bronx Lodge, No. 871, of the Lions Club, in which he is an officer, the Schnorer Club, The Bronx Board of Trade, James W. Brown As- sociation, Building Industry League, Inc., and the Associated Mason Contractors of New York. His religious affiliation is with Our Lady of Refuge Church.
In The Bronx, on July 20, 1913, John G. Ger- aerdts married Florence Porterfield, daughter of Wil- liam and Rose Porterfield, now deceased.
Gerard H. Geraerdts' other children are: Anna, now Mrs. Daniel P. Farry; Marie V., now Mrs. Wal- ter A. Skiffington; Agnes, now Mrs. Alfred F. Miller.
To Mr. and Mrs. John G. Geraerdts were born two children: Gerard, on August 16, 1914; and Elea- nor, on April 1, 1920.
CHARLES CHARCOWSKY-His business ven- tures in the wholesale and retail jobbing and distri- bution of paints have produced for Charles Char- cowsky a remarkable record of progress within com- paratively few years, as from small beginnings and an unpromising outlook he finds himself today at the head of a concern with an excellent rating and one that holds no secondary place among like enter- prises. As resourceful in real estate as in mercan- tile affairs, Mr. Charcowsky discovered his abili- ties and his opportunities therein, and as a builder and a promoter of realty projects he has substan- tially added to his repute as a versatile leader. He is a son of Simon Charcowsky, of the Russian Na- tional Army, and who died in Russia, and of Helene Charcowsky, who resides with her son in The Bronx.
Charles Charcowsky was born February 16, 1884, in Russia, and he came to the United States when he was twenty years old, after having attended the public schools, the gymnasia in his country. He made his beginning in the business of jobbing paints in a small building that cost two hundred and fifty dollars, at No. 555 Westchester Avenue, in Novem- ber, 1911, and unlooked-for success was his, for dur- ing the first year his receipts were $40,000. Within a few years, Mr. Charcowsky, whose business now amounts to about $500,000 annually, was enabled to erect his present warehouse and factory at Nos. 3110 to 3114 Third Avenue. He bought his first real estate July 15, 1916, and he doubled his money in its sale, continuing as a large trader and builder in addition to his regular business. His jobbing and distribution headquarters has been at No. 3121 Third Avenue since 1919.
Fraternally, Mr. Charcowsky a member of Bronx Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and he is a member of the board of member- ship of The Bronx Board of Trade. His religious fellowship is with the Schiff Center Jewish Syna- gogue.
Charles Charcowsky married, January 16, 1910, in The Bronx, Mollie Chatkin, daughter of Alexander and of Eveline Chatkin; and their children are: Alexander, born October 9, 1910; Sylvia, born De- cember 1, 1913; Evelyn, born April 9, 1921.
SAMUEL LEIBOW-The will to succeed amid new surroundings achieves success almost always. Samuel Leibow, one of the noted real estate dealers of The Bronx, was born in Roumania, March 25, 1881. His father, Leon Leibow, died in Roumania in 1906. He was a dealer in general merchandise and saw service in the Roumanian army. His mother, Bessie Leibow, is living in the United States.
Mr. Leibow was seventeen when he came to this country. He attended the public schools of both countries, finishing after his arrival here a common school education, which included a mastery of Eng- lish. He lived in Manhattan for a time, but after- wards removed to The Bronx, where he has been active in business for sixteen years, at first confin- ing himself to business brokerage in which he suc- ceeded for a long period of years. For the last three years he has dealt exclusively in real estate. He deals also in mortgage loans, and since the association of his son, Louis, with his father in the business, they have adopted the style of S. Leibow Company.
He is a member of Montrob Lodge, No. 319, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows; Roumania Country Club; and The Bronx Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Leibow was married on December 12, 1901, to Jennie Einhorn. Her father is living in Europe. Her mother, Goldie (Zucker) Einhorn, is dead. Mr. and Mrs. Leibow are the parents of five children: 1. Lou, born March 6, 1903. 2. Mow, born October 27, 1904. 3. Gussie, born July 14, 1906. 4. Benja- min, born August 12, 1909. 5. Ray, born October 15, 1911. The business address of S. Leibow Com- pany is No. 354 East One Hundred and Forty-ninth Street, and his residence is No. 1549 Leland Avenue, The Bronx.
HENRY JOSEPH DAUM is widely known in The Bronx and in New York City in general as head of the Daum Bakery, for sixty years established in the same location and recognized as unique in the production of rye bread of superior quality. The son follows his father in the business and enjoys the same excellent reputation. John Gottlieb Daum, the father, was born July 28, 1842, in Heilingstatt, Ba- varia, and came to the United States in his young manhood, settling in The Bronx, where he died in 1907. In 1867 he purchased the house at No. 1296 Washington Avenue, where the son now resides, and started there the bakery continued by the son. He married, in July, 1866, Margaret Keil, born on Sher- iff Street, New York City, March 11, 1850, daughter of John and Margaret (Storner) Keil, both of whom were born in Bavaria. Their children were, besides
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the subject of this record: 1. Anna Louise, born May 19, 1869, married Henry Von Lubken; she died February 19, 1926. 2. Elizabeth Margaret, born July 23, 1871, married John J. Peters, and they have three children: Anna Louise, married to Harry Oet- jen, who have one child: Doris Ann Oetjen; Mar- garet Elizabeth Peters; and Marian Peters. 13. Henry Joseph Daum, of whom further. 4. Magde- lene, born June 21, 1878. 5. August Carl, born Janu- ary 12, 1881, married to Pauline Schier and they have two children: Irene and Carl Daum. Mrs. Daum is still hale and hearty.
Henry Joseph Daum, born August 6, 1873, in the same house he occupies today on Washington Ave- nue, in The Bronx, has always been identified with that section. He attended old Public School No. 61. While his father was living, he helped in the bakery. In 1907, Mr. Daum succeeded his father as head of the establishment which is the oldest bakery in The Bronx, having operated for sixty years, and located in a house ninety years old, a landmark in the community today. The bakery is especially famous for its rye bread, for which or- ders come from distant cities, from those who have learned of its superior quality, as well as all over New York. Mr. Daum is a member of the Old Timers' Association of The Bronx, open only to those who have lived there for not less than fifty years; and of the Tackamuck Democratic and the Jackson Democratic clubs; and the Boss Bakers' Association.
DANIEL J. O'BRIEN-For more than a decade his native region, The Bronx, has been the scene of Mr. O'Brien's successful business activities in the trucking business. He was born in The Bronx, February 17, 1891, a son of Jeremiah and Nora (Flynn) O'Brien, both of his parents being natives of Ireland who had come to this country in their youth and had married here. His father as well as his mother died while he was still a small child, the latter in 1892, the former in 1895, and he was brought up by an aunt, a sister of his mother, Mrs. Mary (McDonnell) Flynn.
Daniel J. O'Brien was educated in St. Jerome's Roman Catholic Parochial School at Alexander Ave- nue and One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Street, The Bronx. At a comparatively young age, he es- tablished himself in the trucking business, which he has conducted with marked success for twelve years with offices at No. 560 Brook Avenue. Though he does a general trucking business, by far the largest bulk of his business is done for the account of vari- ous beef packers. During the World War he tried to enlist and, indeed, went so far as to dispose of his business, but he was rejected on account of over- weight. Repeated attempts to join the United States forces meeting with the same fate, he reestablished himself in the trucking business which he has con- ducted without interruption since then. He is a member of Bronx Lodge, No. 871, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; the James Brown Associa- tion, of which he is sergeant-at-arms; The Bronx Board of Trade; Allied Business Men; and the
American Business Men's Protective Association. His religious affiliations are with the Roman Catholic church, and more particularly with St. Jerome's Roman Catholic Church, Alexander Avenue and One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Street, while in politics he is a supporter of the Democratic party and as such a member of the Democratic club in his district.
Mr. O'Brien remains unmarried and makes his home at No. 470 East One Hundred and Forty-first Street, The Bronx.
LOUIS CELLA-As president of G. Santini and Company, a large storage warehouse and moving concern, and with an honorable war record, Louis Cella is contributing his share toward the economic and civic life of The Bronx.
Louis Cella was born in Genoa, Italy, June 14, 1888, the son of John and Isabelle Cella. When he was only fourteen years old he came alone to the United States, (1902). The mother followed her son four years later, the father having died in Italy. Louis Cella and his mother settled in The Bronx where the son attended the public school on East One Hundred and Fifty-eighth Street and Courtlandt Avenue. With the outbreaking of the World War he enlisted in the 302nd Trench Mortar Battery where he was stationed most of the time in the Tulle sector and in Dijon. Upon his return from the war he continued the trucking business which he had started on a small scale in 1911. At pres- ent, he operates four moving vans and a large stor- age warehouse at No. 812 East One Hundred and Seventieth Street. The business is conducted under the name of G. Santini and Company, of which Louis Cella is president. Mr. Cella is prominently known in his community.
Mr. Cella is a member of the Veterans of For- eign Wars; The Bronx Board of Trade; The National Furniture Warehouse Men's Association; and of the New York Furniture Warehouse Association. In ad- dition he is president of the Van Owners' Association of Bronx County and a member of the same as- sociation of Greater New York.
Louis Cella married, in The Bronx, February 5, 1921, Eleanor Fontana, daughter of Victor and Caro- line Fontana. They are the parents of two daugh- ters and a son: Minerva, Barbara and Robert.
CHARLES KROETZ maintains a real estate busi- ness at No. 2861 Bainbridge Avenue, The Bronx. Starting with a butcher shop, established when he was only twenty-three years old, located on First Avenue between Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth streets, Mr. Kroetz worked his way into general buying and selling of meat and then into the real estate business in this part of town. He moved to The Bronx in 1902, continuing the real estate business, and has maintained it in The Bronx with increasing success.
Charles Kroetz was born in Württemberg, Ger- many, February 18, 1866, the son of Christian and Carolina Kroetz. He received his schooling in Ger- many, and when, at the age of nineteen, both par- ents died, he came to America and settled in New York. By means of hard work and with little capi- tal he established his butcher shop on First Ave-
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nue. His success with this shop, retail business, took him into general buying and selling of meat and eventually into the real estate business in Man- hattan. He moved to The Bronx in 1902 and ever since then has devoted his entire time to the real estate business. His success in this line has made him prominent in the economic development of The Bronx. He is a member of The Real Estate Board of The Bronx, and of the Property Owners' Associa- tion, and has done much to further the growth and prosperity of this region of the city.
Charles Kroetz married (first), in New York City, in 1891, Anna Voelker. He married (second), in 1920, Madeleayne Kracke. Mr. Kroetz is the father of four children: Elsie, Paula, Adolph, and Anna.
DAVID SEYMOUR ELGOT-Unceasing energy and industry, shown by working after school hours since he was eleven years old, enabled Mr. Elgot to gain a high school and college education. He was born in Manhattan on April 1, 1892, a son of Morris and Mary (Gordman) Elgot, his father, now dead, having been superintendent of a hat factory.
David Seymour Elgot was educated in the public schools of Manhattan and Brooklyn, and, after at- tending Eastern District High School, Brooklyn, attended Fordham University Law School, from which he graduated in 1917, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. It was not always easy to meet his need for work throughout all these years, and, in order to avoid conflicts between his working and his study hours, he found it necessary to change positions frequently. This disadvantage, however, was offset by the fact that these continuous changes gave him an extraordinarily wide business experience and knowledge. Beginning with 1911, after Mr. El- got had definitely decided on a legal career, his outside work was exclusively along legal lines. At that time he found work with the legal department of the Public Service Commission for the First District, and eventually became secretary to Judge William L. Ransom, the Commission's counsel. He also was for a year and a half in the office of the law firm of Whitman, Ottinger & Ransom. After graduation from law school Mr. Elgot began the practice of his profession on his own account in 1918, at first in Manhattan, but removing before long to The Bronx where he had made his home since 1911. His offices are located at No. 560 Mel- rose Avenue, in the heart of the ever-growing busi- ness district of The Bronx. He is a member of Eternal Lodge, No. 989, Free and Accepted Masons, of Unique Lodge, No. 310, Knights of Pythias, and also of the New York County Lawyers' Association.
Mr. Elgot was married in June, 1914, in The Bronx, to Anna Grossman, also a resident of The Bronx and daughter of Herman and Rebecca Gross- man. Mr. and Mrs. Elgot are the parents of three children: Sylvia, Martha Mabel, and Bertran M. The family residence is at No. 1243 Ward Avenue.
IRVING RAE SWIFT-For nearly three quarters of a century the business which now operates under the name of York and Swift, and under the sole ownership of Irving Rae Swift, has been a stable undertaking business of The Bronx, New York. Its
reputation for efficiency and fair prices is widespread, and throughout its history much of its patronage has been drawn from the same church congregations.
Irving Rae Swift was born November 23, 1891, in a house occupying the site of the present public library, at No. 305 Alexander Avenue, The Bronx, son of William Henry and Cornelia E. (Fitzgerald) Swift. The father, born in old Greenwich Village, New York City, September 30, 1851, preceded his son, first as partner, then as sole owner of the undertaking establishment of York and Swift until his death in 1921. His wife, born March 21, 1857, died January 9, 1923. By this union was born one son, Irving Rae.
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