When The Missionaries Came Home

This photo comes from my great-grandfather's photo album, where he captioned it: "When the Missionaries First Came Home".  I wasn't sure who the missionaries were, or if the moniker was serious or tongue-in-cheek, until I recently fit together several pieces of information.

On the upper right is my great-grandfather, Marshall H. Williams, age 18.  His brother Harrison stands in front of him and sister Mary stands nearby.  At the center of the group is their stepmother, Elizabeth Tuckley Williams.  Their father, Frederick H. Williams was almost certainly behind the camera.

The woman on the left is Jane Tuckley, Elizabeth's sister, and the gentleman is Rev. Ernest A. Yarrow.  Their three children are George, Grace, and Clarence.

I am fairly certain that the older woman on the right is Mary S. Smith Tuckley - Elizabeth and Jane's mother.

Now for the story:

While Fred and Elizabeth were on their wedding trip in June 1903, they stayed for a night in East Granby, CT with "Sime" Yarrow (Fred's spelling).  This puzzled me for a while until I learned that Ernest was called "Syme" by all of his friends.

"Jennie" Tuckley and "Syme" Yarrow were married in August 1904, on her twenty-first birthday.  Wedding announcements mention that they already had plans to embark for Van, Turkey-in-Asia as part of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions immediately following the wedding.  They sailed from Boston a week later and reached Van at the end of September.  While there, Ernest mostly worked with the school which would become Van College (he would become its President).  George, Grace, and Clarence were all born there.

The American Board's procedure seemed to be to send missionaries somewhere for seven or eight years at a time, and then give them a year of leave.  Thus, the Yarrow family returned to the U.S. in June 1912.  My great-great-grandfather writes in his diary:  "June 8.  Jane Yarrow and three children landed in New York returning from Armenia after nearly eight years absence from America.  E.T.W. met her and visited in Newark.  Jane and family arrived in Binghamton June 27."  This dates the photograph to the winter of 1912-13.  Marshall was a freshman at Yale at the time, so this would have been during a holiday break.

Some of the Yarrow's colleagues from Van also visited the Tuckleys and Williamses in Binghamton.

In October 1908, Dr. Clarence D. Ussher, his wife Elizabeth (Barrows) Ussher, and their four children visited for two days while on their own year-long furlough.  Dr. Ussher visited again the following June, staying with Fred and Elizabeth Williams.  Fred - a history teacher - writes that he was "intensely interested in accounts of his experiences among Turks, Kurds, Russians, etc."

In March 1914, Dr. George C. Raynolds paid a visit.  He and his wife had established the mission in Van in 1872, and still worked there.

The Yarrow family returned to Van in July 1913, and were witnesses to the atrocities committed against the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks.  They remained through the 1915 Siege of Van, and fled the city for Russia later that year.  The journal I have from Fred stops in 1914, so I don't know what he might have recorded about those events.  I'll also leave the story here.

Further reading:

• American Board pamphlet about Ernest Yarrow, partly authored by Jane Tuckley Yarrow
• "Relief Workers in the Near East", The Christian Advocate, 2 Sept 1920, p1190
• "Seven 'Good Samaritans' in Armenia 1915-1917", from 168 Hours
• Ernest Yarrow on Wikipedia
• The Siege of Van on Wikipedia

Additional Sources:

American Board Personnel Cards for Ernest A. Yarrow and Jane Tuckley Yarrow

The Epworth Herald, 27 Aug 1904, p324

The Christian Advocate, 25 Aug 1904, p1390

Family papers

The Beginning of Atlas Iron

The earliest mention of Atlas Iron that I have found is the announcement of the formation of the company in the Real Estate Record, 7 Feb 1891, p199.  It took me a while to track this down, but I was recently able to get a good photo from the original publication thanks to the archives of the New York Public Library.

Their advertisement appeared later in that same issue:

Atlas Iron's incorporation was also announced in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on 12 Feb, and in The Engineering Record and the Engineering News on 14 Feb.

The Men of Atlas Iron

I've been curious about the men who worked together at Atlas Iron.  Henry Williams had no expertise in building, and he joined forces with three younger men who did in order to start the company.  I've discovered that those other three men - Philip Raqué, Frank Harrison and Frederick Youngs - all worked at Union Iron Works just prior to founding Atlas Iron.  They very likely worked on the Columbia Building, which was the third skeleton-framed building in the city, and brought that knowledge with them to Atlas Iron.

As they formed their company, Henry Williams was 52, Philip Raqué was 35, Frank Harrison and Frederick Youngs were both 23, and Henry's son Frederick Williams was 22.  I've also discovered that Frank Harrison, Fred Youngs and Fred Williams lived within a block of each other for a short time - more on that below.

Henry C. Williams with his sons,
Fred (left) and Henry (right), circa 1879

Henry C. Williams was the company's president and put up most of the money for the venture.  He was born in Lower Sandusky, Ohio in 1838.  His parents both passed away while he was young.  He later followed his older brother to New York City.  He served in the Civil War, and then had a very successful career as a stock and bond broker.  He and his wife Mary E. Harrison had two sons: Frederick in 1868 and Henry Jr. in 1869.  His son Frederick described him as "one of those successful 'self-made' men we used to read about; a good, honest, kind-hearted, generous man; clean-living, courteous and chivalrous to a degree not often seen to-day [in 1945],--a gentleman at heart as well as in manners. He was extremely punctilious in keeping his word,--always a little ahead of time for an appointment,--never failing to pay a bill when promised,--and expecting the same in others."

Henry sold his seat on the New York Stock Exchange and retired right around the time he turned 49.  However, he "was of too active a disposition to settle down and live on his income."  He began looking for a new business venture, which ultimately became Atlas Iron Construction.

After Atlas Iron went out of business at the end of 1895, Henry Williams retired to his vacation home in Castine, Maine.  The failure of the company - and his own finances, which he used to try and save it - came as a heavy blow, and his family believed that contributed to his death the following September.


Philip E. Raqué was the company's vice president and engineer.  He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1855.  He was in the second graduating class of the Stevens Institute of Technology in 1876, earning a degree in mechanical engineering.  His thesis was titled "Design for Iron Foundery", and he was in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.  He and his wife Eliza Ferritt had at least one son, Arthur, in 1888.  They may have had another son in 1896, and I have seen mention of a daughter.  It has been difficult to find clear information about his family or life.

After Atlas Iron, Philip Raqué continued to work as an engineer in New York and New Jersey.  He worked on the Ansonia Apartment Hotel, the Newark Armory and the Jersey City Armory, among other projects.


Frank S. Harrison was the company's secretary, engineer and superintendent.  He was also the cousin of Henry Williams' first wife, Mary Harrison.  Frank was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1867, grew up there and attended Yale's Sheffield Scientific School.  He graduated in 1886 at the age of 18 (it was a three-year program and, while he was young for his class, this was not unprecedented).  His focus was on civil engineering and his thesis was on cantilever bridges. 

Frank worked as an engineer for several years throughout New England.  Fred Williams described him as "a genius as an engineer", and wrote of his inventing an advanced derrick and devising the roof of an armory drill hall, both for Atlas Iron.  He and Harriet H. Eyster were married in 1892 and they had three daughters: Elizabeth in 1894, Helen in 1896 and Margaret in 1901.  He was "good natured, easy going, and had the knack of getting along well with the men on the various jobs, as well as with everybody else."

After Atlas Iron, Frank Harrison moved to Halltown, West Virginia where he became managing partner and eventually president of Eyster & Son, his father-in-law's paper box board company.


Frederick T. Youngs was the company's treasurer and a builder by trade.  He was born in Stamford, Connecticut in 1867, the eldest son out of eleven children.  By 1880, his family was living in New Rochelle, New York.  I don't know where he went to school.  He and Kate C. Davis married in 1889.  They had a son, William, that same year and another, Frederick Jr., in 1894.

Frederick's father was William H. W. Youngs (sometimes listed as Henry Walmsley Youngs), a prominent architect at the time in New York City.  Most notably, he and his partner William A. Cable - as Youngs & Cable - designed Aldrich Court and the Columbia Building.  Atlas Iron ended up working on a number of buildings designed by Youngs and/or Cable.

After Atlas Iron, Fred Youngs shifted his career focus from steel construction to general construction.  He partnered with Leonard Jacob Jr. as Jacob & Youngs, and devoted much of his career to building the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Frederick H. Williams
as an undergraduate

Frederick H. Williams is also worth mentioning here.  He was my great-great-grandfather, and he wrote many of the details which have been passed down through the family about Atlas Iron, Henry Williams (his father) and Frank Harrison.

Fred was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1868.  He graduated from Yale in 1891.  Having no career plans yet except to enter business, he took a job at Atlas Iron.  His duties included copying and typing letters, checking prices and information, and sometimes answering the telephone (which he tried to avoid).  When not busy with his own work he would watch and learn from the men in the drafting room and sometimes assist them with their blueprints.  He was later put in charge of the company payroll.  He and Alice E. Corbett married in 1893.  They had two sons and a daughter: Marshall in 1894, Mary in 1896 and Harrison in 1901.

After Atlas Iron, Fred Williams moved to Binghamton, New York where he had a long career teaching high school history, civics and government.


Fred Williams wrote that he lived near Frank Harrison, and in checking for details I found that not only did they live within a block of each other for a short time, but that Fred Youngs lived nearby as well.  The Harrisons lived briefly at #335 Lafayette Ave. in Brooklyn before moving to New Jersey.  The Williams family lived at #345 Lafayette and the Youngs family lived at either #343 or #341.  Meanwhile, Henry C. Williams lived about a dozen blocks away at #28 Lafayette Ave., and Philip Raqué lived in Jersey City.


In my research, I've only come across a few other names of men involved with the Atlas Iron Construction Company.  They were:

Thomas O. Horton, a civil engineer who graduated from Sheffield Scientific School in 1891.

S. J. Johnston, an engineer.

Edward Raqué, Philip's younger brother, an assistant engineer.

And a Mr. Shulte, who had charge of the company's Jersey City workshop.


Selected Sources:
Philip Raqué obituary, New York Sun, 24 Nov 1936, via FindAGrave.
For Frank Harrison: Obituary Record of Yale Graduates, 1920-21.
I am grateful to Diane Gravlee for sharing her research on Frederick and William Youngs, and to the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen for providing details on Frederick Youngs (who was a member).
Family papers.

The Williams Family Distillery

Here's another recent find.  The following text comes from the History of Sandusky County, Ohio, published in 1882.  It describes a distillery run by my 4x great grandfather Ezra Williams, and his cousin or uncle Ammi Williams Sr.  It's worth noting that Ammi was married to Sallina (or Salina) Eastman, and after he passed away in 1826 she married Ezra.  The book lists several other details about Ammi and Ezra (and unfortunately nothing about Sallina, my 4x great grandmother).  They were respected members of the community.

Ammi and Ezra Williams began operations in 1825, in a log building standing where Ammi Williams, jr., now resides. Nothing now remains of the structure or the apparatus of the still, the last vestige —- a great, heavy, black-walnut trough, into which the still swill was poured —- having been chopped for firewood only two years since. Ammi Williams, sr., died suddenly in 1826. In the following year Ezra Williams, having completed a building at the foot of the east side-hill on the south side of State street, moved his still therein, and continued operations.

The building was a substantial, unpainted frame one, of two stories in height. It was close to the foot of the hill, and afforded a fine basement in which the high-wines and whiskey were stored. The furnace and steam tubs were also below, On the main floor was located the mash tubs and worm, and the second story was used as a grain floor. This structure was afterwards torn down in 1839. Ezra Williams was a very conscientious man. The whiskey he manufactured was absolutely pure, and although even preachers drank in those days, no cases of delirium tremens were ever known to result from even an over-load of this early-day liquor. The whiskey jug had its place with more necessary articles of consumption in the cabin of the settler, and at meal time helped set off the table. The Indians were great imbibers of "fire-water," and bought it at the distillery by the pint, quart or gallon. They were generally very much excited under its influence, and Williams avoided selling to them as much as possible, this course being agreeable to the old chief, Hard Hickory, who was desirous to altogether prevent the sale to them.

The article manufactured was distilled from corn and rye -- two-thirds of the former to one-third of the latter. Copper boilers were not used, but to render it better it was distilled by steam in air-tight wooden tubs or casks. Joseph Edwards was the head distiller, and under his experienced management one bushel of grain produced from eleven to thirteen and one-half quarts of whiskey. From twelve to thirty-three bushels of grain was distilled per day, the distillery running generally all the year round, with from two to three men in attendance. In those days corn was worth from twenty-five to fifty cents per bushel, and rye from sixty to ninety cents. The whiskey retailed at from thirty-five to fifty cents per gallon, and from twenty-eight to forty cents per gallon by wholesale. It was of the color of purest spring water, and held a good bead for the length of a minute. Burnt sugar was the only foreign material used in its composition, and this was introduced to give it the rich, yellow color, indicative of mellow old age.

A treadmill, to do the grinding, was connected with the establishment. Williams also occupied himself with farming, and was necessarily a butcher, as he raised large numbers of hogs and kine on the refuse matter of the still.

It seems that the subject of temperance was little discussed, at least not openly, in those days, and no demonstrations of a crusade nature ever disturbed the serenity of these primitive distillers; but about 1830 a temperance society, known under the name of the Washingtonians, began to exert some influence in the county. Religious revivals were held here in ensuing years, and with this movement the temperance organization grew stronger. In 1837 Ezra Williams joined the church, and the same year, deeming that spiritual and spirituous matters (in spite of the seeming paradox), could not consistently blend together, he, in keeping with his recent profession of faith, abandoned a pursuit which was opening to him a sure road to wealth.

The manufacture of whiskey was of considerable benefit, in a commercial light, to the county. It was the chief source of revenue to the farmers. Corn was then the principal production, and the rates of transportation were so high that any undertaking to convey it to the markets of the East assured financial failure on the part of the operator. The distillery acted as a medium. The corn was sold to the distillers; the whiskey was exchanged for goods with the traders and merchants, and then easily shipped to the metropolis.

Source:
History of Sandusky County, Ohio: with Portraits and Biographies of Prominent Citizens and Pioneers (1882), p425-26

Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn

My latest find is this pair of photos of the block in Brooklyn where several of my ancestors lived.  This is the south side of Lafayette Avenue, between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place (formerly Raymond Street).  The eight houses on this block were built in 1857.  From left to right, they were #36 through #22.  The block was razed in 1905 to make way for the new Brooklyn Academy of Music building which still stands there today.

The condensed family history on this block: #28 was home first to the Harrison family - Frederick H. Harrison, his second wife Caroline Cutler, and two daughters from his first marriage: Mary and Hattie.  Mary E. Harrison met Henry C. Williams at a dance, and he called on her at the house.  They were married there by none other than Rev. Henry Ward Beecher.  In 1878, Mary and her father Frederick passed away within a few months of each other.  Two years later, Henry C. Williams moved into #28 with his second wife Mary Sellers, and his and Mary Harrison's sons: Freddie and Harry.  Caroline Cutler Harrison still lived with them for a time.  Meanwhile, the Corbett family - Marshall J. Corbett, Alice Waldron, their son and four daughters - lived next door at #26.  Frederick H. Williams courted one of those daughters, Alice E. Corbett, and they married in 1893.  After setting up house nearby and having their first child (Marshall), they moved into #28 to help take care of Fred's father.  The Corbetts left #26 and moved to Corbettsville, New York, in 1893.  The Williamses left #28 and also moved to Corbettsville, in 1898.

Frederick H. Williams described the house at #28:

It was one of those red brick, three story and basement houses, in the center of the block. ... The dining room and kitchen occupied the basement, about three feet below sidewalk level.  On the next floor, a huge parlor with an "extension" ran the length of the house, used only when callers came or on Sunday evenings when father and mother sang hymns and simple little songs like "Annie Laurie".  At the front end of the parlor between two large windows was a "pier glass" extending from near the floor almost to the ceiling and framed in gilt.  On either side in the corner stood a couple of busts on their pedestals, one of John Bright and the other of [Richard] Cobden, for my grandfather was a "free trader" and admired those two Englishmen.  Some of the chairs and sofas were covered with a rose colored silk plush which we thought very right and beautiful.

On the second floor front was a large bedroom with an alcove used by father and mother; this was also the family sitting room where we played or studied our lessons.  Back of this was another large bedroom -- Harry's and mine.  All rooms were large and high ceilinged in those old houses.  On the third floor were four more bedrooms -- [two for guests, one for the cook and one for the housemaid]. ... Our houses were lighted by gas, a chandelier having from two to four jets and the light so dim by modern standards that I wonder our eyes did not give out early.  As the lights were quite high, we sometimes had a bright oil lamp on the center table to study or read by.

Richard Cobden

John Bright

Sources:
Special thanks to the Brooklyn Historical Society - I found these photos by searching their image database.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 10 Jan 1905, illustrated supplement page 1.
New-York Tribune, 19 Feb 1905, page 7.
Wikimedia Commons.
Family papers.

Green-Wood Cemetery

I've been bitten by the cemetery bug!  It was bound to happen sooner or later.

On a recent visit with my parents (and after quite a bit of preparation), we visited family grave sites in Brooklyn and New Haven.  I'll share things from New Haven later.  For now, here are some photos from the Williams family plot in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.  It includes my 2x great-grandmother, Alice Corbett Williams, and my 3x great-grandparents, Mary Ellen Harrison and Henry Clay Williams.

The outing raised a new question (as these things often do).  There was a Sarah Williams buried in the family plot in 1887, and I don't know yet how she connects with the family.  A cousin, perhaps?

If anyone else in the family visits Green-Wood, it's worth pointing out that the famous clergyman and abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher is also buried there.  Mary E. Harrison and Henry C. Williams attended Plymouth Church, and Beecher conducted their wedding in 1866.

The New York Philharmonic, 1877-78

For the past several weeks I have been exploring classical music with my great-great-grandfather, Frederick H. Williams.

Fred mentioned classical music several times in his memoirs.  He studied violin in his youth.  His mother, Mary E. Harrison Williams, played piano.  Later in life, he built up a collection of phonograph records and enjoyed sharing that music with others.  Since I also enjoy the genre, I got curious about which pieces he might have heard.  In particular, he wrote:

During the winter of 1877-8, my mother took me several times on Friday afternoons to hear the "rehearsals" given by the famous Philharmonic Orchestra under the leadership of Theodore Thomas preparatory for the Saturday night concert.  I can never forget the thrill I used to get at hearing the great symphonies and other music played and at the magnificent chords and harmonies that made me forget everything mundane.  This was my introduction to classical music and I have loved it ever since and have always tried to be present at every fine concert available to me.

Theodore Thomas in 1880

Fred was nine years old that winter.  Theodore Thomas had just been hired to lead the Philharmonic, which was trying to recover from a dire financial situation.  Thomas was already well-known.  He had his own orchestra which played in New York and toured for over a decade.  He was the first major proponent of Wagner's music in America, premiering "Ride of the Valkyries" in New York in 1872.  He founded the New York Wagner Union that very same evening.  The Philharmonic's 1877-78 season included Wagner's Faust Overture, the Prelude to Act I of Die Meistersinger, and Siegfried's Funeral March and the Finale from Götterdämmerung.

Discovering which pieces were performed during that season proved easier than I expected; the New York Philharmonic has an online archive of old programs, including all six concerts given that year.  I put together a Spotify playlist with all of those works and spent several days going through it all.¹  As one might expect, only some of the pieces are still performed regularly today.

In terms of the symphonies which Fred said he enjoyed so much, he and his mother might have heard Beethoven's Sixth (Pastoral) or his Eighth, Schubert's Ninth (Great), Mozart's 38th (Prague), Joachim Raff's Third (In the Forest) or Anton Rubinstein's Second (Ocean).  The latter two are new to me.

I have been most interested in the pieces which I haven't heard before.  These include the Overture to Luigi Cherubini's opera Les Deux Journées, Robert Volkmann's Serenade No. 3 for Cello and Strings, Karl Goldmark's Sakuntala Overture, and Franz Liszt's song "Die Loreley."  Several selections were also given from Beethoven's incidental music to Egmont - beyond the Overture which is typically the only portion presented today.

Joachim Raff in 1878

My favorite discovery from this whole process has been Joachim Raff.  Not only was his Third Symphony performed, but the Philharmonic gave the American premiere of his Suite for Piano and Orchestra with the well-loved Sebastian Bach Mills as soloist.  This work has a catchy theme that leapt out at me while listening through everything, and it prompted me to explore more of his work.

Joachim Raff was a prolific German-Swiss composer.  He worked as an assistant to Franz Liszt for several years, then focused on his own compositions.  He became very popular in his own day.  His works declined from favor after he passed away in 1882, which seems a shame.  Fortunately, recordings do exist for most of his major works, and I have enjoyed listening to them.²

The Philharmonic's season also included works by Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Berlioz and Weber.  It is worth nothing that Brahms, Goldmark, Liszt, Raff, Rubinstein and Wagner were all alive and actively composing at that time.

I have greatly enjoyed exploring classical music from this unusual angle.  I should actually say that I'm still enjoying it, and I may have more to say on the subject in a future post.



Notes:
1. For this playlist, I chose recordings by the New York Philharmonic wherever possible.  I was able to find every piece from the season except one song: Rubinstein's aria "Hecuba."  That song and one other weren't actually performed, as the soloist had to cancel due to illness.
2. There is a very thorough website covering Raff's life and compositions at Raff.org.

Sources:
Family papers
New York Philharmonic digital archives for 1877-78
Theodore Thomas, a musical autobiography
The Early Influence of Richard Wagner in America, by Viola Knoche
Wikipedia