The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-24

John Jacob Aston, the founder of tn,
Astor family, was a peddler of musica
instruments.
Commodore Vanderbilt, three genera
tions back, began life as a small farmer
on Staten Island. He was also ferry,
man and clam digger.
Jay Gould, father Of George Gould
and of the Countess Castellane, first APP.
peared in New York as seller of rat
traps. He did not make a success of this,
so he turned land surveyor.
The distinguished Hoffman family,
which has given one governor to New
York state and has mingled its blood
with many of the leading families in
New York society, was settled in trade
IN New York over a century ago as
dealers in groceries.
The founder of the Mills family, COM
paratively new in New York society, is
Darius o. Mills, the present owner of
the Mills building and the father Of
Mrs. Whitelaw Reid and of Ogden Mills.
Mr.. Mills began life selling household
goods from place TO place in the interior
of New York state.
Mrs Bradley Martins father was a
cooper in New York city who devoted
his life to making barrel slaves, kegs for
beer and hogsheads for tobacco The
cooper's name was Isaac sherman. and
his granddaughter u now he Countess
of Craven.
Governor Levi p. Morton began his
commercial life as a tailor at Han
over, n. H., where he manufacture
ed clothes for the Dartmouth college
students. Hanover is but small town,
not having even railroad station, and
Dartmouth college gives it the only So
cial life it possesses. Governor Morton
was the leading merchant of the place
There are people in New York today |
who claim to possess clothes made by |
him during these early days. He soon |
left Hanover and went into the dry |
goods business. From this he realized "A |
fortune, and then he went into finance, |
founding the banking institution of |
which he is now the head. Besides be-
ing governor Of New York he has been
minister TO France and vice president of
the United States,
A Washington market butcher &C.
cumulated the fortune that made Mr..
Fred Gebhard possible as q conspicuous
figure i'll New York society. The orig
inal Gebhard sold butter and cheese as
well as pork chops and spare ribs, and
among his customers were many swells.
Mrs. Frederick Nelson also inherited
some of this wealth.
Tho cr,,oat oc,.1,s,o |
the conception of that brilliant tinancier,
James NJ. Waterbury, originated over
in Williamsburg, where tho original
Waterbury started a ropewalll with a
small boy to help him, but with plenty
Of energy and ambition. He made rope
Tor the ships that came to New York in !
he early days of the century, and they
we're handmade, OF fine hemp, unlike
he machine made ropes of the present
lay The ropewalk, which became moro
md more prosperous with advancing
'ears, was handed down from genera
ion 10 generation, realizing millions of
loilarS for the Waterburys
The earliest member of the Post fam
~ OF whom there is any record was
lothian Post, who conducted a butcher
hop. Butcher Post sold tripe, pork and {
hoico cuts Of beef to the New York {
wells Of century ago. and he delivered I
rs own meats at their houses. He lived /
p stairs over his butcher shop, and his. c
DRY records that he was one of the first i
len every morning to open his shop for L
BUSINESS IN the city. He lived TO q good q
Id age and left numerous descendants, a
Tho have intermarried with other dis S
Inguished families h
Peter Cooper, whom many residents {
New York remember to have seen rid n
lg about the city in queer old buggy, d
rearing big steel spectacles and whis- q
ers under his chin and having an air of
reat benevolence, founded the fortunes
the Cooper family. In early life he G,
'ent into the glue business, and the in v
1stry he founded is still carried on. al ..
lough its odoriferous product is now h
escrlbed as gelatin. Abram S. g,
ewltt became tutor in the family and | IT
arried Miss Cooper. Both he and Ed n
ard Cooper, son of Peter Cooper, have ri
zen mayors of New York. Peter Cooper n
)Wever, was the most distinguished II
ember of the family, and his public
will make him long re- !,
=
There Is no record of the Sloanes in e,
e early days Of New York's history. h
1t no list of the families prominent in n
clety at the present day would be COM n
etc without a reference to them. The y,
Danes inherited fine carpet business, ~
Inch was built up by an ancestor who h,
rs as good a judge of brussels on AK W
MISTER as any in the city in his day. h,
us institution they have broadened r.
d extended. W. ID. Sloane married a Il,
tighter Of William II. Vanderbilt and .,
the father of an interesting family. ri
When Miss Fannie Work of this city W
lrried the brother of LORD Fermov. she a,
phenated the name and called herself n,
rs. Burke-Roche, though there is no
en- name in the peerage. Her hus-
nd name Is J. b. B. Roche. Her sis
Is Mrs. Cooper-Hewitt, who also sa
phenated her name without apparor. tn
use. Their father is Mr. Frank Wcrl-