Evening star., 1925-01-18

which the signerS called attention or
subscribers to a new and cheap
saddle. harness and trunk store, at
No. 499 Seventh street" That adver
tisement was signed "Topham and
Norfet" Such facts as the Rambler
got relating to James Smith Topham
and the firm he established were
given you, and today the Rambler
Will recall to you-if you have for
got-other saddle and harnessmakers
and merchants of the older Washing
ton
The name, Thomas Norflet, is in the
Washington Directory of 1853, his oc-
Cupation is given as saddler and his
address the north side of G between
First and Second streets east. The
name probably appeared in earlier
directories In 1856 he was a par.
ner OF James S Topham. In 1860
lie was a partner of Kaspar Kneessi,
and that partnership lasted until 1870.
when it was dissolved Thomas Norflet
taking as his part of the business
one of the two stores of X. Kneessi
and Nortiet-that which the firm had
opened on the east side of Thirteenth
street one or two doors north of
the Avenue
Several years later Norffet became
a partner OF Conrad Becker, who had
been with the Kaspar Keneessi house,
and Becker and NOrt1et opened a
store on the north side of the Ave-
nue. between Fourteenth and Fif-
teenth streets a few doors west of
the Willard. The store was opened
in October, 1876, and it's number
was 1417 In 1873 the Becker store
was moved to Fifteenth street oppo-
site the Treasury, and in 1883 it was
moved back to the Avenue, the num-
Der of the building being 1345.
A bit of history of that building
is found by the Rambler in Trunks,
Leather Goods and Umbrellas-a
Journal of Information for the
Trade" of June, 1910. 1t follows:
This place was for many years a
famous saloon and during the ante
bellum days became a rendezvous for
the sporting fraternity. The second
floor was elaborately fitted up as a
gambling hall. Furnishings and
equipment were ornate. Even the
cuspidorS were of solid silver.
In those days games of chance
We're freely indulged in and openly
patronized by men prominent in the
political and social world and it was
Mecca for the smart set of Wash
tngton. The place became so notori-
Gus, however, that a short time be-
fore Mr.. Becker leased the premises
the saloon and its gambling rooms
"A
lease was secured on the entire build
ing at $500 a year a rental which.
compared with those of today in this
section, shows the wonderful increase
In real estate values during the last
quarter century"
The Becker store was moved to 1928
street in April, 1896, and in 1904
Mr. Becker leased the adjoining prop
erty. No. 1926. When and under what
siF.st ms, to-, IT
firm is one of the many things the
Rambler does not know. and one of
those which he admits not knowing
In The Star advertisement of 1856
and in the license issued by Mayor
John ]. Towers under which Top
ham and Norf1et began business at
499 Seventh street, the name is spelled
"Nor7et" 1t was pronounced Nor
fleet" No Norfet appears in the
current Washington Directory, but
several "Norfieets' are entered, and
it is likely that some of these are de-
scendants OF the industrious citizen
OF old ington-Thomas Norflet.
X < = K
Il ASPAR KNEESSI came to Wash
IN ington in 1859 from Newark. n
J., where for several years he had
been foreman Of the harness. making
firm of Peters & Calhoun. at the cor
ner of Broad and Mechanic streets.
He was born at Solonthurn. SwitZer-
land. in 1S2S; learned his trade in
Switzerland. and came to thu United
States in 1891. He married Miss Anna
Gerlach al Newark in 1852 or 1858.
His wife was born in the Black For
est Baden. and. with her parents,
came to the United States in 1S47.
Their first child was Gustave. born
in 1854, and living; Henry who died
in Washington at the age of II;
Frederick W. born in Washington
June u. 1850, now conducting the
business of the firm *. Kueessfs
Sons; Minnie. the widow of Adolph
Gassman, who long conducted a bak-
cry at the northeast corner of Eighth
and NJ northwest; and Anna, who is
now Mrs. Walter Kelly.
Frederick W. Kneessi married Mary
j.. Jordan, q daughter of Charles
Jordan. who owned a farm and kept
=, dairy, and on that farm rows of
brick buildings in Mount Pleasant
stand.
When Kaspar and Anna Kneessi
came to Washington in 1853 their
dwelling and place of business was
on the south side of the Avenue be
tween Four-anda half and Sixth
streets. at the corner Of the alley
midway the block A the beginning
of the civil War Mr.. Kneessi made
contracts with the Government for
turning out shabracks. Believing
there may be one of The Stars half
million readers who is a stranger to
q shabrack The Rambler. who never
ran against the word before. fun
blcs a dictionary and finds it to be "a
saddle cloth or housing used in mod
ern European armies" SO it was n
saddle cloth. or a saddle cover, or
2 saddle sack or something of that
sort, and although the learned leXi-
cographer says it is used in modern
European armies" we viii set IT
down here that it was used in the
Northern armies during the Civil
War, for Kaspar Kneessi had Gov
ernment contracts for making shah
racks"
The building al the corner of the
alley on the south side OF the Avenue
between -and-a-half and Sixth
streets was shabrack factory.
Kaspar Kneessi and his family
prospered and they bought a home in
South Washington, on the ISL
and between + street, Virginia ave-
nue. and Four-and a half street. A
great railroad freight station covers
the square in which they lived.
t was about the breaking of "the
war that Of '61-'65, that Kaspar
kneessi and Thomas Norflet opened
a saddle and harness shop on the east
side of Sixth street between the Ave
nue. and {. across the street from the
National Hotel. The building which
was the first kneessi shop on the
south side of the Avenue and that on
Sixth street opposite the National
Hotel are still standing.
! think il was in the Fall of 1868
that kneeSsi and Norfiet moved their
store to the west side of Seventh
street in a building owned by Charlie
aud DaNt door n L Ion, I,'S