Biographies
History of Youngstown & The Mahoning Valley, Ohio
Vols. 1 & 2
By Jos. G. Butler, Jr. -Publ. American Historical Society -
Chicago & New York
1921
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Transcribed by Sharon Wick
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ADOLPH
KESSLER had mastered some considerable degree of commercial
success before he located at Youngstown. His experience has been
an inspiring one.
Born in Hungary in 1889,
he attended school in his native land, and as soon as old enough
worked out at day labor and attended school at night. Getting a
thorough education was an important part of the program of Mr.
Kessler for a number of years both in Hungary and after
coming to the United States. He still lacked several years of
his majority when he reached this country. He knew of Rankin,
Pennsylvania, the home of a chance acquaintance, and that was his
first location. In Rankin, a suburb village of Pittsburgh, he
found work in a grocery store at eighteen dollars a month. He
knew no English, and was as diligent and persistent in acquiring a
knowledge of the language as he was in the performance of his duties
at the store. He was soon earning more than eighteen dollars a
month and in the meantime was attending a night school in Pittsburgh.
His next location was at Akron, Ohio, where he worked with a wholesale
grocery house and attended a business college in the night classes.
His next connection was with the Chicago packing house of
Libby, McNeil & Libby. As a traveling salesman they
gave him territory in Western Pennsylvania and Easter Ohio.
During his trips he came to know Youngstown, appreciated its business
opportunities and its civic pride, and ever since has been a permanent
resident.
On leaving the Chicago house he
engaged in real estate, and soon had a flourishing business.
Mr. Kessler now specializes in high class residence
property, and handles a large amount of valuable property each year.
Soon after coming to Youngstown he married Sallie Shier.
They have two young children, Herbert J. and
Stanley Martin. Mr. Kessler is a
member of the Real Estate Board and the Chamber of Commerce.
Soon after coming to America he took out his first citizenship papers
and after the conventional time allowed he secured his last papers,
making him a full fledged American citizen.
Source:
History of Youngstown & The Mahoning Valley, Ohio -
By Jos. G. Butler, Jr. - Vol. 2 - Publ. American Historical Society - Chicago & New York 1921
- Page 371 |
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GEORGE P. KRICHBAUM. Possessing undoubted business
and executive ability, George P. Krichbaum, of
Youngstown, making good use of his talents, has steadily climbed the
ladder of success, and is now widely known as manager of the
Youngstown Branch of Armour & Company, with which he has been actively
identified since its establishment in this locality, thirty years ago.
A native born citizen, his birth occurred on Mahoning Avenue, Feb. 15,
1860.
His father, the late George
P. Krichbaum, Sr., was born and reared in Darmstadt, Germany,
where he and his five brothers received excellent educational
advantages, their father, a man of culture, insisting that his sons
should have the best of schooling. After learning the trade of a
pattern maker, he came with the paternal family to America, locating
first in Buffalo, New York. Subsequently taking up his residence
in Youngstown, he was employed as a pattern maker in the
Brown-Bonnell Mill for fifteen years, continuing with that
firm until his death in 1872, at the early age of forty-one years.
George P. Krichbaum, Sr., married Augusta
Ritter, who was of French ancestry, and to them six children
were born, one of whom died in childhood, and another, Lydia,
died at the age of eighteen years, while four are now living, namely:
George P., the special subject of this sketch;
Eugene, a salesman for Armour & Company; Emma,
wife of John Reynolds, of this city; and
Louisa, residing on Lora Avenue. Mrs. Krichbaum,
whose death occurred at her home on Elm Street in 1918, married again
after the death of her first husband, becoming the wife of C.
B. Ramser, who was engaged in the grocery business on Mill
Street. Mr. and Mrs. Ramser became the parents
of four children, as follows: Charles, an
engineer on the Erie Railroad; Augusta, wife of
Alfred Bixler, assistant auditor for Armour &
Company; Fred, a draughtsman for the Republic Iron &
Steel Company; and Mrs. Alice Rummels.
George P. Krichbaum attended school on Wood Street
until twelve years of age, when, on account of the death of his
father, he began work for himself for three and one-half years being
bell boy at the Tod House, at the same time having
charge, for Jim Hammond, of the Cigar stand.
Saving of his money and prudent in his expenditures, he accumulated
while thus employed to pay off a mortgage of $600 on his mother's
house. Coming in contact with men of affairs, in the hotel, the
bright, active lad became ambitious to have a better position, and
with that end in view attended Hall's Commercial College, at the same
time working as a clerk in T. B. Albert's hat store
in the Diamond Block.
Subsequently
Mr. Krichbaum embarked in a mercantile career, working first
as grocer's clerk for his stepfather, later being in a Pittsburgh
grocery two years, and after his marriage being in the employ of
J. C. Ewing, a grocer on Mahoning Avenue. The
following four years he filled a similar position in the crockery
establishment of A. J. Williams. Forming then a
partnership with J. C. Ewing, he was for three years
in the grocery business on Phelps Street, being junior member of the
firm of Ewing & Krichbaum. During the
depression of 1886 the firm met with reverses, and Mr.
Krichbaum sold the stock of goods and partly paid the
creditors, completing the payments later.
While Joseph Hemler was employed as a messenger on
the railroad, he used to buy meat and other provisions in Cleveland
which Mr. Krichbaum marketed, and Krichbaum &
Hemler shipped the first dressed beef into the city. In
1890 the business was taken over by Armuor & Company, and under the
guidance of Mr. Krichbaum, the manager from the
start, has grown rapidly and enormously.
In 1879 Mr. Krichbaum was united in marriage with
Miss Lois Vetter, who was born in Boardman, Ohio, in
1859. Her father, W. H. Vetter, was an
extensive dealer in cattle and sheep, buying livestock in Ohio and
driving into New Jersey, where he received the highest market prices.
Mr. and Mrs. Krichbaum have two children,
Claude, who has been salesman for Armour & Company for
nineteen years, and Hazel, wife of Stewart
Kimmell, who is associated with the Youngstown Security
Realty Company. Fraternally Mr. Krichbaum is a
member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of the
Knights of Pythias. Both he and his family belong to the
Christian Church.
Source #2 - History of
Youngstown & The Mahoning Valley, Ohio -
By Jos. G. Butler, Jr. - Vol. 2 -
Publ. American Historical Society - Chicago & New York 1921 ~ Page
372 |
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