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Brothers in Business
Brothers Thomas F. and William W. Taff owned and operated a successful wholesale liquor business located at 157 and 159 Blackstone Street, Boston. The company was fittingly named T.F. & W.W. Taff Wholesale Liquor Firm, after the sibling pair running the operation.
The company's location at 157 & 159 Blackstone Street roughly aligns with a building marked by the term "Liquor" on Atlascope’s 1882 Sanborn Map. On the right outlined in red, one can see this building lies at the cusp of 159 Blackstone Street.
This fragment of information, although small, provides evidence of the business' presence on Blackstone Street that aids in connecting the story of two brothers' family business to an otherwise forgotten, unknown structure.
Each Taff brother led a distinct life, yet held their company and roles as professional wine dealers in common, linking the two both by blood and business.
While conducting research, I found a publication of the firm's 1891 liquor licenses for William W. and Thomas F. Taff, essential documents for the operation of a liquor distribution business.
Not only does this document provide additional evidence that T.F. & W.W. Taff Wholesale Liquor Firm was located within the Blackstone Street parcel, it also confirms the company's legitimacy. This certification of the ability to sell intoxicating substances was readily available to any readers of the Boston Post April 1, 1891.
Another Taff business ad, included above, expands information on the business' multiple specialties. The Taffs were importers and dealers of gins, brandies, wines, cordials, cigars, and whiskies, highlighting the fact that their selection was far more versatile than just one class of goods.
Thomas f. Taff
The Charitable Irish Society
Born February 9, 1860 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Thomas F. Taff was a senior member of the T.F. & W.W. Taff Wholesale Liquor Firm and longtime treasurer of the Charitable Irish Society. As shown in the orange highlighted text in the 1900 Federal Census below, Thomas F. Taff was the head of his household and his country of origin was Ireland despite his birth in Massachusetts.
Taff's Irish ancestral roots rationalize his dedicated commitment to role as treasurer of the Charitable Irish Society, a position he held for twenty years.
The Charitable Irish Society was the earliest association of Irishmen in Boston. The inception of the organization occurred on Saint Patrick's Day, 1737.
From its beginning, the organization's ambitions were to help Irishmen living in Boston and the larger New England area facing predicaments of sickness, unforeseen accidents and general misfortune. The organization was adamant about the importance of helping fellow Irishmen during troubling times.
Because of the challenges faced during immigration to the United States, the Irish were marginalized and chose to stick close together. The Charitable Irish Society was composed of people of Irish descent who worked to help their community through acts of charity and generosity. Today the Charitable Irish Society persists and holds the same mission of helping Irish immigrants in distress due to circumstances outside their control.
Military Ties
In a number of sources, Thomas F. Taff was referred to as Colonel Thomas F. Taff, reflecting his affiliation and standing in the military.
It seems that Colonel Taff was a member or adjacent of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, as he was present at an important banquet dinner alongside other officials at Faneuil Hall in 1911, honoring incoming and outgoing officers.
Furthermore, Taff seemingly was affiliated with the 101st Infantry before his death, based on his wife's role as Auxiliary President for an effort to raise $100,000 dollars for the organization by September 7th 1918. This fundraising effort was to commemorate the one year anniversary of the 101st Infantry's deportation to France for World War I.
Well Rounded and Well Loved
Thomas F. Taff acted as a Parishioner of Saint Mary’s Church on Warren Street in Charlestown, were his funeral was ultimately held.
T.F. Taff passed away on January 5th, 1916 at 8:30am in his home at 48 Monument Square, Charlestown, where he was a longtime resident.
T.F. Taff died only three days after catching a cold that developed into double pneumonia. His passing came as an alarming shock because he had been healthy and working as recently as New Years, just days before his death.
In high school Taff was named Battalion of Cadets and was involved in the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill in Charlestown.
People described Taff as a driven, humble and giving man. Taff was very charitable and was said to donate to various churches despite not practicing at them.
In his obituary, his longtime friends, childhood classmates, and others referred to him as “the most popular boy in the school”. Taff's classmates looked up to him so much that at a class reuinion while he was alive, they referred to their graduating class as the "Taff Class" in honor of him.
His long standing friendships with classmates from his childhood and plethora of high praise from all who knew him, show the admirable character of the businessman.
William W. Taff
William W. Taff was born in 1859 in Charlestown and was devoted to running the family liquor business with his brother Thomas.
William W.’s life was more private than his brother's in terms of records illuminating his life beyond their business endeavors.
W.W. Taff was a resident of Brookline, Massachusetts at the time of his death in 1924. His funeral was held at St. Lawrence Church in Brookline, Massachusetts.
His wife, Agnes P. O’Riorden, daughters Marie, Imedia, Agnes, and son William W. Taff Jr. succeeded him.
After the passing of both Thomas and William Taff, the three and a half story brick building which housed their wholesale liquor company was put up for sale. Ultimately, 157 and 159 Blackstone Street was sold to Michael F. Lynch in March 1925.
The property was assessed at a value of $39,000 but it is unclear what the purchase price was. Based on the maps provided by Atlascope, the Taff’s family held possession of the building from 1883 to 1922. The brothers' passing marked the end of Taff ownership on the 149-189 Blackstone parcel.
Citations
Bibliography
"FUNERAL OF T.F. TAFF TODAY." 1916.Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Jan 07, 5. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/funeral-t-f-taff-today/docview/503043860/se-2.
"FUNERAL TOMORROW OF WILLIAM W. TAFF: WITH SERVICE IN ST LAWRENCE CHURCH, BROOKLINE." 1924.Boston Daily Globe (1923-1927), Dec 26, 1. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/funeral-tomorrow-william-w-taff/docview/498085682/se-2.
"PLAN TO RAISE $100,000 FOR 101ST INFANTRY ON SEPT 7: GIRLS IN 31 CITIES AND TOWNS WILL COLLECT MONEY ON THAT DATE TO PROVIDE COMFORTS FOR FIGHTING MEN." 1918.Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Aug 25, 6. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/plan-raise-100-000-101st-infantry-on-sept-7/docview/503586816/se-2.
Boston Daily Globe Newspaper Archives. 1889. “Licensed Liquor Dealers,” May 14, 1889.
Boston Post Newspaper Archives. 1916. “Thomas F. Taff Dies from 3-Day Illness,” January 16, 1916.
Massachusetts, Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of. 1911. Annual Record of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. Google Books. A. Mudge & Son, printers. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Annual_Record_of_the_Ancient_and_Honorab/QFFGAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=taff&pg=PA114&printsec=frontcover----.
Cullen, James Bernard. The Story of the Irish in Boston. Boston: James B. Cullen and Company, 1889. [City College, City University of New York]., n.d. https://jstor.org/stable/community.34008858.
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