Kleinhans / Petitjean Family

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with Harrison Radiator Factory aerial Polster Photos (see below)

Notes: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau

(1) For 2015, the “professional and technical” category includes business and financial operations occupations; professional and related occupations; and aircraft pilots and flight engineers, air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists, and flight attendants.

(2) For 2015, the “craftsmen, foreman, laborers, and operatives” category includes construction and extraction occupations; installation, maintenance, and repair occupations; and production, transportation, and material moving occupations less aircraft pilots and flight engineers, air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists, and flight attendants.

►Farming vs Factory Work: click to show/hide

As per the chart above from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1915 about 11.5 million (31%) U.S. laborers worked on a farm (including individual farm owners and their children), but by 2015 only 1 million (.7%) laborers did. The Kleinhans family tree reflects this trend. Before World War I most of the Kleinhans family lived and worked on a farm in Niagara County.

Frederick's 6 children and 14 of his 23 surviving grandchildren worked on or owned a farm for at least part of their adult life, many of them for nearly their whole life, as was common at the time. As hard as it may be for us to fathom, they did not have regular paying jobs as nearly everyone today does. Their farms were their livelihood, even though a number had side jobs to make some money. Between WWI and WWII, the Kleinhans family moved away from the family farm and into the nearby cities and villages, and took up different occupations.

Besides farming, a few members of the Kleinhans family practiced carpentry. Frederick's sons, William and Frederick (Jr) were employed carpenters at times and may have learned some of their skills from their father. Frederick (Jr) also owned a corner grocery store in Niagara Falls with his wife. Also, August Kleinhans worked at a sawmill according to the 1880 US Census.

John Jago, Wilhemina (Kleinhans) & Ferdinand Jago's son, retired from carpentry, and John's brother-in-law John Lindke owned a building/remodeling firm in Clarence, NY. Many pre-WWII self-sufficient farmers had to be part-time carpenters out of necessity and jointly participated in carpentry projects with neighbors and family such as barn raising.

Another occupation of several Kleinhans was owning a local or neighborhood grocery store. Before WWII there weren't many large grocery stores, especially in rural areas. Lockport had at one point several dozen corner grocery/ butcher shops and a few still exist today. It was more appealing to some people than working on a farm.

Also, there's no indication of doctors, lawyers, or national government/political operatives in the early Kleinhans family tree. During and after WWII, more Kleinhans family members attended college and achieved advanced degrees although many obituaries don't mention the deceased's occupation or education.

Oddly rural doctors were often farmers as well. At the beginning of the 1800s, many rural doctors went through apprenticeships instead of medical school. Urban doctors or those ministering to wealthy families went to medical schools, but in the 1800s, rural doctors were trained by just studying books, without actual clinical experience.

And speaking of farming for a living, writing mini-biographies for Frederick and his children and grandchildren was both difficult and easy. Because most of them were farmers they didn't have much of a social or workplace life away from their farms unless they were particularly active at church (they weren't) or local politics (ditto). Most of their adult lives were spent working alone or with their children in their fields and barns tending to their crops and livestock. Their neighbors were often a 1/4 mile or more away. So Sunday church was their only social outlet except for the occasional gathering or party. There were no telephones, radios, TVs, and even mail wasn't every day. They had to walk to the rural post office to get their mail and newspaper if they could afford it. So their lives weren't filled with many milestones except births, weddings, and funerals. Some moved around a little and had paid jobs but nothing exciting or awesome. Not a lot to write about. That's not to say they were boring, it's just their livelihood was isolated and centered around surviving day-to-day by their labor with little money to spend on anything like we do today.

►Subsistence Farming: click to show/hide

Wikipedia: Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no surplus. Planting decisions occur principally with an eye toward what the family will need during the coming year, and only secondarily toward market prices. Tony Waters, a professor of sociology, defines "subsistence peasants" as "people who grow what they eat, build their own houses, and live without regularly making purchases in the marketplace.

Frederick and Ernestine arrived in America with likely little or no education. They possibly had rudimentary schooling in Germany up to age 13/14 but almost nothing beyond that. They presumably were both raised on farms. They did not possess the skills needed to work in a city except as factory laborers, something they weren't familiar with. They survived and provided for their family's needs the only way they were familiar with, by farming. They practiced by definition subsistence farming.

Frederick might've arrived with some money since he had to pay for ocean passage and transit to Niagara County. Regardless of how much money he had when he arrived, Frederick had to quickly procure a place to live for his wife and 2 daughters. With the help of the Lutheran community and church, he may have found temporary lodging and employment from an established fellow immigrant until he saved enough to buy or rent his first farm on Fisk Rd. (see 1860-1880 Homesteads & Census)

His first farm in Wolcottsville would have provided Frederick with almost everything he needed for his family. There were likely enough trees on the property to build his first log cabin with borrowed or purchased tools. Due to nearby Mud Creek, Tonawanda Creek, ponds, and springs, there was plenty of water on or near his farm for all their needs. If he moved to his Fisk Rd farm early in the year he may have been able to plant enough crops for the winter. If not he may have bartered for or purchased what he needed. With a small general store near their church in Wolcottsville they could get some things they couldn't grow or make themselves, or they did without.

As Jessie Lee, a fellow German immigrant granddaughter, wrote in her rural farming life essay, every day "Everyone worked from early morning to dark" to help the family survive. Jessie's essay is likely a fairly accurate description of how Frederick's family lived daily even though it was nearly 50 years after Frederick immigrated.

Frederick and his family paid no taxes or had any expenses beyond their occasional general store purchases but also had no regular income. Their farm was everything to them. With extra work and careful management, Frederick might have grown additional crops to sell, especially since the nearby canal and railroads provided market opportunities. Frederick's sons were sometimes full and part-time carpenters which may have helped augment the family's income.

All of Frederick and Ernestine's children were farmers like their parents at least at the start of their marriages, and some were their entire life. Fourteen (14) of their twenty-three (23) surviving grandchildren also farmed. Many of their great-grandchildren were raised on a farm, but most left rural Royalton and moved to a city (mainly Lockport) to work at a factory.

So, Frederick and Ernestine arrived in America with little money and no employable skills. Their first farm (on Fisk Rd) might've been rented initially (rents were $1 or less monthly for some properties). It's also possible they may have been granted the land by Anson Wolcott's trustees of Frederick Moll, Christian Moll, Frederick Welland, and Carl Martins (see Historic & Current Locations).

Regardless, after initially building a crude log cabin to live in, it took Frederick a little over a decade to move to a bigger farm with another log cabin, and several years more to build a frame house with the help of his sons. Before getting married, their daughters except Wilhemina, worked as domestic servants in other families' homes. This might have indicated that Frederick and Ernestine struggled economically most of their lives. Not uncommon for nineteenth-century immigrant farmers.

►Domestic Servants: click to show/hide

Domestic servants usually lived with the employing family, performing a multitude of household tasks (such as laundry, ironing, cooking, cleaning, and serving) in exchange for a modest wage plus room and board. Domestic workers were usually young, single women from working-class families whose terms of service lasted until marriage. While comparable or superior in pay to other jobs open to poor, uneducated females, domestic work attracted few native-born women because of the long hours, low status, lack of freedom, and close supervision. Consequently, domestic servants often came from the ranks of the most desperate members of the community, either those too poor to pay for housing or those excluded from other vocations. In late nineteenth-century Chicago, domestic work was increasingly performed by Irish, German, Scandinavian, and Polish women.

At least three (3) young Kleinhans daughters were found in the US Census records as "servants" with another family meaning they were employed as domestic servants or live-in maids.

Domestic servant wages were so modest that even moderately well-off farmers could afford to hire one. The job typically included room and board which almost certainly helped the parents by saving them the resources used by their daughter living at home. Although monetarily practical and possibly necessary for some families at times, this likely wasn't an easy decision for a young girl to make having to leave home, live with another family, and be constantly at their beck and call with the limited ability to leave.

Since three (3) of Frederick's daughters were (domestic) servants Frederick and Ernestine possibly weren't overly prosperous. Or, they were stubborn, strict parents who insisted on their children working. Or, it was something in-between. Their daughters weren't working for snobby upper/middle-class families in 1890 Chicago. They were most likely working for other German immigrant families who attended the same church which might have made it far less harsh.

►Lockport Factories: click to show/hide

Many descendants of Federick Kleinhans left their rural farms and moved to Lockport to work in factories. For example two of Federick's oldest grandchildren Louise (Jago) with her husband Thomes Harper, and Augusta (Jago) with her husband Gilbert Richardson lived in Lockport. Their husbands worked at various factories in the city. Their children also ended up living and working in the city. Some other great-grandchildren also left their parents' farms and moved to Lockport. A couple of August Kleinhans' children moved to Akron instead although they didn't work at factories. Three of Lockport's historic factories are shown below.

The following is an excerpt from the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal May 4, 2013 CANAL DISCOVERIES: Hydraulic power attracted business:

This was the beginning of a great waterpower story that was responsible for the immense growth of commerce and industry for Lockport and Niagara County. The story of the hydraulic power in Lockport was always filled with controversy. From the beginning to the end, over one hundred years apart, there were battles over who was the legal owner to the waterpower.

First came the milling industries, with Lyman Spalding, the original landowner, building a seven-story mill. Other mills were built by Jabez Pomeroy, William Bass, Otis Hathaway, N.H. Wolf, Thornton & Chester, Mr. Thompson, Edward Bissell, C.G. Jones, WP. Daniels, Douglas & Jackson and the Franklin Mills. There were scores of milling businesses associated with early Lockport.

Heavier industry also followed: The Holly Company of Birdsall Holly (steam heat and fire equipment), International Pump, the Richmond Mfg. Co. (flour milling machinery), Lockport Pulp Co. (paper mill), Niagara Paper, Westerman & Co. (iron goods), United Indurated Fiber (containers), Cowles Aluminum & Electric Smelting, William Cocker Saw Co., Trevor & Penfield Tackle Blocks, Tarbox & Co., Boston & Lockport Block, Western Block (block and tackle), Neil Bros. & Brooks (straw wrapping paper), Lockport Paper Co., Traders Paper Co., United Box Board, American District Steam, Niagara Preserving Co. (cannery), Erie Preserving Co., Niagara Stave Co., Lockport Glass Works, A.J. Mansfield Glass, Oliver Bed Factory, Lockport Cotton Batting, Niagara Cotton Batting, New York Cotton Batting, Gardner Foundry, Hall Iron Works, Drew Foundry, Bramley Bros. Foundry, McKim Furniture, Dumville Shirt Co, Sillesky Shirt Co., Tothill Shirt Co., Field Force Pump Co. (fruit tree sprayers), Empire Mfg.(cotton hose and surgical supplies), Merritt Mfg. (woodworking equipment), E.H. Feree (aluminum goods), Niagara Textile (cloth goods), Evans & Liddle Brooms, Bronson Carriages, Lockport Basket Works, Norman & Evans (derricks, dredges, and merry-go-rounds), Turner & Graham Wooden Boxes, Morgan Bros. Boats, A.S. Finn Boats, H.F. Cady Boats, and Merchants Gargling Oil.

This list just presents the tip of the iceberg for manufacturing and industry around the canal at Lockport. These industries all owed their existence to the Erie Canal. The list of merchants that sold retail products, such as grocers and dry goods, etc., would far surpass this list, several times over. Also not included in this list are services and professionals, doctors, lawyers, and countless others.

The Holly Manufacturing Company 1858-1916, circa 1880

In 1859 Ex New York Governor Washington Hunt, and the Hon. T.T. Flagler, ex-NY Congressman recognized the ability of Birdsill Holly and induced him to take charge of their machine works in Lockport. The Holly Company was organized on May 2, 1859. T. T. Flagler, (Southern Florida Railway, Flagler Banks); was elected President, with a capital stock of $20,000. The company engaged in the manufacture of sewing machines, pumps and hydraulic machinery.

The Buffalo Times (March 29, 1903)

The former Harrison Radiator building on Lockport’s Canal Street, pre-1913. William Penn at age 22/23 (born in 1889) likely worked in this factory in 1912.

►Harrison Canal St Factory: click to show/hide

Niagara Falls Gazette May 28, 2016 NIAGARA DISCOVERIES:

As mentioned in previous columns, the inspiration for some of these articles comes from the readers themselves. It was recently suggested that a column be devoted to the history of the former Harrison Radiator building on Canal Street (renamed Richmond Avenue from 1899 – 2005). The reader even shared his own research which was very much appreciated.

The history of 57 – 61 Canal St. began about 1876 when Samuel R. Talbot opened a carriage factory at that location. At the time Talbot set up his shop (he had previously been a partner with James Blackmore at West and New Main streets, the previous location of the Bronson Carriage Co.), this block of Canal Street between Niagara and Ontario Streets was home to the Hovey Hotel, Williams & Co. Livery Stables and several other small enterprises.

Talbot was in business until 1889 when he died of an accidental overdose of morphine. The contents of his shop were sold at public auction. A year later another carriage manufacturing company, Hoover & Davis, moved into Talbot’s former location. They were there until 1896 when the business moved around the corner to Ontario Street. George Crissy then ran a livery stable there from 1897 to 1901.

In 1902, Byron Covert, who had a bicycle shop on Market Street, moved his operations to 57-61 Richmond Ave. He soon gave up making bicycles and turned his attention to making horseless carriages. After experimenting for a few years, Covert was finally ready to sell his new car. In 1903 he issued a catalogue detailing the kinds of cars he was manufacturing. The Motorette was described as a “light gasoline runabout…the most practical and efficient vehicle of its class.” The car could go up to 20 MPH and the asking price was $500. For an extra $35 you could get a reverse gear.

A second car was advertised in the catalogue as “The Chainless.” This car had a steering column for shifting gears rather than a tiller (lever) on the right side. The Chainless sold for $750. At about this same time, Covert began experimenting with methods to prevent car engines from overheating. In 1910, Covert sold his shop on Richmond Avenue to a man named Herbert C. Harrison who perfected the method of cooling engines and started the Harrison Radiator Co.

In March 1911, Harrison Radiator sold its first cooling unit followed by 130 more that year. The next year they manufactured over 2,200 radiators for sale all over the United States. It was soon obvious that the Richmond Avenue building was inadequate for production of the growing demand for radiators. In 1913, the company moved to the former American District Steam building on Elm near South Street. The following year, the E.H. Ferree Co. relocated their operations to 57-61 Richmond Ave.

According to the 1914 Lockport City Directory, the Ferree Company sold “notions and hardware.” They actually manufactured leather goods and items such as wallets, cigarette cases, coin purses, combs and other small items.

In 1938, it was their wallets that caused something of a debacle for the federal government. Inside each wallet was a fake Social Security card with the name “John Doe” and clearly marked “sample.” What wasn’t fake was the number used on the card; it actually belonged to one of the employees and was used without her knowledge or permission. Thousands of people who purchased the wallets began to use that number as their own Social Security number. It took the Social Security Administration years to sort out the mess. The employee was eventually issued a new card with a new number.

Despite the fiasco, the E.H. Ferree Co. continued in business until 1955. The Richmond Avenue address was then occupied by Licata Brothers Restaurant Supply from 1958 to 1977, and was the Lockport Senior Extension Building from 1978 to 1996. The property stood vacant for a number of years until it became the TREK Technology Center in 2011. TREK, Inc. is a worldwide leading supplier of electrostatic measurement and high-voltage generation and control equipment.

From carriage shop to auto parts manufacturing and assembly, and from leather factory to high tech company, the building at 57-61 Canal St. still retains three of its original stone walls as evidence of its humble beginnings in the late 19th century.

Ann Marie Linnabery is the assistant director of the History Center of Niagara.

Polster Photos - Nioga Library System, Lockport Public Library

1949 Harrison Radiator Division of General Motors Corp., Plant 1, aerial view looking southeast. In 1950, Norman and Kathleen Kleinhans lived at 171 Washburn St (identified above). Their house was demolished to make room for a parking lot sometime between 1980 and 1990. By 1910, Augusta (Jago) and Gilbert Richardson lived at 127 Washburn St. approximately across from the high school above to the east. Also in 1910 Louise (Jago) and Thomas Harper lived at 26 Evans St. near the center-top of this picture off of Washburn St. within walking distance of her sister Augusta's house. Nearly everything north of the Harrison plant in this photo except for the Palace Theater was demolished and replaced. Most of the houses to the south and east of the Harrison plant are still standing.

1959 Harrison Radiator Division of General Motors Corp., Plant 1, aerial view looking southwest. The old high school was gone, but the Palace Theater was still in business. The Harrison Radiator building (Harrison Place), the Bell Telephone (Verizon) building, and the Simonds Saw/Steel plant (currently ATI Allvac Ltd.) are still there today.

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