William
Mensch was an entrepreneur. A German immigrant, he arrived in New York two days
before his 17th birthday.1 By the end of his rather short
life he had owned a series of businesses ranging from selling groceries to
cleaning streets and hauling fill.
Johann Wilhelm
(William) Mensch2 was born on May 24, 1817,3,4 in
Neunkirchen near the border of Prussia and Bavaria. When he was about 16 years
old, his parents Valentin5 and Margaretha (Margaret) Walzer Mensch, took
their family to North America, settling in Buffalo, Erie County, New York in
1834.1
There is
little or no evidence of William’s activities during his first seven years in
Buffalo. The earliest record appears to be his marriage to Anna Catharina
Josephina Schanz6 on November 16, 1841, in St. John's Evangelical
and Lutheran Church, Buffalo.6 Anna, the daughter of Jacob Schanz,6
was born in Buffalo about April 12, 1820.7
Their brief
marriage produced two sons, William, born on September 12, 1842,8
and Frederick Carl, born on September 18, 1843.9 Both boys were born
in Buffalo. Frederick Carl lived less than eight months, dying on May 3, 1844.10
His mother Anna followed him in death on March 13, 1845,7 when she
was only 24 years old.
As a
widower with a son under two years old, William had reason to seek another
wife, but he did not remarry for over three years. On July 18, 1848, he married
Caroline Smith11 (or Carolina Schmidt12) in Buffalo.
Caroline,[1] the
daughter of Jacob Smith/Schmidt, was born in Alsace in 1826 or 1827.13,14,15,16
William and Caroline had at least eight children,[2] including:
Charles F. Mensch,17 born in Buffalo
on May 13, 1849,15 and died there on August 20, 1937.15
Jacob L. Mensch,17
born in Buffalo on August 7, 1850,15,17 and died there on May 29, 1929.15
Carolina Catharina (Caroline)
Mensch, born in Buffalo on December 3, 1851,18 and christened
in St. John's Evangelical and Lutheran Church on 17 July 17 1853.18 Based
on census and probate records, she likely died between 1860 and 1864.19,20
Louise Catherine Mensch, born
in Buffalo on March 20, 185311,21 and christened in St. John's
Evangelical and Lutheran Church on July 17, 1853.21 She married
Richard LeBert in Buffalo on February 14, 1884,22 and in died Long
Beach, Los Angeles County, California on April 6, 1940.23
Frances (Fanny) Ellen Mensch, born
in Buffalo in October 185415,19 and died there of consumption on June
21, 1877.15 She was buried in the family plot in Forest Lawn
Cemetery.15
Henrietta (Etta) Mensch, born in
Buffalo on May 31, 1857.3 On March 10, 1894, she married Albert Gros,
a chemist,24 in Niagara Falls, New York.25 They lived in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she died on
November 27, 1919.26 They had no children. Alfred died in
Philadelphia on November 16, 1938.27
Emma Mensch,[3]
born in Buffalo in July 1858.19 On September 1, 1880, she married
Robert J. Atkins in Buffalo,28,29 but the marriage did not last. Emma
and Robert had two children, Frances (born September 20, 1881)30,31
and Henrietta Louise (born January
8, 1883 and died at the age of eight months).32 By 1905, Emma was living with her married daughter
Frances Moore in Atlantic City, New Jersey.33 She remained in the
area for the rest of her life, dying in Margate, City, Atlantic County, New
Jersey on August 18, 1946.34,35
Frederick S. Mensch, born
in Buffalo, presumably in 1859. The 1860 census, which was taken on June 30,
records his age as 9/12, which would put his birthdate in September 1859.19
However, the Forest Lawn Cemetery records
his birthdate as November 10, 1858.15 In about 1882, Frederick
married Delia Butler. He died in Buffalo of consumption on April 19, 1907.15
The first clear
evidence of William’s business interests is his appearance in the 1849-50 Buffalo
City Directory, where he is listed as having both a home and grocery at 3
East Genesee.36 A similar listing appears in the 1850-51 directory.37
The 1850 census also showed William’s occupation as “grocer.”13 However,
William sold more than typical groceries. By 1852, the Commercial Advertiser
Directory showed William as a clothier.38 The 1855 New York
State Census similarly listed his occupation as “clothing,”39 and an
article in Buffalo Daily Dispatch and Evening Post (March 9, 1850) discussed
William Mensch, owner of a tin and hardware store.40 In addition, a
list of goods arriving at the Port of Buffalo in 1847 included 11,028 lbs. of
grindstones for William Mensch.41 He earned further revenue by
renting a lot he owned for the storage of unslaked lime.42
During his
period as a store proprietor William was involved in a painful accident. The Buffalo
Daily Dispatch and Evening Post (March 9, 1850)40 described it
thus:
It appears that Mr. William
Mensch, a very worthy German, who keeps a tin and hardware store on Genesee street
near Main, Patrick Burns, a laborer, employed by Moses Baker, Esq., and a boy about 14 , a clerk of Mr.
Mensch, were in the store examining some percussion caps and trying them with a
gun. Of a sudden a number of them ignited; an explosion followed, which
severely injured Mr. Mensch and Burns and slightly the boy. The eyes, hands,
face, and nearly every part of Burns and Mensch were horribly burned and cut.
The front window of the store was shivered to pieces and part of the counter
blown up. Dr. Peabody was called in and attended the sufferers, who, although
seriously injured, will undoubtedly survive.
William not
only survived but flourished. By 1860, he had undertaken a new enterprise. He
was a teamster, or more appropriately, the owner of a company that employed
teamsters. He had three teamsters living in his home.3
In the 19th
century, teamsters drove wagons drawn by teams of horses to transport goods and
materials. William’s teaming business focused on moving earth and similar
materials, especially removing dust and manure from the city streets. In February
1859, he was the low bidder on a contract for cleaning paved streets and alleys
until January 1, 1860. The Buffalo Courier (February 22, 1859) showed his
bid as $3,800 compared with three other bids ranging from $3,950 to $4,000.43
However, The Buffalo Commercial (March 8, 1859) reported
that he received a contract for $2,800,44 which appears to be an
error. He was paid $380.05 for work under the contract during July 1859,45
which is consistent with the monthly payment on a 10-month contract for $3,800.
In 1860, William’s brother-in-law Joseph Widmer won the street cleaning
contract bidding $2,800 to William’s $3,000.46 However, he later assigned
the work to William,47 who continued to receive contracts for street
cleaning at least through 1863.48
William’s income was not limited to the proceeds of street cleaning
contracts. Rather, he generated income from the material his company removed
from the streets. He began placing advertisements like the one below in the
local newspapers.
William’s
business included providing fill for various municipal projects. He received a
contract from the Street Commissioner to provide fill associated with bridge
construction on Little Buffalo Creek for which he was paid 18 cents per cubic
yard. This contract specified that the filling be done with “good clean
earth or gravel and not with manure or street dirt.”49,50 His company also filled the Pest House lot.51
Beyond simply providing fill, the company undertook other municipal projects,
including repairs to Rogers Street52 and constructing a
sidewalk on Carolina Street.53
William’s
life was not entirely devoted to work. He was a naturalized U.S. citizen39
and actively involved in politics. He first became active as a Whig. When the
Whig party began to collapse, he participated as a Republican. In 1848, William
was appointed to the Whig Vigilance Committee[4]
representing the Western District of the 4th Ward, a position he held at least
through 1852.54,55,56 In 1862, he was one of the 4th Ward’s
delegates to Republican Union City Convention.58
Through his
business interests William prospered. In 1850, he owned property valued at
$1,000.13 In 1855, his home was worth $4,000.39 By 1860, in
addition to the house he had personal property valued at $500, and his family
included a servant.3
Like his
father, William did not live long to enjoy his prosperity. He died of
consumption59 in Buffalo on September 30, 1864.15,59 On
October 2, he was buried in Section S, Lot 57 of Forest Lawn Cemetery, where he
was one of the original lot holders.60 He left behind a widow and seven
minor children. Charles B. Guthrie, an attorney with the firm Hubbell and
Guthrie, was appointed special guardian for his minor children.61
Source Citations
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11. LeBert, Richard, Louise Mensch LeBert
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Erie Co. NY, Ward 23, Enumeration District 194, Sheet 1. Completed 1 June 1900. US Census images online at www.ancestry.com.
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Cemetery (Genealogy data transcribed from cemetery records by Ed Dibble,
January 2003).
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Erie, New York, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Section S Lot 57 South Part 1. Photograph
taken by Annette Smith. Another photograph available at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45715013/carolina_mensch#source.
17. 1880 Census Buffalo, Erie Co., NY,
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Christina Mensch baptism, 1853.
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Courier, 15 Feb 1884, page 4.
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Services, “Certificate of Death - Louise C. LeBert” (District No. 1903,
Registrar's number 521, issued April 9, 1940. Photocopy issued Jan. 19, 1982.).
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[1]
Her birth date calculated from her death certificate is July 18, 1826, which
suggests that she was married on her birthday. However, her gravestone says
that she was born on August 30, 1827. According to the 1900 census, she was
born in August 1826. It is possible that the person reporting her death mixed
up her birthday with her wedding day.
[2]
The 1900 census shows that Caroline was the mother of nine children. It is
unclear whether this number includes her stepson William, Jr. If not, the ninth
child must have been born and died between censuses.
[3]
Month (July) is from the 1900 Census, which says Emma was born in 1859. This is
impossible based on the 1860 census, which shows her as being 2 years old and
her brother Frederick as being 9/12. The census was taken in June, so it's
possible that she actually was born in 1857.
[4]
The primary purpose of this committee was to detect voter fraud, although
committee members also may have been charged with encouraging Whig supporters
to vote.57
