Chart #183 (gedcom)
Chart #183 (text)
History and Research
FrenchÕs Mustard History
FrenchÕs Mustard Homepage
Wikipedia Encyclopedia of FrenchÕs Mustard
ÒDining DelightsÓ 1948 Cookbook by Carol French
R. T. French Products
Chronology of R. T. French Co.
First Generation
Second Generation
Third Generation
Fourth Generation
Fifth Generation
Carol
French
Cemetery Records
Chart Index
In Appreciation
The FFA wants to thank Jan Rieke
for her tremendous help on this line. She not only researched most of the data,
but also submitted various photos and scanned other Òhard-to-seeÓ xeroxed photos that are shown below.
The FFA would also like to thank Priscilla Cummings for her
untiring research of documents for this line. I met Priscilla in a very unusual
way. A lady friend of mine in Northern California is a relative of Priscilla.
My friend told me that she saw a small box at PriscillaÕs house with the name
ÒFrenchÓ on it, and lo and behold, Priscilla is on my own chart, Chart #6, but
she helped me out greatly with the FrenchÕs Mustard line out of sheer
enjoyment.
History and Research
Chart
#188 of New Jersey has descendants with the names Rapplyea,
Voorhees and Manning, but no Bond nor Van Pelt family. Chart #183 is also from
New Jersey, but so far there has been no tie between the two charts. The
earliest ancestor from this line is the grandfather of FrenchÕs Mustard
inventor Robert T. French. His name is also Robert French, born 24 Apr 1766 in New
Brunswick, Middlesex Co., New Jersey. Most likely, this chart connects with FFA
Chart #131.
French's Mustard early delivery truck, a Rochester-made Seldon
FrenchÕs Mustard History
In 1885 Rochester was a bustling community of 90,000 people
when Robert T. French moved his operations from the burned out plant in
Fairport to BrownÕs Race adjacent to the Genesee River. The city at that time
was still a center of flour milling [6].
From Robert T. French's vision in 1880 of a family run spice
mill has come a nationwide enterprise of 2,500 employees in 1980, and a brand
name that is known and respected by tens of millions of Americans, starting
with a mustard seed. Robert Timothy French's trade was spices of all kinds. The
founder's eldest son, George Jackson French, with substantial help from his
brother Francis, provided the drive and vision that propelled the firm into the
forefront of America's flavor market [6].
The Selden truck in this photo was occupied by the
German-Americans in the photo, and was made by Rochester's only automotive
pioneer [6].
There was no way for Robert French to know that in the same
year, 1880, an obscure bank clerk named George Eastman started a photographic
business a scant block from R. T. French's later location in Rochester, NY.
Both Kodak and French's Mustard became household names. R. T. French did not
live to celebrate this success, but his sons did. Francis Jackson French was
barely a teenager when his elder brother, George, was taken into the firm. R.
T. French lived to see the company through a crucial initial period. It was
George who took the firm from tenuous survival status to the grounds of solid
success. George French was the only one of the brothers to go without a college
degree, although he took some classes. Robert and Edward (Ned) became
physicians; Francis majored in chemistry, a background which
proved useful as he grew into the spice business. George's higher education was
confined almost entirely to the School of Hard Knocks whose lack of
specialization proved to be an asset. Unlettered by an academic specialty, he
became something of a Renaissance Man in his business, equally adept at
busying, selling, production, housekeeping, and finance. Through voracious
reading, in later years he also became a man interested in the world at large
[6].
R.T. French Company
Presidents
Robert T. French 1880-1893
George J. French 1893-1926
Francis French 1926-1942
The French's former annex plant on Rochester's Alphonse
St. in "Dutchtown" section, photo dated
1917.
Chronology of R. T. French Co.
The R.T. French company
is now owned by Reckitt Benckiser PLC, a British
Company, bought in 2005. New Jersey-based Reckitt
Benckiser Inc.
The company that produces French's
mustard is neither owned by French interests nor headquartered in France,
however. French's corporate parent is actually a British firm, Reckitt
Benckiser PLC; the popular mustard brand is designated "French's"
because it was originally a product of the American firm R.T. French Company,
named for its founder, Robert T. French.
1942 French's Bird Seed and Bird Biscuit
ad shows it is also owned by The R. T. French Company, 2471 Mustard
Street, Rochester, NY [4].
1920. R. T. French Co. introduces power
machinery and becomes one of the largest food producers in the world [4].
1912. R. T. French Co. moves into city,
and locates factory at One Mustard Street, Rochester, NY [4].
1904. FrenchÕs Mustard discovered at the
St. Louis WorldÕs Fair the same year that the hot dog was introduced [5].
1893. R. T. French dies and brothers
George and Francis take over the business [5].
1883. Three year old R. T. French Co.,
started by spice trader Robert French and his brother George French, moves from
New York City to Fairport. R. T. French Co. sends the first prepared mustard to
St. Louis World's Fair. Created as a salad dressing, it is paired with another
new food, the hot dog, and becomes an instant success [4].
First Generation
1.1* Robert French was born 24 Apr 1766 in New Brunswick,
Middlesex Co., NJ, and died October 24, 1824 in Genoa, Cayuga County, NY, age
58. He shows up in Piscataway, NJ on the military census of 1793
which gave his age as 27 at that time [3].
Robert m1. Jane Rapplyea (Rapleyea) and had 3 daughters. Jane was b. 1774 in Bernard
Township, Somerset Co., NJ. Jane either died or remained in NJ and Robert
remarried and moved to NY. Jane RapplyeaÕs relatives
may have been Jerome Rappleyea and Jane Voorhees who
married Dec 1, 1809 in Somerset
Co., NJ and lived there between 1795-1879.
Robert m2. Rachel Manning Bond ca. 1797 in New Jersey,
daughter of John Manning and Sarah Van Pelt and had 5 children. Rachel d. 4 Aug
1862 at 88 ½ years old and is buried at the Breesport Baptist Cemetery in Horseheads, Chemung Co., NY. Rachel was first married to
Isaac Bond.
Robert was a native of New Jersey, a steady and industrious
man of good principles and followed the avocation of a carpenter. He was a
steady industrious man of good principles. In 1806 after his second marriage,
the family moved to Cayuga County NY, where he purchased a farm, on which he
resided until his death. Robert lived in Genoa, Cayuga Co., NY in 1820, and
Sarah Manning was also living there in a separate household where he died 4
years later. Sarah Manning m1. Daniel Cooper, m2. Robard (Robert) French.
Robert FrenchÕs gravestone at West Genoa Cemetery, Kings
Ferry, knocked to its side.
Robert was buried in King
Ferry Cemetery, Genoa, Cayuga County NY. He was a
Yeoman and a Carpenter. His will dated 28 Sep 1824 was probated 24 Mar 1825,
mentions his wife Rachel and sons John M. and Philip, and daughters Betsey Van Narstrand or Van Nostrand, Polly Brocaw and Harriet Brocaw.
Executors were Caleb J. Brocaw (RobertÕs son-in-law)
and John M. French, and witnesses were Munson Brockitt,
Elijah Drake and Bartlett H. Halsey. There was also a record of Robert French
in 1793 (aged 27), in the Piscataway, Middlesex County, NJ citizen rolls and an
Isaac Brocaw (aged 34). RobertÕs first wife: Jane (Rapplyea / Rapleyea) FrenchÕs
father, Nathanial Rapleyea owned land in 1810 in
Benton, Ontario County NY (by Steuben County). RobertÕs second wife: Rachel's
first husband was a Bond, by which she had a daughter Sarah Bond.
John Manning, b. 1734, mentions in his will, daughter, Rachel French, to have her part put to
interest and paid her yearly until her 2 sons, John French and Philip French,
come of age, when they are to receive out of their mother's dowry, each $250.
Should daughter, Rachel French, become a widow, before sons come of age then
her dowry to be paid her: or if a reformation takes place in her husband, Robard French, and said sons die, the said dowry to be paid
them. Executors-Samuel F. Randolph and Elijah Smith. Witnesses-Benjamin
Jennings, John Peniton, William Compton. Proved July
17, 1804. Unrecorded. It is not known if Robert and Robard
were the same person.
Somerset Co.,
NJ, Marriages
Jerome Rappleyea & Jane Voorhees, 1 Dec 1809
Abraham VanVoorhees & Jane Rappleyea,
14 Jul 1803
Second Generation
Child of Robert and Jane (Rapleyea)
French, 1.1
2.1 Marg French, b. 15 May 1792;
lived in Schyler Co., NY and was of the Dutch Reform
Church, d. Hector, Schyler County, NJ on 14 Mar 1863.
She married CALEB J. BROKAW of Millstone, Somerset Co., NJ
in 1813. In 1824 the Caleb family moved to Cayuga County, NY. Children of MARG
FRENCH and CALEB BROKAW are: JOHN BROKAW, b. 1813; ANN ELIZA BROKAW, b. July 2,
1815; ISAAC BROKAW, b. September 7, 1817; JANE RAPPLYEA BROKAW, b. July 23,
1819; LAMBERT BROKAW, b. May 28, 1822; PHILIP FRENCH BROKAW, b. 1825; and
ROBERT M. BROKAW, b. February 24, 1827, and maybe a SARAH ESTHER BROCAW b. 1828.
Caleb I. Brokaw, buried at the King Ferry
Cemetery, Genoa, Cayuga County NY.
2.2 Betsey (Elizabeth) French, b. ca. 1793; m. a VAN
NARSTRAND. A Bridgewater Twsp, (Somerset County) will
of Christopher Van Norstrand, dated May 10, 1804
names nephew, Gilbert A. Lane and Jacob Van Norstrand,
son of my brother Jacob. Betsey was of the Dutch Reform Church in Millstone, on
the border of Somerset and Middlesex Counties.
2.3 Mary (Polly) French, b. ca. 1794; m. CALEB J. BROCAW.
She lived in Hector, NY, which was Tompkins Co, but became Schyler
Co. She d. in Rochester, Monroe Co., NY.
Children of Robert and Rachel Manning (Bond) French, 1.1
2.4* John Manning French, b. July 11, 1798, New Brunswick,
NJ. He married SARAH HERRINGTON in either 1819 or 1823 in Canandaigua, New
York. John M. French was one of the first settlers of Lansing, Michigan in the
township of Aurelius. He was born in NJ, grew up in Cayuga County NY, and left
home at 18 to acquire a trade. He apprenticed himself to a tanner and currier,
and completed his indentures about the time he was twenty-one years of age. He
then worked as a journeyman in various towns, and in 1820 entered the employ of
Mr. Tillman. The following year they formed a co-partnership and commenced
business in Canandaigua, NY. From Canandaigua he went to Seneca Falls, NY,
where having dissolved partnership with Mr. Tillman, he took charge of his
business. After several changes of location he went to Ludlowville,
Tompkins County, NY, where he made the acquaintance of Joseph L. Huntington,
and between the two a warm friendship sprang up, which continued unbroken for
over forty years. In 1838 the two resolved to come west. Mr. French had
disposed of his property for lands in the towns of Aurelius and Onondaga,
Michigan. They arrived in April 1838, and Mr. French immediately commenced to
prepare for the coming of his family, which he had left behind. He built a log
house, cleared and sowed thirty acres to wheat, and in the autumn of that year
returned for his family. The following spring he made a permanent settlement.
He resided in Aurelius until his removal to Lansing in 1866 where he resided
until his death. He was prominently identified with the development of
Aurelius. He served the town as its supervisor and in 1842 was elected to the
representative branch of the Legislature. He acquired a competency and
perfected a valuable record as a citizen. Although he always shrunk from
prominence and led a quiet home-life, still, throughout the length and breadth
of Ingham County (MI) he is known as one of its founders, and his name is
associated with the best men that the county has produced.
Photo
Reference
Another
record says that John M. French was born in Essex Co., NJ in 1798, settled
on section 31 in the township of Aurelius, April 29, 1838. During the first ten
years of their residence in the county, Mr. and Mrs. French lost three of their
children. He was the town supervisor of Aurelius and a representative of the
Legislature. He was also a pioneer of Lansing, Ingham Co., MI.
Another
record says that John M. French was a representative from Ingham Co., in
1842, was born in New Brunswick, NJ on 11 Jul 1798, and removed to western New
York in 1806, there learned the trade of a tanner, and was in that business in
several places. He settled in Aurelius, MI, as a farmer in 1838, and held
several offices, including that of supervisor. He resided in Lansing, MI, since
1866. At the legislative reunion in 1886, he was the oldest person present. In
politics, he was a Democrat.
Sarah Herrington was born near Albany NY and from
Canandaigua NY. They married in New York in 1823 and then moved with her
husband and children to Michigan in 1839.
2.5* Philip French, b. 1802 in perhaps Bernard Township, New
Jersey; d. 1873-1879, Washington Heights, IL. He m1. JULIA CAROLINE WALKER
before 1827 in New York. He m2. AMANDA BARBER 1868-1870 in
Elmira NY or Chicago IL. When Phillip and Julia moved from Ludlowville, Tompkins Co., NY, to Elmira, Chemung County,
NY, Phillip's mother Rachel French moved from Ludlowville
to Southport, sometimes staying with Swazees and
sometimes with Smokes, all New Jersey people.
The following information is from Joyce TiceÕs website: http://www.joycetice.com/families/barber.htm
Phillip was a wealthy Chicago businessman who made his
money selling furniture. The 1870 census listed him as a 66
year old spring board manufacturer, born in New York. It lists his wife
Amanda as 26 years old and also born in New York. Family notes report that he
was a very wealthy man who lost most all of his fortune during the Chicago Fire
the second week of October 1871. He and Amanda lived in Washington Heights,
Calumet Township, Chicago. Washington Heights was a
German community between 95th Street and 103rd Street, now considered South
Chicago. It emerged between 1860-1873 as an elaborate suburban development
engineered by the Blue Island Land and Building Company. The census also shows
a nine-year old girl named Lizzie Goodrich lived with them, very possibly
Amanda's niece (as her sister Harriet married John Goodrich). Lizzie was also
born in New York. Amanda was listed as a widow with a seven-year old daughter
(H.E. French) in the 1880 census.
Phillip and his first wife (and 8 children) lived in Ludlowville (Tompkins County) NY from 1834 to ca. 1856
according to Deed Records and his mother Rachel is listed there in both 1854
and 1859. The town directory of Elmira, Chemung Co., NY, shows he lived there
in 1857. His son Robert was born in Ithaca, Tompkins Co., NY in 1828. Tompkins
Co. NY changed to Chemung Co in 1851. Julia C. Walker later married James H.
Harris on 7 Apr 1851 in Somerset Co., NJ.
The book "History of Early Chicago - Modern
Chicago and its Settlements" by Albert D. Hager (p. 628), lists Philip
French as one of the Washington Heights Justices (1874-1881).
The 1850 Lansing, Thompkins,
NY Census shows Philip (48 b. NJ), Julia C. (45 B. Con), Philip, jr. (15 b. Thompkins), Edson (13 b. Thompkins), Julia C.
(11 b. Thompkins), Horace C. (9 b. Thompkins), John (6 b. Thompkins),
Hannah Walker (60 b. Con), and Margaret ??und (19, b. Thompkins). In 1855,
son Philip is listed as 20, but there is also a boarder named Philip French,
aged 21 b. Tompkins living with them).
Amanda BarberÕs parents were born in Pennsylvania, and must
have then moved to New York, where Amanda was born. Amanda moved to Illinois in
1870. Her husband Philip was 40+ years older than her. She survived her husband
for only a couple of years caring for her young daughter alone. Amanda had
cancer of the arteries for two years and after ten days of complications (blood
abcess) she died. Amanda was buried at Mt. Greenwood
cemetery, 111th St. & California, South Chicago, in an unmarked grave. Her
orphaned daughter, Evangeline Harriet went to live at a Catholic Convent, the
Institute of Our Lady in Chicago, for ten years until she turned 18.
The 1868 Elmira NY Directory lists Philip French living with
his son E. M. French, Dentist and also the following Barbers:
Miss Mary Barber & Amanda Barber, dress
makers, Water cor College Avenue
E. L. Barber & James M. Barber, masons, 38 Market
Benj. Barber Jr. traveling agent, boards at 17 William
Abbott Barber, mason, 233 Church
Family records show that Amanda came from a large family.
Some of her sisters were Harriet (married John Goodrich), Ella (married Chas
Brownell) and Elizabeth (married Jim Brownell).
2.6 Harriet M. French, b. 30 Mar 1815 in
NJ, m. a BROCAW. She went to Michigan in 1850 and lived next to John M.
French, her brother, but they moved back to NY by 1860, to Horseheads,
Chemung Co., NY, instead of Tompkins Co. Rachel, her mother, joined them when
they returned. Harriet m. Joseph Sweazy
or Sweezey who was b. 1812. They had 3
children, Alvin Sweezey b. 1841; Mary Sweezey b. 1844; Eliza A. Sweezey,
b. 1846. Another record says they had a fourth child, Byron O. Sweezey, b. Feb 1840 in Tompkins Co., NY. Harriet d. 15 Nov 1892 in Tioga Co., PA [7].
Third Generation
Children of John M. and Sarah (Herrington)
French, 2.4.
3.1 Frances French, b. February 12, 1820,
Genoa, Cayuga County, NY; d. February 12, 1830 (age 10), Genoa, Cayuga County,
NY. Frances was buried in Kings Ferry
Cemetery (Genoa NY).
3.2 Ellen French, d. July 27, 1829, Genoa,
Cayuga County, NY. Ellen was buried in Kings
Ferry Cemetery (Genoa NY) next to Caleb L. Brokaw (d. 9/1/1834, aged 41
years, 10 months and 20 days). Ellen's grave stone
reads ÒEllen, daughter of John M. and Sarah FrenchÓ.
3.3* John M. French, Jr., b. 1831, Genoa,
Cayuga County, NY; d. ca. 1880, Lansing, Michigan. He married ESTHER S.
or ESTHER A., who was b. in 1834. They had 2 children: Carrie M. and George S.
In the Michigan 1870 census John Jr. is listed with his family in Lansing Ward
2, Ingham, page 121, as a 39 year old lawyer, born in
New York. He was a representative member of the Michigan bar at the time of his
death, about 1880.
Children of Phillip and Julia (Walker) French, 2.5
3.4 Rodney L. French, b. March 20, 1827; d. December 23,
1846, Ludlowville, NY. Dewitt Historical society of
Tompkins County New York, Ithaca area, could only find a record of Rodney L.
French, son of Philip and Julia C. French who died Dec. 23, 1846, aged 19 yrs,
9 mos., 3 days. He was buried at Ludlowville
Cemetery, Town of Dryden, about 7 miles north of Ithaca.
3.5 Robert Timothy French, b. November 15,
1828, Ithaca or Ludlowville, Tompkins County, NY; d.
June 17, 1893, Rochester, Monroe Co, NY, buried at the Hope Cemetery in
Rochester, NY. He was the progenitor of the FrenchÕs Mustard Company. He
married FRANCES JACKSON ca. 1850. She was b. in 1833.
Robert Timothy French began his career as a New York spice
merchant in 1876. He ultimately started the R.T. French Spice Company of New
York City. Robert went to work for S. M. Beard's Company, tea, coffee, and
spice merchants, where he remained some 20 years. Besides George, the family
grew with Robert, Edward, and Francis. The dreams of Robert Sr. for his gifted
sons were beyond the modest scope of a mercantile clerk. It was in 1880 that
the birth of a New York City enterprise started with the name of R. T. French
& Son, because Robert's first born was taken into the firm. A few months
later, the name was changed to French, Jackson, & French. Jackson was an
in-law into whose quarters on Warren Street in Brooklyn the business was moved. His son George French's
Mustard at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair when hot dogs were invented at the
same time.
Born in or near Ithaca, New York, he appears to have worked
in his native territory for many years and then resettled in New York City to
work for S. M. Beard's Company who were tea, coffee and spice merchants. He
remained there for about 20 years. In 1876 he started a brokerage of his own,
and in 1880 the company R. T. French & Sons was born, because Robert's
first born, George, was taken into the firm. Just a few months later, the name
was changed to French, Jackson & French. Jackson, an in-law, had quarters
on Warren Street in Brooklyn, NY before moving to Rochester, NY.
Moved to Elmira, NY, ca. 1850. Most of RobertÕs adult life
was spent working as a salesman for a New York City wholesaler of coffee, tea,
and spices. The Ithaca, NY, native did not get around to forming his own
business until 1880. A short time later, he was joined by his
sons George and Francis, and in 1883 the firm was moved to Rochester,
NY, where it produced spices and other products including bird seed. It was
FrenchÕs son George who introduced the familyÕs famous mustard in 1904. Prior
to that time, American mustards were typically of the hotter-than-fire variety,
but the French brothers believed that there was an untapped market for a
lighter creamy condiment. As things turned out, their assumption proved to be
an accurate one; FrenchÕs Cream Salad Mustard was a success from the start. In
1912 the company built a new Rochester plant to keep up with the demand for its
product. Ten years later, a second factory was erected, and national
advertising was begun. When the R.T. French Company celebrated its centennial
in 1980, the firm was selling 500,000 jars of mustard a day.
This sign stands today where the R. T. French Co. began
milling spices in 1883. A fire in 1885 destroyed the plant causing it to move
to Rochester. The sign stands at the corner of N. Main St. and Railroad St. in
Fairport, NY. See website.
President of the R.T. French Spice Co., in
Rochester, NY. In 1857 he owned the company with his father and it was
called French & Co., grocers, 6 Lake St. in Elmira, NY. (from
the 1857 Elmira Directory). In Rochester, NY, in 1892 (just a year before Robert
T. died), he is listed in the directory under the company name French, Palmer,
& French. (R.T. French, J.G. Palmer, and George J. French, the latter being
his son.) They were baking powder, coffee, and spice manufacturers. They also
sold BrownÕs race ft. Furnace, building at 213
Alexander, Rochester, NY.
RobertÕs parents-in-law, Hiram W. and Lucy Jackson, where
living with him in NY in 1880.
Robert T. French died a married man. His death certificate
from Monroe Co., NY states his father as being Philip French and does not give
his motherÕs name. He died in Ward 12 of the hospital at 213 Alexander St.,
Rochester, Monroe Co., NY, where he had been a resident for 10 years. The death
certificate is signed by a Robert T. French Jr., M.D., heart failure, Septicaumia, Rheumatism, Endocaiditis. He is buried at _______ (illegible) in
the family plot 20/193 (almost illegible).
Information about Robert can be found in
the book Entrepreneurs Review, by Joseph J. Fucini.
3.6 Philip French, Jr., b. 1832 in Ludlowville,
Tompkins Co., NY, d. 19 Oct 1832 in Ludlowville in
infancy.
3.7* Philip French, Jr., b. 1835 in Ludlowville, NY. He was listed as a tinner or tinsmith who lived at 38 Orchard Road in the 1868
Elmira NY General Directory. He m. Aonela
Rider and d. 1886.
3.8* Edson M.
French, b. 1837 in Ludlowville, NY. He was a
dentist who lived at 61 Gray Street, Elmira NY in 1868. His father Philip, lived with him in 1868 according to the Elmira
General Directory. This was during the time after Philip's wife's death and before
he married Amanda Barber who was also listed in the directory as a dressmaker.
3.9 Julia Caroline French, b. 1839 in Ludlowville,
NY. Julia French was single when she died as a young lady.
3.10* Horace Chapin French, b. 1841 in Ludlowville,
NY. He moved to Elmira, NY ca. 1850.
3.11* John M. French, b. 1844 in Ludlowville, NY. He moved to Elmira, NY ca. 1850 [2].
3.12 William Edwin French, died
when young [2].
Child of Phillip and Amanda (Barber)
French, 2.5.
3.13 Evangeline Harriet French, b. March 17, 1874,
Washington Heights, near Chicago, IL; d. April 15, 1929, Southgate, CA. Both
her parents died when she was a young girl. She was raised in a Catholic
Orphanage in Chicago, IL for 8 years until she was 18 years old. She married
(1) CHAS L. BAYLANDER. She married (2) FRANK ALBERT CATCHPOOL January 01, 1894,
son of THOMPSON CATCHPOOL and ELIJA SACKET of Garden Prairie, IL. Her parents
died when she was 8 and 10 years old, so she went to live at a Catholic Convent
until she was 18 years old. She grew up in Washington Heights, Chicago, IL. In
a book "Robin Hood and His Merry Men", we found a dedicaton,
"To dear Eva from Mary", and in the back it said Mary Bogenhold, Institute of Our Lady, Washington Heights, IL,
December 25, 1886. See Joyce TiceÕs website: http://www.joycetice.com/families/barber.htm
Belvedere Daily Republic Obituary Feb. 1, 1909 –
Had Expected to Stay All Night. Frank Catchpool
changed his mind and went out into the storm that cost him his life - after
investigating the death of Frank Catchpool on
Saturday after a jury impaneled by Coroner Vance returned a verdict that he
came to his death by being thrown from his hay rack and the same falling upon
him while returning to his home at Garden Prairie, from Belvidere. It appears
that he was either stunned or possible killed outright by the heavy hay rack toppling over on him pinning him to the ground. The
rack was very heavy having been built for hauling baled hay. It is probable that
he was riding on the edge of the rack away from the wind with is back to the
wind, and occassionally jumping off and walking to
keep his blood in circulation, as the blizzard was sufficient to chill a
man...to the bone. His weight on the edge of the rack was sufficient to tip it
somewhat it is possible that at a moment when the wheels on that side went into
a rut; the gale sweeping across the open fields there caught under the tilted
rack, lifting it into the air and toppling it over catching the victim beneath
it. The rack was thrown free from the running gear of the wagon, leaving the
horses free to make their way to the home of Phil Lampert,
where they were found in the morning. When Mr. C.'s
body was found his feet and a part of the legs projected from beneath the rack,
his face was pressed down against the earth in the snow and he had apparently
made no effort to pull himself up from beneath the rack, indicating that he was
struck senseless when the accident happened. There was blood on his face, which
was bruised. This must have occurred before six o'clock in the evening, and the
road is a main traveled one, though on that wild night, probably very few
people passed the spot. If anyone passed it, they must have been so blinded by
the blizzard that they did not see the rack and the man prostrate beneath it.
No search was made for Mr. Catchpool that night
because he had sent word to Mrs. Catchpool at their
home in the village of Garden Prairie that he expected to stay with his
brother, Al Catchpool, in Belvidere, over night. Mrs.
Catchpool sat up till about midnight waiting fro him
and concluding that he had remained in the city, retired. In the meantime Mr. Catchpool had changed his mind about staying in town, and
left his brother's place about 5:00 in the midst of the storm. He was urged to
remain, but said that he preferred to go home so that he would be there in the
morning to do the chores. Besides the widow stricken by tragedy here are three
little girls, the eldest 12 years old and a number of other relatives. All will
receive the sympathy of many friends in their bereavement. The funeral will be
held on Tuesday at 1:00 at the home in Garden Prairie and 1:30 at the Methodist
Church there. Mr. Catchpool was a member of Odd
Fellows and also of the Modern Woodmen, carrying $1,000 insurance in the latter
order. The body was taken to the barn at Phil Lampert's,
as it was necessary to await the arrival of Coroner Vance from Capron, who
reached the place after noon.
Frank Albert Catchpool, born
September 14, 1863 in Garden Prairie, son of Thompson Garnies
Catchpool and Elija J. Sackett. Married Evangeline Harriett French on January 1,
1894 in Garden Prairie. Father of Breta,
Gladys and Eldora. Died January 29, 1909. Hewas a charter member of the
Woodsmen and Odd Fellows Orders.
The children of EVANGELINE FRENCH and FRANK CATCHPOOL
are BRETA AMANDA CATCHPOOL, b. April 08, 1897; d. Aft. 1950, Southgate, CA; m.
(1) MERVILLE STANLEY, June 19, 1920; m. (2) KENNETH NEWELL, January 20, 1943. Breta and her mother moved to Southgate CA in 1927. GLADYS
ELIZABETH CATCHPOOL, b. August 22, 1899. ELDORA HARRIET
CATCHPOOL, b. November 18, 1902, Garden Prairie, IL; d. October 28, 1978,
Palatine, IL. MAINARD CATCHPOOL, b. June 06, 1895,
Garden Prairie, IL; d. June 06, 1895, Garden Prairie, IL.
Fourth Generation
Children of John and Esther S. French, 3.3
4.1 Carrie M. French, b. Abt. 1862. In the 1870 census,
Carrie M. was in Ingham, MI. She m. Hiram Taylor French (not of the same French
family) on Nov 1886 in Ingham, MI, b. 1 Oct 1861 in Almena, Van Buren Co., MI.
They were m. in Nov 1886 and had son Ralph Warren French, b. 3 Mar 1891. Carrie
must have died young, because Hiram remarried a Lura
L. Cass of Mansfield, PA and had three more children, Carrie Cass French, Helen
Francis French, and Hiram Taylor French, Jr. (b. 1906). CarrieÕs first husband,
HIRAM TAYLOR FRENCH, was the son of Warren F. and Sarah Ann (Eager) French of
St. Albans, Vermont. Warren was a son of Ezra French of Malone, Franklin
County, NY. Hiram and Carrie, although they shared the same last name, were not
related. Hiram is from FFA Chart #1.
4.2 George S. French, b. ca. 1864 in MI [2]. He is in the
1870 census as living in Ingham, MI. He had no children and died in the Oregon
State Insane Asylum in Salem, Oregon, where ÒOne Blew Over the CuckooÕs NestÓ
was filmed. [2].
Children of Robert T. and Frances (Jackson) French, 3.5
George Jackson French
4.3 George Jackson French, b. 5 Nov 1854, Elmira, New York; m. Julia Breed in 1879, Minnesota, and had one daughter,
Julia [2]. George, the oldest, went to public schools in Manhattan and
Brooklyn. George d. 19 Dec 1926 and is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in
Rochester, NY. He was the only one of the brothers not to go to college, but he
did take some courses at Columbia University. One of his first jobs was as a
newspaper reporter and later he worked in a St. Paul Minnesota bank, where he
met his bride. His first assignment in the family business was in sales. He
roamed thousands of miles each year. In 1883, while snowbound on a sales
assignment, he discovered the Pure Gold Manufacturing Company of Fairport, NY
was for sale. It was a flour milling business, which French, Jackson &
French ultimately purchased so they could have a spice mill of their own. The
French's moved the business, but partner Jackson remained behind in New York
City. Financing was secured by the formation of French, Palmer & French
with the addition of a new partner. The marketed their products under the Pure
Gold Label. The mill burned in 1885, so they purchased a water-driven flour mill on Brown's Race on a stream off the Genesee River
in downtown Rochester. In 1892, Palmer and the French's decided to separate,
and Robert and George started the new firm of R. T. French Company. With the
death of his father in 1893, George began his 33 years as president of the
company at the age of 39.
George French's first assignment at French, Jackson &
French was in sales. He roamed thousands of miles each year, enduring most of
the tribulations of the commercial traveler in that era. One of these, being
snow-bound, turned out to be the call of destiny.
The occasion was a stop in Rochester, NY, enroute home from Minneapolis. On a wintry day in 1883 he
went to call on a customer in Fairport, an Erie Canal town some ten miles east
of Rochester. By the time he was ready to leave, there was a howling blizzard,
putting travel out of the question. As George was waiting out the weather, the
customer he was visiting happened to mention that a small flour milling
business in the village, The Pure Gold Manufacturing Company, was for sale.
George pricked up his ears, for he and his father had discussed having a spice
mill of their own rather than selling other people's products, and any mill
could equally grind grain or spices. The location was a further asset; the
family knew they would be happier in a small town. George inspected the mill,
got the owners' terms and recommended upon his return home that the business be
acquired. His father, Robert, agreed, but partner Jackson liked it in Brooklyn
although he had no objection if the French's made the move without him [6].
GeorgeÕs father, Robert French, barely had time to cash his
first dividend check. He died in May 1893. George French, a human dynamo much
shuddered at for his sternness but usually forgiven, began his 33-year
incumbency of the president's chair at the age of 39. In those years, George
French essentially "was" the R. T. French Company, leaving his
imprint on every phase of the operation. No detail was too small to escape his
attention. To work for him could be fearful; yet his tyranny was tempered by an
underlying sense of fairness which commanded loyalty
in spite of the trepidation he often raised. His rages could be epic, but he
was sometimes surprised to find that his bark had been taken for a bite [6].
Legend has it that he once stormed up to a young bookkeeper
new on the job who had been guilty of some small
infraction. "You're fired!" roared George, breathing fire, and rushed
on. Some hours later he wandered by again and asked where the young man was.
"You fired him this morning, Mr. French"
someone reminded him. "Well, tell the damned fool to be back at work in
the morning. He ought to know better than to take me seriously about such
things." [6]
George was educated in the public schools of Manhattan and
Brooklyn; what higher education he took time for came from Columbia University,
but he dropped out without a degree. One of his first jobs was as a newspaper
reporter. Later he spent some time with a bank in St. Paul, MN, where he gained
experience in finance which later assumed crucial
importance when it came to seizing business opportunities as they developed. He
came home to Brooklyn with an unexpected dividend, a
Minnesota lass, Julia Breed, who had become his bride in 1879. He was
blessed with a rugged physique 5-foot-eleven, well-built,
erect, with an impressive mustache, snow-white in later years. People stopped
and stared at his imposing presence when he drove, fur-coated through the
streets of Rochester in his showy Marmon automobile, top down regardless of the
season [6].
After the contract of sale was signed at last on September
22, 1926, the following day George French suffered a massive paralytic stroke.
He died by the end of the year on December 20, 1926, never having regained his
full faculties. The funeral was two days later in the chapel of Rochester's
Mount Hope Cemetery. Francis French became president, but Guy Salter, sent from
England, was "vice president in charge of Francis". Francis collapsed
in his office with a slight stroke in October 1926. He recovered by 1927. He
stayed on as president until his health gave way again in 1942. He died October
12, 1945, at the age of 77.
Robert T. French, Jr.
4.4 Robert T. French, Jr., b. 1862. Robert became a
physician in Rochester, NY. He m. Anna S. who was b. 1869, and they had no
children. He d. in 1921 and is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, NY.
New York Time Obituary (August 15, 1921): Dr. R.T.
French Falls Dead at Phone: Rochester, NY: Aug. 14th, Dr. Robert T. French, one
of the leading physicians of this city fell dead of heart disease this Thursday
morning while telephoning in his office. He was born in Brooklyn in 1864 and
received his education at Amherst and the Buffalo Medical College, afterwards studying
abroad. He was a practitioner of the 'family doctor' type, devoted to his
profession and noted particularly for his skill as a diagnostician. He examined
over a thousand applicants for life insurance every year.
Francis Jackson French was a
Bridge Builder
4.5 Francis Jackson French, b. ca. 1868;
d. 1945, buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, NY. Francis got a
college degree and majored in chemistry, which was a very useful major for the
spice business. In 1904, Francis and his brother George introduced French's
Mustard at the St. Louis World's Fair. Francis and his wife had only 3
daughters [2].
Friendly Francis, brother of George French, wore a
well-trimmed goatee, was as congenial and easy-going as George was stern and
aloof. As vice president for sales, he spent much of his business life in the
shadow of George, his senior by 14 years. Yet he failed to be cowed by his
brother's domineering ways and laughed off his austerity. He had the grace his
brother lacked, an important asset to a salesman. His ability to sell made
George more tolerant of his "different" approach to life. One story,
probably apocryphal, described George's reaction to a report that Francis had
been riding a Chicago Taxi with his feet sticking out the window.
"If that's the way he was riding, I'm sure he had his
arm around a customer."
Francis' knowledge of spices and the public's taste for them
was deep and, as we shall see, provided the impetus for the company's first
real move toward eminence with his innovative ideas about prepared mustard
sauce. For this and his prowess as a salesman, he won his brother's unstinting
respect.
Francis, sometimes called "Frank,"
"F.J." or in later years, "Chief", built his personal
contacts in the trade with the deft hand of a master. He kept a card index in
which he could find in an instant any customer's likes, dislikes, birth, and
anniversary dates, and a wealth of other personal data.
More than once he phoned a grocer he was about to visit to
invite him and his wife out to a fancy dinner "to celebrate the birthday
of your missus." This subtle reminder, sometimes needed, made the man a
faithful customer, grateful for having been saved from the domestic
embarrassment of a forgotten special occasion.
He never became excited or angry. He could be as stubborn as
George; the difference was that Francis stood his ground with a perpetual
smile, not a scowl.
Both George and Francis brought the industry up to their own
high quality standards. Their
lasting monument in this connection is the Pure Food and Drug Act signed into
law June 30, 1906 by Theodore Roosevelt. Sales reached $280,000 in 1901. In
addition to spices, mustards, herbs, extracts, coffee, and team, Pure Gold
products by now included a bewildering array of toiletries, patent medicines,
insect powder, paper bags, shoe polish, and birdseed. It was Francis who came
up with the idea of creating a new kind of pure prepared mustard, one that was
mild yet light and creamy in consistency and color. There was no condiment like
that on the market. The coming together of this new mustard product and the
American hot dog at the St. Louis Fair brought the company a huge fortune.
The Rochester plant was constructed in 1911 and opened early
in 1912. The factory then moved to Springfield, Missouri in 1973. But the
research and headquarters facilities remained in Rochester. The two brothers
constituted the effective management until the company was sold to Reckitt
& Colman (a British firm) in 1926.
George had only one daughter and Francis had three, all
unmarried. Without sons, they could see no one in the family to carry on at R.
T. French, a prospect that became a nagging worry.
4.6 Edward (Ned) Augustin French,
b. 1873. Edward became a physician. He had no children and died in CA [2].
Children of Philip Jr. and Aonela
(Rider) French, 3.7
4.7 Charles French, lived in Elmira, NY, had no children
[2].
4.8* William French [2].
Child of Edson M. and Amanda (Barber)
French, 3.8
4.9 Edson M. French, Jr., died at
age 24 in Rochester, NY; fell off trolly [2].
Children of Horace Chapin French, 3.10
4.10* Henry Redfield French [2].
4.11 Sylvester Beard French, lived in Elmira and Utica, NY,
had no children [2].
Child of John M. French, 3.11
4.12 Arthur G. French, Chicago optician, had no children
[2].
Fifth Generation
Child of CARRIE FRENCH and HIRAM FRENCH is:
5.1 Ralph Warren French, b. March 03, 1891
in OR. Ralph was in charge of the U.S. Army laboratory at Fort Logan,
Colorado. He is in Takoma Park, MD in the 1930 census
and was a research chemist.
Child of William French, 4.8
5.2 Claude B. French, b. 1884 in NY, had one daughter [2].
Child of Henry Redfield French, 4.10
5.3 Jared Blandford French, a
famous artist, had no children [2].
Carol French
Carol French was the spokesperson for the R. T. French
Company and appears in many of the FrenchÕs promotional cookbooks and magazine
ads during the 1950s. A very Better Crocker-like portrait of her is shown
below. At the present time, we do not know how she fits into this line [8]. She
may be the Carol Ann French who was b. 9 Dec 1945, d. 22 Jan 1963 and buried at
Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira, Chemung Co., NY, Plot C, 3713.
Cemetery Records
French,
Edwin L, E10 W4, b. 1870, d. 1871
French,
Ellen, Old N15 2, d. 7/27/1829, dau John M. &
Sarah
French,
Florence E., E 9 W3, b. 1889, wife Samuel Craig
French,
Florence E., P13 W2 310, b. 1884, d. 1/17/1970
French,
Frances, Old N15 4, dau John M & Sarah
French,
George Newman, P13 W1 245, b. 1879, d. 6/10/1939
French,
infant, E 9 W5
French,
Jane H., E 9
French,
Jessie H., E 9 W1 307, b. 1880, d. 2/15/1968
French,
Lewis S., E 9 W4, b. 1873, d. 1873
French,
Martha J, E10 W2, 188, b. 1839, d. 2/20/1923 83 yr.
French,
Robert, Old N14 5 Veteran, d 10/24/1824 58 yr 6 mo
French,
Samuel Craig, E 9 W3 266, b. 1874, d. 6/3/1946 71 yr 11 mo
French,
Sarah Price, E 9 E4, b. 1828, d. 1869
French,
Winifred Campbell, E 9 W2 270, b. 1883, d. 10/31/1948, wife Jessie H
Bibliography
[1] FFA folder L091.
[2] Jan Rieke, 11505 Bethesda
Church Road, Damascus, MD 20872, 301-368-3464, JRieke@msn.com.
She is the great-granddaughter of Robert T. FrenchÕs half sister, Evangeline.
RobertÕs father Philip, remarried Amanda Barber and they had this one daughter,
Evangeline. Jan discovered that the Library at the Univ. of Rochester had an
original of the FrenchÕs Centennial Book. She had them make the best copies
possible of Robert, George, and Francis French to replace the poorly scanned
versions that we previously had.
[3] Jeanette S. French, jfrench1@earthlink.net
[4] Judith Jane French, judith333@earthlink.net
[5] Priscilla Cummings, jane.cummings@cox.net. 1519 Alta Vista
Dr., Vista, CA 92084-5706. 760-758-7218.
[6] French's Centennial 1800--1980, 73 pages xeroxed (poor quality), sent to me on 22 Jul 1996 from
Reckitt & Colman Co., 4455 E. Mustard Way, Springfield, MO 65803 by Beau
Culbertson. There are only 7 good photos of Frenches
in the first 10 pages of the pamphlet. The next 63 page
are all about the men who took over the company, and nothing to do with the
French family.
[7] Tim Sweezey, tim@sweezey.com
[8] Food Company Cookbooks, Seasoning with Carol French, http://foodcompanycookbooks.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html
