Chapter XLVIII
One of the most prominent and most useful of mercantil occupations was the book business. In former years, or as late as 1823, the regular book merchant and stationer were the same. There was no separation in the business. He published books and pamphlets, sold them wholesale and retail, and also kept a complete stationery store, and manufactured immense ledgers, journals, day-books, and other account books, for the great merchants, as well as selling goose quills of every variety, inks, inkstands and wafers.
The two largest men in the business were Peter A. Mesier and Thomas A. Ronalds. The latter kept his store many years at No. 188 Pearl street, and afterward at No. 203. The former building was owned by Peter Lorillard, and the latter by Mr. Ronalds. The relation of landlord and tenant led to the nearer one of father and son-in-law, and Mr. Ronalds married Miss Maria Lorillard.
The respective firms published many books during many years previous to 1823.
Thomas A. Ronalds was a son of James Ronalds, who was a carpenter during the Revolution. He lived at 107 Queen street (Pearl), and for many years afteward was a joiner and house carpenter at 89 Fair (Fulton) street. He lived as late as 1811. He had the contract with Samuel Thomson to build the church in Murray street (now standing in Eighth street, in sight of Broadway,) to which spot it was removed some years ago. Thomson kept his shop at 75 Church street, and it was about the first "big job" he had ever been engaged in. He rose to be one of the largest builders in the city. As late as 1835, I remember Nathaniel Prime employed the firm of Samuel Thomson & Son to put up stores Nos. 22 and 26 Broad street. I think Thomson bought the lot and put up No. 24 for himself. Their carpenter shop was then at No. 68 Lumber street, back of Trinity Church.
The original name of Ronals was Ronald, Scotch. He added an s after they came to this country.
The store No. 188 Pearl street was started in 1803 by John Ronalds. He kept it three years, when he gave it up to "James & Thomas Ronalds," who kept at No. 188 for many years.
Finally, James his brother, and the latter carried on the business upon his own account, until within a few months of his death, twenty years later. James was the oldest. The younger, Thomas, commenced business before he was of age.
Thomas A. Ronalds was a great friend of John Phyfe, Jr., who kept at No. 19 Murray street many years, under the sign of an immense golden elephant, a wonder in its day. Phyfe had served his time with James Ruthven & Son, who were the great ivory and hard wood turners of their day (1801). John was in some business in Barclay street, No. 30. Old John Phyfe kept a grocery store in same place. Young John moved afterwards to 19 Murray street. I believe John, junior, who must be John senior, now, and a very aged man, is still alive, and resides somewhere in the city. Being son-in-law to so wealthy a man as Peter Lorillard was no drawback to Thomas Ronalds. He was many years a director in the Mechanics Bank, of which his wife's uncle, Jacob Lorillard, was President.
Mr. Lorillard had several daughters. Besides the one married to Mr. Ronalds, another, Dorian, married Mr. John Dash Wolfe; she is yet living. Elenora married William Spencer. I think he was a lieutenant in the navy. When she died, he married Catharine, another sister, and the youngest daughter of Jacob Lorillard. She was fifty years old when she became the second wife of Spencer.
I have mentioned in another chapter that Mrs. Peter Lorillard was one of the most excellent mothers, and one of the finest women that ever lived. When a visitor called upon her, when she lived at No. 40 Chatham street, although she had plenty of servants, yet she preferred waiting upon the guests herself. She would hand around the apples, cracked hickory nuts, and nice things she always kept on hand.
Thomas A. Ronalds had another brother, named Mason Ronalds, who established himself at Tuscumbia, Alabama. The brothers had heavy operations in business together; the result was that when the Alabama brother became embarrassed, he involved the New York one; and when the former died, Thomas A. was obliged to go to Alabama and spend several months settling up those affairs.
As I have said before, in the early part of his career, Ronalds published largely, but finally gave it up and confined himself strictly to the "stationery" part of it. He retained "Cicero Delphini," and other Latin books he had published himself, but gave up the old fashioned book business that united stationery, and confined him-self exclusively to stationery. Other book concerns stuck to the book part and gave up the "stationery." Among the latter concerns who did merely a book selling business, was G. & C. Carville, T. & J. Swords, W. B. Gilley, Samuel Wood & Son. The last published medical books, and kept all kinds for sale.
Thomas A. Ronalds was a very active citizen and engaged in every laudable work. He was a prominent military man, especially during the war of 1812, as was also his friend, Thomas L. Rich, who was a merchant tailor at No. 166 Pearl street in the war time and a neighbor of Ronalds. Mr. Rich afterwards moved to No. 9 Wall.
For many years the latter had a clerk who was and is one of the most extraordinary men of the age. I allude to John Allan now living, and who must be full 90 years old. He was what was called an accountant in the early part of this century, and for many years after. In those days it was a distinct business. Many large commercial houses had no regular book-keeper. They hired one who was designated an "Accountant." He sometimes called once a week, and wrote up a particular set of books. To others he went twice a week, staid an hour or more. Mr. Allan accumulated a snug property, and for many years has been engaged in settling up complicated accounts. Probably he has settled more estates than any other man or ten men in this city.
Everybody among the old residents was aware of his stern, uncompromising honesty. It was never questioned in a period of over sixty years of active business life. He is the most accomplished book-keeper that ever lived in the city. He looks young yet. No one could imagine that he was over forty-five years old. He is more lithe and active than half of our youths of twenty. He is famed for an antiquarian collection of everything relating to our city.
I now return to Mr. Ronalds. He continued his stationery business with great success for many years, but in the old routine way, and to a limited extent. In those years a stationer rarely imported goods, and no importer ordered out any particular kind of stationery. One imported quills—another ink-stands—another sealing-wax—another paper—another wafers. It was necessary for the stationer to visit twenty different importers before he could purchase his principal articles. Mr. Ronalds was the first stationer who changed all this. He determined to import himself. For this purpose in 1834, he went to Europe and visited all the principal manufactures of stationery articles in England and France. He had in former years ordered goods in his line through an importer, paying the latter a commission; but when he reached the manufacturers in England, he found he had been greatly deceived. For instance, he had paid the importer six dollars a dozen for glass ink-stands. He found he could get them of the manufacturers for three dollars a dozen. It was so with nearly every thing in his line. From the moment he made that discovery, he ordered all goods direct from the manufacturers in Europe. He was absent nine months, and had sent home, as he supposed, stationery enough to last six years. When he reached New York, it was all sold. The prices were so low, that everybody flocked to his store. Even rival dealers could do better with him than by the old mode. He extended his orders everywhere. Even to China, ordering out from Canton lacquered ink-stands. Mr. Ronalds had prepared matters for doing a large business, when his health broke down, one year after. In 1835, while on his death bed, he sold out to David Felt, who jumped in and reaped the fruits of another's planting. Had Mr. Ronalds lived, he would have become immensely rich. As it was, he died worth half a million, besides the sum his family received from the Lorillard property.
Felt, who bought out Mr. Ronalds, was a small dealer at No. 245 Pearl. He commenced in New York in 1825. His purchase of the Ronalds business made his fortune. In two years after he did the largest wholesale stationery business ever done in New York. But he became careless with his customers, and they left him. Some of them in New Orleans had been in the habit of purchasing $50,000 a year of him. In order to punish them, he established a branch in New Orleans. This flung business into the hands of some of the clerks of Ronalds here, who had established themselves in business on their own account.
One was Geo. C. Morgan. He had been in business before he had been with Ronalds. He staid a short time only with Felt, and is now, I believe, with Ames & Barnes, book-sellers, 41 John street. He must be sixty-five years old. He is one of the most esteemed and useful citizens.
Another of these clerks of Mr. Ronalds, was James V. Rich. When Ronalds died, he started the same business with Edward S. Mesier, a son of Peter A Mesier (already mentioned,) under the firm of Mesier & Rich. They continued in business some time, when the firm was changed to Rich & Loutrel, and that concern continued twenty years. That clerk of Ronalds still continues the old business at 82 Nassau street.
David Felt became so rich, that he established the village of Feltville, in New Jersey, but finally, I believe, he swapped off that town with Dr. Sarsaparilla. Town send for some Fifth avenue property.
When the grand celebration of the Erie Canal occurred here, Mr. Ronalds was grand marshal of the book-sellers and stationers. The procession passed down Pearl street on its line of march. Old Peter A. Mesier was one of the assistant standard bearers.
Thomas A. Ronalds left children. One, named Thomas, married a magnificent Boston lady. They have resided in Paris some years, where his style of equipage equals, if it does not surpass, that of the Emperor Napoleon.
Mrs. Ronalds is a splendid skater. It was her that attracted the attention of the Empress Eugenie last winter. The latter stopped some time, and entered into conversation with the beautiful skater.
Mr. Ronalds left three sons and three daughters. Thomas I have alluded to. Peter Lorillard was the second son. He is unmarried.
One daughter married Captain Thomas, who had been a West Point cadet. He is not the Secesh Thomas of 1862.
One daughter died before the death of her father, and the other shortly after.
I intended to have made a sketch of Mr. Mesier, but leave it for a future chapter.
It is not likely that Grant Thorburn will write many more articles, and I cannot refuse to make room for the following interesting communication, and place it in this chapter: He writes about the 4th of July:-"The first one I saw in New York, after I arrived from Scotland, the 4th of July, 1794. I landed in New York on the 16th of June, 1794, then in my twenty-third year, but being very small I looked ten years younger. A wrongt-nail maker by trade, and having my shop in Liberty street, between Nassau and Broadway; the schoolboys belonging to the 'Society of Friends,' kept on the opposite side of the street. When the boys arrived before the school doors were open, they assembled in my nail shop, which was a large frame building, and I was the only occupant. Here commenced a friendship with the sons of the Leggets, the Foxes, the Franklins, the Wrights, the Willets, etc., which thirty-five years after put eighty thousand dollars in my pocket—but we'll describe the 4th of July 1794.
On the morning of the Fourth the bells rang one hour at sunrise, and thirteen guns were fired on the Battery, at the foot of Broadway, at 11 A.M. A company of old veterans marched from the Park to the Battery, and fired another salute at 12; they wore the old, tattered uniforms and pinched-up cocked hats which they wore when fighting by the side of Washington at the Battle of Monmouth; some had lost a leg, some an arm, and others leaned on crutches. In 1801, when Jefferson became President, I saw some of these men dismissed from the Custom House in New York; their places were filled by imported patriots—but such is the gratitude of a model republic. At 3 o'clock P.M. the Cincinnati Society dined at the Tontine Coffee House, which stood on the north corner of Wall and Water streets. The Society was composed entirely of Revolutionary officers and their sons; they dined on the first story; the windows were opened; a cannon called a six-pounder fired a shot when each gun toast was drank. At 4 P. M. I stood at the lower end of the Fly Market, foot of Maiden Lane; people were stepping on board a small boat, which the oarsmen said was the Brooklyn ferry boat; it held twelve passengers, and was rowed by two men. After waiting fifteen minutes for passengers, we started; a strong tide setting in, carried us up as high as Grand street; we made Long Island shore near the Wallabout, then rode down close on the Long Island shore, and landed in Brooklyn after a passage of one hour and ten minutes.
I stood for the first time on Long Island. I looked through the four winds of heaven, standing on the wharf. I was not able to count over twenty dwellings in all directions. About one thousand feet from the wharf, right in the middle of the road, stood an old Dutch church. The wagons going to Newtown, drove on the right; the wagons going to the river, drove on the left side of the church. The church stood in the days of Governor Stuyvesant. I went forward on the road towards Newtown. A thunder shower commenced. I took shelter in a cottage by the wayside. After conversing half an hour with the inmates, the rain ceased. On returning, I noticed a field of Indian corn on the wayside, the leaves and tassels hanging full of large drops of rain; the sun was going down, which made the rain drops like pearls. It was the first time I had seen corn in the blade. I thought it looked a field whom the Lord had blessed. We had sky rockets in the Park at 8 P. M., which closed the 4th of July, 1784.
GRANT THORBURN, Sen., aged 88 years.
NEW HAVEN, July 8, 1861.
Mr. Thornton had a very good memory.
I have now merely to say, that of all the merchants written about in this Book, much more could be said but it would have made the work too lengthy. Still as a new edition will most likely be published, those who can add to its interest or to its correctness, by additional information, will oblige the author by addressing a note to him at his residence No. 53 West 27th street, or to his Publisher, Mr. Geo. W. Carleton, New York City.
