The Civil War Military Service of Cortlandt W. Starr, Pelham Manor Resident, of Black, Starr & Frost Fame

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Cortlandt Way Starr was one of the principal partners of famed Fifth Avenue jeweler Black, Starr & Frost during the latter part of the 19th Century.  Starr lived in Pelham Manor where his partner, Robert C. Black, also lived.  Various members of the Black family who lived in Pelham Manor were principals in Black, Starr & Frost for many years. 

I have written about this early, notable Pelham Manor resident before.  See, e.g.:

Fri., May 05, 2017:  Pelham Manor's Cortlandt W. Starr of Famed Jeweler Black, Starr & Frost.

Tue., Aug. 05, 2014:  Obituaries of Cortlandt W. Starr of Pelham Manor, a Principal of Jewelry House Black Starr & Frost. 

Thu., Feb. 09, 2006:  Cortlandt W. Starr of Black Starr & Frost.

Cortlandt W. Starr, known by his friends as "Colonel" and also as "Cort," became a notable Pelham Manor resident and an important leader within the Pelham Manor Protective Club, a predecessor to village government in Pelham Manor.  He served as a Vestryman of Christ Church in Pelham Manor and was serving in that capacity at the time of his death in 1888.  He also was elected as a member of the Pelham Manor Protective Club on November 29, 1884.  He was elected to the Executive Committee of the Club at the annual meeting held on January 1, 1886 and was a member of the Executive Committee at the time of his death in 1888.

Starr had brief service on behalf of the Union during the Civil War before he moved to Pelham Manor.  Today's Historic Pelham Blog article transcribes the text of a brief book entry that describes Starr's brief military service as well as his service after the war as a member of a local veterans' organization.  The text is followed by a citation and link to its source.

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"LIEUT. CORTLANDT W. STARR,
COMPANY I, 37TH REGIMENT.
-----

COMFORT STARR, the American ancestor of the family came from Ashford, County of Kent, England, and settled at Duxbury, Mass., about 1634.  His descendants scattered through different parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut, some of whom became quite prominent in the early history of Middlesex and New London Counties, Conn.  One of these was among the slain at the Groton massacre.  The subject of this sketch is descended from the New London branch.

Cortlandt W. Starr, son of Marcus A. Starr and Elizabeth S. Griffing, was born in New London, Conn., February 17, 1833.  He removed with his parents in infancy to Sag Harbor, L. I.  After completing his studies in the common branches of education he was sent to Trinity school, New York, from which he was graduated in 1849.

After leaving school he entered the well known jewelry house of Ball, Black & Co., and during his twenty-five years of service with that firm he filled every position from errand boy to cashier.  In 1874 Ball, Black & Co., went out of business, and a new co-partnership was formed under the name of Black, Starr & Frost.  The reputation of the old firm has been fully sustained by the new.

Mr. Starr commenced his military service in 1861.  He with a number of others formed a private company, and were thoroughly instructed in military tactics for upwards of a year.  On October 28, 1862, Mr. Starr joined Company I, which was then being formed as a part of the 37th Regiment.  Owing to his previous knowledge and experience he was made Orderly Sergeant within six months after he joined.  In July, 1863, he was mustered into the U. S. service with his regiment for thirty days.  They went into camp at Harrisburg, where they remained about a week.

On June 28, the regiment started from camp in light marching order and were kept on the march for 225 miles.  On June 30, they had a skirmish at Sporting Hill.  On the morning of July 1, they marched into Carlisle, immediately after the enemy had evacuated it.  The rebels returned the same night and demanded the withdrawal of the Federal troops.  On their refusal the enemy shelled the place.  Mr. Starr, while in a kneeling position had his musket struck by a piece of shell which bent and partially shattered it.   The musket being on a line with his face doubtless saved his life.  He has carefully preserved this, which will doubtless be treasured by his children as an interesting relic of 'the late unpleasantness.'

After his return from the front, Mr. Starr remained on duty in New York, in the State service, for about thirty days.  On April 1, 1864, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant.  He was exceeding [sic] popular with his men, and on January 10, 1865, in token of their appreciation of his services the company presented him with an elegant sword duly inscribed.

The company was disbanded about 1867, and Mr. Starr was placed on the supernumerary list.  He was not one of those who joined the 71st after the disbanding of the 37th Regiment, but when the 71st Veteran Association altered its By-Laws, so as to admit members of the 37th, Mr. Starr was elected to membership.  He held the rank of Adjutant in the Association for 1883-84, and was again elected in 1886.

In 1868 he married Miss Lydia B., daughter of Samuel Cook, Esq., of New York city.  They have three children, viz., Georgia E., Fannie B., and Mary L."

Source:  "LIEUT. CORTLANDT W. STARR, COMPANY I, 37TH REGIMENT" in Whittemore, Henry, History of the Seventy-First Regiment N.G.S.N.Y.:  Including the History of the Veteran Association With Biographical Sketches of Members, pp. 220-21 (NY, NY:  W. McDonald & Co., 1886).  

Grave Marker of Cortlandt Way Starr in the Cedar Grove Cemetery,

New London, New London County, Connecticut (Section 1).

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Pelham Manor's Cortlandt W. Starr of Famed Jeweler Black, Starr & Frost

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Cortlandt Way Starr was one of the principal partners of famed Fifth Avenue jeweler Black, Starr & Frost during the 19th Century.  Starr lived in Pelham Manor where his partner, Robert C. Black, also lived.  Various members of the Black family who lived in Pelham Manor were principals in Black, Starr & Frost for many years.

Cortlandt W. Starr, known by his friends as "Colonel" and also as "Cort," became a notable Pelham Manor resident and an important leader within the Pelham Manor Protective Club.  He served as a Vestryman of Christ Church in Pelham Manor and was serving in that capacity at the time of his death in 1888.  He also was elected as a member of the Pelham Manor Protective Club on November 29, 1884.  He was elected to the Executive Committee of the Club at the annual meeting held on January 1, 1886 and was a member of the Executive Committee at the time of his death in 1888.  

At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Pelham Manor Protective Club held in the home of Carles Merry on October 5, 1888, the Executive Committee adopted unanimously the following proclamation:

"Whereas our associate, the Treasurer of the Protective Club, Mr. Cortlandt W. Starr, was on the last Sabbath, September 30th suddenly called to his long home.

Resolved that we desire as the Executive Committee of the Club to place on record our tribute to his memory and an expression of our appreciation of his worth.  Mr. Starr was one of our most valued and highly esteemed members.  His hearty good humor, genial good fellowship, cordial sympathy and cooperation and sound sense attached us all to him.  We are pained at his loss:  we shall miss him from our deliberations, and it will be long before we shall become accustomed to his absence.

We extend to the family of our departed friend a respectful assurance of our sympathy and condolence and of our prayer that the 'God of all Comfort' may sustain them.

Resolved that these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of the Club, and that a copy be sent to Mrs. Starr."

Source:  Records of the Pelham Manor Protective Club of Pelham Manor, N.Y., pp. 195-96 (1881-1891) (original leather-bound minutes book in the collections of the Westchester Historical Society).  

Cortlandt Way Starr was born in New London, Connecticut on February 17, 1833.  He was a son of Marcus Aurelius Starr and Elizabeth Griffing.  When he was only a child, his family moved to Sag Harbor, Long Island where he spent his boyhood.  As a youngster, his parents sent him to the Trinity School on Varick Street in New York City for his education.  Upon his graduation, he got a job as a clerk with the jewelry firm then known as Ball, Black & Co. B y then, the firm already had a long and illustrious history in New York City.  It traced its origins to a jewelry firm started by Isaac Marquand in 1810 known as Marquand & Company.

Starr became a dedicated and trusted employee of the jewelry firm.  He actually lived in the retail establishment, working around the clock.  He became bookkeeper of the firm.  Then he graduated to the position of cashier.  

Over the years, the firm evolved as new partnerships developed. According to a brief history of the firm, "[b]y 1860, Ball, Black & Company was the most famous jewelry store in New York City, designing for royal families and dignitaries in both Europe and the United States". 

Mr. Starr's work at the firm was interrupted briefly in 1863 during the Civil War.  He joined the Thirty-Seventh Regiment as an officer for a few months' service. During the entire time he served, the jewelry firm continued to pay him his salary as a "patriotic" gesture.  Starr served as a sergeant, an adjutant, and a lieutenant during his war service.

Starr was present in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on July 1, 1863.  That day Confederate Troops were converging on the little village of Gettysburg for what became a seminal battle of the War.  In Carlisle that day, Confederate Troops led by Major General J. E. B. Stuart's Cavalry shelled downtown Carlisle.  According to numerous accounts, Starr was saved from potential disaster when a Confederate shell fragment struck his rifle during the bombardment, shattering it but leaving him unscathed.  He kept the rifle after the war and showed it proudly to those who visited his home.  The shattered firearm reportedly was inscribed:  "At the shelling of Carlisle, Penn., July 1, '63, while in the hands of C. W. Starr, first sergeant of Company I, 31st Regiment N. G., was struck by a piece of Rebel shell."

After his brief military service, the "Colonel" returned to Ball, Black & Co.  Within a few years Starr married Lydia Brooks Cook, a daughter of Samuel A. Cook of New York City.  The couple was married November 5, 1868 at Trinity Church by Rev. Sullivan H. Weston, D. D.  Eventually the couple had three daughters:  Fannie Ball Starr, who married Rev. Edward W. Babcock at the Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City on October 9, 1890; Mary Linn Starr, who married Rev. John Mills Gilbert at Trinity Chapel in New York City on April 27, 1899; and Georgia Elizabeth Starr.  

According to one source, Ball, Black & Co. "went out of business" in 1876.  See Obituary Notes, N.Y. Times, Oct. 2, 1888, p. 2, col. 1.  That same year, Robert C. Black of Pelham Manor, Cortlandt W. Starr and Aaron Frost formed a partnership named "Black Starr & Frost" that succeeded to the interests of the old Ball, Black & Co.  See id. 

During the 1870s, Robert C. Black moved to Pelham Manor and, although it is not clear exactly when, his partner, Cortlandt Starr, seems to have followed within the next few years.  He certainly was in Pelham Manor by 1880 when, according to news reports, his Pelham Manor home was burglarized.  See Burglars in Westchester County, New-York Tribune, Oct. 1, 1880, p. 8, col. 1.  As indicated above, Messrs. Black and Starr were significant members and important leaders in the Pelham Manor Protective Club, a precursor to organized the Village Government that developed upon incorporation of the Village of Pelham Manor in 1891. 

According to some accounts, shortly before his death, Cortlandt W. Starr moved into a home in Residence Park, New Rochelle.  The "Colonel" died in that home, suddenly and unexpectedly, on Sunday, September 30, 1888. According to his obituary, he died "of congestion of the lungs" and left a widow and three children.  His widow, Lydia Brooks Cook Starr, died at Holy Cross Rectory in Troy, New York on September 13, 1911.

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I have written before of Cortlandt W. Starr of Black, Starr & Frost, who lived in Pelham Manor.  See:

Tue., Aug. 05, 2014:  Obituaries of Cortlandt W. Starr of Pelham Manor, a Principal of Jewelry House Black Starr & Frost.  

Thu., Feb. 09, 2006:  Cortlandt W. Starr of Black Starr & Frost.

"MARRIED. . . .

STARR -- COOK.  --  On Thursday, November 5th, at Trinity church, New-York, by Rev. Sullivan H. Weston, D. D., Cortlandt W. Starr to Lydia B., youngest daughter of Samuel A. Cook, Esq., of that city.  No Cards."

Source:  MARRIED. . . STARR -- COOK, Sag-Harbor Express [Sag-Harbor, NY], Nov. 12, 1868, Vol. X, No. 20, p. 2, col. 5.  

"OBITUARY.
CORTLANDT W. STARR.

Cortlandt W. Starr, of Black, Starr & Frost, the well-known Fifth-ave. jewellers [sic], died suddenly at Residence Park on Sunday of congestion of the lungs.  On Friday he was taken ill at his new home there, and from that time became rapidly worse until death ensued.  He was born at New London in 1833, was graduated from the Trinity School, N.Y. city, and then accepted a clerkship with Ball, Black & Co.  He was made bookkeeper and then cashier, and in 1876, the old firm gave way to the one of which he was member at the time of his death.  During the rebellion Mr. Starr served as sergeant and then lieutenant in Company 1 of the 37th Regiment of New York.  He had in his possession an old gun, badly shattered, which he was proud of and showed to all his visitors.  The following inscription upon it tells its hisotry:  'At the shelling of Carlisle, Penn., July 1, 1863, while in the hands of C. W. Starr, first sergeant of Company 1, 37th Regiment, N. G., was struck by a piece of Rebel shell.'  He was on his knees at the time.  When the 37th was merged into the 71st Regiment he was made adjutant, and at the time of his death was a member of the Veteran Corps, and also of Lafayette Post G. A. R.  Mr. Starr was a genial, whole-souled man, with hosts of friends, who will hear of his death with deep regret.  A wife and three daughters survive him.  The funeral services was held at Christ Church, Pelham, on Tuesday and on the following morning his remains were taken to New London for interment.
-----
[Communicated].

The funeral of the late C. W. Starr of the firm of Black, Starr & Frost, New York, was attended on Tuesday last, at the Pelham Priory church.  Mr. Starr was very highly esteemed by all who knew him.  The funeral was largely attended, especially by many of the veterans of the 71st Regiment N. Y. S. N. G., in which Mr. Starr formerly belonged, and the services at the church in Pelham were of a most impressive character.  Mr. Starr leaves a widow and three daughters, who, having recently removed from Pelham Manor, were at the time of his death residents of New Rochlle.          L."

Source:  OBITUARY -- CORTLANDT STARR,  The New Rochelle Pioneer, Oct. 6, 1888, Vol. XXIX, No. 28, p. 3, col. 5.  

"Death's Work. . . .

Cortlandt W. Starr, of Black, Starr & Frost, the well-known fifth-ave. jewellers [sic], died suddenly on Sunday of congestion of the lungs.  On Saturday he was taken ill at his new home at New-Rochelle, and from that time became rapidly worse until death ensued.  He was born at Sag-Harbor in 1832, was graduated from Trinity School, this city, and then accepted a clerkship with Ball, Black, & Co.  He was made bookkeeper and then cashier, and in 1876 the old firm gave way to thee one of which he was a member at the time of his death.  During the Rebellion Mr. Starr served as sergeant and then lieutenant in Company I of the 31st Regiment of New-York.  He had in his possession an old gun, badly shattered, which he was proud of and showed to all his visitors.  The following inscription upon it tells its history:  'At the shelling of Carlisle, Penn., July 1, '63, while in the hands of C. W. Starr, first sergeant of Company I, 31st Regiment N. G., was struck by a piece of Rebel shell.'  He was on his knees at the time.  When the 31st was merged into the 71st Regiment he was made adjutant.  Mr. Starr was a genial, whole souled man, with hosts of friends, who will hear of his death with deep regret.  A wife and three daughters survive him.  The funeral services will be held at Christ Church, Pelham, at 2 P. M. to-day.  To morrow the body will be taken to New-London, where it will be buried in the family plot."

Source:  Death's Work, The Sag-Harbor Express [Sag-Harbor, NY], Oct. 4, 1888, Vol. XXX, No. 11, p. 2, col. 3.  

"Cortlandt W. Starr is Dead.

Cortlandt W. Starr, the well-known Jeweller [sic], whose Fifth avenue store has for years been patronized by the elite of this city, died suddenly yesterday at his residence at Pelham Manor.  Mr. Starr was fifty-six years of age, and his courteous manner and pleasant ways had gained for him a host of friends, who will learn of his sudden taking off with deep regret.

The funeral will take place at 2 o'clock P. M. from his residence in Pelhamville to-morrow.  Carriages will be in waiting at the station to meet the train which leaves the Grand Central Depot at 1.02 o'clock P. M."

Source:  Cortlandt W. Starr is Dead, The Evening World [NY, NY], Oct. 1, 1888, p. 4, col. 3.

"CORTLANDT W. STARR.

I was inexpressibly shocked on receiving this morning the brief announcement of 'Cort' Starr's sudden death.  When I last met him a few months ago he was in the vigor of healthful manhood, his spirits exuberant and his grasp vigorous and hearty.  He had preserved into the meridian of life an exceptionably [sic] youthful appearance and manner and no one of his thousand acquaintances would have cherished for moment the thought that he was so soon doomed to meet the fell destroyer.  He was, besides, systematic in his habits and careful of his personal health.  He seemed to have all the prospects of a long and cheerful life.

Having known him as an intimate friend, and associates from the earliest days of our youth, I had learned through the experience of maturer years to love and esteem his many noble qualities of head and heart.

He was born in New London, Conn., but came when a mere child with his parents to Sag Harbor.  In the old town, and at that time busy whaling port, we were school boys and playmates together.  Shortly after he went to Trinity School in Varick Street, New York and I was sent to the Washington Institute on Murray Hill in the same city.  There in the great metropolis, mere lads, away from home, and drawn together by mutual ties, we often met, and a friendship grew up which lasted unruffled by a single jar until severed by the unrelenting hand of death.  In a year or so, young Starr went as a clerk or office boy into the great jewelry store of Ball & Co., then on the corner of Broadway and Murray Street.  He slept in the store.  It became his home and from that time until his death he remained with the firm and its successors.  When they were on the corner of Broadway and Prince St. under the name of Ball, Black & Co., the establishment was an immense one, and he was the trusted Cashier filling the position with conscientious fidelity and zeal.  His business career was temporarily interrupted at this period when during the war he went with his Regiment, the 37th N. Y. to the front on the invasion of Pennsylvania by Gen. Lee.  His connection with the firm was not severed, they patriotically continuing his salary during his absence.  He was a good disciplinarian and was promoted to a Lieutenancy and when the Regiment was mustered into the Seventy First he became the Adjutant of Veterans of the Regiment.  He was also a member of Lafayette Post G. A. R. and among the soldiers he had many close and warm attachments.  In 1874 he became a member of the firm of Black, Starr & Frost, successors to the old house, and their place of business was again moved up town and established on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 28th Street.  Here the good name and reliable character of the firm was maintained with scrupulous guardianship.  Here was given the constant active devotion of his business life, and here his pleasant greeting and courteous  attention will be experienced no more forever by friends and patrons.  

When we say that Cortlandt W. Starr was a whole souled, honorable gentleman, we but iterate the testimony of all who knew him.  In his religious belief he was a consistent Churchman; in politics a conscientious Democrat; in business an example of integrity and faithful service; in society frank, open-hearted, cordial, unaffected.  He was devoted to his family, loving and affectionate.

In the vigor and strength and promise of hopeful manhood he passed beyond the River.  How fast the boys of forty years ago are falling by the wayside!  To the remaining he leaves the benison of a pleasing memory which shall last until they too join the innumerable throng.

'Green be the turf above thee
Friend of my early days,
None knew thee but to love thee
None named thee, but to praise.'

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2d, 1888.     B. D. S."

Source:  CORTLANDT W. STARR, The Corrector [Sag-Harbor, NY], Oct. 6, 1888, Vol. 67, No. 19, p. 3, col. 2.

"Died. . . .

STARR -- At New Rochelle, N. Y., suddenly, 30th ult. Cortlandt W. Starr, formerly of this place, in the 56th year of his age.  Interment at New London, Conn."

Source:  Died. . . . STARR, The Corrector [Sag-Harbor, NY], Oct. 6, 1888, Vol. 67, No. 19, p. 3, col. 2.

"Death of a Prominent New Yorker.

NEW YORK, Oct. 1. -- Cortlandt W. Starr, the well known jeweler, whose Fifth avenue store has for years been patronized by the elite of this city, died suddenly at his residence at Pelham Manor.  Mr. Starr was 56 years of age, and his courteous manner and pleasant ways had gained for him a host of friends, who will learn of his sudden taking off with deep regret."

Source:  Death of a Prominent New Yorker, The Paterson Morning Call [Paterson, NJ], Oct. 2, 1888, Vol. 13, No. 2, p. 6, col. 4.  

"OBITUARY.  --  Cortlandt W. Starr, a member of the jewelry firm of Black, Starr & Frost, of New York, died at his home in New Rochelle, suddenly, of congestion of the lungs, on Sunday evening."

Source:  OBITUARY -- Cortlandt W. Starr, The Yonkers Statesman [Yonkers, NJ], Oct. 2, 1888, Vol. V, No. 1,502, p. 4, col. 3.

"Married.
-----

BABCOCK -- STARR -- On Thursday, October 9, at the Church of the Heavenly Rest, New York, by the Rector, Fannie B., daughter of the late Cortlandt W. Starr, to the Rev. Edward W. Babcock."

Source:  Married -- BABCOCK -- STARR, The Evening Post [NY, NY], Oct. 11, 1890, p. 11, col. 4.  

"MARRIED. . . . 

GILBERT -- STARR -- On April 27, 1899, at Trinity Chapel, New York, by the Rev. Wm. H. Vibbert, D. D., assisted by the Rev. D. Parker Morgan, D. D., MARY LINN, daughter of the late Cortlandt W. Starr, to the Rev. JOHN MILLS GILBERT."

Source:  MARRIED. . . . GILBERT -- STARR, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr. 28, 1899, p. 9, col. 2.  

"Obituary Notes. . . . 

Mrs. LYDIA BROOKS STARR, widow of Cortlandt W. Starr, died on Wednesday at the Holy Cross Rectory, Troy, N. Y.  The funeral will be held from Trinity Church, this city, on Saturday and the interment will be at new London, Conn."

Source:  Obituary Notes . . . Mrs. LYDIA BROOKS STARR, N.Y. Times, Sep. 15, 1911, p. 9, col. 5 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).  

"DIED. . . . 

STARR -- At Holy Cross Rectory, Troy, N. Y., September 13, 1911, Lydia Brooks, widow of Cortlandt W. Starr of New York."

Source:  DIED. . . . STARR, The Troy Times [Troy, NY], Sep. 14, 1911, Vol. LXL, No. 69, p. 8, col. 4.  

"Fifth Avenue Corner for Business Opposite St. Nicholas Dutch Church
-----
Black, Starr & Frost Erecting an Artistic Structure on the Southwest Corner of 48th Street -- Will be the Seventh Home of the Jewelry Firm Since Its Establishment Over a Century Ago -- Paid $700,000 for the Land, and Building Will Cost $250,000.

Within a few months active building operations will begin on the new structure to be erected for the jewelry firm of Black, Starr & Frost at the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and Forty-eighth Street.  The firm now occupies the greater part of the building at the southwest corner of the avenue and Thirty-ninth Street, a building that was especially erected for its use in 1898.  Yet within twelve years so great has been the commercial transformation of Fifth Avenue that a location still further to the north seems more suited to the business of the firm, and, although the concern has a lease on its present quarters until the Spring of 1913, it expects to be well settled in its new home at Forty-eighth Street early in 1912.

The new building has been designed by Carrere & Hastings.  In style it will be Italian renaissance, and will be an artistic addition along somewhat exceptional lines in the business development of the avenue.  The exterior will be entirely of white marble, and the interior handsomely finished and decorated.  The building contract has been awarded to John Downey.

The new structure, which, by the way, will be the first business house that the firm has actually owned in its career of over 100 years, occupies one of the choicest locations in the upper Fifth Avenue commercial section, which has undergone such a radical change within recent years.  The home of the late Charles T. Cook, the former President of Tiffany's, formerly stood on the corner, a plot 25.5 by 100.  When the property was purchased, about a year ago, for a trifle over $500,000, the firm also bought the Boardman residence, at 2 West Forty-eighth Street, giving a plot for the new building of 25.5 feet on Fifth Avenue, 125 feet on the street, while the depth in the rear is 100.5 feet.  In all, the land represents an investment of about $700,000.  The building will cost about $250,000, so that the completed improvement will cost close to $1,000,000.

'We chose our new home site,' said Witherbee Black, Secretary and Treasurer of the company, 'because we believe that for the next twenty years or more Fifth Avenue north of Forty-second Street will be the great high-class retail centre of the city.  It has already become the great art headquarters and to a large extent is the detail jewelry centre.  For our class of business it seemed more desirable than south of Forty-second Street.'

When the firm moves it will be its seventh removal since its establishment in 1810.  In the history of New York mercantile houses that of Black, Starr & Frost enjoys the unusual distinction of having recently rounded out 100 years of a successful business career.

A brief resume of the firm's various places of business is in itself an object lesson of New York's commercial growth.  From 1810 to 1833 the firm was at 166 Broadway; from 1833 to 1848 at 181 Broadway; from 1848 to 1860 at 247 Broadway; from 1860 to 1876 at 565 and 567 Broadway.  In the latter year the firm moved to Fifth Avenue, being at 251 Fifth Avenue from 1876 to 1898, and in 1898 the present quarters at 436 to 438 Fifth Avenue, at Thirty-ninth Street corner, were completed.

The firm of Black, Starr & Frost, as at present incorporated, consists of R. Clifford Black, President; William L. Rich, Vice President; Witherbee Black, Secretary and Treasurer.  After its founding, on May 1, 1810, Erastus Barton was succeeded by Frederick Marquand, then Marquand & Barton, then Marquand & Bros., then Marquand & Co., who were succeeded in 1839 by Ball, Topkins & Black.  Upon the death of Mr. Topkins, in 1851, the name of the firm became Ball, Black & Co.

In 1865 William D. Black and Elbert B. Monroe were admitted to the firm.  In 1874 Ball, Black & Co. were succeeded by the firm of Black, Starr & Frost, whose members were Robert C. Black, Cortlandt W. Starr and Aaron V. Frost, and the business was carried on by these members until the incorporation, on Feb. 8, 1908.

The future Black, Starr & Frost building is in a section that still retains much of its old-time residential characteristics.  Directly opposite is the St. Nicholas Collegiate Church, while on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and Forty-eighth Street is Mrs. Harriet Goelet's home.  At the lower end of the same block is Miss Helen Gould's house.  Adjoining this is a new five story loft recently completed at 581 and 583 Fifth Avenue.  The next two houses are owned respectively by Capt. Warren C. Beach and James B. Haggin; then comes a furniture store and the Goelet residence on the corner.  Across the street, on the northeast corner of Forty-eighth Street, the Carlton House Company occupies offices in an abandoned residence, but the remaining houses in the block are still private homes, among the occupants being Mrs. Sarah M. Flower, James J. Coogan, Washington B. Thomas, and Thomas L. Watt.  On the block above are the Belgravia, the Democratic Club, and the Buckingham Hotel.

On the west side of the avenue the Forty-seventh Street corner below the new Black, Starr & Frost building is occupied by the Windsor Trust Company's building.  Adjoining this is the home of Arthur T. Sullivan and the remainder of the block consists of five and six story lofts.  North of the church, toward Forty-ninth Street, is the home of Mrs. Russell Sage, at 604, and the Mrs. Mary R. Goelet home on the southwest corner of Forty-ninth Street."

Source:  Fifth Avenue Corner for Business Opposite St. Nicholas Dutch Church -- Black, Starr & Frost Erecting an Artistic Structure on the Southwest Corner of 48th Street -- Will be the Seventh Home of the Jewelry Firm Since Its Establishment Over a Century Ago -- Paid $700,000 for the Land, and Building Will Cost $250,000, N.Y. Times, Jul. 10, 1910, p. 59, cols. 3-5 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link; image of building below appeared with this article).  

"New Fifth Avenue Building for Black, Starr & Frost, Southwest

Corner of 48th Street, Carrere & Hastings, Architects."  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

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Are These Eerie Coincidences Involving the Pelham Town Historian Worthy of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not"?

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I have had the honor, privilege, and pleasure of serving as the Historian of the Town of Pelham since 2004.  Before then, I served as Deputy Town Historian, working with Town Historian Mimi Buckley.  While I heartily embraced the positions of Deputy Town Historian and, later, Town Historian of Pelham, New York of my own free will, I have since come to wonder whether it truly was a matter of free will.  There simply seem to be so many eerie coincidences that connect me, my family, and our ancestors to Pelham and its history that I must question whether it has all been a series of coincidences worthy of "Ripley's Believe it or Not," or a matter of fate.  Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog gives you a chance to decide and . . . believe it or not. . . .

Coincidence Number 1

In 1974, I was a sixteen-year-old kid growing up in Mississippi.  New York City was a distant metropolis that I never had visited.  I had never heard of any of its suburbs, much less one called "Pelham."  

Following a statewide competition, I was selected to receive a scholarship to attend, with boys from many other states and countries, an international leadership camp based in New York State known as Camp Rising Sun, founded by Louis August Jonas.  Among the many highlights of the camp program was the practice of arranging for campers to arrive one to two weeks early and to be hosted by families residing in the New York City region to give the campers -- most of whom, like me, had never set foot in New York City -- a chance to visit the grand metropolis.

Forty-one years ago this summer I flew from Mississippi to New York to join my host family before camp began.  Who was my host family?  The Dietermeyer family who, at the time, lived at 31 Highbrook Avenue in the little Town of Pelham, New York,  I stayed in their lovely home in historic Pelhamwood for a week and enjoyed not only daily excursions from the Pelham Train Station into New York City, but also daily activities in the lovely Town of Pelham. . . . 

The Lovely Pelhamwood Home Located at

31 Highbrook Avenue, Village of Pelham, in

the Town of Pelham.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Coincidence Number 2

Following college and law school, I began working in New York City, living in a studio apartment on Maiden Lane in lower Manhattan.  Ready to settle down with my college sweetheart, Janice Faye Ingram, I shopped tirelessly at many, many jewelers for what I hoped would be the "perfect" engagement ring.

I found that ring.  I bought it from an historic jewelry firm that had competed for more than a century against the likes of Tiffany and Cartier.  The firm, which subsequently failed and dissolved after more than 150 years (although recently the name has been acquired and a west coast jeweler has opened under the same name), had a fascinating history of its own.  It was known as Black, Starr & Frost.  Robert C. Black and Cortlandt W. Starr of the firm were prominent nineteenth century residents of . . . . . . the little Town of Pelham, New York.  (I have written before about both men.)  Should we cue music from "The Twighlight Zone" yet?  No?  Simply another coincidence?  Well, let's keep going.  

Coincidence Number 3

Fast forward to the late 1990s when my wife and I, both working long hours in New York City with brutal travel schedules, began looking to move from our apartment on the upper east side of Manhattan to a nearby New York City suburb.  We looked all over lower Westchester County and finally settled on the perfect home located at 20 Beech Tree Lane in the beautiful Town of Pelham.  At the time, I did not even remember that I had visited Pelham as a sixteen-year-old and did not have a clue that Robert C. Black and Cortlandt W. Starr were once Pelham residents.

The home, it turned out, had a fascinating history.  It was built in 1927 by Lockwood Anderson Barr.  Barr was an interesting man.  He was a Pelham historian and author of a book on the history of Pelham.  (Not only did I subsequently become Pelham Town Historian, but I published two books on the history of Pelham.)  Now can we cue the eery background music?  

20 Beech Tree Lane, Village of Pelham Manor,

in the Town of Pelham.  NOTE:  Click Image to Enlarge.

Coincidence Number 4

Lest one believe that such developments suggest nothing of fate but, rather, are simple coincidences and nothing more, consider the following.  It seems that my ancestors include one who has been in the Manor of Pelham before.

Among my Sixth-Great-Grandfathers was Johann Jakob Holzapfel who served as a Private in the 4th Company, Hesse-Kassel Regiment Erbprinz, on Muster Roll 0/1775 (HETRINA III, #8113-14).  Holzapfel's regiment was sent to America in the summer of 1776.  

Holzapfel was in America at the time of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.  Extensive research for nearly two decades has established that his regiment EITHER fought in the Battle of Pelham or was among those shipped from Staten Island to New Rochelle (once part of the Manor of Pelham) a few days after the Battle of Pelham to join with those who fought in the battle for a long march to White Plains for the subsequent Battle of White Plains.  Perhaps Johann was simply checking out the area for one of his great-great-great-great-great-great grandsons.  

Coincidence Number 5

Could it be that the girl from southwest Virginia whom I married and whose ancestors have remained in southwest Virginia for three hundred years since at least 1698 had her own ancestral ties to the northern Town of Pelham?  Certainly that seems so far-fetched as to be the stuff of fiction.  

After moving to Pelham, I discovered that one of my wife's Great-Great Grandfathers, Nathaniel H. Bouldin, was a Confederate soldier who was captured in the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865 in the very last days of the Civil War.  He was shipped north where he was held as a prisoner of war in a camp located on Hart Island.  Hart Island then was part of . . . the Town of Pelham.  

Nathaniel Henry Bouldin died of "chronic diarrhea" while being held as a prisoner in Pelham.  He was buried on Hart Island in the Town of Pelham.  (In the twentieth century, his remains and those of other Confederates who died while being held on Hart Island were moved to Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.  Bouldin is buried in Grave Number 2677 at Cypress Hills.)

Conclusion

Is it mere coincidence that I made my way to Pelham, New York and now have the honor, privilege, and pleasure to serve as Historian of the Town of Pelham?  I think not.  I prefer to think of it as fate.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it. . . . . . . 

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Obituaries of Cortlandt W. Starr of Pelham Manor, a Principal of Jewelry House Black Starr & Frost

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Cortlandt W. Starr was an early Pelham Manor resident who spent much of his adult life in Pelham.  He was born in Sag Harbor, Long Island in 1832 and began working as a clerk at the jewelry firm known as Ball, Black & Co. in about 1850.  Slowly he advanced in the organization.

By 1860, Ball, Black & Co. was the most famous jewelry store in New York City.  Its jewelers designed jewelry for royal families and dignitaries throughout the world.  Ball, Black & Co. went out of business in 1876.  The same year Robert C. Black, Cortlandt W. Starr and Aaron Frost reconstituted the jewelry partnership firm as a partnership named Black, Starr & Frost that became one of the foremost jewelry firms in the world.

I have written about Cortlandt W. Starr a number of times.  See Thu., Feb. 09, 2006:  Cortlandt W. Starr of Black Starr & Frost.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes three brief obituaries that appeared in various newspapers shortly after Cortlandt W. Starr's unexpected and untimely death on September 30, 1888.  Each is followed by a citation to its source.

"Death's Work.

Sunday's last brought us news of the sad termination of two useful lives -- both Sag-Harbor people -- one Miss Glorinna Margaretta Nicoll, who died in our own village Sunday afternoon -- the other Courtlandt [sic] W. Starr, who died at New Rochille [sic] the same day [i.e., September 30, 1888].

Of the death of Mr. Starr we have no particulars, further than that he died suddenly -- his sister, Mrs. Dr. Rogers in this place, not knowing of his sickness until she heard by telegraph Sunday afternoon, that he had just died.  Mr. Starr was the son of the late Marcus A. Starr of this place.  At an early age he went to New-York with the jewelry firm of Ball, Black & Co., and when that firm went out of business, a son of Mr. Black, together with Mr. Starr and a gentleman by the name of Frost, carried on the business under the name of Black, Starr, & Frost, and this was the firm's name at the time of Mr. Starr's death.  For some time past he has been living at Pelham, but recently moved to New Rochelle.  The funeral services were held at Christ Church, Pelham, on Tuesday, at 2 o'clock when the remains were taken to New London for burial, where his father and mother are at rest.  Since writing the above we find the following in the New York Tribune:

Cortlandt W. Starr, of Black, Starr & Frost, the well-known fifth-ave. jewellers, died suddenly on Sunday of congestion of the lungs.  On Saturday he was taken ill at his new home at New-Rocchelle, and from that time became rapidly worse until death ensued.  He was born at Sag-Harbor in 1832, was graduated from Trinity School, this city, and then accepted a clerkship with Ball, Black, & Co.  He was made bookkeeper and then cashier, and in 1876 the old firm gave way to the one of which he was a member at the time of his death.  During the Rebellion Mr. Starr served as sergeant and then lieutenant in Company I of the 31st Regiment of New-York.  He had in his possession an old gun, badly shattered, which he was proud of and showed to all his visitors.  The following inscription upon it tells its history:  'At the shelling of Carlisle, Penn., July 1, '63, while in the hands of C. W. Starr, first sergeant of Company I, 31st Regiment, N. G., was struck by a piece of Rebel shell.'  He was on his knees at the time.  When the 31st was merged into the 71st Regiment he was made adjutant.  Mr. Starr was a genial, whole souled man, with hosts of friends, who will hear of his death with deep regret.  A wife and three daughters survive him.  The funeral services will be held at Christ Church, Pelham, at 2 P. M. to-day.  To morrow the body will be taken to New-London, where it will be buried in the family plot."

Source:  Death's Work, The Sag-Harbor Express, October 4, 1888, Vol. XXX, No. 11, p. 2, col. 3.

"Obituary.

Cortlandt W. Starr, a member of the well-known jewelry firm of Black, Starr & Frost, died suddenly at his home in New Rochelle on Sunday morning of congestion of the lungs.  Mr. Starr joined the jewelry firm of Ball, Black & Co. in 1850 when their store was at the corner of Murray street and Broadway.  His business career was interrupted in 1863, when he enlisted in the Thirty-seventh New York Regiment, and went to the front.  He was promoted to be a Lieutenant, and, after the war, when the Thirty-seventh was mustered into the Seventy-first, Mr. Starr became the Adjutant of Veterans of the Seventy-first Regiment, an office which he held at the time of his death.  In 1874 he became a member of the firm of Black, Starr & Frost.  He was 56 years old.  The funeral will take place this afternoon."

Source:  Obituary, The Sun [NY, NY], Oct. 2, 1888, p. 2, col. 6.  

"Died. . . . 

STARR.--Suddenly, at Pelham,, on the 30th ult., Cortlandt W. Starr, in the fifty-sixth year of his age.

Funeral services at Christ Church, Pelham, on Tuesday, October 2, at two P. M.

Carriages will be in waiting at Pelhamville on arrival of the 1:02 train from Grand Central Depot."

Source:  Died. . . . STARR, The Evening Post [NY, NY], Oct. 1, 1888, p. 5, col. 6.  

Black, Starr & Frost Magazine Advertisement, March 1925.

The Firm Continues to Exist, With Roots Stretching Back to 1810.

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Burglary Spree in Pelham Manor in 1880

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In the early 1880s, a group of local residents formed a “Citizen’s vigilante committee”. That committee, in turn, created an organization known as “The Pelham Manor Protective Club.” The Pelham Manor Protective Club was formally organized on December 15, 1881 – ten years before incorporation of the Village of Pelham Manor. Indeed, the Club might be viewed as a precursor to the organization of the Village because it was an important cooperative body created for the protection of the local citizenry.

Nearly the entire adult male population of the area – 52 local residents – subscribed as members of the Pelham Manor Protective Club. The list of subscribers reads like a “Who’s Who” of early Pelham, including such names as Robert C. Black, Robert Bolton, Benjamin Corlies, Henry W. Taft, Silas H. Witherbee and many others. The sole purpose of the Club was “to assist the public authorities in maintaining law and order within a radius of one mile from Pelham Manor Depot . . . and to prosecute all persons committing any crimes or misdemeanors within said district.” Given the importance of its work, the Protective Club was able to raise a substantial amount of money.

In 1880, there was a burglary spree in Pelham Manor. Such crime sprees were among the reasons the citizens of Pelham Manor formed the Pelham Manor Protective Club in the first place. The article below describes the crime spree that included a burglary at the home of Cortlandt W. Starr of Black, Starr & Frost fame.

"BURGLARS IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

The house of Cortlandt W. Starr, at Pelham Manor, was entered by burglars Tuesday night, and robbed of silverware valued at $500. On the same night the new school-house at Pelham Manor was entered and robbed of a quantity of tools belonging to William H. Valentine, the builder, valued at $30.

On Chester Hill, several burglaries were also committed Tuesday night. The house of Mr. Bargin was entered and robbed of silverware, a French clock and mantle ornaments, all valued at $200. The dwelling of Mr. Riker was entered and robbed of linen valuded at $100. From the house of Mrs. Kauth a quantity of linen was stolen. A watch-dog kept on the premises prevented the robbers from completing their work. Burglars made an attempt Tuesday night to enter the house of Dr. Mitchell, on Chester Hill, by applying a 'jimmy' to the rear basement door; but the bars and belts with which the door was fastened caused them to abandon the attempt."

Source: Burglars in Westchester County, New-York Tribune, Oct. 1, 1880, p. 8, col. 1.

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Dissolution of Firm of Black, Starr & Frost and Reconstitution of the Firm as Corporation After Robert Clifford Black's Death

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Robert Clifford Black of Pelham Manor served for many years as one of the principals of the internationally-renowned jewelry firm of Black, Starr & Frost. Both Black and Cortlandt W. Starr lived in Pelham Manor for many years.

I have previously written about members of the Black family in Pelham Manor and about Cortlandt W. Starr. See, for example:

Thursday, September 28, 2006: A Brief Biography of Mary Grace Witherbee Black of Pelham Manor.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006: April 20, 1875 Marriage Certificate of Robert C. Black and Mary Grace Witherbee Black.

Thursday, February 9, 2006: Cortlandt W. Starr of Black Starr & Frost.

Thursday, June 7, 2005: Obituaries of Robert C. Black and His Wife, Mary Grace Witherbee Black.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005: "The Dogwoods" - The Estate of Robert Clifford Black of Pelham Manor.

Today's Historic Pelham Blog posting provides an image of an announcement issued by the firm of Black Starr & Frost in 1908 stating that due to the deaths of Robert Clifford Black and Aaron V. Frost, the firm had been dissolved and that a corporation named Black Starr & Frost had been created to succeed to its assets and obligations. An image of the announcement appears immediately below, followed by a transcription of the text of the announcement. The original is in the collections of The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham.


"Black, Starr & Frost
Fifth Avenue and Thirty-ninth Street
Incorporated February 1908.

Directors
Edward H. Peaslee President
R. Clifford Black [son of Robert Clifford Black] Vice President
Witherbee Black Treasurer & Secretary
William L. Rich General Manager
Mary G. W. Black
Lountine J. Frost
Theodore H. Silkman

Announcement is made that by reason of the deaths of Robert C. Black and Aaron V. Frost the late firm of Black, Starr & Frost is dissolved. A corporation has been formed under the above corporate name with the above named directors and officers, which corporation has taken over the entire assets and assumed all the obligations of the old firm. The business will be carried on at the same location and under the same general management as before."

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