Theodore W. Petersen
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Theodore W. Petersen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Theodore William Petersen May 1837 Holstein, Kingdom of Denmark |
| Died | March 10, 1902 (aged 64) |
| Other names | Theodore Wilhelm Petersen T.W. Petersen |
| Occupation(s) | Ship deck officer Brickmaker |
| Spouse |
Mary Doherty (m. 1866–1902) |
| Children | 3 |
Theodore William Petersen (May 1837 – March 10, 1902) was a Danish-American brickmaker, brickmaster, and ship deck officer.[1][failed verification][2][failed verification] Petersen was well-known, in California, for providing building materials for construction projects and for his signature product: the pressed brick.
Early life
[edit]Petersen was born in the Holstein region of the Kingdom of Denmark on May 1837.[3][4]
At age 14, Petersen traveled and served, for the next 12 years, in multiple roles on merchant ships (from cabin boy to captain). Petersen's notable role included serving as a second mate on a ship called Ocean Pearl in 1860 while traversing through Cape Horn.[3]
In 1860, Petersen began to reside along the Americas' Pacific coast.[3] On November 5, 1864, Petersen declared to become an naturalized American citizen,[5] a request that was later granted on August 3, 1867.[6] Petersen then moved to San Jose, California in 1865; where he resided for the remainder of his life.[citation needed]
Brickmaking career
[edit]Petersen began to produce and manufacture bricks in 1872[7][failed verification] and his signature product: the pressed brick in 1883. As of 1888, Petersen produced a total output of 7 million bricks per year; 600,000 of those were pressed bricks.[3]
Petersen then co-founded a couple of brickmaking companies (all incorporated and operated in California) including: San Francisco and Mountain View Brick and Transportation Company in 1892 for $500,000 capital stock[8] and Petersen Brick Company (also known as: Peterson-Kartschoke Brick Company) in 1893 for $100,000 in capital stock.[9] At Petersen Brick Company, Petersen served as the manager of the brickyard[10] until his resignation on April 20, 1896.[11]
Petersen's bricks had a "wide and enviable reputation", according to many of his clients and customers in California, for its "superior and lasting quality",[12] and had being manufactured with the greatest care. According to Horace S. Foote, an author that interviewed Petersen, Petersen's pressed brick were sold at a high price due to its "smoothness and uniformity in color".[3] Additionally, the San Francisco Call described Petersen's bricks as one that are "protected from variations of temperature and rain while drying... in order to preserve the edges".[12]
Petersen was a member of both the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the San Jose Board of Trade.[5]
Personal life and death
[edit]Petersen married Irish American Mary Doherty of Skaneateles, New York in 1866 and had three children together.[13] The couple resided in San Jose from 1870 until Petersen's death in 1902.[3]
On March 10, 1902, Petersen died of a heart failure in San Francisco at age 64.[1][2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Died". The Evening News. Vol. 41, no. 67 (2nd ed.). March 11, 1902. p. 4. Retrieved March 1, 2025 – via Newsbank.
- ^ a b "T.W. Petersen Was Suddenly Stricken". The Evening News. Vol. 41, no. 67 (2nd ed.). March 11, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2025 – via Newsbank.
- ^ a b c d e f Foote, Horace S. (1888). Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California. Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co. pp. 401–402 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Year: 1900; Census Place: San Jose Ward 3, Santa Clara, California; Roll: 111; Page: 15; Enumeration District: 0070 United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.[1]
- ^ a b Rose, Christine (1990). Declarations of intention for naturalization, Santa Clara County, California. San Jose, Calif: Rose Family Association. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-929626-03-1.
- ^ California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 124; FHL Roll Number: 977287
- ^ "25 Years Ago Today". The Evening News. Vol. 90, no. 59. San Jose, CA. March 10, 1927. p. 14 – via Newsbank.
- ^ "Bricks, Terra Cotta and Starch". San Francisco Call. Vol. 72, no. 49. San Francisco, CA. July 19, 1892. p. 2. Retrieved March 3, 2025 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ "Articles of Incorporation". The Record-Union. Vol. 85, no. 10. Sacramento, CA. March 4, 1893. p. 4. Retrieved March 3, 2025 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ "Notice of Dissolution of Co-partnership". San Jose Mercury News. Vol. 42, no. 89. San Jose, CA. March 30, 1893. p. 7. Retrieved March 3, 2025 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ "Legal". San Jose Mercury News. Vol. 49, no. 111. San Jose, CA. April 20, 1896. p. 3. Retrieved March 3, 2025 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ a b "Bricks". San Francisco Call. Vol. 69, no. 161. San Francisco, CA. May 10, 1891. p. 12. Retrieved March 3, 2025 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ Major, Jack. "Children of Patrick Doherty". major-smolinski.com. Retrieved 2025-03-02.