Hubby and I have been on a mission lately, hitting numerous antique stores to upgrade our holiday decorations. As you may know, I am a lover of all things old and try to do the house up in vintage style. I have not been looking for items other than those for my home, but while chasing down the Christmas items, came across a marvelous book. Called “Milwaukee – Elite Directory – 1891-92.” It was published by G.H. Yenowine. Growing up near Milwaukee, I knew that I would recognize many of the “who’s who” of the area. I figured I’d see names of ancestors or prominent Milwaukeeans throughout the book and I was not disappointed.

But before I got to the names, I marveled at the fabulous advertisements. Many of these companies are long gone. Perhaps their product is no longer used, they may have closed during the Great Depression, or maybe there was a merger or name change that took place. I truly enjoyed the graphics and styles used. One for Bunde & Upmeyer, Jewelers, featured a butterfly-winged lady, holding a sparkly gem with little bits of ‘bling’ floating in the air. They boasted about their wares – rubies, emeralds, sapphires, Wisconsin pearls, Oriental pearls, Moonstones, Turquois and Diamonds.

The next page in was for Frank A. Lappen & Co., Home Furnishings. They called their locations “Mammoth Stores” and lines included, furniture, carpets, chamber suits, parlor suits, crockery, ranges, bric-a-brac, etc. I was curious if this company had withstood the test of time and remained, in some fashion, in the city of Milwaukee. I searched for information and was amazed to find a New York Times article, dated December 8, 1898. It told me that Frank himself had disappeared during the panic of 1893, leaving a large number of creditors, and had not been heard of prior to the article’s date! There were seventeen indictments against him and he was discovered to be living in London, having leased a “fashionable residence from Baron Rothschild.” The article went on to say that Mr. Lappen had once more disappeared, leaving a fresh lot of creditors. It finished with “It is doubtful whether any effort will be made to extradite him.” Jeepers, a “Madoff” type guy back in the 1890s.

The next page in this fantastic old book had the Contents listed but I decided to check out more of the advertisements.

The very next page was a nifty ad for Val Blatz Brewing Company. Fancy company logo and list of their products. They included “Tivoli, Imperial, Wiener, Muenchener and Private Stock” and near the bottom it read “Is highly recommended by all leading physicians as a whole-some beverage for family use. Orders by Telephone No. 52 promptly attended to.” (I tried the number but it did not go through!)

The ad on the following page also featured an elegant lady. It was for Carroll & Kennedy Co. – Fine Dry Goods. They carried a large stock of dress goods, silks, velvets, plushes, black goods, linens, hosiery, underwear, laces, handkerchiefs, ribbons, art materials, corsets, ladies gloves and men’s furnishings. All were familiar except for “black goods.” A bit of a mystery.

Another ad was found after the start of the Elite Directory. This was for the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Philadelphia with assets of $17,000,000 and Surplus of $2,700,000. I found one of the claims to be quite interesting. It assured me it was “Where the dollar of either lady or gentleman buys equal benefit.” Now what was that all about? Was lady’s money worth less in those days? Or did insurance for women cost more then for men, from other companies? .

A split-page ad was a found a few pages later. It was for Spiegel, Crolius & Co., found in the Plankinton House Drug Store, a seller of bonbons and chocolates. The lower portion was for Art Goods of all kinds sold by Deloreme & Quentin. They sold “lace, pearl and feather fans, cards, games, Euchre prizes and every variety of novelty and requisite demanded by the usages of society.” Boy, that’s really saying something and must have been a tough claim to live up to.

The next ad I came across was for C. Preusser Jewelry Co. A search to see if they were still peddling brought me to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the store had some history. Nothing on Milwaukee, so I presume it is no longer here.

I then found an ad for Otto Pietsch – Dye Works. The unique thing about this establishment was their claim to fame. “Dyeing and Cleaning of Feathers a Specialty.” Who would even think of that today, except perhaps in their down comforters or pillows?

Scattered throughout the book are various insurance companies and banks. We see that the Wisconsin Marine was said to be the “Oldest Bank in the West” with a paid up capital of $500,000. It was not a major corporation at this point because we see that in addition to the President and V.P. they list the cashier and assistant cashier. Another saving establishment was the Commercial Bank, incorporated August, 1883. Further in the book is a nice picture of the Plankinton Bank. John Plankinton was the President (makes sense to me) and they also listed the V.P. and Cashier. Ahh, a familiar name was found – The Travelers of Hartford, Connecticut – “the Largest Accident Company in the World, Only Large One in America and Best of Life Companies.” I know they are still in business.

I vowed to spend more time checking out this charming look-back at Wisconsin-based establishments. I am sure you’d enjoy learning more about your home state.

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