SKl'XK.MUKIt 



I'.llU. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



17 



,)ausvillo, iiiul one brother, Ixichard 

 licnnedy, of IJipley, N. Y. The fuiu'ral 

 u ;is liel'l Siiiiduy afternoon, Septoinlu'r 

 1. L'ov. .1. V. Cooper ofliciatiny. 



George Wittbold. 



Once III! lie t lie craft in (.'hicai^o lias 

 ,■('11 called (HI l(^ pay tlui last tribute 

 r res|iect to its oldest member. When 

 iic sumnio)is came, September l!i, to 

 ciierable, kindly George ^Vittboid, it 

 ■moved not only the oldest man then 



■ tively engaged in the trade in Cook 

 ounty, but the fonnder of the oldest 

 usiness in this line in the city, and 

 !ie one man who has seen the liorists " 

 iidiistry grow from small beginning of 

 is eai'ly day t(t t Iw^ great proportions 

 \ the i)resen1. 



Cleorge Wittbokl was born April 2o, 

 s;',ii. at Hanover, (Jermany, and as a 

 (Ming man obtainetl that thorough 

 .riowledge of jilant growing which is 

 haractcristic of the gardeners educated 

 u the K'oyal JJotani(; (iarden at tiiat 



■ lace. <'oniing to America, in IS.jT, he 

 .vas jiot till' iirst commercial florist of 

 ■ hicago by some years. First of all 

 Aas Samnel BrooUs, and then came 

 'Mgar Sanders. The thir<l establish 

 nent was that of Williams & Wittbokl, 

 'Kit has long outlived its ])redecessurs. 

 Williams ic Wittbokl had two places, 

 \Jr. Williams conducting one on what 

 IS now Fullerton avenue, while Mr. 

 Wittbokl 's first glass was about where 

 Morth avenue intersects Clark street. 

 It was then some distance outside the 

 •ity, but Mr. Sanders was still farther 



out, at what is now the corner of iJei- 

 mont and l^vanstou avenues. The 

 Brooks establishment was far out on 

 the south side. At the close of the 

 < ivil war the partnership of Williams 

 & Wittbokl was dissolved and in 1809 

 Mr. Wittbokl acquired the land on 

 whicli he has lived and conducted his 

 business for the last forty-one years. 

 At the time of his purchase this was 

 marsh ground, far outside the settled 

 city districts. His contemporaries told 

 him it was not worth the $2,000 he 

 agreed to ])ay for four acres, but by 

 the time Mr. Wittbold had his marsh 

 filled in he had many opportunities to 

 turn his investment profitably. In later 

 years he often has referred to an oppor- 

 tunity for an exchange of his property 

 for a 7-aere tract nearer town, but still 

 m an unreclaimed condition. After the 

 city ha<l grown, first to him and then 

 many miles beyond, he regretfully said 

 lie Avishod he had made the trade, but 

 in the earth 70s he thought that four 

 acres was as much as ever would be re- 

 quired by a florist and that it would 

 be all his greenhouses could earn the 

 taxes on. When it came to putting in 

 the public improvements, he did, in 

 fact, find he had more than he could 

 handle and sold a part of the Bucking- 

 !iam place frontage. Today his three 

 vemainiiig acres are in a solidly built 

 up section, where real estate values arc 

 measured by the front foot and the 

 property represents independence for 

 its owner. 



All the time that Chicago was grow- 

 ing the Witlbold business grew with it. 

 Where in the beginning only a little 

 local trade was handled, in the course 

 of time a big range of glass backed up 

 two retail stores and a large wholesale 

 business was done, Vjoth in the city and 

 throughout the west. Mr. Wittbold 

 brought up a family of five sons, each 

 of whom ]»ossessed the father's aptitude 

 for the business and all of whom at 



George Wittbold. 



length became associated with it, assist- 

 ing in its extension and eventually tak- 

 ing over the entire responsibility. A 

 few years ago the George Wittbold Co. 

 was incorporated, the founder occupy- 

 ing the jiresidency, i)ut each of the sons 

 holding an interest, with Louis Witt- 

 bold as secretary and treasurer. Since 

 that date the progress has been more 

 rapid than at any time in the history of 

 the business. A large nursery and 

 greenhouse plant has been established 

 at Edgebrook, 111., and many new lines 

 have been successfully added. When 

 the sons took over the burden of active 

 nmnagement, Mr. Wittbold was per- 

 mitted to indulge his preference and 

 devote his time to the friends of his 

 youth, the palms and ferns which were 

 his specialty from the time the business 

 became large enough to admit of spe- 

 cializing. Until quite recently he has 

 enjoyed excellent health and was in- 

 variably to be found at the potting 

 bench, where many visitors stopped for 

 a moment's chat with this kindly, 

 sweet tempered old lover of nature. 



Mr. Wittbold was survived by his 

 widow, Mrs. Emma W'ittbold, and by 

 four sons and three daughters. The 

 sons are Fred, Louis. Henry and Otto. 

 The fifth son, (Uistave, died Januarv 

 24, 1008. The daughters are Mrs. Mary 

 James, wife of tlio florist at Hes 

 Plaines; ]Mrs. Sophit^ Neve and ^liss 

 Helen Wittbold. 



The funeral was held Wednesday 

 afternoon. September 21, from the late 

 residence at ;5;!19 North Halsted street. 



There was a large attendance of thosi 

 in the trade, while two wagon loads ot 

 <loral pieces showed the esteem in which 

 Mr. Wittbold and his family are held. 

 Interment was at Graceland. The pall 

 bearers were George M. Garland, Frank 

 (iarland, Warren Garland, Otto Hernia n. 

 Oscar Margraff and Dr. G. H. Frickc. 



John Donn. 



.ioliii l)onn. a veteran florist aini 

 laihNcapc g.'irdener of Baltimore. Md.. 

 died SeiitemlxM- 13 at his resitlence. 111'.' 

 Xortli Caroline street. He was (50 ye.ii-- 

 old and was born in Ayr, Scotland, bu; 

 ■•Mine to AiiuMica about thirty-five yeai> 

 ago. lie w;,s at cue ti'iie in charge oi 

 the Hower department of I'eter Hendei 

 >oii \ < o., ill New York city. Aftt i- 

 ifino\iiig to P.altiiiiore he conducted ;i 

 largi> esiablisliaicnt on l'>rdman aveiue 

 for many \e:ii<. He had the reputation 

 of beiiii: .-111 expert landscaite gardener 

 and was a prominent member of th' 

 (iaideiuis' and liorists' Club of Balti 

 more. The funeral was held on Frida> 

 afternoon. Sepi ember It!, and the inter- 

 ment was in London Bark cemetery. 

 He is survived by a widow, Mrs. Eva 

 L'ipple Donn, and bv two nieces. Miss 

 Susie :\lcl'nlane and Mrs. G. E. De 

 Miitl). Q. 



South Bend, Ind.— C. E. Campbell, re 

 ceiver for the South Bend Floral Co., 

 has paid a ilividend of one and one 

 half jier cent and his notice says it is 

 all the creditors will receive. 



