CONRAD F. CLOTHIER (b. 1829 - d. 1885-1890?)

There were a couple of early Clothier families in 19th Century Kensington and most likely they were here in the 18th Century as well. No evidence has been found as of yet to prove that they were related to the more famous Clothier family that went on to found Strawbridge & Clothier Department Store, but those Clothiers were Quaker, and our Clothiers are Presbyterian, so it doesn't seem likely, but until further research is done, it would only be speculation to say that they might be related.

Like many families in the area, the Clothier families worked in the shipbuilding trade. In 1807 mastmaker Samuel Clothier lived on Wildey Street, which back then was called Bedford. Samuel and his wife Ann had joined the First Presbyterian Church soon after it opened. Samuel is listed as joining in 1816 and his wife in 1817. The church was founded in 1814. They had a son Samuel that was baptized in 1816 at First Presbyterian Church of Kensington, just a couple years after the church was founded. This Clothier family is most likely related to our subject, Conrad F. Clothier, but more research needs to be done to show this relationship. Another Clothier family that of John Clothier, a shipwright, who lived at Beach and Shackamaxon, may also be a relative of our subject, but again, further research needs to be done. The shipwright Clothier was listed throughout the city directories in the 1820's.

By the 1840's, there were at least five distinct Clothier households in a small area that surrounded First Presbyterian Church of Kensington. The Clothier family that Conrad F. Clothier is related to, appears to be the one that first appears in the city directory of 1835-36, when one William Clothier is listed as a grocer and living on the corner of Wildey (Bedford) & Marlborough, practically the same area that Samuel the mastmaker lived on 20 years before. William Clothier became a member of First Presbyterian Church of Kensington on June 6th, 1825, or about 9 years after Samuel the mastmaker. Six months previous to joining First Presbyterian Church, William's future wife, Catherine Wilen joined the church, on December 21st, 1824. Catherine and a number of her siblings all joined at about the same time. About four years after joining the church, William Clothier married Catherine Wilen at First Presbyterian on December 18th, 1828. It didn't take long for the Clothiers to have a son. Conrad F. Clothier, the subject of our study and one of the stainglass window honorees, was baptized at the church on Christmas Day of 1829, about a year after his parents were married at the church.

Conrad Fries Clothier was born November 3, 1829. Besides his baptismal record later that year, he was next found in the historical records when he was admitted to Central High School in 1843. Conrad turns up in the School Reports on a "List of Students admitted to the Central High School, January 6, 1843." One Conrad F. Clothier had previously attended the Master Street School; he was listed as being 13 years old at the time of his admittance to Central High School. The elementary school that young Conrad F. Clothier went to, the Master Street School, had general average scores that were the 4th best ranking of those schools which admitted students to the Central High School, behind Buttonwood, North Western, & Zane Street. Master Street School had the highest average of any school in Philadelphia County for Grammar, including the City of Philadelphia, and was tied for 2nd with Arithmetic. Conrad being admitted to Central High School must have made his parents extremely proud as Philadelphia in 1843 only had one High School and admittance was very limited.

Conrad's father, William Clothier, was a cordwainer, or bootmaker to put it in modern terms. The family lived near Franklin (Girard) & Hanover (Columbia) Streets at the time of his admittance to Central High School. His mother was born Ann Catharine Wilen on August 20, 1802. Catharine Wilen was the daughter of Conrad Wilen and Mary Margaret Yoter. Conrad probably got his first name from his grandfather on his mother's side of the family and his middle name Fries came from his mother's side of the family as well. Mrs. Clothier's sister, Maria Wilen married Conrad Fries, who had immigrated to Philadelphia from Holland. These families, the Fries and Wilens, were also intermarried with the Overington family of the Frankford section of Philadelphia who had become a prominent 19th Century Philadelphia family. The Fries and Wilens were also married into the Tees family, which more likely then not, were the Tees shipbuilding family of Kensington, who were also members of the church.

Although Conrad's father William Clothier was listed in the city directory of 1835 and for several years after, as a grocer, he seems to have left that business and went into the cordwaining business, as that is how he was described in the school records for his son in 1843. He seems to have elevated himself from his occupation of cordwainer, because in 1850 the directory lists William Clothier as a Deputy Sheriff living on Wood Street, below West, which would have been Susquehanna, below Belgrade. William Clothier is listed in church records as dying in 1861. In 1870 city directory, a Mary Clothier was listed as "widow of William," and living at 1340 Otis Street. Otis Street was previously called Wood Street, before eventually becoming today's Susquehanna Avenue. The 1300 block of Otis would have been about West Street, or today's Belgrade Street, about where previously William Clothier was listed as living when he first moved to Wood Street in 1850. It would appear that Mary Clothier listed in 1870 as widow of William, would be the Mary Heimer that one William Clothier married in 1840 at First Presbyterian. This would mean then that William's first wife, Catharine Wilen, would have died sometime before 1840. Like his son later in his life, William Clothier was active in the First Presbyterian Church of Kensington. He served on the building committee for the new church in the late 1850's.

With William Clothier's social advancement to Deputy Sheriff, also came the social advancement and graduation of his son Conrad from Central High School. It was quite a distinction when someone graduated from Central High School in the 19th Century. A high school degree from Central at that time was the equivalent of a college degree. With his education, young Conrad entered into the white-collar profession of bookkeeping for the firm of Weaver, Fitler & Company. By 1857, Conrad was listed as a bookkeeper for the company at their 19 N. Water Street office. Weaver, Fitler & Company was one of the largest rope manufacturers and chandling firms in the country. From a contemporary advertisement we find that:

Messrs. Weaver, Fitler & Co. are proprietors of the Fairhill Steam Cordage Works, manufacturing every style of Manilla, Tarred and Italian Ropes, Tow Lines for canal boats, all the various styles of Carpet and seine Twine, &c. This is the largest manufacturing establishment in this business in Philadelphia. They do an exclusive wholesale business, and merchants throughout the country can find no better establishment to order and make purchases from than Weaver, Fitler & Co., 19 North Water Street, and 11 North Wharves.

The large ropewalks of the Fairhill Steam Cordage Works were located near 10th Street & Germantown Avenue, on the then northwest border of the District of Kensington. The offices of the company were located on Water Street, which was downtown on the Delaware River waterfront, near their wharf, which they owned. One of the founders of this firm was a Kensington native, Edwin H. Fitler. As early as 1850, Fitler lived at 2nd and Otter Street, which would have been just below 2nd Street and Girard Avenue. Not only was Fitler extremely successful in business, but he also was successful in politics. As a Republican, he was a presidential elector for Pennsylvania in 1876 and the mayor of Philadelphia between the years 1887 to 1891. The Center City neighborhood that surrounds Fitler's Square is named for him. Although Fitler moved to the fancy address of 1600 Walnut Street, Fitler never forgot his roots, as he was a benefactor and officer of the Kensington Soup Society.

The year before joining the Weaver & Fitler firm, Conrad F. Clothier married. On October 3rd, 1854, Conrad married Mary Victoria Byerly, at First Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Byerly was probably from the local Kensington shipbuilding family of the same name, who through various other marriages were related to the stainglass honorees Cramp and Seddinger families. After his marriage, Conrad appears to have made his home with his father on Wood Street at first, but then soon after established his own home at 88 Hanover Street in 1858, which after consolidation the address was changed to 1116 Columbia Avenue. He continued to live in Fishtown until about 1870. Edwin H. Fitler bought out his partner George J. Weaver, and the company was taken over by Fitler and became known as Edwin H. Fitler & Co. Conrad took on more responsibilities when he became a full partner in the new firm that Fitler created. The company had expanded greatly and Fitler brought into the business his sons and the company became the largest of its kind in America. With the partnership in this new expanded firm, Conrad Clothier acquired a new address. His new address in 1870 was a prestigious one at 844 N. Broad Street, in the newly emerging neighborhood of wealthy Philadelphia industrialists. A number of successful Kensingtonians had moved to that area of north Girard Avenue and west of Broad Street, including all 5 sons of the shipbuilder William Cramp and William Cramp himself.

The 1880 Federal Census shows Conrad Clothier being enumerated with his family and a servant. He was listed as a manufacturer, while his wife Mary, at 36 years old, was listed as keeping house. Together Conrad and Mary had five children:

1. John B. Clothier, b. 1864, single in 1880, at home
2. Conrad F. Clothier, b. 1869, single in 1880, at home
3. Lillian F. Clothier, b. 1867, single in 1880, at home
4. Albens E. C. Clothier, b. 1874, single in 1880, at home
5. Mary Clothier, b. 1860, married in 1880, listed as a "lady" in 1880
+ Samuel Fletcher, b. 1856, merchant, parents born in England

The Clothiers had help around their N. Broad Street mansion, they had an 30-year-old Irish born servant, Annie Connor, who was single and living with them. Clothier continued to live at this Broad Street address until his death, which was sometime between 1885 and 1890, or at least it is during this period that his name stopped appearing in the city directories, to be replaced by his son, Conrad F. Clothier, Jr., who appears to have become the treasurer of his father's company. Young Conrad continued to live at the N. Broad Street home.

Later in his life Conrad F. Clothier (the father) became very active in the affairs of First Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the Choral Society of the church along with stainglass honorees, John Clouds and William Seddinger. The three of them were known to have an "intense interest" in music. The choral society was more then just vocals, it also had three violins, with Clothier being the lead. There were also three bass violins, cornet, flute and other wind instruments. It is said that there were many Saturday nights when the old galleries of the church were filled with people from all over the city.