ALBERT KRUMENAKER, Beer Bottler, 512 & 514 W. 166th St., N.Y.

We have found yet another bottle from an establishment within one block of Highbridge Park and close to the other two bottles we have already reported on here (Adolf Linser, Pharmacy & Dorman Ormsby, Brewer).  All three bottles were from approximately the same time period from just about the end of the 19th century through the very beginning of the 20th century -- well over one hundred years ago!

This bottle is a 9 1/4 inch high clear glass beer bottle.  It is embossed on the front of the bottle - ALBERT KRUMENAKER (arched), REGISTERED, KA monogram. TRADE MARK, heart and vines motif, 512 & 514 W 166th ST., N.Y. Embossed on reverse side of bottle above base rim ( heel)  -    B & M S CO. Embossed on bottom of bottle - II. 

Albert Krumenaker was the son of Peter Krumenaker (b. Milhausen, Germany) and Magdalena "Helen" Herscher (b. Mulhouse, Alsace Lorraine, France [before the Franco Prussian War of 1871, thereafter part of Germany])

1864  Albert Krumenaker birth (b. Dec. 1, 1864), Milhausen, Germany - d. Aug 6, 1927, New York).  

View of driver and passenger in Gramm-Logan truck owned by George Ehret, brewer. Sign on side of truck reads: "George Ehret's, New York, lager beer, bottled by Albert Krumenaker, 508-514 W. 166th St., telephone 69 Audubon."  with permission Detroit Public Library 
https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A176863 
The building in this picture behind the truck is that of the Krumenaker Bottling Co. 506-512 W. 166th St.  The apartment above the bottling company was where the the Krumenaker's lived.      The building to the left behind the bottling company is 2134 Amsterdam Ave. which was built in 1910.

1884  Albert emigrates to the United States at the age of 20. Upon arriving in New York had no trade and did not speak English.  

He was initially employed by the Harlem Bottling Company where he worked for four years.

1888  Albert starts his own bottling company on 115th Street and Amsterdam Ave. He bottled beer for a brewery called the Hell Gate Brewery, owned by George Ehret.  After a fire in 1880 at Ehret's brewery in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, Ehret relied heavily upon other companies to do the bottling for his beer.  Krumenaker was one of the bottlers he relied upon.  Initially, he was producing five half barrels per day. 

There is a good biography of George Ehret and his successful brewing company in History Of German Immigration In The United States: And Successful German-Americans And Their Descendants, by George Von Skal, 1910, and also in a New York Times article from 2005.

1890 Albert married Katherine, "Kattie"(nee Bergen) (b. Jan. 1864, Germany - d. Jul. 1904, New York).  Albert, Jr. (b. Sept. 1890, New York - d. Jan. 1949, New Hampshire) born later in the year.  By this time, Albert was processing 75 half barrels a day, had three wagons, and three employees.

1893 Krumenaker moves his bottling company and his family to W. 166th St. and Amsterdam Ave.  It was at this time that he had 15 employees and 15 wagons.

1894 The Krumenaker's second son, Peter Peter (b. Sept. 1894, New York), is born.

1898 Trow's Business Directory. Albert Krumenaker, bottler 512 W. 166th St. 

1900 US Census.  Krumenaker Bottlers, 512 W. 166th St. NY, NY Beer Bottling Establishment, Albert with wife Kattie and two children: Albert and Peter.

Excerpt from "Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York, Volume 29, for the year 1901.

"Mr. Moss -- Officer Joseph O'Brien was tried before Commissioner Hess.  The specification upon which the officer was tried was as follows:  "Said patrolman Joseph O'Brien was absent from the post and was in the beer bottling establishment of Albert Krumenaker at 512 and 514 West 166th St. at 10 pm, November 30, 1898, during his tour of patrol duty; and while in said place did assault said Albert Krumenaker with his club, striking him on the head, and causing a severe scalp wound."  Captain William F. Kirchner testified that being called on by Mrs. Krumenaker and being told that her husband had been assaulted by an officer, he went to the place of business of the gentleman and found Mr. Krumenaker sitting in the office entirely covered with blood and asked him how it happened.  He said:  "Officer O'Brien came into his place and got some beer and when requested to leave the place so he could retire he got into an altercation and assaulted him with his club."  The officer admitted that he went in there; left his place and went in there.  Mrs. Krumenaker testified that she was in bed and she heard her husband screaming for help.  She jumped out of bed and ran down stairs and found her husband lying on the floor and the officer over him.  "He was not striking him; he had him down.  I screamed for help and Mr Gudlich heard me and came in and helped me pull him out."  Mr. Gunlich corroborated that.  That, sir, was assault in the first or second degree; certainly a felony.  He was found guilty and fined thirty days' pay."

1904 July 30, Katherine dies in New York, age 40.

At the height of his business Albert Krumenaker had 96 employees and 65 wagons and processed 600 half barrels a day.

1905 NYS Census shows Albert with two children, no wife.

An interesting and provocative article in Harper's Weekly, on Feb 3, 1906, "The Krumenaker Papers ." indicates that Albert, Sr. was a widower and actively courting Emma Huber as early as August 27, 1905.  Albert got cold feet about the engagement and Emma sued him for $25,000 for a broken heart after he called off the marriage.

1910 US Census shows Albert is married to, second wife, Marie (b. 1864, Germany), Albert still has same two children at the same address on 166th St. Additionally it shows that Albert, Sr. is now a naturalized citizen.  

In a supplement to the History Of German Immigration In The United States: And Successful German-Americans And Their Descendants, by George Von Skal, Albert Krumenaker was also included:

Albert Krumenaker, Sr.

1914 Trow's Business Directory shows Albert, Sr. still at 512 W. 166th St. as a "bottler."

1915 NYS Census 

Albert, Sr. lives at 504 W. 166th St. NY NY Albert, Sr.  Did Albert, Sr. buy the building east of the bottling operation? Or, maybe he expanded the operations and converted his old living quarters to commercial space? Additional investigation seems to support the theory that there is no address of "504 W. 166th St."  This must have been a census taker error of some sort.  The building to the east of the Krumenaker operations is 2134 Amsterdam Ave.

Albert, Jr. (age 25) lives at 2224 Audubon Ave with Mabel, his wife.

1917 January 6, New York City Marriage Records Albert Sr. marries Emma Schlig (b. 1880, Albany, NY- ), his third wife.

1917 Draft Registration, June 5,  Albert, Jr., bottling manager for Albert Krumenaker.

 

Albert, Jr. vital statistics: Age 27, Height 6', Eyes blue, Build Stout, Hair Brown, Not bald.

1920 US Census shows Albert, Sr. at 560 W 165th St with wife Emma (b. 1880, Albany, NY- ) 

while at 510-12 W 166th St. it shows Albert, Jr. (age 30) as still being married to Mabel (nee Rubeor)    (b. 1890, New York).  Jr. lists occupation as "bottling manager".

Curiously, Jr. shows father as French, and mother as Swiss and  Mabel shows her parents are from English speaking Canada. Also living with Jr. and Mabel is Ruth Rubeor, a niece of Mabel [see Rubeor under Krumenaker in 1930 US Census below], age 5.

1925 NYS Census shows Albert, Sr. living with wife, Emma (b. 1878) on 165th St. and Albert, Jr.,  and Mabel and Albert, III (b. 1923, New York) all living at 512 W. 166th St.  This is the last date found for the Krumenaker's at the 166th St. address.

Peter (b. 1894) is now married to Esther (b. 1898) and living in Queens.

There is no accurate information for when the Albert Krumenaker Bottling Company closed. Prohibition was from 1920 to 1933 and many brewers closed their operations during this period.

1927 Albert, Sr. (b. 1864) dies.

1930 US Census shows Mabel, married head of household (husband, not recorded), and her son, Albert G. Krumenaker, Jr. (b. 1923, New York), age 7, living on Brattleboro Rd., Hinsdale, Cheshire, NH. Mabel is living with her mother, Freeda Rubeor, who was born in Sweden (this conflicts with the 1920 US Census which stated her parents were from English speaking Canada). 

Albert III, in an interview, has reported that Mabel divorced Albert, Jr. and he and his mother moved to New Hampshire due to his health (lung ailment).  Albert III was having difficulty breathing in New York City.  Also according to Albert III, Mabel remarried, becoming a Quigley.  She then divorced her second husband and moved back in with Albert Jr. again, but did not marry him.

1940 US Census  shows Albert, Jr. (head of household) age 49, living with son, Albert, III., age 17, and Mabel Quigley, as housekeeper (age 49) in Hinsdale, NH. Albert, Jr. is shown as a bottling plant supervisor. 

1940 AT&T New York Telephone Directory shows no Krumenaker in NYC

1942 Albert, Jr., age 52 registers for the draft for a second time for WWII.

1949, Jan 6, Albert, Jr. dies in NH.

1951 April 25, Albert III marries Kathleen V. Smith.

1952 March 22, Albert III and Kathleen have a child  Karen Krumenaker.

1953 November 30, Albert III and Kathleen have a second child Albert G. Krumenaker (IV).

Sometime between 1953 and 1958 Albert III divorces Kathleen or she dies.

1958, March 23, Albert III marries Elizabeth Myra Roberts

1998 Albert G, IV is living in Keene NH

2016 Albert G, Krumenaker, Jr. (III), age 93, currently lives in Claremont, NH   

last revision 11/22/2016