The Heydricks Move to Bridesburg

I'm sticking with bringing the story of the Heydrick's up to my grandfather's generation, even though I don't know much about them and what I do know is pretty dry. Believe me, I've got some pretty good stuff on other members of the family, but this at least will explain how our Heydricks got from Flourtown in Montgomery County to Bridesburg, that little enclave that today is stuck between the Delaware River and I-95. My parents were married in Bridesburg and so eventually this neighborhood becomes central to my personal history.

Not all my readers know what or where Bridesburg is, but it is looms so large in the overall Heydrick story that it certainly warrants a bit of description all its own. I hope that my mother, my Aunt Margaret or any of my Philadelphia cousins will chime in with additions or corrections (use the comments section, mom.) Although I've visited Bridesburg (I think that I can lay claim to being the only non-Philadelphia cousin who endured Thanksgiving with The Twins.) I'm far from an expert.

Once settled in Bridesburg, the Heydricks stayed until the 1950's when my grandmother, Helen Eyles Heydrick, now a widow, sold the family home and moved into an attached apartment over the Rhawn Street House in which my aunt and uncle, Helen and Russ Dutcher lived with my cousins Carol, Bill and Bob.

The Isaac Heydrick family, (Isaac being the second Heydrick generation born in the U.S.), left Flourtown for Bridesburg in 1840. I can't find anything that gives even a smidge of a clue as to the motivation for such a move. There is not a single mention of what profession Isaac took up and so it remains a bit of a mystery. However, by the 1840s Bridesburg was industrializing and perhaps Isaac worked in industry of some kind.

The following description of Bridesburg comes from the website The Bridesburg Story http://bridesburg.net/bridesburg/bridesburg_html/The%20Bridesburg%20Story.html

The Village of Bridesburg was originally called Point No Point. The name being given in consequence of the changes in the appearance of the point by the approaches on the Delaware River. When first seen going northward it appeared to be a point, boldly jutting out into the stream and upon coming nearer, it lost its character and seemed to be an ordinary portion of the right bank; on further approach it seemed to again jut out into a point.

The village name was shortened to The Point and at the close of the Revolution was again changed to Kirkbridesburg, named for Joseph Kirkbride, for many years the largest landowner here. About one hundred and forty years ago the people of the village decided the name was too long, so Bridesburg was adopted.

The first road was known as Point No Point Road, listed on Scull and Heap's Map 1750, showing all roads, ferries and taverns around Philadelphia. It began at Second and Vine, continuing very nearly the same direction as Richmond Street of today. The terminus was at Parr's Tavern, at the junction of the Frankford Creek and the Delaware River, a distance of six miles.

The Industrial Community

The Bridesburg Manufacturing Co

In 1810 Alfred Jenks, having learned from Mr. Samuel Slater all that was then known of Cotton machinery, established at Holmesburg the first regular manufacture of cotton machinery. Mr. Jenks in 1819 moved to Bridesburg and commenced the manufacture of woolen machinery. In 1830 Mr. Jenks invented the power loom for weaving checks and introduced it into the Kempton mill at Manayunk. With his son Barton H. Jenks one of the most ingenious of American inventors, he established the Bridesburg Manufacturing Co., the most outstanding manufacturing concern here for three generations. In its best days four to five hundred men were employed. During the Civil War muskets were manufactured and newspapers list Mr. Jenks as a contributor of thousands to war distressed families.

The Lenning Chemical Works

Nicholas Lennig and Co. (begun in 1819) in 1831 established the Tacony Chemical Works at Richmond and Ann Streets in Port Richmond. The firm was Nicholas the father and Charles the son. Nicholas died in 1835 and Charles associated himself with Frederick Lennig, his cousin, the firm remaining Nicholas Lennig and Co. until 1859 when it changed to C.F. Lennig and so remained until 1863, when Frederick died and Charles Lennig became sole proprietor.

The Lennig Company was awarded a medal at the Centennial Exposition in 1876 "for the products exhibited coming from the distillation of wood, for metallic salts and especially for the careful manufacture of sulphate of alumina and alum".

My mom and Aunt Margie can attest to the fact that Bridesburg continued to be a center of chemical manufacturing with its accompanying smells and pollution all through their growing-up years. It really is miraculous that the Heydrick girls enjoyed robust good health for their entire lives considering the toxic air and water that permeated their neighborhood.

But back to Isaac and his progeny:

Isaac was born in Flourtown in November of 1796. His parents were Balthasar and Elizabeth Nungesser. Isaac married Elizabeth Wasser in 1825 and they had several children. Isaac and his family show up in the 1840 federal census in the Bridesburg ward. Neither Isaac nor Elizabeth enjoyed the good health of their descendants and both died relatively young. Isaac died in 1846 at age 50 and Elizabeth in 1854 at age 51. Both are buried in the First Presbyterian Church Of Bridesburg cemetery on Pratt Street. Next time one of us is in Bridesburg we ought to see if we can find the grave markers.

Isaac and Elizabeth's eldest son was David born November 1826 and seems to have been the family superstar. David graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa (coincidentally this is Bill Dutcher's alma mater) and then went on to seminary at Princeton. He ended up in the ministry in Brooklyn, NY where he spent the rest of his career. The second son was William W. Heydrick, the Heydrick girls grandfather and eventually a purveyor of fancy buttons and imported notions.

William W. was born in November of 1828 in Flourtown (what is it with these November birthdays? Both my mother and her sister, Helen were born in November also!) He apparently did so well for himself that by April of 1865 he was on a list of "The Rich Men of Philadelphia: Income Tax of the Residents of Philadelphia and Bucks County." Following his name on this list is "$1,005.00."

He is listed on the 1870 and 1880 census as living in the 25th ward (Bridesburg) and in 1880 his address was listed at 3329 Garden Street. When I asked my mother whether that address rang any bells she said that it did not. Her family always lived at 4807 Garden Street and she has always believed that Isaac Heydrick built or helped build the house she grew up in. I found a 2004 history of Bridesburg portion of which are available on-line; in it it shows the sketch of 4807 that my grandparents used as their Christmas card in 1950 or so. It identifies the house as being built for the Brownell family but then occupied by three generations of Heydricks. The house was torn down in 2004.

The only time I ever saw 4807 was in the 1970's when the family next door had owned it for quite a few years using it to store god knows what. It was pretty derelict and full of all kinds of junk. I always fantasized about buying it back and keeping it in the family. It had a pretty big lot that stretched all the way down to the Delaware.

My mom remembers being told that her grandfather had a store downtown but never visited there. Her grandfather died when her dad was only 12 so none of the Heydrick girls ever knew their Grandfather Heydrick. She also thinks that she was told that Grandfather Heydrick helped to start the Bridesburg Methodist Church where he was quite active and they worshipped as a family her whole life.

As I mentioned before, William W. had a business:

William W. Heydrick & Co.,

Importers of

FINE FANCY GOODS,

Choice Elastics, Scrap Pictures and Christmas Cards.

Port-monnaies, Satchels, Dressing Cases, Dolls, Beads, Buttons, Fancy Boxes,

Notions, Novelties, etc. etc.

47 South Fourth Street, Above Chestnut

His letterhead has his name and also Edw. H. Cook--funny since Wm.W. married an Annie Cook about 1865. Hmmm, could it be? I shall have to dig further.

This letter from which I took the above information is dated August 10th, 1885 and reads as follows:

Dear H. C. Robinson,

The Trustees of our Church requested me to write you and ascertain on what terms you would fix up the top of the pews in our Church to prevent them sticking.

Mr. Getty refuses to do anything and Mr. Riles told him that he would as far as he was concerned see that not a dollars worth of work should go through his influence.

Give us please the actual cost it will be to the Church and when you would to it if we so arrange with you and please put on the back of this paper your answer and return it to me.

Yours truly,

W.W. Heydrick