Saturday, May 16, 2015

Gustave Melsing - 1826 - Prussia

Gustave Melsing - 1826 - Prussia

Gustave Melsing was a trained accountant, he also learned the confectioners trade in Germany.  They migrated in approx. 1858.

After Gustave Melsing and Elizabeth Schwerin Melsing arrived in America, they came directly to Gold Hill, Nevada where he worked as an accountant in the silver mines.   When the ore ran out and the silver mines closed down, they came with their five children to San Francisco, where he opened a confectionery shop at 3rd & Minna Sts.   It became famous for Melsing's rye bread.

Melsing children

Louisa (Lucy) Melsing
Married - Daniel Barnes Libby (1882)
Issue - Daniel, Jr & Adeline
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Mary Melsing
Married - Alfred Huddart
Issue - Emily, Lucy & Alfred
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Gustave Melsing
Married - Olive Bradshaw
Issue - Melba
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Antoinette Melsing
Unmarried
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Elizabeth Melsing
Married - James Gagen
Issue - Edward
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Dorothea Melsing (1872)
Married - George Bunker
Issue - Alpharetta (1892) (My Grandmother)
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Louis Melsing
Married and divorced
no Issue

3rd & Minna

Over the years, the land where the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts now stands has been home to a wide variety of businesses including: The Manhattan Bakery, Melsing's Bakery, a millinery store, a cabinet maker, a furniture dealer, multiple tailors, a dry goods merchant, the Doscher and Company Grocery, Howard Presbyterian Church, Mission Street Hotel, many laundries, the Ixora Dancing Hall, an undertaker, a candy shop, a tin shop, a coal yard, St. Patrick's School, Thomas Day and Co. Gas Fixtures, a pork shop, many restaurants, a stable, a wire and iron works factory, a drugstore, the Peerless Movie Theater, the West Hotel, a machine shop, a lithography shop, St. Patrick's Shelter Annex with reading room, St. Vincent du Paul Center for Servicemen, an engraving shop, and a number of pawn shops.

Secondary notes .....
Gustav Melsing was married on March 23, 1856 to Elizabeth Schwerin. 
In 1872 was employed as a baker [Columbia Bakery] at 1129 Dupont st., San Francisco [now Grant ave]
In 1878 he was living at 727 Broadway and in 1879 was living at 2126 Howard.
Gustav then listed himself as a confectioner dealing in fancy baked goods
Daughters Louisa and Maria were living with their parents at this time.
In 1880 the bakery was located at 120 3rd. st. and the family was living at 205 Minna.
The bakery was owned by August Schwerin was deeded to Gustav in late 1881. August and Elizabeth Schwerin [Gustav's wife] were brother and sister. 
In 1883 Gustav`s son Peter Henry was employed at the bakery. The son was commonly known as Harry.
In or about 1884 Gustav expired. His wife Elizabeth was running the bakery in 1885. Two other sons Gustav A [gus jr.] and Louis were also working at the bakery until 1896.
After that Gustav A was a brakeman on the cable cars. 1888 and 89 was a watchman and 1900 was a bookkeeper. son Louis was a collector for a law and collection agency. 

6 comments:

handslide said...
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handslide said...

I have a poem and autograph of "Antoinelle" Melsing (pretty certain about the spelling of her first name), San Francisco, dated Feb 6, 1879, in a book of "sentiments" (poems, wishes, BFF, etc.) written to my great-grandmother Emma Mangels by mostly her schoolmates at Laurel Hall, San Mateo, in the mid/late 1870s. Happy to send you a scan! Delighted to read about Gustave Melsing - great research! I believe my email followup is correct.

handslide said...

Two followup comments… my reading of “Antoinelle” is incorrect. She writes Antoinette, but has a unique way of crossing her t’s. Also, Antoinette was married, but with no children. Her husband was Victor P. White (search for “V.P. White”). He was an active amateur wrestler; search Daily Alta between 1890 and 1900 for references to him. His father was Patrick J. White, an insurance and railroad man. Antoinette died February 19, 1895 as “Mrs. Antoinette White… daughter of the late Gustav and Elizabeth Melsing…”. She was born in 1865 at Gold Hill, Nevada when Gustave was active in the region in the 1860s. At time of death she was “aged 29 years and 10 months.” Separately, I’m puzzled by Humboldt Hall. An article on Gustav Jr. indicates it was at Dupont & Washington; however the first reference to Humboldt Hall in newspapers is about 1877’ish, location on Mission, between 13th & 14th streets, opposite Woodward’s Gardens — and I found no references to Melsing in conjunction with searches for Humboldt Hall in contemporary newspapers. Good luck! I love SF family histories.

handslide said...

I just realized you may not know about Humboldt Hall. Here's a quote from an article on a "South of Market" boy who made good (i.e., Gustave Jr): "His father [Gus Sr.] started and was the owner of 'Humboldt Hall' on the corner of Dupont and Washington streets. This marvelous Emporium was a bakery, pool room, restaurant, first free-lunch, confectionery cafe, where the finest imported liqueurs (not liquors) would be served with the demi-tasse, except they called it coffee. Not satisfied with "North Beach", the "Mission", "Telegraph Hill" or "Russian Hill", Gus moved, with the rest of the Melsings, including two dogs, a cat, several canary birds and other necessary things like a baby brother, into the Land of Promise, 'South of Market', around the year of 1877. At the corner of Minna and 3rd streets a little bakery was opened and from that time on the little shop was known as 'Melsing's Bakery.'" https://archive.org/stream/southofmarketjou119251926sout/southofmarketjou119251926sout_djvu.txt

sparks_mex said...

Now that is an interesting story, thanks a lot. Gonna have to do a post about that article

sparks_mex said...

Found a graphic of the article

http://www.mocavo.com/South-of-Market-Journal-Aug-1925-July-1926-Volume-1/798916/41

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