Philip Heidelbach (1814 – November 29, 1885) was an American businessman who co-founded dry goods merchant Heidelbach, Seasongood & Co. in Cincinnati and the private bank Heidelbach, Ickelheimer & Co. In New York City.
Philip Heidelbach | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1814 |
| Died | November 29, 1885 |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Hannah Heidelbach |
| Family | Alfred Heidelbach (nephew) |
Biography
editHeidelbach was born in Bavaria in 1814[1] where he was learning the butcher trade[2] In 1837, he immigrated to the United States first settling briefly in New York City[3][4] where he invested all his money in $8 of merchandise which he converted into $150 after three months.[5] In the same year, he moved to Cincinnati where he continued to peddle, increasing his capital to $2,000 after a year.[5] In the early 1840s, he went into business with another Jewish peddler, Jacob Seasongood, founding dry good store Heidelbach, Seasongood & Co.[3][4] By 1860, they had a large clothing factory[2] which prospered making clothing and blankets for the Union Army with $1.2 million in sales by 1864[6] becoming the largest clothing manufacturer in the Mississippi Valley.[1] In 1861, he co-founded the bank Espy, Heidelbach & Co with a gentile partner.[3][2] In 1865, he moved to New York City and set up his own private bank.[3][2] In 1876, his firm was renamed Heidelbach, Ickelheimer & Co. after his son-in-law, Isaac Ickelheimer (married to Jennie Heidelbach Ickelheimer), became a partner.
Heidelbach was one of the first trustees of the Cincinnati Southern Railroad.[4] He served as president of the School Board of B'nai Israel and was active in the Hebrew Benevolent Society.[4] He was married to Hannah Heidelbach.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Markens, Issac. The Hebrews in America (PDF). Library of Congress. p. 143.
- ^ a b c d Marcus, Jacob Rader (2018). United States Jewry, 1776-1985, Volume 3, The Germanic Period, Part 2. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 9780814344729.
- ^ a b c d "Banking and Financial Items". The Bankers Magazine, Volume 41. January 1877. pp. 480 and 547.
- ^ a b c d The Origins of the Jewish Community of Cincinnati, 1817-1860 (PDF). Cincinnati Museum.
- ^ a b Sarna, Jonathan. "Jews on the Prairie and the American West". myjewishlearning.com.
- ^ Mendelsohn, Adam. "Beyond the Battlefield: Reevaluating the Legacy of the Civil War for American Jews" (PDF). American Jewish Archives Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Mrs. Hannah Heidelbach, wife of Philip Heidelbach, senior partner of the firm of Espy, Heidelbach & Cos., of Cincinnati, died in New York last Sunday, on her sixty ninth birthday, of cancer of the stomach". The Catholic Telegraph. December 10, 1885.