Progenitors of Grimshaw Families in the Silk Industry, Paterson, New Jersey
George and Mary (Barnes) Grimshaw were the parents of four brothers (James, John, George and David) who immigrated to Paterson, New Jersey in 1868. They came from Macclesfield, the center of the silk industry in England, and started a large silk mill in Paterson in 1872. It is possible that the family immigrated together and the father participated in the business also, as both George and Mary died in the U.S. Most, if not all, members of the family continued in the silk industry for the remainder of their lives and became quite prominent in Paterson society.
Credit goes to Ed Grimshaw for making the information available on the ancestry and descendants of this Grimshaw family line. Many thanks also go to Marge Tamboer, who provided a great deal more information on this family line in February 2003.
Ancestor and Descendant Chart for George and Mary Grimshaw
Miss Marian Grimshaw provided comprehensive information on the family line of George Grimshaw in a letter that she wrote to Ed Grimshaw in 1979. As described in a companion webpage, Ed sent out over 600 letters to Grimshaws in the U.S. in 1979 and received about 80 responses. The letter and family tree information sent by Marian was the most complete response, in terms of family tree information, received by Ed. Marian’s letter is shown below, and the family tree information is shown in Figure 1 below the letter.
72 May Street
Hawthorne, NJ 07506
Nov. 27 1979
Mr. E.A. Grimshaw
A few lines in reply to your request about the Grimshaws. The Grimshaws originally came from France to England and settled on the Isle of Man. My branch of the family were in the textile business, and came from Lancaster. They settled in Macclesfield about 20 miles from Manchester. My Great Grandfather Hugh Grimshaw and his children were silk manufacturers as were his brothers and their children.
I am enclosing two charts, one of my Great grandfather and one of his brothers. The reason for this is one of Great Grandfathers brothers and his sons build and ran a silk mill in Paterson New Jersey in 1872. I am also enclosing a small sketch of the Grimshaw coat of arms. I was born in Macclesfield, Eng. Myself and would like some idea of where Droylsdon and Strathmore are located.
I would like to know if you would be kind enough to send me the name of the place to send for a list of names as I know there are some in Connecticut that are related to us. So as not to give you the impression that I know a great deal about England I was only two years old when I came here. My brother Frederick of Plock Road, Clifton wont be writing as he doesnt have any of this data and I told him I was sending it to you. If you could let me know what kind of information you are interested in, I will try to help if I can. P.S. Sorry one of the charts is a little messy, but drop me a line if you need to know more.
Sincerely, yours,
Miss Marian Grimshaw
According to the U.S. Social Security Death Index, Marian Grimshaw died in 1984, about five years after writing her letter:
Marian GRIMSHAW
Birth Date: 27 Oct 1905
Death Date: Aug 1984
Social Security Number: 135-14-1672
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: New Jersey
Death Residence Localities ZIP Code: 07506
Localities: Hawthorne, Passaic, New Jersey Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey
Figure 1. Ancestor and descendant chart for George Grimshaw. Derived from information provided to Ed Grimshaw by Miss Marian Grimshaw in 1979. Thanks go to Ed for making this information available for this webpage. (Note: Additional descendant chart information was provided by Marge Tamboer in February 2003 and is included near the bottom of this webpage. This information identifies the “Unknown” Grimshaw at the top of the chart as George Grimshaw, b. about 1775 and married Ellen Swift.)
Unknown Grimshaw
|—Hugh Grimshaw * (1795 1861) & Mary (1796 – 1844)
|—|—John Grimshaw (1820 – 1821)
|—|—John Grimshaw (1825 – 1887) & Hannah
|—|—|—Albert Grimshaw
|—|—|—George Grimshaw
|—|—|—Fred Grimshaw
|—|—|—Hugh Grimshaw & Eliz A Melos
|—|—|—|—Florence Grimshaw (27 Oct 1894 – ) & Humphry Skinner
|—|—|—|—|— 1 Unknown Son
|—|—Hugh Grimshaw (1828 – 1889) & Sarah Lawton
|—|—Ann Grimshaw (1829 – 1882) & John Clark
|—|—Hannah Grimshaw (1829 – 1884) George Smallwood
|—|—George Grimshaw & Sarah Birchenall
|—|—William Grimshaw (1842 – 16 Jun 1904) & Sarah Jane Lees
|—|—|—William Ernest Grimshaw (22 Dec 1875 – 19 May 1960) & Annie Spragg (23 Jul 1881 – 2 Apr 1950) m. 4 Oct 1902.
|—|—|—|—Frank Grimshaw (8 Jul 1903 Eng – 24 Mar 1959 USA)
|—|—|—|—Marian F Grimshaw (27 Oct 1905 – )
|—|—|—|—Ellen G Grimshaw (25 Jul 1908 USA – ) & Philip Runz (10 Jan 1902 – 1 Jul 1967) m. 4 Oct 1927.
|—|—|—|—|—Ellen Ann Runz (11 Jul 1928 – )
|—|—|—|—|—Philip William Runz (9 Nov 1929 – 5 Mar 1974)
|—|—|—|—James E Grimshaw* (29 Mar 1912 USA – 10 Mar 1972) & Lucy Sopchack (24 Sep 1918- 25 Oct 1935)
|—|—|—|—|—James E Grimshaw (27 Decv 1946 – )
|—|—|—|—|—Lucy? Grimshaw
|—|—|—|—|—John W Grimshaw(30 Nov 1947 – )
|—|—|—|—James E Grimshaw* (29 Mar 1912 USA – 10 Mar 1972) & Doris Blodgett (20 Aug 1930 – 1 Mar 1970)
|—|—|—|—|—James Grimshaw
|—|—|—|—|—Doris Grimshaw
|—|—|—|—|—Lorrie Grimshaw (18 Nov 1960 – )
|—|—|—|—|—Ann Grimshaw (1 Oct 1963 – )
|—|—|—|—Frederick W Grimshaw (24 Aug 1916 USA – ) & Living
|—|—|—|—|—Living
|—|—|—|—|—Living
|—|—|—|—|—Living
|—|—|—Frank Allen Grimshaw & Helena Williams (1867 – 1978)
|—|—|—|—Ernest Grimshaw (10 Jan 1900 – ) & Dora Leahs
|—|—|—|—Alice Grimshaw (Jan 1907 – )
|—Hugh Grimshaw* (1795 – 1861) & Elizabeth (1796 – 1856)
|—Edwin Grimshaw – b. Lancaster
|—Hannah Grimshaw
|—George Grimshaw (1812 Lancaster – 1890 USA) & Mary Barnes (1815 – 1874 USA) m. in England
|—|—Ellen Grimshaw (1814 Eng – 1901 USA)
|—|—James Grimshaw (1842 Eng – 1904 USA)
|—|—Fannie Grimshaw (b in Eng)
|—|—John Grimshaw (1847 Eng – 1938 USA) & Martha Ann Mottershead ( – 1949) m. in England
|—|—|—John Grimshaw (b USA) Became Circuit Court Judge for Passaic County, NJ
|—|—|—Fred Grimshaw (b USA) Moved to Altoona, PA
|—|—|—Grace Grimshaw
|—|—|—Edith Grimshaw & Fisher
|—|—George Grimshaw (1852 Eng – 1931 USA) & Mary F Leitz (1868 USA – 1953 USA)
|—|—|—Mary Grimshaw
|—|—|—Hugh Matthew Grimshaw (26 Feb 1896 USA – ) & Alice Chapman (1895 – 1978)
|—|—|—|—Edward Grimshaw (1919 – 3 Jul 1963) Died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds
|—|—|—John C Grimshaw (1897 – 1950)
|—|—David Grimshaw (1854 Eng – 1931 USA) & Mary Irving (1861 USA – 1918 USA)
|—|—|—David Grimshaw (1873 – 1906) Died by drowning
|—|—|—11 Unknown Daughters
|—John Grimshaw
|—James Grimshaw (1818 Eng – 1896 USA) & Mary Cope (1829 Eng – 1892 USA)
|—|—Ann Grimshaw (1847 Eng – 1931 USA) & Unknown
|—|—|—Mary Grimshaw
|—|—|—Sarah Grimshaw (1871 Eng – 1954 USA) & Joseph Grimshaw (1876 Eng – 1948 USA)
|—|—|—|—Ethel Grimshaw (1907 USA – 1977 USA)
|—|—Edward Grimshaw (1855 Eng – 1929 USA) & Alice Nixon (? Eng – 1921 USA)
|—|—|—Edward Grimshaw (1896 – 1936) & Hope Vega
|—|—|—|—2 Unknown Daughters
|—|—|—|James Grimshaw (1897 – 1970?) & Unknown
|—|—|—|—James Grimshaw
|—|—|—6 Unknown Daughters
|—|—Sam Grimshaw (1862 – 1902) & Edna (b 18?? Eng – 19?? USA)
|—|—|—3 Unknown Daughters
|—|—|—1 Unknown Son
|—|—Alfred? Grimshaw & Emma Unknown
|—|—|—Jessica? Grimshaw
Origins of George Grimshaw’s Family in Lancashire
According to Miss Marian Grimshaw’s letter to Ed Grimshaw, the Grimshaw family members that emigrated from Macclesfield to Paterson, New Jersey, had even earlier origins in Lancashire. Apparently George’s father, Hugh Grimshaw, moved his family to Macclesfield in 1854, when George was two years old. David, born in 1854, was born in Macclesfield. Thus George Grimshaw lived in Macclesfield for only about 14 years before moving to America (or before his sons did, and he followed later.
Biographies of George and David Grimshaw
Biographies of two of the sons of George and Mary Grimshaw who emigrated from Macclesfield to the U.S. – George and David – are provided in the “History of Paterson and Its Environs1.” David’s biography is given first (p. 302):
DAVID H. GRIMSHAW – The Grimshaw family has figured prominently in the life and affairs of Paterson for many years. One of the oldest members of the silk industry in the city is David H. Grimshaw, who has since the inception of his business career been identified with this particular industry.
David H. Grimshaw was born in Macclesfield, England, the son of George and Mary (Barnes) Grimshaw. He attended the schools of his native place until he was fourteen years of age, and during this time in his spare hours ran hand looms that were installed in his fathers home. At the tender age of fourteen he came to this country, and upon landing in New York City came direct to Paterson, N.J., where his business career had its inception by his becoming a weaver in several of the local mills. In 1872, together with his brothers, James, John and George, who had also come to this country when very young, he formed the Grimshaw Brothers, silk manufacturers, locating first at No. 72 Pearl street, later removing to a mill at the corner of Spruce and Market streets, where they remained for three years, subsequently going to the Arkwright Mill. Four years later the brothers purchased the Greppo Mill on Dale avenue, and also had a large mill at Reading, Pa. The brothers enjoyed remarkable success, the business increasing until it occupied an important place in the industrial world. In 1908, however, the concern failed and then David H. Grimshaw founded the D.H. Grimshaw Company, silk throwing, in which he still continues at No. 436 Graham avenue. His affiliations are with the Ivanhoe Lodge, no. 88, Free and Accepted Masons. He resides at No. 426 Park avenue.
David H. Grimshaw is a man eminently respected in Paterson. Although he displays a deep interest in the welfare of the community which has been his home for so many years, he has remained aloof from public and political life. A man of magnetic personality, possessing the gift of making and holding friendships, he stands high in the regard of all who are acquainted with him.
Mr. Grimshaw married Mary Irving, and they were the parents of twelve children, nine of whom survive.
George Grimshaw’s biography is given on page 474 of the History of Paterson1:
GEORGE GRIMSHAW, a member of the older generation of silk manufacturers in Paterson, was born Jan. 6, 1852, at Macclesfield, England, the son of George B. and Mary (Barnes) Grimshaw. George B. Grimshaw was born in Lancashire, England, and was brought by his parents to Macclesfield when he was but two years old. He resided here throughout his entire lifetime, and was engaged in the silk industry until his retirement from active business life, which occurred within a few years previous to his death.
The education of George Grimshaw was obtained in the public schools of his native place, after which the business of life began for the boy and he secured employment in Bockmans Woolen Mill. In 1868 he came to this country, and upon landing in New York City, came immediately to Paterson, N.J., where he entered the silk mill of the William Strange Company, subsequently entering the Phoenix Mill, where he remained until, with his brothers, he formed the firm of Grimshaw Brothers and was located at No. 72 Pearl street, Paterson. The enterprise, starting in a small way, quickly flourished and soon outgrew its quarters which necessitated moving to a larger mill at Grand and Spruce streets in the J. Booth & Companys Mill, and here they continued until some time later when the brothers bought the Grippo Mill at Dale avenue and Slater street, and changed its name to the Grimshaw Mill. At about this time they founded another plant at Reading, Pa., which was totally destroyed by a cyclone in 1889. In a years time, however, this mill was rebuilt and here the company continued until 1907 when, having met with financial reverses, they discontinued the company and George Grimshaw, with whom this review deals particularly, established himself in the manufacture of ribbons at his present location, No. 96 Dale avenue, Paterson. This venture, which has already proven highly successful, gives promise of further development. Mr. Grimshaw devoting all his resources to bringing it up to a high standard. Through the nature of his business he has ever been brought more or less before the public eye, and for many years was prominently identified with all movements which had for their end the advancement of civic interest. He has always been widely known and eminently respected in business circles throughout the community. Mr. Grimshaw affiliates with Ivanhoe Lodge, Free and Accepted Mason, and also holds membership in the Hamilton Club of Paterson.
On March 23, 1888, George Grimshaw was united in marriage with Mary Frances Leitz, daughter of Matthew and Mary Leitz. Her father was a lieutenant in the Union army during the Civil War, and now lives retired at Erie, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Grimshaw are the parents of five children: Mary, born Jan 13, 1890; Hugh Matthew, born Feb. 26, 1892; John C., born May 24 1896; Georgiana M., born Aug 9, 1899, married Max Thompson, of Paterson, N. J.; Edward Barnes, born Nov. 25, 1905. The family home is at No. 359 Summer street, Paterson, N. J.
Together these two biographies give the most complete picture available of the four Grimshaw brothers and their family history.
Obituary of John Grimshaw, One of the Three Grimshaw Brothers
The New York Times published John Grimshaw’s obituary in 1938; it is provided below.
Grimshaw Brothers Textile Mills in Paterson, NJ and Reading, PA
Trumbell8 (1882, p. 221-223 + photo) provides an excellent description of the Grimshaw brothers who immigrated to Paterson from Macclesfield and the silk-related business enterprise they successfully established.
GRIMSHAW BROTHERS
This firm is composed of three brothers, John, George, Jr., and David H., natives of Macclesfield, England, celebrated the world over for its silk productions. The brothers came to this country with the entire family of ten persons several years ago, during the great depression that fell upon the silk industry as a consequence of the ruinous French treaty of 1860, known as the “Cobden treaty,” which admitted the products of French looms into England duty free. This gave the death blow to several branches of the English silk manufacture and reduced the silk weavers of Macclesfield, Manchester and other silk industrial centres to beggary by the thousand.
Whole blocks of buildings were left tenantless and mouldered to decay. In hundreds of instances houses were let to tenants rent free, with the object simply of their better preservation. It was while the old town was in this deplorable condition, a large portion of the inhabitants being fed daily at the public soup-houses, the silk mills closed, with costly machinery resting in disuse and a dismal future in prospect, that many who have since become notable Paterson manufacturers left the once thriving town and their native country behind and crossed the Atlantic in search of a place promising a reasonable compensation for their labor through the beneficent operations of a protective tariff on foreign silk products. But first of all, before taking this step, strong appeals were made to the government of England tin behalf of the languishing silk trade, asking that, in common justice, the home manufacturers might be placed on an equality in the market with their rivals across the Channel. But these appeals were in vain; hence the hegira that occurred in the years succeeding the adoption of the most unwise measure, a movement by which Paterson has profited to an immeasurable degree.
The brothers Grimshaw, all practical silk workers, started soon after their arrival in Paterson, in Pearl street, in a very small way, running but four or five looms; later they occupied a portion of the Arkwright Mill, where the business gradually but steadily expanded. About 1879 they purchased the splendid property which was known as the Greppo Mill, on very favorable terms as to price, and from that date have made numberless additions and improvements in premises, plant, power and operative force. The location is at the corner of Slater street and Dale avenue. The firm own additional frontage of 500 feet on Dale avenue by 100 feet on Slater street, on which they contemplate building largely in the near future. Their premises extend from Slater all the way to
Green street. The extensive works, as they presently exist, comprise a building 100×50 feet, three stories, on Dale avenue; another, 200×50 feet, three stories, on Slater street; a dye-house, 100×50 feet, one story, on Prince street; and another dye-house 100×50 feet, one story, extending Eastward from the last-named to the Northern end of the first-named building, on Dale avenue, thus completing a hollow square in which enclosure are a machine shop, boiler and engine houses and other detached dependencies.
The number of hands employed in this extensive establishment is 700; number of pounds of thrown silk produced weekly, 1,400 besides which a considerable quantity is supplied to the firm by outside throwsters; total value of finished production, $1,000,000 per annum; number of looms running, 300, all with Jacquard attachments. The product is of great range, comprising all the leading novelties in damasse and fancy silks, the silks for ladies and gentlemens wear, linings, etc. Their handkerchief production is immense, including every conceivable design, color and shade of color. In this department the brothers Grimshaw claim to be pioneers in developing a taste for finer and more elegant class of goods, and the handkerchiefs from their looms are early attained, and have since held, a high reputation in the market. The Grimshaw handkerchief has become as familiar as a household word, and if it is not “in everybodys mouth” it is at least on everybodys face. Next in importance to handkerchiefs, the largest production of this firm hitherto has been dress silks and grenadines, the latter both for ladies and gentlemens wear, in blacks, colors, checks and fancy patterns. Their figured silks, satin damasse to very fancy and costly goods in plain and Jardiniere stripes, have attained an excellence which renders them indistinguishable from the productions of the best foreign looms. The firm has also become famous for their production of silk plushes, for millinery and kindred uses, and a finer grade of this class of goods, in excellent imitation of sealskin, is attracting more and more attention and promises to supersede the foreign article, long thought unapproachable, in the not distant future.
But the irrepressible energy and well-directed skill of this comparatively young firm refuses to be confined even within the ample limits outlined in the foregoing; they seek “other worlds to conquer.” The production of silk velvets in this country has been regarded by foreigners as a department of the silk industry not likely soon to be invaded by our home manufacturers, even though abundant proof of their temerity and genius has already been given. In this branch at least the European manufacturers hoped to retain their hitherto monopoly. The successful production of fine velvets involves as requisites the most accurate judgment in the selection of material, the use of machinery very intricate in character, and also more delicate in adjustment than for any other silk product, and withal – and this is indispensable – a superior class of skilled operatives. An essay of this nature, for the production of a domestic silk velvet, which was made about 1866, has been described in a foregoing chapter of this work; also its disastrous termination. For generations these goods have been produced only by a comparatively few manufacturers abroad, at Lyons, France , and elsewhere, but the success of the Grimshaws in their experimental operations have encouraged others to enter the field and the year 1881 closed with every prospect of success for this daring enterprise. They are manufacturing velvets of the finest quality and most exquisite finish, using machinery in their production that is pronounced as perfect and effective as any in the world. The ample means of the firm, and their experience of may years in the business, are factors which, brought to bear in the purchase of materials in manufacturing, give abundant promise that their new ventures in the department of textile art-industry will be successful, and perhaps more so, than even those of the past.
Marge Tamboer has generously provided the photos shown in Figures 6 and 7 of the mills owned by the four Grimshaw brothers in Paterson and Reading.
Figure 6. Grimshaw Brothers silk mills in Paterson, NJ. Thanks go to Marge Tamboer for providing this photo.
Location of Grimshaw Mill in Paterson
From the above description, the exact location of the mill can be identified as shown on the following map. The mill occupied the entire block to the southwest of the corner of Slater street and Dale Avenue (red star), bounded by the following streets: Dale, Slater, Prince, Spring, and Green street.
Additional maps showing the location of Paterson and the mill within the city are provided below:
The Grimshaw Brothers Silk Mill in the Paterson Silk Industry
The silk industry in the U.S., and in Paterson, New Jersey, specifically, are well described in the 1920s vintage “History of Paterson and Its Environ s1.” The prominent position of the Grimshaw Brothers mill in the Paterson industrial environment is also well documented. An earlier (1889) history of the silk industry in Paterson2 is given further down on this webpage.
A superficial glance at the history of the silk industry in this country reveals three figures as those of men who were the leaders and in whose footsteps hundreds of others have followed. The names of these men, John Ryle, Catholina Lambert and William Strange, will always be remembered as prominently identified with bringing the silk industry to its present flourishing condition. Two of these men, Ryle and Strange, have long since joined the “great majority;’ Mr. Lambert alone lives to see daily the fruits of his industry. All three were actively engaged in the manufacture of silk over half a century ago….
Of all the industries in Paterson, silk has always been predominant; there have been times, when there was an unusual demand for the product of the iron manufacturing establishments, when the total wages paid there exceeded the total wages paid in the silk mills, but those months were never very numerous and frequently there were years when the furnaces were cold and lathes idle. But Paterson could always depend on silk; no matter whether prosperity abounded or people complained of “hard times,” there was always more or less demand for silk.
John Ryle was born at Bollington, near Macclesfield, England, October 22, 1817. He first handled silk as a bobbin boy when he was five years of age and from that time to the day of his death, November 6, 1887, he was interested in the silk industry. He learned the manipulation of the fibre in all its branches and at twenty-two of age was the superintendent in the mill of his two brothers, Reuben and William, in Macclesfield. In 1839 he sailed for this country and obtained the position of superintendent in a small silk mill owned by Samuel Whitmarsh, in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he became acquainted with George W. Murray, who had been interested in silk manufacture in England before coming to this country. While in that position Mr. Ryle received an offer from his two brothers in Macclesfield to handle the product of their mill in this country and for this purpose opened a store on Maiden lane and William street, New York. Mr. Murray induced him to abandon the business of importer in order to join him in the manufacture of silk in this country. Mr. Ryle visited Paterson, where he became acquainted with Christopher Colt, who had experimented at making silk thread for about three months in the old Gun Mill, but had abandoned the project. The result of Mr. Ryle’s visit to Paterson was that Mr. Murray purchased the Gun Mill, equipped it with silk machinery and placed Mr. Ryle in charge. Mr. Ryle was the first in this country to put silk on a spool, the successful experiment being due to a conference between him and Elias Howe, the inventor of the Howe sewing machine. This enabled Mr. Howe to overcome one of the chief difficulties he had in perfecting his sewing machine, a way to feed the silk thread to the needle. Mr. Ryle’s machine twist was the first of its kind that could be successfully used on a sewing machine. This was the beginning of the spool silk industry in this country…
Catholina Lambert was born in Keighley, Yorkshire, England, March 28, 1834. When he was nine years of age his parents removed to Derbyshire, where, after attending school for eleven months, he was set to work in the cotton mill of Walter Evans & Company, at eighteen pence a week. He frequently told in after years of his visit to the residence of the senior member of the house and there seeing what he believed to be the finest furniture man could make. This furniture almost became an object of veneration to him and so attached did he become to it that, many years afterwards on a visit to his former home, he bought it all and it is now a part of the furniture in his residence in Paterson. Mr. Lambert came to this country as a young man and, after having been employed in a clerical capacity for some time in Boston, found employment with the silk manufacturing firm of Tilt & Dexter, composed of Benjamin B. Tilt and Anson Dexter. When Mr. Tilt retired, Mr. Lambert and Charles Barton entered the firm and business was continued under the name of Dexter, Lambert & Company….
…They were at that time engaged in manufacturing upholstery, military, parasol, millinery, hatters’, furriers’, cloak and dress trimmings, and were in fact what was called in those days a trimming house. They, or rather their predecessor, attempted ribbon weaving in 1849, but it was not a success financially, for the greater part of the ribbons mad, not being sold, were purchased by Dexter, Lambert & Company at the time of their organization. This, it is said, was probably the first attempt at ribbon weaving in this country….
Attracted by Paterson and its surroundings, Mr. Lambert decided to make it his place of residence, and in 1861 with this view he purchased a country residence at South Paterson.
A desire to have the manufactory nearer to New York and under his personal supervision induced Mr. Lambert in 1866 to purchase a mill site on the east side of Straight street and thereon erect the Dexter mill, a three-story brick building, 220×250 feet, with detached buildings for engine and dye houses. The removal of the firm’s machinery to Paterson was followed by the gradual withdrawal of their stock and closing up of outside stores and the concentration of their merchandizing in New York….
William Strange, the third of the triumvirate to which so much of the success of the Paterson silk industry is to be attributed, was also a native of England, where he was born in 1838. During the days of the rebellion the firm of Strange & Brother, E.B. and Albert B., the latter the father of William, were engaged as silk importers in New York City. One of the most serious difficulties the encountered was to obtain the exact shade of ribbons demanded by fashion from time to time; these could be obtained only by sending orders to England the filling of these orders and bringing the goods to this side of the Atlantic consumed too much time. In order to surmount this difficulty the firm started a small silk mill in Williamsburgh, with no idea of making money directly out of the manufacturing.
The enactment of the high tariff during the last years of the war and the consequent high rate of exchange induced the firm to seriously consider the question of manufacturing silk on an extensive scale. In 1868 the firm removed its machinery to Paterson and silk manufacturing was begun here under the firm name of William Strange & Company Mr. E.B. Strange having devoted himself exclusively to importing ad Mr. A.B. Strange having turned the business of manufacturing over to his son, although still retaining an interest in the industry. The firm found considerable difficulty in obtaining tram and orgazine, and for the purpose of being independent of all other similar establishments imported a quantity of silk throwing machinery from England. This together with the looms removed from Williamsburgh was placed in the Greppo mill on Slater street and Dave avenue; the mill was subsequently enlarged, but the additions did not keep pace with the demand for the product of the establishment an in 1874 the firm purchased the mill of the American Velvet Company on Essex and Madison streets…
The prominent position of the Grimshaw Brothers silk mill is indicated in this reference1 in a table (p. 348-350) of silk production facilities in Paterson in 1891. The table included 135 mills in Paterson and showed the number of employees, the number of looms (broad goods and ribbon,) braiding machines, spindles, capital invested, and annual wages for each mill. The importance of the Grimshaw Brothers mill is shown by its rank among the top 10 of the 135 mills in three categories:
Rank
Looms (Broad Cloth)
400
4th
Annual Wages
$250,000
7th
Employees
650
9th
Extension of Operations to Reading, Pennslyvania
The Grimshaw Brothers Silk Company expanded their operations to Reading, Pennsylvania, about 125 miles away, in 1887 (see companion webpage). The mill was demolished by the worst storm in Reading’s history in 1889 but was re-built within a year and operated for another 20 years. Today it is on the National Register of Historical Sites and has been renovated as an apartment building. It is still known by its original moniker, the Grimshaw Silk Mill.
Figure 7. Two photos of Grimshaw Brothers textile mills in Reading, PA. The two photos were apparently taken shortly after the mill was hit by a tornado. Thanks go to Marge Tamboer for providing this photo.
Family Bible Records and Descendants of John, One of the Four Grimshaw Brothers
The website “Ancestor Hunt” has three images of the family Bible of John and Martha (Mottershead) Grimshaw. The website address is as follows:
The information and images from the website are provided below:
GRIMSHAW Family Bible
First handwritten page reads:
John GRIMSHAW aged 24 years.
Martha Ann MOTTERSHEAD aged 26 years.
Married Wednesday Twenty Second August 1877 by the Rev W. MIDDLETON, in Sunderland Street
Wesleyan Chapel, Macclesfield, England.
Witnesses:
John MOTTERSHEAD
Elizabeth HILTON
Second handwritten page reads:
John GRIMSHAW Born November 24th 1847 In Macclesfield England.
Martha Ann GRIMSHAW Born April 9th 1851 In Macclesfield England.
Frederick George GRIMSHAW Born Tuesday Nov 26 1878 In Patersen NJ.
Nellie May GRIMSHAW Born October 13th 1880 In Patersen NJ.
Third handwritten page reads:
Florence GRIMSHAW Born August 11th 1883 in Patersen NJ.
Grace GRIMSHAW Born November 20th 1835 ???? G 288 Broadway in Petersen NJ.
Edith Annie GRIMSHAW Born May 26 1888 at ???? at 288 Broadway Patersen, NJ.
John GRIMSHAW Jr Born December 5th 1891 ???? at 448 Ellison St. Patersen NJ
.
Footnotes:
Purchaser of this Bible uses Ebay ID remsen66.
1880 United States Federal Census Records show:
Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, Page 274C
John GRIMSHAW, age 31, born England, Silk Manufacture, parents born England.
Martha A. GRIMSHAW, wife, age 29, born England, parents born England.
Frederick G. GRIMSHAW, son, age 1, born NJ, parents born England.
The two sons of John Grimshaw (second of the four sons of George and Mary,) as shown in the descendant chart in Figure 1, are John, Jr., who became a judge in New Jersey, and Fred, who moved to Altoona, Pennsylvania.
John Grimshaw
The record for John is shown in several references3,4,5,6: This record is also available, along with a photograph (Figure 10,) on the following website and is shown below.
Judge Grimshaw was born in Paterson, New Jersey, on December 5, 1891, son of John and Martha Ann (Mottershead).
He was educated at Paterson Public Schools and Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania and held the degree of LL.B. Admitted to New Jersey Bar in February, 1916.
Judge Grimshaw was Assistant United States Attorney from 1929 to 1932 at which time he became a Referee in Bankruptcy.
He was a member of the New Jersey State, American and Federal Bar Associations.
In 1937 Judge Grimshaw married Harriet Jane Markle and they had two children, Harriet Ann, born in August 1939 and John Markle born in September, 1940.
Letter from Judge John Grimshaw’s son, John M Grimshaw (in preparation)
Grimshaw, John M. LTC – APO New York – (EAG 81)
HHB 2nd Bn 20th FA
APO New York, 09358
1 September 1980
Dear Mr. Grimshaw:
This is in response to your letter of several months ago requesting information on my side of the Grimshaw family. I have sent your letter to my sister, Mrs. Penelope Grimshaw Shannon, 3135 Shady Dell Lane Apt 214, Melbourne, Fla 32935.
My father, John Grimshaw Jr. was born in Paterson, New Jersey in 1891. He had one brother and two sisters, all four are now deceased. My father died in 1971. The Grimshaw family come from Macclesfield, England in the nineteenth century. They were involved in the silk industry. My father was a Judge in the New Jersey Superior Court. I dont remember the details of my grand parents and that is where my sister may help.
I am a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army serving in Germany as a battalion commander. That explains my delay in writing, as it is a very busy life. I joined the Army 18 years ago from West Point. My home of record is LaGrange, Tennessee.
Hopefully, Penny will be of assistance in filling in the details. Others who kept up with these things are now dead.
If I may be of further assistance, please let me know.
Sincerely,
John M. Grimshaw
Fred Grimshaw
Fred Grimshaw graduated from Cornell University in 1900 with a degree in mechanical engineering and worked for two years in Patterson before moving to Altoona to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad. His biography7 (p. 46-47) is shown below:
FREDERICK G. GRIMSHAW has been works manager of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Altoona since 1925. John and Martha A. (Mottershead) Grimshaw, his parents, are both natives of England, the former having been born at Macclesfield and settling at Paterson, New Jersey, in 1869, where he engaged in silk manufacturing until his retirement from active life. Frederick G. Grimshaw was born at Paterson, November 26, 1878, and obtained his early education in the graded and high schools of that city and the Stevens Institute Preparatory School, Hoboken, New Jersey. He then studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University, graduating in 1900, and until 1902, he was employed at the Cooke Locomotive Works, at Paterson. At that time, he came to Altoona, where he entered the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad as special apprentice. His subsequent promotions in the company have been as follows: yard clerk, Youngwood, Pa.; assistant yard master, East Pittsburgh, Pa.; assistant master mechanic of the Monongahela division; master mechanic of the West Jersey Sea Shore at Camden, New Jersey; assistant engineer of motive power of the Western Pennsylvania division; assistant engineer of electric equipment at Philadelphia; superintendent of motive power, New York; assistant to the general manager, Pennsylvania Lines east of Pittsburgh, at Philadelphia; superintendent of the Eastern Division; superintendent of motive power of the Eastern Ohio division, at Pittsburgh; general superintendent, motive power of the Southwestern region at St. Louis, Missouri; and, finally, works manager of the entire system at Altoona. Mr. Grimshaw is the immediate head of a shops organization comprising, approximately, 12,000 men and has occupied his present position since April, 1925. Mr. Grimshaw holds membership in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Altoona Rotary Club. He and his wife attend the First Presbyterian Church. Mr. Grimshaw married Jessica Margaret McEnery, of Camden, New Jersey, and they are the parents of six children: Tabitha, Anne, Jane, Frederick G., Jr., Sarah Lee, and Martha.
Grimshaw Families in the 1880 U.S. Census for Paterson, NJ
The 1880 census shows the presence of eight Grimshaw families in Paterson; these records are presented in a companion webpage and are also shown at the bottom of this webpage. The records provide valuable additional information in the family of George and Mary (Barnes) Grimshaw – four of the eight families are part of their lineage.
The first record (NJ-2) shows the widowed, 65-year-old George Grimshaw (Mary died about 6 years earlier, in 1874) living with three unmarried sons (James, age 34; George, 27; and Hugh, 20) and one single daughter (Ellen, 30.) George and his sons are all shown as “silk m’f’r.”
The second record (NJ-2) is for the family of James (George’s younger brother) and Mary Grimshaw. Sixty-year-old James and 56-year-old Mary are the heads of a family with four children – Alfred, age 21; Samuel, 18; Harry, 16; and Emma, 13. James and his three sons are all shown as “weavers.”
The third family shown for this lineage (NJ-12) is that of George and Mary’s son John, now apparently living apart from his parents and with his wife, Martha Ann (Mottershead) Grimshaw. Thirty-one-year-old John (whose occupation is “silk manu”) and 29-year-old Martha have one young son, Frederick Grimshaw, just one year old.
The fourth family in this line (NJ-14) is that of David and Mary (Irving) Grimshaw. David was another son of George and Mary. He was 25 years old and engaged as a “silk m’f’r.” He and 19-year-old Mary have a 17-month-old baby daughter, Nellie.
Expanded Descendant Chart for George and Mary Grimshaw
Information from the above sources provides the basis for an expanded version of the descendant chart for George and Mary (Barnes) Grimshaw. The expanded chart is shown in Figure 11.
Figure 11. Expanded descendant chart for George and Mary Grimshaw, based on information from Miss Marian Grimshaw supplemented with data from published sources.
|—George Grimshaw (1812 Lancaster – 1890 USA) & Mary Barnes (1815 – 1874 USA) m. in England
|—|—James Grimshaw (1842 Eng – 1904 USA)
|—|—Fannie Grimshaw (b in Eng)
|—|—John Grimshaw (1847 Eng – 1938 USA) & Martha Ann Mottershead (ca 1851 – 1949) m. in England
|—|—|—Fred Grimshaw (b ca 1879 USA – ?) & Jessica Margaret McEnery
|—|—|—|—Tabitha Grimshaw
|—|—|—|—Anne Grimshaw
|—|—|—|—Jane Grimshaw
|—|—|—|—Frederick G. Grimshaw, Jr.
|—|—|—|—Sarah Lee Grimshaw
|—|—|—|—Martha Grimshaw
|—|—|—John Grimshaw (5 December 1891 – December 1971) & Harriet Jane Markle
|—|—|—|—Harriet Anne Grimshaw (Aug 1939 – ?)
|—|—|—|—John Markle Grimshaw (Sep 1940 – ?)
|—|—|—Grace Grimshaw
|—|—|—Edith Grimshaw & Fisher
|—|—Ellen Grimshaw (ca 1850 14 Eng – 1901 USA)
|—|—Hugh Grimshaw (ca 1860 14 Eng – ?)
|—|—George Grimshaw (1852 Eng – 1931 USA) & Mary F Leitz (1868 USA – 1953 USA)
|—|—|—Mary Grimshaw (13 Jan 1890 – ?)
|—|—|—Hugh Matthew Grimshaw (26 Feb 1892 USA – ) & Alice Chapman (1895 – 1978)
|—|—|—|—Edward Grimshaw (1919 – 3 Jul 1963) Died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds
|—|—|—John C Grimshaw (24 May 1896 – 1950)
|—|—|—Georgiana M. Grimshaw (9 Aug 1899 – ?) & Max Thompson
|—|—|—Edward Barnes Grimshaw (25 Nov 1905 – ?)
|—|—David Grimshaw (1854 Eng – 1931 USA) & Mary Irving (1861 USA – 1918 USA)
|—|—|—David Grimshaw (1873 – 1906) Died by drowning
|—|—|—Nellie Grimshaw (ca 1879 – ?)
|—|—|—10 Unknown Daughters
Expanded Descendant Chart for James Grimshaw, Brother of George, and Mary
Information from the above sources provides the basis for a somewhat expanded version of the descendant chart for James and Mary Grimshaw. James was the brother of George. The expanded chart is shown in Figure 12.
Figure 12. Expanded descendant chart for James and Mary Grimshaw, based on information from Miss Marian Grimshaw supplemented with data from published sources.
|—James Grimshaw (1818 Eng – 1896 USA) & Mary (1829 Eng – 1892 USA)
|—|—Ann Grimshaw (1847 Eng – 1931 USA) & Unknown
|—|—|—Mary Grimshaw
|—|—|—Sarah Grimshaw (1871 Eng – 1954 USA) & Joseph Grimshaw (1876 Eng – 1948 USA)
|—|—|—|—Ethel Grimshaw (1907 USA – 1977 USA)
|—|—Edward Grimshaw (1855 Eng – 1929 USA) & Alice Nixon (? Eng – 1921 USA)
|—|—|—Edward Grimshaw (1896 – 1936) & Hope Vega
|—|—|—|—2 Unknown Daughters
|—|—|—|James Grimshaw (1897 – 1970?) & Unknown
|—|—|—|—James Grimshaw
|—|—|—6 Unknown Daughters
|—|—Alfred? Grimshaw (ca 1859 – ?) & Emma Unknown
|—|—|—Jessica? Grimshaw
|—|—Sam Grimshaw (1862 – 1902) & Edna (b 18?? Eng – 19?? USA)
|—|—|—3 Unknown Daughters
|—|—|—1 Unknown Son
|—|—Henry Grimshaw (1864 – ?)
|—|—Emma Grimshaw (1867 – ? )
“Elements of Truth” by Albert E Grimshaw, Probable Descendant
A small book, “Elements of Truth9” by Albert E Grimshaw, Jr was published in 1942; the cover is show below. Albert was born in Paterson on January 3, 1904. Although he is no doubt in this family line, It is not yet known which family he was descended from.
The book includes the following autobiography of Albert.
The Author of this book of Sentences was born in Paterson, New Jersey , the third day of January, 1904.
When he (the only child) was but seven years of age, his mother (who, for some time, had been in feeble health) was forced—by an incurable form of arthritis—to her bed; where (rapidly becoming an utterly helpless invalid) she was to remain for nigh to seventeen years. Such, however, was her courage; such (for pain relentless), her fortitude; she, to all about her, was never other than a source of spiritual strength.
In his twelfth year, he prevailed upon his parents to have him removed from school; to the end that, (whilst pursuing his studies at home) he (at the same time) might comfort his mother, and, by assuming the responsibilities of the home (then—because of the negligence of a succession of servants— in a deplorable condition; but which, nevertheless, to have broken-up, would have brought utmost misery to all concerned), to be an aid to his father (holding, despite his burdens at home, a position of trust), whose various virtues could never sufficiently be extolled. Through the provision that he should he privately tutored, this was effected; and accordingly, thus (with energy abounding, for his multiple activities) did he continue his studies.
Nor was he content (though surrounded by books) to study, merely: he needs must be creative, also. Wherefore, did he turn out sundry poems, plays, essays; (all of which—with some later works—he has judiciously destroyed). The Homeric heroes were his unfailing companions; and he had the most grandiose plans for an epic on the Titanomachy. To entertain his mother, he would give his own theatricals; solemnly opening each performance with an overture. He delighted in baking bread, pastry and cake; and (at times) fancied he would become a chef (so much to his liking did he find the whole art of cookery). He was attracted to chemistry (his frightened mother, the while he experimented, foreseeing the destruction of house and home); and, for a pet, had a large white rat (for which he had a strong affection).
A few years later, he (seeking the riches of philosophy) embarked upon the reading of such an array of books as could scarcely be imagined; with the result that, before attaining to his twentieth year, he had laid the foundations for his interpretation of the nature of things.
But this intense mental activity, coupled with his confined life, had gradually undermined his health; and—about Christmas, 1926—it became necessary, for the recovery of his strength, to send him away. In the spring, he (wonderfully improved) returned home; only to see his mother daily become worse. By the following spring, her pure spirit had gone to a fairer abode.
* * *
In a business institution, the Author now found employment; but—after four days— left: the modern world of business seemed a veritable nightmare: to his books, he must expeditiously return. Never had be applied himself to musical theory; so he would now begin. After a short period with a reputable teacher, he resolved to continue by himself, alone: for years, he (without a tutor) had studied after his own fashion; so (his independent temperament asserting itself, anew) must it be, with music. A Harmony Book for Beginners procured, he diligently proceeded to the divers examples; at the same time devouring every book, concerning the nature of music, that he could find. From the harmony book, he went to Contrapuntal Technique in the Sixteenth Century; when (presently) he began to realize that, apart from any new philosophic truth which he had thereby gained, his musical efforts had represented but so many steps in the wrong direction. Wherefore (having retraced his steps), he (with ardour intensified) devoted himself the more to philosophy; and, in 1934, was printed a little volume—Thoughts: Religious and Philosophic—soon after expanded into the First Book of Elements of Truth.
(Come what may) yet will he endeavor to tread his individual path.
Hawthorne, New Jersey ,12th of March, 1940.
The following images of the title page and quotation are also from Albert Grimshaw’s “Elements of Truth”.
Probable father of Albert E Grimshaw, Jr, from U.S. Social Security Death Index:
Albert GRIMSHAW
Birth Date: 20 Nov 1877
Death Date: Jul 1964
Social Security Number: 141-14-4153
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: New Jersey
Actual Death Residence: New Jersey
Another Grimshaw Line of Silk Manufacturers in Paterson
William Grimshaw, from near Manchester (Macclesfield?), immigrated to the U.S. through New York in 1880 with his young son, Harry. William had been engaged in silk weaving in England and, when he arrived in the U.S., he went to Paterson and continued in this profession. The record for William and Harry2 (p. 62) is as shown below (paragraph breaks introduced by website author.) Sketches of William’s and Harry’s portraits are also included and are shown in Figure 13 below the quote.
Henry Grimshaw. – Manufacturer of Silk Handkerchiefs, Mufflers, etc.: 84 and 86 Railroad avenue. – Notwithstanding the determined competition of European manufacturers of silk fabrics, and in spite of the immense importations of foreign silks, the products of Paterson looms and Paterson skill and industry, aided by our beneficent protective tariff, have continued to maintain their supremacy in the American markets. This has not been accomplished without persistent effort, however, on the part of our Paterson manufacturers, and as a representative of this class conspicuous recognition must be accorded to Mr. Harry Grimshaw, whose extended experience and thorough reliability have materially aided in disseminating and maintaining the reputation which this city has so deservedly acquired. Mr. Grimshaw has had a most remarkable experience and has been emphatically the architect of his own fortune, and notwithstanding the fact that he has during his career met with numerous vicissitudes, few today have brighter prospects or a more prosperous and thriving business.
His father, Mr. William Grimshaw, is a native of England, and was compelled by force of circumstances to leave school when but seven years of age. When nine years old he became a silk weaver, and at twenty-one embarked in business with a partner at his home near Manchester. His capital at this time was ₤20, the saving of his wages. He was prosperous in this enterprise and succeeded in accumulating a handsome competency. The Panic of 1873 in the United States and the consequent depression of trade in England affected his business to such an extent that he found himself after a seven years’ struggle nearly bankrupt. He disposed of his property and settled up his business in England, and with his young, with but sixteen dollars in his pocket.
He came direct to Paterson and soon secured a position with James H. Rogers, as superintendent of the Murray mill, which position he retained for five years, when he again embarked in business upon a limited scale and with only a few looms. From that time (1885) until the present, fortune has smiled upon his efforts, and his business has steadily increased until now occupies two entire floors in the Watson building on Railroad avenue, with about 13,000 square feet of floor space and forty looms of the latest improved construction, and employs seventy skilled and competent assistants in the manufacture of broad silks, dress goods, gros grains, etc., making a specialty of handkerchiefs, mufflers, the silks, etc.
His products are all of a superior grade and finish, and find a ready sale in the principal markets of the Union. In the management of his extensive and thriving business he is ably assisted by his son, who acts in the capacity of bookkeeper and superintends the clerical department, correspondence and interior work of the house. Mr. William Grimshaw, with justifiable pride, shows his friends a letter from a lady in England, in which she speaks of still having a silk dress woven by him twenty years ago
Figure 13. Sketches of portraits of William Grimshaw and his son, Harry. From “New Jersey’s Leading Cities Illustrated”2
William and Harry Grimshaw were recorded in the 1880 U.S. Census, as shown in a companion webpage; the record is also shown at the bottom of this webpage (NJ-10.) Forty-four-year-old William, a widower, is shown living with his 19-year-old son, Harry. Both were born in England. Also recorded is 51-year-old Lizzie O’Connor, who was born in Massachusetts. William is shown as a “silk warper,” and Harry is a waiter.
It is not know if William and Henry are directly connected to the family line of George and Mary (Barnes) Grimshaw. They arrived in Paterson about 12 years after the four Grimshaw brothers arrived in 1868.
Earlier History of Paterson Silk Industry
An earlier history of Paterson2 provides additional detail on the silk industry in Paterson in its heyday:
A silk weaver nurturing a white mulberry sapling, a cotton spinner planting a cotton seed, would fit emblems of the spirit of Paterson, now and agone, for as, at one time, the prosperity of Paterson depended upon the thrift of the cotton crop, so now its principal industry rests upon the silk-work culture, and it is upon the leaves of the white mulberry, Morus alba, that feeds the germs Bombyx, the most prized of all the Bombycidae or silk-work family; from the delicate threads it spins about itself on passing into the chrysalis state being woven those lustrous fabrics, known and admired since the oldest antiquity.
For years the world was told that silk could not be successfully made in America, there was not the skill, wages were too high. How could America compete with Lyons, with Macclesfield? Now and then a spasmodic attempt was made here and there to found the industry, but only in a small way. In 1825, and for some years succeeding, there was a craze to race the Morus multicandus, a species of mulberry tree on which some silk-worms feed. This was to be the beginning of the silk industry in America, out of which multitudes were to grow rich. In its smaller way it resembled the tulip mania and the South Sea Bubble, because everyone concerned lost money. This was the climax! There was no use trying any more to establish a silk industry on these shores! So said the illuminati and the skeptics; all that was left for us to send our gold across seas in exchange for silks at high figures.
Disproving Skeptical Assertions.
There would seem to have been some men yet unconvinced that silk could not be manufactured in America. They believed it could be done – and they did it. Paterson was the seat of the original venture, a venture, be it said, that was discountenanced at home as well as laughed at abroad. It has outlived Macclesfield many years, that great center of England’s silk industry going to the wall at the introduction of free trade, and to-day the city by the great falls is the center of the silk industry in America, its fabrics are world-famed, and in the roaring of its waters may be heard an ominous sound, a sound filled with warning to the French silk mills, that soon America will need few, if any, of their products. Already, as will be proved further along by official statistics, the Paterson silk mills alone are giving employment to more that fourteen thousand persons…
Struggling Against Prejudice.
It is rather a curious phase of our native silk manufacture, that, even when the necessary skill was finally attained and the material turned out of superior quality, there was yet something wanting to make it a sell – a foreign trade-mark. Indeed the prejudice against domestic silk goods was for years so strong that quality for quality, the French would sell quickly while the native was almost a drug in the market at greatly reduced figures. Some manufacturers, following the English, German and French practices along the South American coast of counterfeiting American trade marks, the better to sell their iron and cotton goods, put French labels on their silks for native consumption which then sold readily, often bringing a higher price that the genuine French goods. With no desire to approve these early practices, there is not wanting a good argument in extenuation thereof. No attempt to foist spurious goods under a legitimate trade-mark was involved. The goods were equal to and often of better quality than what they purported to represent. But the female shopper, always illogical, had conceived a deep-seated prejudice against native silk. She did not know that French silk was better at the price than American. She had never compared them. But there was a charm in the word “imported,” a confidence in the legend: Soie Francais that knotted the purse strings against other and similar stuffs…
Foundation of the Silk Industry.
John Ryle, the foster father of the silk industry of Paterson and hence of America, died last year; the thews and sinews that never tired, the directing mind, the never-failing heart are no more, but the memories of him will long survive, and in the years to come, when Paterson, surviving all vicissitudes shall have forced out competition from abroad and become the principal source of silk supply for the American continent, the stranger visiting Paterson and inquiring what were the beginnings of this remarkable industry will be taken to the Old Gun Mill and told the story of John Ryle, of Macclesfield and his aged friend, George Murray; of their accidental meeting and of what grew out of it. The enterprise set afoot in the old gun mill in 1839-’40 was the beginning of the silk industry, for, though there had been various attempts at different parts of the country to manufacture silk, notably by Chris. Colt, in 1836, they were, for the most part but desultory and feeble, and lacked the germ of endurance and development. For eleven years John Ryle and his patron had no rivals, then came John C. Benson and others. Silk manufacture in America seemed to have substantial promise, money was not so slow nor so timid; one venture succeeded another, mill followed mill. As might be expected in an infant industry, nursed by practical, cautions men, the more difficult branches, those demanding unusual skill and careful training, were not entered upon rashly. Up to 1862 the Paterson mills confined themselves to making furnishings for trimmings manufacturers; machine-twists, sewing-silks and tram-silks. Not that broad silks and ribbons were beyond their skill, for they had often been successfully made in Paterson. The trouble was with the consumer who was found to have a deep-rooted prejudice against domestic silks. In that year a determined and a successful effort was made in the direction of broad silks, fine trams, organzines, fabrics for women’s ties and men’s silk wear, and toward establishing them in the market.
Progress of the Silk Industry
1872 marked another era, for then it was that Paterson manufacturers, whose broad silks theretofore had for the most part been used for cutting up into ladies’ ties, began the manufacture of dress silks, gauze and grenadine and gros-grain silks, and since then the Paterson manufacturers have hesitated at nothing. They believed that silk goods that could be made anywhere in the world could be made in their city, and they made them. In the face of a strong prejudice against domestic silks they have brought their fabrics more and more into popular notice, and the yearly increase in the product is the best recommendation that could be given of their judgment and persistency. The decade between 1876 and 1886 will furnish an excellent idea of the progress of the silk industry, because reaching from the time when dress silks were beginning to be made for a market strongly prejudiced against them to these later years of certainty, the finest goods being readily made and marketed…
Additional Information Provided by Marge Tamboer on the Family of George’s Brother, James
Marge has done extensive research on the descendants of George and Ellen (Swift) Grimshaw, with emphasis on their fourth child, James Grimshaw (six-year-younger brother of George m. Mary Barnes). Marge’s information includes a more detailed descendant chart (Figure 14) and photos of several family members (Figures 15 to 20)
Figure 14. Descendant Chart of George and Ellen (Swift) Grimshaw
1 George GRIMSHAW b: Abt. 1775 + Ellen SWIFT b: Abt. 1775 m. Manchester Cathedral, Lancashire on Dec. 15, 1794
|—2 Hugh GRIMSHAW b: Abt. 1800 d: November 20, 1861 + Sarah ? b: Abt. 1802 d: 1844
|—|—3 John GRIMSHAW I b: 1820 d: 1821
|—|—3 John GRIMSHAW II b: 1825 d: 1887 + Hannah ?
|—|—|—4 Albert GRIMSHAW
|—|—|—4 George GRIMSHAW
|—|—|—4 Fred GRIMSHAW
|—|—|—4 Hugh GRIMSHAW d: Abt. 1941 + Eliza Ann MELLON d: Abt. 1944
|—|—|—|—5 Florence Hancel GRIMSHAW b: Oct 27, 1894 d: Abt. 1965 + Harold Griswold SKINNER d: Abt. 1965
|—|—3 David H. GRIMSHAW b: 1854 d: August 13, 1931 + Mary IRVING b: 1861 d: May 07, 1918
|—|—|—4 David GRIMSHAW b: 1879 d: July 01, 1906
|—2 Sarah GRIMSHAW b: Abt. 1816
|—2 James GRIMSHAW b: March 12, 1818 d: November 09, 1896 + Eliza ? b: Abt. 1819
|—|—3 Eliza GRIMSHAW b: Abt. 1835
|—|—3 William GRIMSHAW b: Abt. 1843
|—|—3 Ann GRIMSHAW b: 1847 d: 1931 + Thomas CHAPPELL
|—|—|—4 Sarah CHAPPELL b: June 1872 d: July 06, 1954 + Joseph GRIMSHAW b: Feb. 28, 1876 d: March 21, 1948
|—|—|—|—5 Ethel GRIMSHAW
|—|—|—4 Mary Elizabeth CHAPPELL + Fred BROWN
|—|—3 Edward GRIMSHAW, Sr. b: 1855 d: March 03, 1929 + Alice NIXON b: 1862 d: June 28, 1921
|—|—|—4 Edward GRIMSHAW, Jr. b: 1887 d: October 17, 1938 + Hope A. DELAVEGA b: July 24, 1888 d: April 24, 1963
|—|—|—4 Bessie GRIMSHAW b: October 22, 1887 + [15] George APPEL b: August 31, 1895 d: November 1965
|—|—|—4 Amy GRIMSHAW b: 1888 d: November 26, 1890
|—|—|—4 Ellen GRIMSHAW b: 1892 d: July 06, 1960
|—|—|—4 Eliza GRIMSHAW b: 1895 d: January 13, 1896
|—|—|—4 Margaret GRIMSHAW b: 1896 d: October 22, 1899
|—|—|—4 Alice GRIMSHAW b:
|—|—|—4 James GRIMSHAW b:
|—|—3 Sally GRIMSHAW b:
*2nd Wife of James GRIMSHAW: +Mary Cope CHAPPELL b: December 25, 1824 m. Dec 15, 1858 at The Parish Church, Prestbury, Co. of Chester, Eng. d. April 12, 1892
|—|—3 Alfred GRIMSHAW b: May 02, 1860 d: February 22, 1943 + Jessie BROWN
|—|—|—4 William H. GRIMSHAW b: January 27, 1892 d: February 27, 1963
|—|—|—4 David W. GRIMSHAW b: January 24, 1897 d: July 1951 + Florence DEWITT
|—|—3 Samuel GRIMSHAW b: February 1862 d: October 08, 1902 + Edna MOSS b: January 18, 1864 d: October 10, 1950
|—|—|—4 Harry Charles GRIMSHAW II b: 1891 d: February 1951 + Florence MOORE b: 1894 d: April 1953
|—|—|—4 Edna GRIMSHAW b: August 02, 1893 d: February 02, 1970 + Frederick HUBER b: June 11, 1891 d: May 08, 1964
|—|—|—|—5 Frederick Edward HUBER b: private d: private + Alice M. CLAYTON b: private d: private
|—|—|—|—5 Harry C. HUBER b: private + Hilda HACKER b: private d: private
|—|—|—|—5 Florence HUBER b: private + George F. CLARK, Jr. d: March 14, 1963
*2nd Husband of Florence HUBER: + John VAN TOL d: private
|—|—|—4 Mary GRIMSHAW b: March 19, 1896 d: private + Leonard Henry TAMBOER b: Sept 24, 1893 d: Dec. 30, 1918
|—|—|—|—5 Leonard Marinus TAMBOER b: private + Ruth May SODERS b: private d: private
*2nd Wife of Leonard Marinus TAMBOER: + Louise DePasquale PETRUZZI b: private
|—|—|—4 Sarah GRIMSHAW b: June 26, 1900 d: March 21, 1962 + Valdean DECKER, Sr. b: October 29, 1897 d: Jan. 02, 1966
|—|—|—|—5 Edna Mae DECKER b: private + Frederick J. HILLIS, Jr. b: private d: private
|—|—|—|—5 Ruth DECKER b: private d: private + Ernest BISCH
|—|—|—|—5 Joan DECKER b: private + Emanuelle BARONE *2nd Husband of Joan DECKER: + Ronald CAMPBELL
|—|—|—|—5 Lois DECKER b: private d: private
|—|—3 Harry C. GRIMSHAW I b: 1863 d: January 1947 + Annie Elizabeth SNOOK b: 1865 d: June 1913
|—|—3 Emma GRIMSHAW b: 1866 d: 1951 + James H. FARRAR b: 1866 d: March 26, 1928
|—|—|—4 Arthur FARRAR b: 1895 d: July 09, 1963 + Gertrude GARRISON b: d:
|—|—|—4 Jessie FARRAR b: November 27, 1898 d: private + Ellis T. BOONSTRA b: October 14, 1888 d: March 21, 1967
|—|—|—4 Stanley FARRAR + Donata DEPALMA
|—|—3 [22] Sally GRIMSHAW
|—2 Elizabeth GRIMSHAW b: Abt. 1820
|—2 Harriet GRIMSHAW + ? PIMBLOTT
Figure 15. Ann (Grimshaw) Chappel, third child of James and Eliza Grimshaw
Figure 16. Alfred and Jessie (Brown) Grimshaw with their two sons William H. (older) and David W. Grimshaw. Alfred Grimshaw was the fifth child of James Grimshaw and the first by his second wife, Mary Cope Chappel Grimshaw.
Figure 17. William H. and David W. Grimshaw as young men.
Figure 18. Obituary photographs of William H. and David W. Grimshaw
Obituaries for William H. and David W. Grimshaw
(in preparation)
Figure 19a. Samuel Grimshaw, second child of James and Mary Cope Chappell Grimshaw (James’ seventh child).
Figure 19b. Edna (Moss) Grimshaw and her children (left to right – Mary, Edna, Harry II, and Sarah Grimshaw). Edna was a widow by the time this photo was taken in 1903.
Figure 19c. Edna Grimshaw and her children in later years. Photo taken in 1938.
Figure 20. Harry C. and Annie (Snook) Grimshaw. Harry was the third child of James and Mary Cope Chappell Grimshaw (James’ eighth child).
Figure 21. Emma (Grimshaw) Farrar, fourth child of James and Mary Cope Chappell Grimshaw (James’ ninth child)
Expansion of Descendant Chart for Hugh and Eliza Ann (Melos) Grimshaw
Leslie (Grimshaw) Toms sent an e-mail in May 2009 with considerable additional descendant information for Hugh and Eliza Grimshaw. The e-mail is shown below.
|—Hugh Grimshaw * (1795 1861) & Mary (1796 – 1844)
|—|—John Grimshaw (1820 – 1821)
|—|—John Grimshaw (1825 – 1887) & Hannah
|—|—|—Albert Grimshaw
|—|—|—George Grimshaw
|—|—|—Fred Grimshaw
|—|—|—Hugh Grimshaw & Eliz A Melos
|—|—|—|—Florence Grimshaw (27 Oct 1894 – ) & Humphry Skinner
|—|—|—|—|— 1 Unknown Son
|—|—|—|—Norman Grimshaw
|—|—|—|—Doris Grimshaw (27 Oct 1894 – ) & Humphry Skinner
|—|—|—|—Edith Grimshaw (27 Oct 1894 – ) & Humphry Skinner
Florence’s son is Sandy Skinner, I don’t know if he is still alive but he lived in Sandisfield CT.
Hugh lived in Windsor CT and also had 2 sons, John Edward and Norman, and 2 more daughters – Doris and Edith, see attached picture. Norman had a daughter, Patty.
John married Ethel Tolles and had two sons, John Edward, Jr (1924) and Fred Hugh (1923). John Edward, Jr, was my dad and I have 2 brothers, John (1950) and Steve (1959) who each have 2 girls. Fred had a daughter, JoAnne, and a son, Fred (c1949), who has a son, Leif (c1978), who recently had a son who so far is the only one to carry on the Grimshaw name from Hugh’s line.
Somewhere I have a ancestral chart that goes back a couple hundred years – I will try and find it at some point but life here is busy.
When you reply please make sure you put Re: Grimshaw geneology so that I do not lose you in spam!
Cheers
Leslie Grimshaw Toms
Florence (Grimshaw) Skinner is shown below with her son, Harold Skinner, Jr.
Hugh and Eliza Ann (Melos) Grimshaw are shown with their children Jack, Norman, Florence, Doris, and Edith in the following picture provided by Leslie Toms
Leslie subsequently provided a brief e-mail with a minor correction:
Re Grimshaw Genealogy
From: leslie toms (leslietoms@sbcglobal.net)
Sent: Sat 5/09/09 7:58 AM
To: Thomas Grimshaw (thomas.w@grimshaw.com)
1 attachment
1936 FLor…jpg (65.8 KB)
Correction – Florence’s son was named Harold, I guess he was nicknamed Sandy.
Based on the information provided by Leslie, the descendant chart for Hugh and Eliza Grimshaw can be expanded as shown below (new entries are indicated in italics).
Unknown Grimshaw
|—Hugh Grimshaw * (1795 1861) & Mary (1796 – 1844)
1Nelson, William and Charles Shriner, 1920, History of Paterson and Its Environs (The Silk City) – Historical, Genealogical, Biographical: New York, NY and Chicago, IL, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, v. III, unk p.
2Elstner, J.M., 7 Company, 1889, New Jersey’s Leading Cities Illustrated – Historical, Biographical, Commercial: New York, NY, J.M. Estner & Co., unk. p.
3Taylor, C.W., Publisher, 1942, Bench and Bar of New Jersey: San Francisco, CA, C.W. Taylor, Jr. Publisher, unk p.
4Fitzgerald, Dorothy, 1948, Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1948: Trenton, NJ, MacCrellish & Quigley, unk p.
5Gibbons, J. Joseph, 1961, Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1961: Trenton, NJ, MacCrellish & Quigley, unk p.
6New Jersey Biographical Association, 1925, New Jersey and Its Builders: Jas. O. Jones Co., unk p.
7Davis, Tarring, and Lucile Shenk, eds., 1931, A History of Blair County, Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, PA, National Historical Association, v. II, 205 p.
8Trumbell, L. R., 1882, A History of Industrial Paterson: Being a Compendium of the Establishment, Growth and Present Status in Paterson, N. of the Silk, Cotton, Flax, Locomotive, Iron and Miscellaneous Industries: Together with Outlines of State, County and Local History, Corporate Records, Biographical Sketches, Incidents of Manufacture, Interesting Facts and Valuable Statistics: Paterson, N.J.: Carleton M. Herrick, 391 pgs
9Grimshaw, Albert E., 1942, Elements of Truth: Hawthorne, NJ, Published by Author.
Appendix A: 1880 Census Records of Grimshaws in Paterson
The census records for Grimshaws in Paterson, NJ are shown in a companion webpage and are reproduced below.
Census Place:
Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey
NJ-2
Source:
FHL Film 1254796 National Archives Film T9-0796 Page 209B
Relation
Sex
Marr
Race
Age
Birthplace
George GRIMSHAW
Self
M
W
W
65
ENG
Occ:
Silk M’F’R
Fa: ENG
Mo: ST. HELNA
James GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
34
ENG
Occ:
Silk M’F’R
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
George GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
27
ENG
Occ:
Silk M’F’R
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Hugh GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
20
ENG
Occ:
Silk M’F’R
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Ellen GRIMSHAW
Dau
F
S
W
30
ENG
Census Place:
Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey
NJ-2
Source:
FHL Film 1254796 National Archives Film T9-0796 Page 237C
Relation
Sex
Marr
Race
Age
Birthplace
James GRIMSHAW
Self
M
M
W
60
ENG
Occ:
Weaver
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Mary GRIMSHAW
Wife
F
M
W
56
ENG
Occ:
K. House
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Alfred GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
21
ENG
Occ:
Weaver
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Samuel GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
18
ENG
Occ:
Weaver
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Harry GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
16
ENG
Occ:
Weavere
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Emma GRIMSHAW
Dau
F
S
W
13
ENG
Census Place:
Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey
NJ-5
Source:
FHL Film 1254796 National Archives Film T9-0796 Page 416A
Relation
Sex
Marr
Race
Age
Birthplace
Peter GRIMSHAW
Self
M
M
W
52
ENG
Occ:
Steam & Gas Fitter
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Hannah GRIMSHAW
Wife
F
M
W
51
ENG
Occ:
Keeps House
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Emma L. GRIMSHAW
Dau
F
S
W
18
RI
Occ:
Works In Silk Mill
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Sarah J. GRIMSHAW
Dau
F
S
W
16
RI
Occ:
Works In Silk Mill
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Margret E. GRIMSHAW
Dau
F
S
W
10
NJ
Census Place:
Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey
NJ-8
Source:
FHL Film 1254795 National Archives Film T9-0795 Page 55B
Relation
Sex
Marr
Race
Age
Birthplace
Aaron GRIMSHAW
Self
M
M
W
46
ENG
Occ:
Retail Liquor Dealer
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Rosanna GRIMSHAW
Wife
F
M
W
44
ENG
Occ:
Keeping House
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
George T. GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
25
ENG
Occ:
Laborer
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Jesse GRIMSHAW
Dau
F
S
W
14
NJ
Occ:
Works In Silk Mill
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Aaron GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
12
NJ
Occ:
At Home
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Mary GRIMSHAW
Dau
F
S
W
9
NJ
Census Place:
Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey
NJ-10
Source:
FHL Film 1254796 National Archives Film T9-0796 Page 225B
Relation
Sex
Marr
Race
Age
Birthplace
William GRIMSHAW
Self
M
M
W
44
ENG
Occ:
Silk Warper
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Harry GRIMSHAW
Other
M
S
W
19
ENG
Occ:
Waiter
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Lizzie O’CONNOR
Other
F
S
W
51
MA
Census Place:
Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey
NJ-11
Source:
FHL Film 1254796 National Archives Film T9-0796 Page 236B
Relation
Sex
Marr
Race
Age
Birthplace
Joseph GRIMSHAW
Self
M
M
W
35
ENG
Occ:
Weaver
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Mary GRIMSHAW
Wife
F
M
W
35
ENG
Occ:
K. House
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Thomas GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
13
ENG
Occ:
Silk Worker
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
George GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
11
ENG
Occ:
Silk Worker
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
William GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
7
NJ
Occ:
School
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Walter GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
5
NJ
Occ:
School
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Mamie GRIMSHAW
Dau
F
S
W
3
NJ
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
David GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
2
NJ
Census Place:
Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey
NJ-12
Source:
FHL Film 1254796 National Archives Film T9-0796 Page 274C
Relation
Sex
Marr
Race
Age
Birthplace
John GRIMSHAW
Self
M
M
W
31
ENG
Occ:
Silk Manu
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Martha A. GRIMSHAW
Wife
F
M
W
29
ENG
Occ:
K. House
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Frederick G. GRIMSHAW
Son
M
S
W
1
NJ
Census Place:
Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey
NJ-14
Source:
FHL Film 1254796 National Archives Film T9-0796 Page 210C
Relation
Sex
Marr
Race
Age
Birthplace
David GRIMSHAW
Self
M
M
W
25
ENG
Occ:
Silk M’F’R
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Mary GRIMSHAW
Wife
F
M
W
19
NJ
Occ:
Keeping House
Fa: ENG
Mo: ENG
Nellie GRIMSHAW
Dau
F
S
W
7M
NJ
Appendix B: Summary History of Paterson, New Jersey
A central feature of George and Mary Grimshaw’s family line is its roots in, and strong connections to, the silk industry in Macclesfield, England and, particularly, Paterson, New Jersey. An excellent brief history of Paterson is given in the following website: http://www.rt23.com/history/Paterson_NJ-silk_city.shtml. This information is summarized below to provide context for this Grimshaw family line. Additional history of the silk industry is provided further down on this webpage.
The City of Paterson is located in Northeastern New Jersey near waterfalls (Figure 2) on the Passaic River. It was incorporated as a town in 1831. Paterson was founded in 1791 by the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.), a group championed by statesman Alexander Hamilton. The settlement was named for governor of New Jersey and Declaration of Independence signer, William Paterson (1746-1806).
Figure 2. The cradle of the industrial revolution in America: Paterson, New Jersey’s Great Falls, 77 feet tall and 280 feet wide.
Alexander Hamilton is sometimes called the “Founder of Paterson” because of his vision in July of 1778. On route to Paramus, General George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, his aide-de-camp Colonel James McHenry, and Colonel Alexander Hamilton stopped at what was then called the Totowa Falls. Picnicking near the Falls, Hamilton noticed the natural beauty and power of the “Great Falls”. Later when Alexander Hamilton was Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, he had but one place in mind for his “New National Manufactory”.
Hamilton’s “Report on Manufactures”, delivered to congress in 1790, stressed the importance of a domestic manufacturing capability. Soon after, the New Jersey legislature passed a law establishing the charter of S.U.M., “The Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures”. Hamilton was chief adviser and most active volunteer for the society.
The project was off to a rocky start as it coincided with the Panic of 1791-1792. The first mill built was idled in 1796 and destroyed by fire in 1807. The great power of the waterfalls eventually drove Paterson to become one of the first industrial centers in the United States. Engineers, entrepreneurs, artisans and inventors were drawn to this new technology center.
French trained architect, engineer and city planner Pierre L’Enfant, who drew the plans for Washington, D.C., was the first general superintendent for the S.U.M. project. He proposed to harness power from the falls by a channel through the rock and an aqueduct. The society directors felt that L’Enfant was taking too long and was over budget. He was replaced by Peter Colt, who got the water flowing for the new factories in 1794. Colt used a less complicated plan than L’Enfant based on a reservoir system. Eventually Colt’s scheme developed problems and a system nearer L’Enfant’s original plan was used after 1846.
In 1910, S.U.M. convinced the mill owners to switch to electricity. Thomas Edison’s Electric Company drew up plans for a 4849 kilowatt hydroelectric facility which operated from 1914 until 1969. In 1984, the plant was restored with the replacement of three of the four turbines. In 1986 the plant was restarted and now generates 11,000 kilowatts per hour, enough electricity for 11,000 homes. Recently the plant produced nearly $400,000 worth of electricity in four months which it sold to Public Service Electric and Gas*. The Great Falls again powers Paterson and the surrounding area today over 223 years since Alexander Hamilton’s “picnic”. Industry got underway in the Paterson area as a talented machinist named John Clark began operations followed by John Parke. Thomas Rogers started competing against British locomotive manufacturers in 1835. Rogers’ firm grew into the leading locomotive manufacturer in the United States by 1854.
Inventor John Philip Holland emigrated from Ireland to Paterson in 1873. His idea of an underwater boat was originally rejected by the United States Navy. Privately financed by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, Holland built his submarine boat at an Albany Street ironworks in New York City. The submarine was then moved to J.C. Todd’s machine shop in Paterson where it was fitted with the newly patented petroleum engine. In June of 1878, the Holland I was launched from Listers Boathouse above the Great Falls into the Passaic River.
By 1870, nearly fifty percent of the silk made in the United States was produced in Paterson (Figure 3). In the early part of the twentieth century, the silk mills of Paterson fell victim to labor strife and never recovered.
Figure 3. The Phoenix Mill (left, 1816), the earliest existing textile mill in the Historic District, Van Houten Street in Paterson New Jersey. As noted below, one of the sons of George and Mary Grimshaw worked at this mill.
An example of the affluence created by Paterson’s silk industry can be found just over the city border in Garret Mountain Reservation. Catholina Lambert migrated from England in 1834 and by 1890 was one of the largest mill owners in Paterson. Lambert built his “castle” in 1892 (Figure 4) to display his collection of European and American art. Today, the Passaic County Historical Society and the Parks Commission is housed there.
Figure 4. Silk City’s Lambert Castle (1893) in Clifton near the Paterson city border is undergoing extensive restoration.
Paterson industries provided the sail cloth for Yankee Clipper ships, the revolvers and firearms which tamed the “wild west”, locomotives that pulled the freight that built a nation, and silk products which created a golden age for the “Silk City”.
An 1839 map of northern New Jersey and nearby New York City is available at the following webpage: http://www.rt23.com/maps/1839_nj_map.shtml. A portion of the map is shown in Figure 5 below.
Figure 5. Map of northern New Jersey published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1839, showing location of Paterson (misspelled as Patterson). Note the commercially advantageous location of Paterson just a few miles northwest of New York City.
Appendix C: Photos of Paterson and the Falls During the Peak of the Silk Industry
Several photos of Paterson and the “Great Falls,” taken in the late 1800s, about the time of the peak of the silk industry, are available at the following website: http://digilib.nypl.org:8080/dennis/images. These photos are from a collection maintained by the New York Public Library. Several of the photos are shown below in Figures 8 and 9.
Figure 8. Two views of downtown Paterson, New Jersey in the late 1800s.
Figure 9. Two views of “Great Falls” (Passaic Falls) near Paterson, New Jersey
Webpage History
Webpage posted January 2002. Updated February 2003 with Marge Tamboer’s information. Updated November 2004 with addition of family Bible images for John and Martha (Mottershead) Grimshaw and with addition of historical description from Trumbell (and associated maps from MapQuest). Updated and reorganized March 2005 with addition of companion webpage on the Grimshaw Silk Mill in Reading, PA. Updated March 2007 with addition of John Grimshaw’s obituary from the New York Times. Updated November 2008 with addition of “Elements of Truth” by Albert E Grimshaw. Updated June 2009 with expansion of Hugh Grimshaw family line provided by Leslie (Grimshaw) Toms.
