Tinsley - Harvey
Source:
Hardware Dealer's Magazine Dec, 1916 p 1188
HR
Tinsley has recently celebrated his half-century of active labor in the
hardware trade. He is head of the retail hardware concern of HR Tinsley &
Company at Crawfordsville, Indiana. Mr. Tinsley came to this country from
Ireland with his parents when he was a mere lad. The family settled in
Cincinnati, and Mr. Tinsley began clerking in a store in that city a few years
after his arrival. He served his country in the Civil War and in November 1866
went to Crawfordsville where he commenced as a clerk in the general store of
Campbell, Galey & Harter. The firm handled dry goods, hardware, groceries,
etc. The hardware line attracted Mr. Tinsley especially. after serving as a
clerk two years, he and Henry Campbell purchased the hardware department of the
store and opened a store of their own.They were in partnership for 5 years when
Mr. Campbell retired from the store in 1874. Arch Martin became Mr. Tinsley's
partner and the firm was conducted under the firm name of Tinsley & Martin.
In January 1894 Mr. Martin retired from the business and the firm has been
known ever since as H.R. Tinsley & Company. No business can withstand the
test of time without safe and sane management. This at once suggests
advertising. Mr. Tinsley has always been a firm believer in printer's ink. All
things considered, he is sure newspaper advertising is the best. He summed it up
in this unique way: "The paper in which the advertisement appears must be
useful and entertaining to the general public. If it is not, the people will
not read the news, much less the advertising matter. While if the general tone
of the paper is approved by the public, both the news matter and the
advertisements will be read." He developed the subject of advertising
further stating that, "unless the merchant had good goods in his store,
courteous clerks who treat the people so squarely they come again and again and
the entire firm be in good repute for honest dealing with which to back it up,
all his advertising would come to naught and his business would fail." In
this connection it is interesting to note that some of the men who began
trading with Mr. Tinsley 50 years ago are still his customers. "In the
early days," Mr. Tinsley adds, "about 2/5 of the hardware used in
this country was imported from England and about 1/5 from Germany. The German
hardware was sold mostly in German communities." Mr. Tinsley stated that
the implement business was not regarded as a necessary department for a
hardware store until about 1880, when it was gradually absorbed by hardware
stores. He has watched with keener interest than most people the development of
modern labor-saving machinery. He sold the first successful wire "self
binder" in his county and in 1882 he helped introduce the successful twine
binder. His store contains one of the finest collections of farm machinery used
by the early settlers to be found anywhere - typed by kbz
Source: TINSLEY, Harvey (#406 Crawfordsville 1870 census) age 28
hardware Merchant ---/2000 b. England
Source:
#96 1880 Census Crawfordsville HM Tinsely 38 Hardware b. England L D 33 Wife
Indiana William 7 Son Indiana Campbell 5 Son Indiana John H 3/12 Indiana Linn,
Bridget L. 19 Servant b. Ireland
Source:
various documents mentioned below John B. Newlin, Attorney At Law, 107 1/2
South Washington Street, Crawfordsville, Indiana Jan 3, 1966 -- Montgomery
County Historical Society Crawfordsville, Indiana
Gentlemen:
Some time ago Mr. Walter Remley brought me several old documents connect ed
with the Harvey R. Tinsley family. He knew that I was distantly connected with
the family and might be able to elaborate on background of the papers. Comments
and a list of the documents follow, the documents being attached. Harvey R.
Tinsley was born in Ireland about 1842, the son of William and Lucy Tinsley;
and with 8 brothers and sisters (of whom he was 5th) and his parents arrived in
NY late in 1851. A small leather trunk marked WT is supposed to be in the
collection of your society and is a momento of this voyage. See John D. Forbes,
Victorian Architect; Indiana Univ Press, 1953.
Harvey
Tinsley served in the Civil War (see doc 5 below) quitting a job with Probasco
& Davidson hardware jobbers of Cincinnati to join the 1st 100-day
enlistees. It is probably but not certain he re-enlisted and served as long as
health permitted. Certainly his health was damaged (as was his brother James
who served in the Navy) but the blank Society of the Army of the Cumberland
(Doc 6) suggests he served more than 100 days. Following army service his
activities are not clear; he may have gone back to wholesale hardware or he may
have come to C'ville almost at once to enter the hardware business; at least it
is certain that his father was familiar with C'ville having done work for
Wabash College.
On
June 13, 1872, the Clerk of the Clinton Circuit Court issued a marriage license
to Harvey C. Tinsley and Elizabeth W. Dunn. The written signature Rev. Chas
Tinsley in the margin of the license may indicate the ceremony was performed by
Charles, older brother by 10 years of Harvey who was active int he Methodist
ministry in Indiana.
At
any rate, Harvey and Elizabeth were married their children were: John Cam
(Cameron?); Robert (later Auditor of Mont Co) ; Will and Alfred, usually known
as Fred; Marie and Jane. They were not necessarily born in that order given
although Alfred was the youngest of the children. Elizabeth lived less than 6
years but her brothers' certif of 100-day Civil War service became part of the
family papers; document 4 issued to Sgt Robert s. Dunn. Harvey Tinsley,
incidentally was a private. Doc 2 is a marriage license issued by Tippecanoe Co
Clerk to Harvey R. Tinsley and Harriet A. McKee dated June 29, 1898. The
minister's certificate is not completed or signed. Harriet, more commonly known
as "Hattie" was a much-loved stepmother to all the children orphaned
by death of Elizabeth and survived her husband.
Both
are buried in Oak Hill cemetery, C'ville. Somewhere about this time Harvey
built the brick home now occupied to M/M Lester Sommer at 1010 W. Wabash.
Family legend says the bricks were "burned" in a kiln located on the
lot immediately east (note from kbz - possibly by the Poston Brick Company). In
my earliest memory (my grandparents lived a short distance west on Wabash) the
home had a carriage house and servants quarters in the rear and the imposing
Charles McCabe home and grounds (which later burned) were immediately west of
the Tinsley home. City limits at that time were at West street but the old
'yellow peril" street car operated down Main to Barr Street.
Incidentally,
Doc 3 is a typed copy of a memorial resolution passed by the Women's Relif
Corps at the death of Mrs. Lizzie D. Tinsley - presumably Eliz Dunn Tinsley -
and is undated except for the pencil note received Jan 13,1894 suggesting that
Elizabeth died late in '93.
Doc
7 is a HS diploma issued to Marie Binford Tinsley by the C'ville Public Schools
HS Dept on June 6, 1902 and signed by the faculty and school board. She is not
to be confused with Marie Tinsley of South Haven Michigan mentioned by Forbes
on pg. 85. The two Maries were cousins.
Doc
8 is a certificate of membership issued to Marie March 1, 1926 by the DAR. Her
lineage is based on Samuel Dunn and the certificate was issued by Dorothy Q
DAR. Doc 9 shows that Harvey Tinsley was a member of the GAR in 1893 as does
Doc 10 under date Nov 25, 1902.
Doc
11 is a memento memorial poster of the 44th Vol Inf Spanish-American war with W
D. Tinsley named Corp. Harvey & a partner began a retail hardware business
in C'ville under the name of Tinsley & Martin sometime between the Civil
& Spanish-American wars. It was located in the building on S. Wash Street
now occupied by Symmes-Williams Electric Co and at one time did a brisk
wholesaling volume to other stores in this area. Old timers liked to tell about
the big parade early each spring when T & M received a train load of
Studebaker wagons and borrowed teams from all over the area to parade them from
the Monon station to the store. They also bought Majestic ranges from St. Louis
in the same fashion.
The
business continued for some 50 year during the later period suffering from
losses to furnace installers, truck operators, variety store and paint stores.
After Harvey's death the sons Bob, John and Cam operated it for a few years but
in the early 30s it became a depression victim and was sold to George Deer who
moved it to the corner of Market & Wash where Dillman's became a direct
descendant.
Hattie
Tinsley survived her husband by several years. both are buried in Oak Hill. Cam
who went west to I believe the Kansas City area was the only child to leave
C'ville permanently and the only one to have children although Bob, John and
Cam all married. Jane and Marie never married and remained at home. Alfred
(Fred) was the only college grad (Purdue) and married Bertha English, my
mother's sister. He worked for the old wirebound box company in "Cville
did production engineering for several other companies including mines in
Colorado and AZ and died in Frankfort Ind but is buried in Oak Hill - his wife
Bertha still lives in Frankfort. - typed by kbz
Source:
Hardware Dealer's Magazine Dec, 1916 p 1188
HR
Tinsley has recently celeb rated his half-century of active labor in the
hardware trade. He is he ad of the retail hardware concern of HR Tinsley &
Company at Crawfordsville, Indiana. Mr. Tinsley came to this country from
Ireland with his parents when he was a mere lad. The family settled in
Cincinnati, and Mr. Tinsley began clerking in a store in that city a few years
after his arrival. He served his country in the Civil War and in November 1866
went to Crawfordsville where he commenced as a clerk in the general store of
Campbell, Galey & Harter.
The
firm handled dry goods, hardware, groceries, etc. The hardware line attracted
Mr. Tinsley especially. After serving as a clerk two years, he and Henry
Campbell purchased the hardware department of the store and opened a store of
their own.They were in partnership for 5 years when Mr. Campbell retired from
the store in 1874.
Arch
Martin became Mr. Tinsley's partner and the firm was conducted under the firm
name of Tinsley & Martin. In January 1894 Mr. Martin retired from the
business and the firm has been known ever since as H.R. Tinsley & Company.
No
business can withstand the test of time without safe and sane management. This
at once suggests advertising. Mr. Tinsley has always been a firm believer in
printer's ink. All things considered, he is sure newspaper advertising is the
best. He summed it up in this unique way: "The paper in which the
advertisement appears must be useful and entertaining to the general public. If
it is not, the people will not read the news, much less the advertising matter.
While if the general tone of the paper is approved by the public, both the news
matter and the advertisements will be read." He developed the subject of
advertising further stating that, "unless the merchant had good goods in
his store,
courteous clerks who treat the people so squarely they come again
and again and the entire firm be in good repute for honest dealing with which to
back it up, all his advertising would come to naught and his business would
fail ." In this connection it is interesting to note that some of the men
who began trading with Mr. Tinsley 50 years ago are still his customers. "
In the early days" Mr. Tinsley adds, "about 2/5 of the hardware used
in t his country was imported from England and about 1/5 from Germany. The
German hardware was sold mostly in German communities." Mr. Tinsley stated
t hat the implement business was not regarded as a necessary department f or a
hardware store until about 1880, when it was gradually absorbed by hardware
stores. he has watched with keener interest than most people the development of
modern labor-saving machinery. He sold the first successful wire "self
binder" in his county and in 1882 he helped introduce the successful twine
binder. His store contains one of the finest collections of farm machinery used
by the early settlers to be found anywhere. - typed by kbz
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Review Oct 31, 1916 p 1
Today,
50 years ago, there came to Crawfordsville, a stripling of a boy that later
impressed himself on the business life of Crawfordsville and now ranks as the
oldest business man of the city. That boy was Harvey R. Tinsley. Young Tinsley
had served in the Union Army and had returned to his father's home in
Cincinnati. He had a wide acquaintance among the whole sale hardware men of
that thrifty city, and he inclined to that line of trade. In the week before
his coming to this city he met Ed Hovey, then a commercial traveler for a
hardware firm. "Do you want a job," said Hovey. "You bet I
do," said young Tinsley. "Meet me in Crawfordsville, Indiana then on
Monday," said Hovey, "and I will place you." Young Tinsley was
more than pleased with the prospective location. From his father he had heard
stories favorable to Crawfordsville. The father had been the architect of the
college buildings built prior to that time.
The
young man felt that the people and surroundings would suit him. Therefore on
Monday he met Hovey in Lafayette and the two came to Crawfordsville on the New
Albany & Salem RR. Tinsley was introduced to the members of the substantial
firm of Campbell, Galey & Harter. Here he took a position which he held for
two years. Following this tour of duty, he joined with the late Henry Campbell
and bought the hardware interests of the firm. "I came to Crawfordsville
on the New Albany road," said Mr. Tinsley to the reporter, because it was
that or walk. It was the only railroad into Crawfordsville." I didn't come
on a Halloween prank, I came for business and looked on right away.
Campbell,
Galey and Harter was the leading firm of the county. They did a general
business and for two years I worked for small pay. "It was the custom in
those days to work cheap while you were learning the business. When I came to
Crawfordsville I had a small sum of money which I deposited with the firm. This
was used when Henry and I bought the hardware part of the business. "Uncle
Jimmie Lynn was running a grocery store on Green Street. He built the business
room on Main Street now occupied by Charles Joseph. It was there that Henry
Campbell and I sat up shop. We were partners for five years, until Henry was
compelled to retire from our firm to take charge of the father's business after
his death. Henry sold to Arch Martin and the firm of Tinsley & Martin was
then started. You younger fellows can remember the rest.
For
50 years I have sold hardware in Crawfordsville. I have been continuously at
the game in that time. John Booe was here a couple of months ahead of me, but
John dropped out to be postmaster and left me the honors of being the oldest
continuous business man in the town. Mat Kline came perhaps a couple of years
after I did. He and Clay Hildebrand set up a jewelry shop. Ted Brown and Bob
Krout were in the drug business and the Lee brothers were selling groceries.
Commercial
now - North Green Street was the place of active business in those days. The
father of the Joel boys was in business where Tannenbaum Brothers now hold
forth. There was a vacant lot where the Graham Store now stands. There was a
vacant and a pump shop where the Tinsley Hardware Store now stands. Washington
Street was yet to be made as a business center. The old court house with its
hitch rack, was the leading feature of Washington & Main Streets, and the
streets were none too good.
There
was five or six toll roads running out of the city, but not a mile of free
gravel road. In my time, I have watched the city develop and also the county.
It has been slow but sure.
A
fine honorable people must succeed and such were the people of this community.
Except for a slight indisposition suffered a few months ago, Mr. Tinsley is
still active in business. He visits the store every day and keeps in touch with
affairs. Who knows but another decade may find him still in the harness? - typed
by kbz