Theodore W. Petersen

Theodore William Petersen (1837 - March 10, 1902) was a Danish-American brickmaker, brickmaster, and ship deck officer.[1][2] He was well-known, in California, for providing building materials for building projects and for his signature product: the pressed brick.

Early life

Petersen was born in Kingdom of Denmark in 1837.[3]

At age 14, Petersen traveled, for the next 12 years, as a member of a shipboard. His roles included serving as a second mate on a ship called Ocean Pearl in 1860 while traversing through Cape Horn. In addition, Petersen also served as a cabin boy and a captain.[3]

In 1860, Petersen began to reside along the Americas' Pacific coast. On November 5, 1864, Petersen became a naturalized American citizen[4], and then moved to San Jose, California in 1865; where he reside for the remainder of his life.

Brickmaking Career

Petersen began to produce and manufacture bricks in 1872[5] and, most importantly, his signature product: the pressed brick in 1883. As of 1888, Petersen produced a total output of 7 million bricks per year; 600,000 of those were pressed bricks.[3]

Petersen then co-founded a couple of brickmaking companies (all incorporated and operated in California) including: San Francisco and Mountain View Brick and Transportation Company in 1892 for $500,000 capital stock[6] and Petersen Brick Company (also known as: Peterson-Kartschoke Brick Company) in 1893 for $100,000 capital stock[7]. At Petersen Brick Company, Petersen served as the manager of the brickyard[8] until his resignation on April 20, 1896[9].

Petersen's bricks had a "wide and enviable reputation", according to many of his clients and customers in California, as those made with "superior and lasting quality"[10] and manufactured with the greatest care. According to Harold S. Foote, Petersen's pressed brick were sold at a high price due to its "smoothness and uniformity in color".[3] Additionally, the San Francisco Call described Petersen's bricks as one that are "protected from variations of temperature and rain while drying... in order to preserve the edges".[10]

Petersen was a member of both the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the San Jose Board of Trade.[4]

Personal life and Death

Petersen married Irish American Mary Doherty of Skaneateles, New York[11] in 1866. The couple resided in San Jose from 1870 until Petersen's death in 1902.[3] The couple had three children: Frederick (son), Lillie (daughter) and William (son).[11]

On March 10, 1902, Petersen died of a heart failure in San Francisco at age 64[1][2].

References

  1. ^ a b "Died". The Evening News. Vol. 41, no. 67 (2nd ed.). March 11, 1902. p. 4. Retrieved March 1. 2025. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  2. ^ a b "T.W. Petersen Was Suddenly Stricken". The Evening News. Vol. 41, no. 67 (2nd ed.). March 11, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Foote, Horace S. (1888). Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California. Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co. pp. 401–402.
  4. ^ a b Rose, Christine (1990). Declarations of intention for naturalization, Santa Clara County, California. San Jose, Calif: Rose Family Association. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-929626-03-1.
  5. ^ "25 Years Ago Today". The Evening News. Vol. 90, no. 59. San Jose, CA. March 10, 1927. p. 14.
  6. ^ "Bricks, Terra Cotta and Starch". San Francisco Call. Vol. 72, no. 49. San Francisco, CA. July 19, 1892. p. 2. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  7. ^ "Articles of Incorporation". The Record-Union. Vol. 85, no. 10. Sacramento, CA. March 4, 1893. p. 4. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  8. ^ "Notice of Dissolution of Co-partnership". San Jose Mercury News. Vol. 42, no. 89. San Jose, CA. March 30, 1893. p. 7. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  9. ^ "Legal". San Jose Mercury News. Vol. 49, no. 111. San Jose, CA. April 20, 1896. p. 3. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Bricks". San Francisco Call. Vol. 69, no. 161. San Francisco, CA. May 10, 1891. p. 12. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Major, Jack. "Children of Patrick Doherty". major-smolinski.com. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Theodore_W._Petersen
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