Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

ENCY( !.< iPEDIA <
Baltic sea. Peter Wendheiser was born
in [835, in Rhine Province, mar Cologne,
Prussia, and died January 31, 1894, at
Ormond, Florida, where he spent the win-
ters in the latter years of his life. I lis
father, Nicholas Wendheiser, v.
stone mason, and when Peter was ;t lad
ui twelve years, came to America, bring-
ing his wife and child with him. The boy,
Peter, attended school lor a time at PittS-
field, Massachusetts, where the family
had located, and then worked in .1 v.
mill. He was an ambitious lad and soon
SOUght a means of learning a trade
whereby he could make a comfortable liv-
ing. Subsequently, he mastered the cabi-
net maker's trade, and in i860 came to
Rockville, Connecticut, where he became
foreman of the Metcalf I land Made Fur-
niture Company. At that time the greater
part of furniture was ma.de by hand, and
one experienced in that trade was always
in great demand. Mr. Wendheiser con-
tinned with the Metcalf Company until a
short time after the close of the Civil
War. He then engaged in business upon
his own account, first starting in a mod-
est and humble way. and gradually but
surely increasing. At the time of his re-
tirement from this line of business in 1881,
a large and flourishing trade had been
established.
In the years that followed. Mr. Wend-
heiser was at one time in partnership in
the undertaking business, and invented a
"body preserver"— a system for preserv-
ing bodies in and restoring them to natu-
ral condition. This system was in general
use throughout the United States until
the present method of embalming was
adopted. Xext. he became interested in a
boot and shoe business, which was followed
by the purchase of a music store
from the late George W. Randall. In
1889 his son became associated with him.
and the firm name became Peter Wend-
Cono—7-2 305
>F i:l< 'GRAI'HY
heiser & Son, At the beginning the Bp
upied was small, and \h\> has been in-
creased to keep pace with the increase in
business until (in 1918) the space on I
Boors was equivalent to that usually occu-
pied by three ordinary cif. In ad-
dition to a general line of music supplies,
pianos and other musical instruments are
tied. When the talking machines
first appeared on the market, this new in-
novation was added to the stock of the
linn, and several salesmen have alv.
been kept busy, under ordinary condi-
tions, in Tolland county and adjacent ter-
ritory.
Mr. Wendheiser was a musician of tal-
ent, and for many years served as organ-
ist of St. Bernard's Church in Rockville.
I le v. as a I lem< tcrat in politics and one of
the first fifty voters of Rockville. He
married, in [86l, Delia I'.. Kivel. the only
daughter of Henry and Margaret Kivel,
natives of Xew York City. They were
the parents of George P. Wendheiser. of
\\ hom further.
George P. Wendhei-er was born March
i~ , 1867, in Rockville, Connecticut, where
he attended the public schools. He was
a student at the Fordham University for
a period, after which he became asso-
ciated with his father in business. In
September, 1889, he was admitted a mem-
ber of the firm, and in i8