Foreword: The name Freiberg is a ubiquitous one in the annals of pre-Prohibition liquor enterprises in Cincinnati, Ohio. Eleven different companies bearing the Freiberg surname can be counted from city directories of the time. Moreover, some of those eleven did business under several names as partners came and went. I have long since given up trying to establish family relationships among the Freibergs but believe a list of their companies, identifying proprietors, flagship brands, and a few pertinent facts, would help allay confusion among historians and collectors. Each Freiberg entity is treated below in a paragraph, listed in the order of the year of its apparent founding.
1. Freiberg & Workum (1855-1918). Julius Freiberg, shown here, immigrated from Germany in 1847, settling in Cincinnati. In 1855 he partnered with his future brother-in-law, Levi Workum, in a wholesale liquor store. Freiberg & Workum became so successful that in 1867 the company purchased the Boone County Distillery at Petersburg, Kentucky, located on the Ohio River not far from Cincinnati. By 1880, the Petersburg distillery was making more whiskey than any other distillery in the state of Kentucky. That year, the distillery was worth $250,000 ($6.25 million today) and produced 975,820 gallons of whisky. By 1887 annual capacity had ballooned to 4 million gallons.” As said by one observer: “…Freiberg and Workum were the biggest fish in a very large pond.” (See my post of Feb. 15, 2015 for further information on Freiberg & Workum.)
2. J & A Freiberg & Co.(1866-1918. Brothers Joseph and Abraham Frieberg formed their wholesale liquor company in Cincinnati in 1866. Not distillers but rectifiers (blenders) they produced a “blizzard” of brands, at least thirty. Their flagship appears to have been “Puck Rye.” They eventually brought other family members into the business. The 1912 annual report of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce lists Abraham Freiberg, Edgar S. Freiberg, J. Arthur Freiberg, Joseph Freiberg and Sidney J. Freiberg as associated with this company.
3. Isaac Freiberg & Brother (1873-1906). This Cincinnati whiskey wholesaler, apparently headed by Isaac Freiberg, went under several corporate names and addresses during its 33 years in existence, apparently dependent on Isaac’s partner at the time. The company began as Freiberg & Rheinstrom (1873-1874), then Freiberg & Levi (1875-1882), then longest as Isaac & Brother (1883-1900), and ending as Freiberg, Meyer & Co. (1904-1906). Among the house proprietary brands, likely blended on the premises, were “Electric Whiskey,“ “Faraday Whiskey,” and “Kentucky Thoroughbred.”
4. Freiberg Brothers (1875-1894). According to information in Cincinnati directories, this wholesale liquor house included four Freibergs, apparently siblings: Louis, Benjamin, Henry, and Julius Jr. The final name suggests a relationship among the four men with Julius Freiberg of Freiberg & Workum. Located at 14 Main Street for much of its existence, this enterprise featured “1879 Old Jug Whiskey.” The proprietors gave it distinctive packaging in a ceramic quart bottle that today is prized by collectors.
5. Herman Freiberg & Co. (1878-1903). Data on this company is sparce although Herman Freiberg is recorded active in Cincinnati Jewish activities. He was a liquor wholesaler and may have done some whiskey rectifying, although he seems to have offered only several “house” brands, including “Blue Grass Belle,” “Kentucky Thoroughbred,” “Spring Garden Rye” and “Pembroke.” This last label appears to have been his flagship brand, advertised in the “Wine & Spirits Journal.” The company was located at only two addresses, initially 38 Main Street (1878-1899) and later 224 East 2nd (1900-1903)
6. Freiberg & Co. (1895-1918). Although this company existed for 23 years only the barest information is available. The company is shown at six different addresses over its lifetime:11 E Pearl (1895), 211 E Pearl (1896-1898), 224 E 3 Rd (1900-1908), 112 W Pearl (1909-1912), 28 Main (1913), 206 E Front (1914-1918). This company was a wholesaler but the names of Freibergs associated with the enterprise I have not found in Cincinnati directories.
7. Freiberg Distilling Co. (1896-1915). This company is similarly obscure. After 1904 it appears in city directories as the A. J. Freiberg Distilling Co. It was located at several addresses in Cincinnati: 420 E Pearl (1896-1898), 244 Main (1899-1902), 529 Walnut (1904-1907), SW cor 3 rd & Race (1915).
8. Isaac Freiberg (1899). This was a short-lived, enterprise, recorded in directories one year and gone the next. It listed at only one address, 930 E. Front Street. Whether the proprietor was the same Freiberg noted earlier with Isaac Freiberg & Brother is not clear.
9. Sig & Sol Freiberg (1899-1918). In 1899 brothers Sigmund and Solomon Freiberg began operations in Cincinnati. The firm’s initial address was at 58 Main St. By 1906 Sig and Sol Freiberg, Distillers, had moved to 424 West Fourth St. -- their final address. As depicted a cartoon rendering of Sig, the firm’s flagship brand was Gannymede “76” Rye. In Greek mythology, Ganymede (note the different spelling) was a young shepherd who caught the eye of the god, Zeus, who promptly sent down an eagle to carry him off to Mount Olympus. Sol and Sig were prolific in the number of their brand names: They included “Manchester,” “Carnation,” “Fresno Club,” “Liederkranz,” “Louisiana Purchase,” and a dozen others. The company aggressively marketed its products with a number of giveaways, chiefly shot glasses. [See the Feb. 3, 2004, post on Sig & Sol for further information.]
10. Freiberg & Kahn (1901-1918). Annual reports of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce list Henry Freiberg as associated with this company. It operated from three addresses over its 17 years: 49 Main (1901-1902), 52 Main (1903-1915), 216 E 9 th (1916-1918). Whiskey wholesalers and rectifiers, Freiberg & Kahn used the brand names “Arbitration,” “Ashwood,” “Beaconsfield,” "Cream of the South,” “Creedmore,” "F. & K. Special 92,” “Magnet,” "Old Fisherman", and "Stallion Gin.” Company flagship appears to have been “Metropolitan Club.”
11. Julius Freiberg Jr. Co. (1903-1906). We may assume that this short-lived wholesale whiskey house was run by the son or close relative of the pioneering Julius Freiberg whose company leads off this post. It counted two addresses: 333 Sycamore (1903-1904), and 224 E 3 rd (1906).
Five Freiberg designated whiskey companies cited above, apparently successful ones, were forced to concluded business in 1918, two years before National Prohibition. That was the year that Ohio’s total ban on making or selling alcohol took effect.
Note: This post would not have been possible without the assistance of Robin Preston’s highly informative website, www.preprocom. Robin has amassed a great deal of information drawn from earlier pre-Prohibition materials created on the subject, adding his own and other more recent research. It is a valuable resource for anyone researching pre-Prohibition whiskey.
Site Map | Annual reports of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce lists Henry being associated with this
No comments:
Post a Comment