Broida Family (Click for Family Tree)

For millennia, fire has been a terrifying prospect for those living or working in wooden buildings. Even stone or brick buildings are not exempt, since the interior utilizes wood in walls, floors, furniture. Add in the other contents of the building being highly combustible, and there is potential for big losses of property and even life.

A cigar factory definitely fits the category as high risk for fire. Full of tobacco and in the case of the Broida Bros. Cigar factory of Oil City, Pennsylvania, cases of matches too, and the smallest spark can set off a conflagration.

In 1914, a fire in the factory caused an estimated $100 worth of damage, which is equivalent to about $2,500 today. This number probably only includes the physical losses- one needs to add in the cost of lost work time while waiting for repairs to be completed, stock to be replenished, etc. It definitely would have had an impact on the Broida families that owned the factory, and their workers, many probably related.

Another fire in 1931 caused significantly more damage. A fire started in cartons of matches, but the cause was unknown at the time this was published. The article goes on to say that the fire quickly spread to merchandise on shelves nearby. If the firefighters had not responded so quickly, the losses would have been even greater. When they arrived, the whole second floor of the building was in flames, and the smoke was so dense that it was challenging for them to get the blaze under control. Two hose companies and a hook and ladder truck had responded, and finally were able to get one hose spraying down the second story, putting out the fire.

Sadly, the large amount of water required to put out the fire seeped through the floorboards and walls down to the first floor, where much merchandise was ruined. Watery cigars in soggy wooden or cardboard cigar boxes (cigars and cigar boxes were not sealed in plastic back in the day) would not be easy to sell, especially once they got moldy, and candy that was a bit smoky would not have been popular back then. (Today, smoked chocolate etc. would command twice the price for sweet-toothed foodies!) So the smoke and then water damage caused by putting out the fire was the reason for their greatest loss in this fire.  Since it occurred in January in Pennsylvania, work probably stopped, as the building would need to be aired out and cleaned- not easy to leave the windows open in northern winter weather! As in 1914, employees may have been out of work, new stock would need to be acquired from vendors, etc., so the Broida Bros. would also have had a loss of profit while recovering from the fire. Hopefully they had insurance, which was not the huge industry back then like it is today, but it was available.

Thankfully, no one was hurt in the fire.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. United States Tobacco Journal, Vol. 81– https://books.google.com/books?id=G5JBAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA8-PA29&lpg=RA8-PA29&dq=broida+brothers+cigar+factory&source=bl&ots=-Q8Vg07Dw7&sig=p-UG9ybtsc62-9RM0hMrIglcsjI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQjcuxxrzYAhVE7yYKHZOuDAoQ6AEIQjAE#v=onepage&q&f=false
2. Inflation calculator– https://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=100&year=1914
3. “Fire at Oil City Cigar & Candy Co.,” Jan 29, 1931, via News-Herald (Franklin PA), page 15.

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Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

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Broida Family (Click for Family Tree)

It’s actually a mystery each time one puts a search term into Google or other search engine- you never know what you will find! The latest Broida surprise was a search hit from “The American Contractor” magazine. I did not know of any Broidas in the construction industry, except those who were architects, so thought it might be a mistake. But I clicked the link, and there were 4 hits within the magazine that were listed as “Stein Broida Co.” Another mystery- I had not seen that partnership before.

Apparently “The American Contractor” lists bids for construction jobs to be done throughout a region. The above notice was listed under “Burgettstown” as well in that same issue. This search led to another, as many Broidas were in Pittsburgh, but I had not heard of them in Burgettstown. A map search showed that Burgettstown is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania suburb. So one mystery solved.

The notices in this magazine tell us a bit about the construction project planned. It is a two-story building with basement, and a footprint of 50×92 feet. The face of the building was to be brick, with stone trim. It even tells us the name of the architect.

Contractors had already bid on the project when this notice was published, and the decision as to which contractor was best for the project was to be made soon.

Just over a month later, a similar notice was published in “The Contractor,” but it noted the project was “in abeyance,” or on temporary hold. There is no indication of why the work was suspended, so that is another mystery for us to solve.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. “The Contractor” citations are included in the above captions.

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Broida Family, Green Family (Click for Family Tree)

Bess (Green) Broida (1891-1978) was the daughter of Abraham M. Green and Rose (Brave) Green. She was a good cook and a number of her recipes are still enjoyed regularly by her descendants.

Bess Dorothy (Green) Broida in Westinghouse Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 18 March 1923. Family photo.

The above recipe was published during the summer of 1990 in the first edition of the Broida Family News (BFN). This newsletter was edited by myself, so we will be bringing back some of the BFN articles for our younger generation to enjoy.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Broida Family News, Volume 1, Number 1, Page 2, Summer 1990, self-published.
2. Photo from family treasure chest.

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Green Family (Click for Family Tree)

Mary Cecelia GREEN was the sister of Bessie (GREEN) BROIDA, and lived in St. Louis, Missouri her whole life. She was the daughter of Rose BRAVE and Abraham M. GREEN, and born 17 November 1895 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Mary was a career woman and a buyer for nice department stores. She traveled by air to New York City when that was still a novelty, and was one of the first members of the “Mile High Club”- back in those simpler and more circumspect days, it was someone who had flown a certain number of miles (maybe 10,000? IIRC her story), not those other things suggested in today’s wilder society.

Mary fell in love with someone of another religion, and both sets of parents prohibited them seeing each other. Mary and the love of her life obeyed their parents, as was done in those days, and the relationship ended. Mary never married.

Mary was very smart and lived to be 95-1/2 years old- sharp throughout her years, and passing away 23 June 1991 in St. Louis, Missouri.

It was a surprise (to this author), however, to learn that she had painted!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Family treasure chest and the author’s recollections of conversations with Aunt Mary.

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Cooper Family (Click for Family Tree)

Helen Ann Cooper (later became Lee with her marriage to Bob Lee) attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in the early 1950s and studied Fashion Design and Retailing. She had a variety of design classes that she loved. We will be featuring some of her beautiful work in upcoming posts.

Students did have to specify materials for their designs- here she noted that the dress above would be made of “Ruby dull satin trimmed in black velvet braid. Cumberbund of black velvet. Blouse separate.”

Their professor commented on some of the drawings: “I like this” for her design that  could be a dinner and church outfit.

Only a select few of her drawings were done in color. For this sweet dress, there was a bit of western influence, with black cord with tassels playing across the bouffant cotton skirt.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Family treasure chest.

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