Many thanks to Christopher Wheeler (chriswheeler@mindspring.com)
who provided
these well-researched biographical sketches of
Frederick Dorner and
Margaretha Sophia Eihl Dorner
of Lafayette, Indiana.
The husband of Magaret Sophia Eihl, Frederick Dorner,
1 was born in Schiltach
2, the Duchy of Baden,
Germany, on November 29, 1837. Frederick was one of six children born to Frederick
and Christina (von Sholder) Dorner. The other five were: Carl, Philip, Adolph,
and two whose names are not presently known.
3
Schiltach is a village situated on the Schiltach River near its confluence with
the Kinzig River, a tributary of the Rhine. It lies about 30 miles SE of Strasbourg,
France. In 1856, Schiltach had 1,530 inhabitants.
4
Frederick was raised in Germany, where he attended the public schools.
5 For
a time thereafter, he worked for his father at the family mill.
6 Meanwhile, his
brother, Philip, emigrated to the U.S. in 1852, settling in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County,
Indiana, by 1854.
7 Perhaps it was that Philip
wrote of opportunites to be found there. At any rate, Frederick came to believe that
there were better opportunities available in America,
8 so in 1855 he embarked
from the French port of le Havre de Grace for the U.S.
The vessel on which he made his voyage to the New World was the ship "Trumbull",
probably a three-masted square-rigged sailing ship. Her captain was William D. Smith.
Frederick travelled in the second cabin with at least 58 other passengers.
9
He arrived in the Port of New York City on May 7, 1855.
10
Upon his arrival in the U.S., he immediately went to join Philip in Lafayette.
11
At this time, the town was only 30 years old.
12
Several years later, on May 3, 1859, Frederick filed his Declaration of Intention
in Tippecanoe Circuit Court.
13
Frederick was a tall man.
14
One of the early jobs which Frederick held in Lafayette was at Lloyds florist shop.
It fit in well with an interest in nature and growing things which he had had since an early age.
15
This interest would eventually guide him into the field of floriculture, at which
he would make a considerable name for himself. Frederick aspired to have his own
business some day. He found, however, that the pay at Lloyds was insufficient to
allow him to save money toward starting a business,
16 so after a few years
17 he sought other employment.
18
On March 2, 1861, Frederick married Margaret Sophia Eihl before a justice of the
peace in Lafayette.
19
Together, Frederick and Margaret had thirteen children,
20
who are listed below. Frederick had a deep interest in his family. He and Margaret
were devoted to one another. Frederick had a rapport with children.
21
For a time prior to 1865, Frederick farmed in the vicinity of Lafayette.
22
Sometime between late October, 1866
23
and November, 1867,
24
he moved his family to Wisconsin,
25
where he had a dairy farm
26
in Somers Township outside Kenosha, Kenosha County.
27
Frederick apparently rented the land.
28
In 1870, he and Margaret had $2,000 worth of personal property, probably including
their livestock.
29
They remained on this farm until after June, 1870,
30
moving back to Lafayette
31
in 1870,
32
1871,
33
or 1872.
34
In 1870,
35
Frederick rented Gaasch's Garden on the north side of Underwood Street,
east of 17th Street,
36
and opened his own business as a florist.
37
The property included living quarters for the family and greenhouses,
which he put to use cultivating the flowers that he sold in his shop.
38
Apparently much of his cultivation he did under glass, in greenhouses.
For about twenty years, he rented the greenhouses and land at a succession of
locations on which he raised his flowers.
39
In about 1875, he rented property on the south side of Indiana Avenue at Nineteenth Street
from Moses Fowler and moved his establishment to this site.
40
There he built a greenhouse.
41
The retail outlet for his flowers was located in 1885 at the second door on the
Curtis block in downtown Lafayette.
42
The family lived at the Indiana Avenue site.
43
His firm continued to prosper.
44
In 1891, the Dorner florist store was located at the third door on the Mascotte
block in downtown Lafayette. The city directory listing advertised that the firm dealt
in "green house and bedding plants, bouquets, cut flowers, etc."
45
Following the death of Moses Fowler in 1891,
46
Frederick purchased nine acres on the north side of Indiana Avenue at Nineteenth
Street from Martin L. Pierce and built three greenhouses totaling 7,000 square feet
under glass.
47
As his business grew, he purchased more acreage and enlarged his greenhouses and/or
built additional ones. By 1898, he had seventeen greenhouses with 50,000 square feet
under glass.
48
In 1905, Frederick bought from Mrs. John Heath twenty-four acres on Indiana Avenue
and Twenty-Fourth Street and constructed greenhouses there. By 1909, he had 100,000
square feet under glass. At this time, the firm's office and retail shop was located
at 640 Main Street.
49
In 1896, the firm was incorporated
50
under the name of Frederick Dorner and Sons Company.
51
Frederick was president, his son Theodore was vice-president,
and another son, Frederick E., was secretary and treasurer.
52
In 1898, the store was located at 172 Main Street.
53
The firm employed seventeen persons, of whom seven were members of the immediate family.
54
The remaining ten were apparently also connected with the family in some way.
55
By 1898, Frederick's firm had a wide and excellent reputation. It was regularly
shipping flowers throughout the continental United States and overseas at least to
Holland.
56
Also by 1898, Frederick regularly exhibited his flowers and plants at
flower shows throughout the country
57
and regularly won prizes for them.
58
One of his chrysanthemums won a gold medal at the 1898 Chicago's World's Fair.
59
Frederick raised a wide variety of flowers and plants, including roses, chrysanthemums,
and irises,
60
primarily for the business around Lafayette.
61
His specialty, however, was carnations,
62
which were the bulk of the Dorner shipping business.
63
Carnations are members of the pink family. The wild forms are pure white and
are native to southern Europe. In the late 19th century America, carnations
were associated with funerals. Because carnations keep well out of water, they
were commonly used in floral sprays.
64
Frederick set out to breed new varieties of this flower
65
and he succeeded in creating what one floriculturist described
as "probably the most outstanding carnation range of that period". The over 80
varieties he developed included deep reds, brilliant yellows, pinks, and salmons.
The particular standards which Frederick set for his breeding program were varieties
in which whites remained pure and striping was clear and even. Frederick registered
his first varieties with the American Carnation Society in 1891. They were:
"Attraction" (cerise), "Cherry Lips" "Dazzle" (scarlet), "Fred Dorner". In 1895,
he registered "Goldfinch" (yellow). Latter varieties included "Happy Day", "Lorna",
"Early Rose", "Rosette", "Richmond", "White Cloud", "White Wonder", "Pink Sensation",
"Early Dawn", "Salmon Queen", "Yellow Prince", "Gloriosa", and "Mrs. Charles Duhme".
Some of his varieties he came local names: Purdue, Lafayette, Ben Hur, Wabash, and Indiana.
One variety, "Finance", Frederick sold for $10,000. The best known of the Dorner varieties,
"Laddy", was developed after Frederick's death.
66
Frederick's greatest delight was to successfully develop a new carnation variety.
67
Frederick was involved in all aspects of floricultural society. He was the
fourth president (1897) of the American Carnation Society.
68
Florists from other parts of the country and from Great Britain and Holland often visited him, however
out of the way were the train connections.
69
Overnight visitors were put up in the family homes.
70
Frederick was a firm believer in hard work, but he was also a kind man. It was apparently
easy for Frederick to pass on to others his enthusiam for floriculture.
71
Politically, Frederick was a member of the Republican Party, but he never desired or
held public office. He prefered to devote himself to his business.
72
In 1880, Frederick and his family lived on Indiana Avenue near Greenbush Cemetery.
73
In 1894,
74
Frederick built a home at 1922 Indiana Avenue.
75
The home was under mortgage in 1900,
76
but the mortgage had been paid off by 1910.
77
In 1909, the home was described as "modern, commodious, and in the midst of the
most attractive grounds in this locality, surrounded by broad lawns, with winding
walks, [and] many kinds of rare and beautiful shade trees".
78
That part of Indiana Avenue became famous in Lafayette for the its archway of stately elm trees which
Frederick planted there. The street later was re-named Elmwood Avenue,
79
perhaps in recognition of this feature.
80
Frederick and Margaret were living at 1922 Indiana Avenue in 1910.
81
Frederick was remembered as a jolly person. He enjoyed playing the piano and
may have composed some pieces.
82
He was described as "a pleasing companion and an interesting and learned conversationalist".
83
In January, 1910, Frederick suffered a severe bout of the grip (influenza) from
which he never fully recovered. Thereafter he alternated between days when he could
work and days when illness confined him to his home. On December 23, he had a particularly
bad spell which over the ensuing week steadily worsened into pneumonia. Nevertheless, the
end came unexpectedly, due to heart failure, at 1:10 pm on December 29, 1910. He died at
his home with most of his children at his bedside.
84
The funeral was conducted from his home on January 2, 1911. Many florists from
other cities attended. Floral wreaths were sent from florists who could not attend,
including some from cities as far away as Boston, New York, and Denver.
85
Frederick was buried in Greenbush Cemetery, Lafayette.
86
Dale Brown's Family History Page
Author: Dale A. Brown
Last updated: April 2, 2002
If you find errors in the information presented here or have comments
that would make the site more useful or user-friendly,
my email address is dbcpa55@hotmail.com
.
