Archives Biographies.....Buttorff, Henry W. 1837 -
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HENRY W. BUTTORFF. A prominent and prosperous business man of Nashville,

Henry W. Buttorff is, without doubt, connected with more of the important

enterprises of Tennessee than any other man in the entire state. A son of Jno.

Buttorff, he was born August 18, 1837, in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, on a

farm. His grandfather, George Buttorff, came from early Holland ancestry, and as

far as is known was a life-long resident of the Keystone state.

Born and reared in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, Jno. Buttorff there

learned the trade of a saddle and harness maker. Subsequently removing with his

family to Ohio, he located in Ashland county, where he followed his trade until

his death, which occurred a short time later, in 1846. He married Margaret

Waugh, who was of Scotch-Irish lineage, and to them four children were born. The

mother survived her husband several years, passing away in Ashland county, Ohio.


But a child when his parents took him to Ohio, Henry W. Buttorff was there

educated, primarily. Returning, when he was fifteen years old, to Pennsylvania,

he was bound out, in Carlisle, to learn the trade of a sheet metal worker, at

which he worked as an apprentice for four years, receiving in addition to his

board and washing twenty dollars in money the first year, and an additional five

dollars each year, the last year receiving thirty-five dollars. Completing his

apprenticeship, Mr. Buttorff worked as a journeyman at his trade in several

places, including Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Columbus, Ohio, and Bowling Green,

Kentucky. In 1858, with robust health, willing hands, and a good trade, as his

sole capital, he located in Nashville, Tennessee, then a city of about

twenty-five thousand inhabitants. Here he commenced work as a journeyman for J.

W. Wilson, who was then engaged in the stove and tinware trade. Proving himself

an expert and skilful workman, Mr. Buttorff won gradual promotion in his trade,

and in 1861 was admitted to partnership with his employer, becoming junior

member of the firm of J. W. Wilson & Company. The history of this extensive

business, its rise and progress, is best given in an address which was made by

Mr. Buttorff to the "Fifty-Years-in-Business " convention, held in Nashville, in

1912. The address was printed in the July, 1912, number of the Merchant and

Manufacturer, and was as follows:

"We have no means of knowing the value of our business done annually prior to

1858. The closest approximation we can make after that date is that about one

hundred stoves were sold annually until 1862, the volume of business done being

about $30,000. The sale of stoves is now approximately ninety-eight thousand

annually, and the volume of business approximately one and one-half million
dollars.

"At that time from ten to fifteen men were employed, now between six hundred

and seven hundred.

"At that time the taxes, state, county, and city, and privilege, were

annually about $30, now about $25,000. This doesn't take into consideration the

taxes paid by officers and employees on individual property that has been

accumulated from their connection with the industry.

"At that time the net earnings derived from the business were from $3,000 to

$5,000 annually. Now annual dividends paid to shareholders amount to $75,000. At

that time there was paid out for salaries and labor about $7,000 annually, now

about $450,000.


"At that time one mule made all of the deliveries in the city, and to the

transportation companies. Now fifty horses, mules, wagons, buggies and

automobiles are employed.

"At that time no deliveries could be made by street car lines, as there were

none; now about $2,000 is paid annually by the company to street car lines for

delivery of goods and transportation of employees for business purposes, only.


"At that time there were no traveling expenses for the reason that there were

no traveling salesmen employed, now about $30,000 is paid annually for traveling

expenses of employees.

"At that time stores or places of business were open at daybreak; now there

is not much doing before 8:00 or 8:30 A. M. At that time the stores were open

until 9:00 to 10:00 P. M., and during the busy season 11:00 to 12:00 P. M.; now

they are closed and business is over from 5:30 to 6:00 P. M.

"At that time salesmen got up and packed their orders at night and trucked

them to the front pavement at daylight the next morning ready for delivery; now

salesmen's orders are delivered by porters and packers, and he is done with the

transaction.

"At that time salesmen served an apprenticeship and were required to clean,

sweep, arrange, and familiarize themselves with the business and the goods they

were handling at from $2.50 to $3.00 per week; now the salesman what little

knowledge he has of the business is gained from porters, catalogues, and

observation.

"At that time a young man's ambition was to make himself so valuable to the

house he was with that they trusted him with the business, and eventually

offered him a partnership; now he is hunting for an easier job that will pay a

little more money, losing sight of the fact that the time will come when he will

be a Jack of all trades and master of none."

Mr. Buttorff gave some very interesting history in the above mentioned

address, stating that the first stove and sheet metal business in Nashville of

which there is any record was opened in 1832, at College street and Bank alley.

The building had previously been occupied by the first bank in Nashville, and

hence the name Bank alley. This stove and tin business was opened by G. W. G.

Payne, who was succeeded by Snow & McKenzie.

About 1850 Mr. F. A. Treppard, who had learned his trade in the shop, and who

is now residing on White's creek, and is the oldest living sheet metal worker of

whom we have any knowledge, was admitted to partnership, the style of the firm

being changed to Snow, McKenzie & Company. Some years later Mr. Snow died,

Treppard retired, and the firm name became McKenzie & Wilson. In time Mr.

McKenzie retired and J. W. Wilson conducted the business alone.

In July, 1858, Mr. Buttorff was employed, as stated above, by Mr. Wilson as

journeyman tinner. In the fall of the same year Mr. B. J. McCarthy came into the

business as an apprentice.

In 1862 Mr. ButtorfE was admitted to partnership under the name of J. W.

Wilson & Company. In 1865 Mr. McCarthy returned from the war, and was made

foreman of the shop.

In 1869 Mr. Buttorff retired from the firm of Wilson & Company, and bought

the interest of W. C. Ashley in the firm of Phillips & Ashley, then located at

No. 10 Market street, and the firm name was changed to Phillips, Buttorff &

Company, Mr. McCarthy being the company. In 1870 the business was moved to No.

10 College street, and in 1871 bought out the business of J. W. Wilson and moved

to the old stand, at the corner of Bank alley and College street. In 1881 the

Phillips and Buttorff Manufacturing Company was incorporated, and succeeded

Phillips, Buttorff & Company.

This completes the changes and makes the company the direct successors of the

first stove and tinware business in the city of Nashville of which we have any

knowledge. Since 1869 there has been admitted into, or consolidated with, or

absorbed by, the present organization the following named firms:

McCasland, Strader & Co.; B. S. Weller & Sons; J. D. Cooper & Co.; P. W.

Maxey; Maxey, McClure & Co.; McClure, Buck, & Co.; Cooper, Eubank & Co.; Buck,

Barnes & Co.; T. M. Buck & Sons; Nashville Stove & Manufacturing Company; W. F.

Moore & Co.; S. E. Jones & Son; Murray & Regan; Barnes & Baker; Treppard & Co.;

Enterprise Stove Co.; Harley, Payne & Hart; Phillips, Vaughan & Armstead; I. N.

Phillips & Co.; Phillips, Hood & Co.; Webb, Stevenson & Co.; Johnson, Doss &

Co.; and Zimmer & Harris. There may have been others, but the author of this

list made it from recollection rather than from record.

In addition to being at the head of the Phillips & Buttorff Manufacturing

Company of Nashville, one of the largest concerns in the United States, Mr.

Buttorff is intimately associated with the management of many enterprises of

note. He has the distinction of being the oldest member of the Nashville Board

of Trade, which he has served as president; he is vice-president of the Indiana

Manufacturing Company, of Jeffersonville, Indiana; president of the Ryman

Steamboat Company; a director of the Nashville, Chattanooga & Saint Louis

Railroad Company; a director of the Fourth National Bank of Nashville; of the

Nashville Bridge Company; of the Chase Furniture Company, of Dallas. Texas; of

the Benedict Warren Hardware Company, of Memphis, Tennessee; of the Marathon

Motor Works; and of the Nashville Woolen Mills; he is also president of the

Harley Pottery Company; director in the Lake Helm Hotel Company; of the Lake

Helm, Florida & Linton Coal Company; of the Alabama and South Pittsburg Real

Estate Company, of South Pittsburg, Tennessee; and of the Davis Cockerell Real

Estate Company. Mr. Buttorff is likewise a trustee of Roger Williams University,

and of Boscobel College. Fraternally he is prominent in the Ancient Free and

Accepted Order of Masons, in which he has taken the Scottish Rite degree. He is

of the Baptist church.

Mr. Buttorff married, July, 1865, Mary E. Nokes, who was born in Nashville, a

daughter of E. B. and Lucy Nokes. Of the eleven children that have been born to

Mr. and Mrs. Buttorff, eight are now living, namely: Porter C., Lucy, Mary,

Elizabeth, Louise, Alice, Hattie, and Isabella.

A history of Tennessee..