Gerrit’s name was spelled multiple ways throughout his life. Gerritt, Gerrit, Garrett, Gerrett. His initial “L” I have never seen documented but there are some who anecdotally state the “L” was for Lansing, but without an official record to back it up. His name and initials “G L” were passed to a son and a grandson and still can find no documentary evidence for that L. Gerrit himself has no birth record and his grave stone simply states “Father”.
Gerrit was first generation American with roots in the Lincolnshire Hoodless clan. Born in New York to William Raithby Hoodless and his wife Margaret. William R was a Lincolnshire lad born at the turn of the century who struck out to see what fortunes awaited him on the other side of the Atlantic. He arrived on a ship from Havana, Cuba at Ellis Island, New York on 29th March 1828. Within three years he had settled in New York, married, had his first child Gerrit and applied for naturalisation.
Gerrit was born in New York sometime around 1830 and appears to have pursued a career as a printer. In a book published in New York in 1854 called The Illustrated American Biography there is an advertisement placed by Peck & Hoodless, stationers, printers and blank book manufacturers. The business, owned by Warren S Peck and Gerrit L Hoodless, was located in the heart of Manhattan at the intersection of Pearl and Beaver Streets, just off Wall Street. One can imagine it to be a lucrative enterprise given the prime location.
At the beginning of this same year, on Saturday, 28th January1854, Gerrit married Cornelia M Everit (Everett) at St Bartholomew Episcopal Church on Pacific Street, Brooklyn. The couple were living in Brooklyn when the 1855 New York State census was taken on 5th June. The house they reside in belongs to a William J Hoodless, shipbroker, of a similar age so maybe a cousin or brother? I currently fail to place William J among my Hoodless research. Gerrit’s occupation looks something like investing..? In March of the following year 1855 they have their first child, a son William E Hoodless.
Shortly after this the family make the move to Chicago. Their daughter Mary is born there in 1856 and the 1860 Cook County, Illinois census records Gerrit working as a clerk. Things are about to take a serious turn for the family as in November of that year Abraham Lincoln was elected President and his call for the abolition of slavery becomes a catalyst for the secession of the South and the Civil War begins in April of 1861. Cornelia gave birth to their third child Margaret in August 1862
By 1st September 1862 Gerrit was serving in the US Navy on board the USS Estrella as Acting Assistant Paymaster, a role which implies he was considered smart, trustworthy and knowledgeable in money handling and accounting matters, a result of his business experience. The Estrella was an iron side-wheel paddle steamer armed with three heavy guns and two howitzers. She formed part of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, under the command of Rear Admiral David G Farragut, whose task it was to patrol the gulf coast preventing the Confederacy from trading. The Estrella patrolled the approach to the ports of New Orleans, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama. In April 1863 Estrella led the attack on the Confederate ship Queen of the West setting her on fire and causing her to explode. The Estrella took part in the battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864, where Farragut led an attack on the heavily fortified port city of Mobile, the last Confederate stronghold on the Gulf coast, forcing its surrender after heavy fighting.
Gerrit achieved the rank of lieutenant in the Union Navy and was honorably discharged from service on 24th February 1867. A year later in October 1868 Gerrit and Cornelia had a son Gerrit L Hoodless Junior. They went on to have two more daughters Cornelia (1872) and Gertrude (1874)
Gerrit appears to have been a bit of an entrepreneur, business minded and with many strings to his bow. From the City Directories across the next coupe of decades we can see that Gerrit is not static.
- In 1862 he was in business with a James T Griffin at Cnr Randolph & State 244 Ewing, Chicago. Griffin is documented as representing Cyrus McCormick, inventor and founder of the Mccormick Harvesting Machine Company, as his agent in Europe in 1863.
- Immediately after the Civil War in 1867 he was Secretary & Treasurer of Garden City Glass Co, 273 S Morgan Chicago.
- In 1870 Gerrit is a Notary Public working out of room 8 131 LaSalle Chicago.
- In the 1872 Business Directory he is listed as in business at 846 Wabash Ave Chicago
- In 1875 he is still Notary Public, 97 Clark 256 Ewing Chicago
- By 1876 Gerrit has taken ownership of the Western Rural Newspaper, published from Chicago but with a wide distribution. Along side that he is also publishing Young Folks Monthly a publication aimed at the younger audience – kids and teens.
- By 1878 Gerrit has gone into real estate, working from 1222 Prairie Ave Chicago
- In 1882 he is still selling Real Estate, Washington & Florence Ave Evanston
- 1883 Real estate Hinman Ave Evanston.
- In 1884 he is a Clerk at McLean & Reterrer Ridge Ave Evanston.
- In 1886 Real estate Evanston.
- 1888 Real estate Evanston.
- 1889 Real estate Evanston.
- 1890 Real estate Lunt Ave Evanston.
- 1891 Secretary Columbia Steel Car Co. 14 Rialto Rogers Park. This company was embroiled in a series of court injunctions and law suits over shareholdings and stock and never so much as manufactured a single steel car.
- 1900 Real estate 4089 Southport Ave Chicago.
The offices we on State Street, one of the main north south throughfares and shopping streets in Chicago.
Gerrit died on 20th April 1909. He is buried at Rosehill Cemetery & Mausoleum, Chicago’s oldest and largest cemetery which opened in 1859 and many prominent citizens of old Chicago are buried there. His father William Raithby Hoodless was interred there first in 1875 and Gerrit and his wife Cornelia are laid to rest alongside in the same plot.
The city of Chicago has a colourful history from its founding in 1837. In his lifetime Gerrit would have seen it swell from a busy hub of 80,000 citizens when he arrived around 1855 growing to a metropolis of 2 million by the time of his death. He would have witnessed the Great Chicago Fire in October 1871 when 3 square miles of the city burned to the ground leaving 100,000 homeless and the World’s Fair held over six months in 1893 where the first Ferris wheel built played centre stage.
1 thought on “Gerrit L Hoodless 1830 – 1909”
Comments are closed.