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| Philetus Woodworth Gates |
I have written in the past about monuments made of zinc. They were popularly known as "zinkers." They began to come into fashion about 1870 and were produced up until about 1940. Most of the zinc monuments were manufactured by The Monumental Bronze Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. A very good article about zinc monuments can be found in Douglas M. Rife's excellent blog "Gravely Speaking:"
https://gravelyspeaking.com/2019/05/27/mail-order-markers/
One of the largest and most striking of the zinc monuments is the Gates Family monument in Section M, Lot 169 of Rosehill Cemetery:
A total of fifteen people are interred around the zinc monument:Ralph I. Gates 1840-1841
George W. M. Gates 1846-1846
Ryerson D. Gates 1850-1851
Albert M. Gates 1816-1852
Emma J. Turner 1848-1855
Susie Perry 1862-1862
Maud Sophia 1871-1872
Ralph I. Gates 1824-1882
George W. M. Gates 1847-1883
Philetus Woodworth Gates 1817-1888
Emily Ethel Meers 1882-1892
Abigail Emma Gates 1820-1897
Sophia Burton Gates-Adams 1844-1931
Philetus Warren Gates 1857-1933
Phimelia Winter Gates 1840-1935
While I am sure each one has an interesting story, I am just going to relate the story of the family patriarch, Philetus Woodworth Gates (1817-1888).
Philetus Woodworth Gates was born February 25, 1817 in Fenner, Madison County, New York to Ralph Isham Gates (1788-1873) and Betsy Woodworth (1792-1876). Ralph Gates had fought in the War of 1812 and for a time was a member of the New York State Legislature. He was a farmer and carpenter by trade. Ralph and Betsy were married January 1, 1814 in Madison County, New York and had a total of seven children: Philetus Woodworth (1817-1898), Alice Malvina/Mrs. Asa J. Dana (1819-1901), Ralph I. (1824-1882), Betsey Minerva/Mrs. Willard Ross Wilbur (1825-1880), Rozena S./Mrs. David L. Lewis (1829-1906) Caroline M./Mrs. Myron W. Turner (1829-1896) and Dudley W. (1831-1885).
Philetus had a public school education but in his youth worked most of the time on his father's farm. When he was fifteen years old he secretly left home and went to Bristol Centre, New York where he became an apprentice to blacksmith Robert Younglove. When he was twenty years old he got the urge to wander. He went first to Buffalo, then to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and finally to Illinois. He spent time at a place called Yankee Settlement, Illinois (now called Homer Township in Will County), and worked as a blacksmith.
In 1837 Gates finally ended up in Chicago. In the meantime he met Hiram H. Scoville who became his partner in the blacksmith trade. Not only was Scoville his business partner he was also his father-in-law. Gates had married Miss Abigail Emma Scoville in about 1840.
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| Abigail Emma Scoville Gates |
Philetus and Abigail were blessed with seven sons: Ralph (1840-1841), Ralph (1842-1907), George W. M. (1846-1846), George Woodworth (1847-1883), Ryerson (1850-1851), Ryerson Dudley (1852-1917), and Philetus Warren (1857-1933).
In 1842, Gates and his father-in-law opened a blacksmith's shop on West Randolph Street near Canal. Their business grew, and four years later a foundry and machine shop was started. Mr. Gates did the manufacturing, and Mr. Scoville did the woodwork.
The early census schedules do not ask for each family member to be listed; they lump them together by race, gender and age group. The 1850 US Census is the first one listing each family member individually. The 1850 US Census finds Philetus Gates and family living in Ward 5 of Chicago in Cook County. The family consisted of: P. W. Gats (sic), 33 years old, Mis (sic) 30, Raphael (9), Georg W. (3), and Rymon S. Gats (sic) 5/12 years old. P.W. said he worked in a Foundry. Living nearby were Abigail's relatives Elizabeth, Mary and A.J. Scoville.
The business continued to grow and prosper and eventually Gates bought out his father-in-law, brought in partners Andrew Frazer, E. S. Warner and Thomas Chalmers, and reorganized as P. W. Gates & Co. What kind of work did they do, exactly? It is pretty well summarized in this article from the Alton (IL) Weekly Telegraph of July 15, 1853:
On September 12, 1853 P.W. Gates & Co. suffered a devastating fire that almost signaled the end of the firm. Here is a report from the Belvidere (IL) Standard of September 13, 1853:
Note the comment at the end of the article - "There was no insurance." Perhaps upon further investigation the fire was not as bad as originally thought because here is an ad from the front page of the Chicago Tribune from less than three months later - November 5, 1853:
P. W. Gates & Co. managed to recover from the fire, but then they were hit by the Panic of 1857, which brought all manufacturing nationwide grinding to a halt. This time they could not bounce back quite as fast, and for a while the Company was run by a Receiver, A. G. Thorp. Although it was embarrassing to lose control of their business, it was only temporary as little by little the company starting producing again.
The company again reorganized and became the Gates Iron Works with their manufacturing plant on South Clinton Street in Chicago.
The 1860 US Census finds the Gates family still living in Chicago's 5th Ward. The family consisted of Philander W. Gates (sic) 43 years old, Emma (39), Ralph J. (18), George W. (12), Rynson D. (sic) 8, and Philetus W. (3). Also living with the was Emma's father Hiram Scoville. P.W. Gates listed his occupation as "Engine to Machinist." He said he owned Real Estate worth $120,000 ($4.5 million in today's funds) and personalty worth $86,000 ($3.3 million in today's funds).
Here's an ad from the 1863 Chicago Directory for Eagle Works Manufacturing Company, P.W. Gates, President:
Here is a complimentary article about Gates and his mechanical prowess from the Chicago Tribune of April 20, 1867:
In February of 1870, Philetus Gates filed Articles of Incorporation for The United States Brick Machine Company of Chicago. Along with Gates was William W. Boynton, William W. Farwell, S. D. Kimbark, William Bross, E. R. Gard, George W. Gage, C. H. Farwell, C. Price, Samuel Hall, and David Cole. The company had filed a patent for the process of coating metal pipes with a composite material to prevent rust.
The 1870 US Census Enumerator visited the Gates family on July 16, 1870. The 1870 US Census finds the Gates Family living in Chicago's Twelfth Ward. The family consisted of: Philetus Gates (53 years old), Emma (49), Ryerson (18), P. W. (13), and three "Domestic Servants." Philetus was a "Machinist,", Emma was "Keeping House," Ryerson was an "Apprentice to Machinist," amd we can assume P.W. was at school. Philetus was indeed a wealthy man. He reported Real Estate worth $165,000 ($3.9 million in today's funds) and Personalty worth $185,000 ($4.35 million in today's funds).
In August of 1870 Gates decided to branch out, and became a Director of the National Life Insurance Company of Chicago, Illinois:
In October of 1870 the Tribune reported that Gates had received a permit to have a house built for him by builders W.J. and F. E. Edbrooke:
Residence on Adams Street, near Jefferson Park, for P.W. Gates, basement and two stories, fronts faced with pressed brick, and stone trimmings. Cost $15,000 ($361,000 in today's funds).
It was originally 444 W. Adams, but after the 1909 numbering conversion it became 1343 W. Adams. It is now the site of the Chicago Police Academy.
Then, as now, many wealthy businessmen decide to try their hand at politics. So it was no surprise that on October 8, 1870 the Chicago Evening Mail Newspaper reported that P. W. Gates had been nominated by the Republican Party as a candidate for Illinois State Representative. I could not find anything further about Gates' political career, so it must have come to naught.
In addition to Gates main company, The Eagle Works Manufacturing Company, he was also a Director of the The United States Brick Machine Company of Chicago, a Director of The National Life Insurance Company of Chicago, and was dabbling in politics. But that's not all. In late 1870 Gates began building as hotel at the corner of Madison and Clinton Streets in Chicago. The hotel would contain 100 sleeping rooms and "all the modern improvements for a first-class hotel. The Chicago Tribune of November 10, 1870 reported that the hotel was nearing completion:
As we will soon see, this was one of Gates most fortuitous ventures.On the softer side of Philetus W. Gates, the Tribune reported late in 1870 that Gates had joined his name to a list of Chicago business, civic and religious leaders who wished to form a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals.
In 1871 Gates leant his name to the establishment of a Bethel Home for the well being of sailors and young men.
In March of 1871 Gates was elected to be one of the Managers of the Chicago Library Association. Gates was a man of many facets.
Of course, the Great Chicago Fire happened on October 8-10 1871. The Chicago Tribune from October 14, 1871 reported that the owners of the Sherman House Hotel which had been destroyed by the fire, bought Gates new hotel, the Gault House for $175,000.00 ($4.98 million in today's funds). It stood on the corner of Clinton and Madison Streets, which was outside the burned district. It was opened for business immediately. Gates triumphed again by selling his new hotel before he had even officially opened it for business. Truly a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
On October 21, 1871, just a little over a week after the fire, Gates ran this ad in the Tribune:
The Tribune also reported in December of 1871 that Mrs. P. W. Gates was a Director of the Ladies' Christian Union which, among other things, was helping the many refugees from the fire who had lost everything. Specifically "Destitute women supplied with food and clothing and also furnished employment."
There was a shocking advertisement in the Tribune from December 22, 1871:
After running the Eagle Works Manufacturing Company for over thirty years, Philetus W. Gates, at the age of 55, was offering the entire business for sale. He said he needed to rest - not surprising considering the number of ventures he was involved in. He also mentioned declining health - again not surprising when one burns the candle at both ends.
Here's what the Chicago Evening Post said about it in their January 10, 1872 issue:
Gates wrote a Letter to the Editor of the Chicago Tribune that was published January 15, 1872 concerning the erection of wooden structures within the city limits:
In April of 1872 it was announced that P.W. Gates was one of the Directors of The United States Roofing Company as published in the Chicago Tribune from April 7, 1872. It is interesting to note that another Director is Dr. J. V. Z. Blaney, one of the founders of Rosehill Cemetery:
Late in 1872 newspapers reported that P.W. Gates had resigned from some of the charitable organizations he had previously been involved with "because of ill health." He remained involved however, in the construction of commercial buildings to replace those lost in the fire.
P. W. Gates father, Ralph Isham Gates died on January 1, 1873 in Belvidere, Illinois. He was eighty-four years old. He was buried in the Belvidere Cemetery, Belvidere, Illinois:
P. W. Gates had not been able to sell the Eagle Works Manufacturing Company despite running newspaper ads almost daily since December of 1871, so in April of 1873 he decided to sell the equipment necessary to run the business:
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| Chicago Inter Ocean - April 07, 1873 |
Right after the Great Chicago Fire of October 8-10, 1871, P.W. Gates sold his unfinished hotel The Gault House, to the owners of the Sherman House Hotel which had been destroyed by the fire. The Chicago Tribune reported on November 20, 1874 the the owners, Messrs. Gage and Rice, sold the hotel back to Gates "to make many needed alterations and additions to the house at once."
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| Chicago Tribune - November 20, 1874 |
We have already seen that P.W. Gates was a man of many facets. The Chicago Tribune reported on April 2, 1875 that Gates had been one of the original members of the Chicago Astronomical Society.
Despite all his efforts to sell the Eagle Works Manufacturing Company and/or its equipment, it was still soliciting business in April of 1875:
There was a small item in the Chicago Inter Ocean newspaper from April 15, 1875:
The survivors of the Blake Brothers of New Haven, Connecticut, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Eagle Works Manufacturing Company and Philetus W. Gates of Chicago alleging that Eagle and Gates were using rock crushing equipment that had been patented by the Blake Brothers.
Justice moved slowly in those days as it does today - the suit was not heard in court until February 1, 1876 per the Tribune:
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| Chicago Tribune - February 1, 1876 |
Previous Courts had already ruled that Eagle had indeed infringed on Blake's patents and issued a perpetual injunction to prevent Eagle from using this system of rock crushing ever again. All that remained was determining the amount of damages Eagle would have to pay to Blake for infringing on their patents. The Tribune reported that the damages being sought by the Blake Bros. was $30-$40 thousand dollars, but the Inter Ocean said the damages sought were $100,000.00 ($2.95 million in today's funds).
I suspect the matter was ultimately settled out of court because I could find no indication of the results of the jury trial.
In the midst of all this back-and-forth over crushing rock, Gates mother, Betsy Woodworth Gates died on September 28, 1876 in Belvidere, Illinois. She was eighty-six years old. She was buried next to her husband in the Belvidere Cemetery, Belvidere, Illinois.
Her tombstone spells her first name "Betsey."
On May 23, 1878, Philetus W. Gates filed for bankruptcy per the Chicago Public Ledger newspaper from May 24, 1878:
By the time of the 1880 US Census, the Chicago City Directory reported that P.W. Gates had moved into the Gault House, the hotel he owned at 39 West Madison. The census enumerator visited the Gates family on June 8, 1880. The family now consisted of P.W. Gates (63 years old), wife Abigail (60) and son P.W. (23). P.W. Gates the elder reported his occupation as "Merchant." whereas P.W. the younger reported his occupation as "Hotel Proprietor."
They did not answer (and may not have been asked) the remaining questions about health or education. The census also reported 67 people as "Boarder" at Gault House.
Despite everything that had happened to date, in 1880 Gates was caught still manufacturing machines that used the patented Blake method of crushing rock, per the Chicago Tribune from January 29, 1880:
Then in 1882, Gates turned around and sued to recover licensing fees from people using Ore Stamping methods that he, Gates has patented, per the Tribune of January 27, 1882:
Who knew that rocks could be so litigious?
P.W. Gates brother Ralph, who had been living at Gates' Gault House, died suddenly on May 26, 1882:
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| Chicago Tribune - May 27, 1882 |
He was buried in Chicago's Rosehill Cemetery.
P. W. Gates spent most of the 1880s selling off his myriad real estate holdings in Chicago and elsewhere. He was now in his 60s and perhaps his brother's death caused him to realize that his days were numbered as well.
In late 1887 P.W. Gates decided to erect an appropriate monument at the family plot in Rosehill Cemetery. Numerous members of the Gates family were already interred there, and Gates also knew that his own grave was getting closer every day. He wanted to erect a monument that would be appropriate for a family of wealth and status. Most of the elaborate monuments of the day were granite, and that would certainly have been appropriate for a man who made his fortune crushing rocks. But Gates was interested in a new material used to create monuments that could withstand great swings in temperature and moisture - white bronze. These monuments were actually 99% zinc but manufacturers preferred to use the more genteel name "White Bronze." The public, however used the derogatory terms "zinkers" or "zinkies" to describe these monuments.
By Gates' own admission he "consulted various authorities, advised with professors of chemistry, traversed cemeteries, and had the pros and cons of monument builders." He said he "finally decided to give white bronze the preference." The magnificent white bronze Gates family monument was installed in Rosehill Cemetery in early 1888. Gates was so pleased with the results, he wrote the manufacturer, the American Bronze Company in Chicago:
The American Bronze Company was so pleased that they used a sketch of the Gates monument in their advertising brochure:
The sketch shows that one side of the monument contained a rendering of Gates himself, as many others did that were created by American Bronze. The finished Gates monument however, does not contain Gates' likeness.
Here is the Gates monument, in all its glory:
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| Photo courtesy Kat Sikora Hilton |
P. W. Gates died in Chicago on December 1, 1888. All of the Chicago periodicals of the day covered the stories surrounding the illness and death of P. W. Gates. I have consolidated them into one account:
About the middle of September, 1888 Gates was struck down with what led into his final illness. The problems had started back in 1881 when he had a severe fall while on the way to his office on Canal Street. He fell down a flight of steps into a basement area, and his head crashed through a door. At the time he did not think that he had been badly injured, and his physician said he would soon be restored to health. Gates had bruises on his knees and arms but had suffered no serious injuries. Six weeks later while attending church he was suddenly seized with dizziness, reeled and fell. He was removed to his home and for several months was confined to his bed with nervous prostration (a condition of fatigue and stress). It was then discovered that his spine had been injured in the fall. Since that time he had not been well, and though from time to time he was able to go to his office, he suffered frequent relapses.
In 1887 Gates and his family moved out of the Gault House and into a home at 544 Washington Boulevard in Chicago (now 1707 W. Washington Boulevard), perhaps to provide him with better long-term health care. An apartment building occupies that plot today.
On September 9, 1888 Gates was stricken down during the afternoon. He had been unusually cheerful, chatting with his wife and son after dinner. Suddenly during the conversation his head drooped, and his arms fell to his side. The members of the family rushed to his assistance. He had lost consciousness. Dr. C. G. Davis was summoned and the patient was at once put to bed. Since that day he had been unconscious most of the time. At first he recovered consciousness at intervals and recognized his wife, but the last three weeks he has not had a conscious moment. The only food he has taken was a few spoonfuls of milk. Dr. Davis said at that time there was no hope of Gates' recovery.
Philetus Woodward Gates died on December 1, 1888. He was seventy-one years old. Here is one of his obituaries, from the Chicago Tribune of December 4, 1888:
He was buried in front of the beautiful zinc monument in Section M, Lot 169 of Rosehill Cemetery:
Although virtually unknown today, Philetus W. Gates at one time was one of the best known citizens of Chicago. A contemporary of "Long John" Wentworth (editor of the Chicago Democrat, a two-term mayor of Chicago, and a six-term member of the United States House of Representatives), Mancel Talcott (a businessman and politician and one of the founders of Park Ridge) and William B. Ogden (an American politician and railroad executive who served as the first Mayor of Chicago. He was referred to as "the Astor of Chicago." Ogden was, at one time, the city's richest citizen), Gates was a prominent figure in the early history of Chicago.
Philetus Woodward Gates - the "Rock" of Chicago - May he rest in peace.
The Rest of the Story:
Here are the terms of Gates' will per the Chicago Tribune of December 11, 1888:
Gates' widow, Abigail Emma Scoville Gates died January 26, 1897 in Oakland, California. Here is her obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle of January 27, 1897:
Here is her Death Notice from the Chicago Tribune of January 30, 1897:
She was buried next to her husband in from of the zinc monument at Rosehill:
Gates' son, Raphael (Ralph) Gates died January 16, 1907 in Chicago. He was 64 years old. Here is his obituary from the Chicago Inter Ocean from January 17, 1907:
Ryerson D. Gates made his career as a manufacturer of pipes. He died February 16, 1917. He was 66 years old. Here is his Death Notice from the Chicago Tribune from February 18, 1907:
Philetus Warren Gates was sometimes called "Jr." but he was not. His father was Philetus Woodworth Gates. He died November 7, 1933. He was 76 years old. Here is his obituary from the Chicago Tribune of November 9, 1933:
They were all buried around the white bronze monument at Rosehill.
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Special thanks to Kathleen J. Hilton. Kat is an expert on all aspects of what she likes to call "zinkies." She graciously provided me with information on the Gates monument and the American Bronze Company, as well as a copy of the American Bronze Catalog where the Gates monument was prominently featured. Her website is www.katsikorahilton.com.
Thanks also to the outstanding staff of the Abakanowicz Research Center of the Chicago History Museum, who provided the cabinet cards of P. W. Gates and his wife. Ellen Keith, the Director of Research and Access and her staff do a fantastic job of being responsible for the many one-of-a-kind relics that are part of the museum's collection. But that brings us to a mystery.
Last month when I checked the CHM online items inquiry, here's what they said they had as far as photos of P.W. Gates:
Family portrait [graphic].by Mosher, C. D. 1829-1897, (Charles Delevan), photographer.
Call Number Cab cards, People F
Format: Photo
When researcher Mike Kelly and I were at the museum last Friday, here are the cabinet cards they pulled for us:
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| Photo #1 - Labeled "P.W. Gates" |
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| Photo #2 - Labeled "P.W. Gates" Obviously Mrs. Gates |
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| Photo #3: Labeled "Mr. & Mrs. P.W. Gates. Manufacturer Rock Breakers, Gault House" |
The problem is, the man in the first photo is not the man in the third photo, although Mrs. Gates is the same person in both photos.
Mike Kelly found a photo of Gates in a History of Chicago. Here it is:
This is obviously the man in Photo #1 above. Then - who is the man with Mrs. Gates in Photo #3?
We may never know.
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