BIOGRAPHY: Peter A. Schneck; New York co., NY surname: Schneck submitted by Elizabeth Burns (burns at asu.edu) ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/ny/nyfiles.htm Submitted Date: June 1,2005 This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/nyfiles/ File size: 3.7 Kb ************************************************ Author: Walter Barrett Peter A. Schneck Page 88 Old Merchants, Walter Barrett, Thomas R. Knox, 1885 Among the class that I may safely call "hereditary merchants" is Peter A. Schneck. His father, Peter A. Schneck, was an honorable grocer merchant in Fly Market, No. 26 before and after the Revolution in 1782; in 1795 he moved to 66 Front Street. Young Peter H. was placed as a clerk in the counting-house of Lewis Simond and Company, who was among the heaviest houses after the Revolutionary War. In 1792 they kept in Queen Street and when young Schneck was their clerk, the store was kept at No. 4 William Street, near Hanover Square. Very few merchants of the old school brought up their own sons to business in their own stores. A business education was a severe one in old times. The progress was as regular as clock work. Sweeping out offices, doing errands, taking letters to the post office, copying letters, copying accounts, entering goods at the Custom House, delivering goods sold, taking an account of goods received from the ships, keeping the account book, making sales and going out to East or West Indies. Old Peter Schneck asked Lewis Simond to educate young Peter in merchandising and Peter remained there until 1798. That year the yellow fever prevailed and the elder Peter A., whose store was at 66 Front Street, near Coenties Slip, when Smith died, was the second person taken. Young Peter was sent for to conduct the business of the old man and I have before me an account for Scythes and Company made out by young Peter H. and signed for his father while the latter was laid up with yellow fever, on the 7th of August 1798. I have also another receipt which he signed for seventy-five dollars, in full for one year's wages, 1792. Peter A. lived and carried on business as a grocer many years after in the old store and residing in Pearl Street, No. 92. In 1802 he took in young Peter H. and the store was kept at 49 Front Street, under the firm of Peter A. Schneck and Company, young Peter also being with his father. At this time Martin W. Bull was a clerk with the firm. They continued on in business together until 1806 when Peter A., the father, was appointed surveyor of the Port of New York. The business was now conducted solely by Peter H. Schneck at the old place. Old Peter was kept in office through the Jefferson and Madison administrations until 1815 when he went to Washington. In 1824 young Peter moved to 40 Fulton Street, and lived at No. 2 Bowling Green. The next year he moved to 123 Maiden Lane, and I think the character of his business changed. His partner's name was Samuel G. Wheeler. He was father-in- law to D.B. Allen, who is son-in-law to Commodore C. Vanderbilt. Peter H. Schneck in the last War of 1813 gave Government $10,000. About that time he built a cotton factory at Matewan and when New York was blockaded, they carted cotton by land from Charleston S.C. to Fishkill Landing, N.Y., about 900 miles distance. He had added greatly to the wealth of the city of New York. Few men have done more than this. Who represents the name and race now, I know not.