When Peter Scharbach showed up in PeEll, Washington, he said that he was from Mt. Angel, Oregon. Whether he knew people from Mt. Angel or not, someone in Mt. Angel could have provided the introduction, those two towns were both settled by Swiss Catholic imigrants. Immigrants moved in familiar circles: there was a Benedictine Abbey in Mt. Angel, as there was in Subiaco, outside of Paris, Arkansas, where the Muller family first lived after coming to America. In 1888, Marzell Muller came from Arkansas by train to Kalama, WA (the end of the line), and then south to Mt. Angel. From Mt. Angel, Marzell traveled to Tacoma, where he learned about the availability of homestead land in Lewis County, Washington.
Early PeEll, c. 1900.
PeEll was a small mill town in Lewis County, Washington. The route into the PeEll valley in 1888 was by boat to South Bend, and then by foot or wagon over the Willapa Summit. The Muller brothers— Marzell, Joseph, Frank, John, Martin and Charles— along with their mother Theresa and two sisters Josephine and Lena, all came to PeEll from Arkansas by way of South Bend in 1888-1889.
The Muller family homesteaded on Rock Creek, about 1 mile West of PeEll. After making improvements to their homestead claims, the Muller Bros set up a sawmill with a capacity of 20,000 board feet of lumber per day. They continued to operate this mill until selling out to the McCormick Lumber Company sometime in 1901. It was during or after 1901 that Peter Scharbach arrived looking for investors for his invention. The Muller Brothers all had proceeds from the sale of their lumber company ready at hand for dedication to other ventures.
By the time Peter Scharbach came to PeEll in 1901 or 1902, the Chehalis-South Bend railroad line was already 10 years completed with a train depot and several hotels in PeEll. The picture we are now coming to in reviewing the Hill-Climber Journal (see INVESTMENT ) is that most of the principal investors were all residing in PeEll at the time Hill-Climber was formed. Peter J. Scharbach was not actually a resident of PeEll, Washington, as written on Patent #707,359 (filed for this patent on January 3, 1902). But listing his patent this way indicates he had made the PeEll Connection sometime before 1902.
Peter & Margaret from a photo
taken in PeEll, 1902
Peter J. Scharbach
Peter Scharbach was born in in Staatsville (today known as Germantown), Wisconsin in 1854, and later moved to Whitman County, Washington. He was a second-generation son of German immigrants. His father and grandfather were originally from Koblenz, Germany. In his early twenties, his family came west to Oregon and settled in Marion County, near the town of Woodburn, Oregon.
He became a blacksmith by trade, but inventions were probably his passion. By 1902, he had a string of farm and home implement patents to his name:
—#363686 for a Wheel Cultivator, May 24, 1887
—#548662 for a Machine for Making Clothes Pins, Oct. 29, 1895
—#580959 for an Adjustable Mop-head, Apr 20, 1897
—#612574 for a Non-refillable Bottle Stopper, Oct. 18, 1898.
He had been living in Woodburn, Oregon, for twenty-five years when he applied for his first bicycle patent (#649878) in 1899, which was granted in May 1900. Seventy-five percent of that patent was assigned to Thomas Simms of Salem, Oregon, a venture capitalist who was originally from Canada. Looking at the patent drawings now, it seems unlikely this was a real working machine. (It was not a requirement to submit a working device until after 1904.)
About 1874 he married Margaret Fleischmann, also born about 1854, with whom he had 11 children. In his early 20s he lived for a time near Salem, Oregon in or near the community of Gervais, Oregon. He was an inventor as well as a blacksmith in Woodburn, Oregon, until sometime after June, 1900 when he moved to San Francisco. The Scharbach family does not appear in the 1902 City directory. This would indicate Peter’s arrival in San Francisco was late in 1901 or early in 1902.
The address, 2212 Folsom St., was not far from the location of the Hill-Climber Bicycle Mfg Co, which was occupied as early as 1905 by an automobile company with a Repair Shop next to it and an upholstery shop on the other side. The earthquake and great fire in 1906 may have derailed his automobile business. It destroyed most of the city records in City Hall, along with most of the town itself. (See attached letter from Lena Scharbach about the family experience of the fire). It was time to start over for many.
We would assume investment in a fledgling auto manufacturing business was necessarily more difficult at this time. Whether he sold the invention or patent rights to another party, we do not know. In 1907 he appears in the San Francisco City Directory as, “in automobiles.” After 1907, there is no indication from the City Directory that Peter Scharbach had gainful employment. In 1909, Scharbach was listed as President and Manager of Old Mission Bitters Co. The address for Old Mission Bitters was 762 Valencia, also in the Mission District. In 1910, Peter Scharbach lived in San Francisco, in the Mission District, at 454 Fair Oaks. By 1910, Peter Scharbach appeared in the San Francisco Census as engaged in the manufacturing of “bitters” trade.
From 1911 through 1913, he continued to be listed as President of Old Mission Bitters, with his address as 454 Fair Oaks.
Standing guard over ruins of the Great Fire in San Francisco.
Frederick and Catherine Hoerth
Frederick Hoerth and his family came out from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, probably in 1889 or 1890. Their third child, Annie was born in Wisconsin 26 July 1889 and their fourth child, Christian Anthony Hoerth, was born Dec 25, 1890 in PeEll. Fred Hoerth was a blacksmith, just as Peter Scharbach was. Fred was also a personal friend of Marzell Muller. Frederick’s wife was “Anna Catherina Burkhard, or Burgard,” aka Catherine Hoerth. She was born in 1855 in Manitowoc City, Wisconsin. By 1902 they had six children.
On March 29, 1902, Frederick Hoerth died in PeEll. Perhaps Fred Hoerth caught the fever; we do not know the cause of his death. But in September Catherine Hoerth buried three of her six children, and in December, yet another child died, all four dying from an epidemic of black diphtheria.
Eberhard [Ed]Lacher
Ed Lacher was a family friend. He lived in PeEll and worked for the Muller brothers. In 1900 he proposed to Josephine Muller but she turned him down saying she was needed at home to take care of her mother.
Ed Lacher decided to wait, but moved to San Francisco shortly after May, 1900 and lived with his brother Claudius Lacher. This was not the first time that Ed Lacher had been to San Francisco. On August 5, 1892, he took the Oath of Citizenship in San Francisco and became a naturalized citizen. At the time of his citizenship, he was residing at 745 20th St. in the Mission District. One witness, Moritz Mainberg, lived at 677 ½ Mission and the other, Fred Gamma, lived at 431 Union St. Ed and Claudius both worked in a creamery, until May, 1902, when he sent for Josephine. Josephine was now free to marry because her mother had passed away in July of 1901.
One family story has it that Ed Lacher was instrumental in bringing together the principal investors in Hill-Climber. Ed and Josephine were married in St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in the Mission District in San Francisco.
Conrad J. Dorff
From a distance of 100 years, Conrad J. Dorff appears as a mysterious person. Understanding his role in the rise and fall of both the Hill-Climber Bicycle Mfg Co and the Independent Cycle Mfg. Co is probably essential to the story. He was at the same time a principal, key player and beneficial share-owner in the Hill-Climber Bicycle Mfg Co. His name appears on the Hill-Climber letterhead as "Supt. and Mgr." As a patent holder he was in a unique position to bargain for a significant share in the company without having to contribute cash money. As a manager and superintendent, he was in a position to direct the manufacturing plant, located at 97-101 S. Clinton St., in Chicago, because he lived in the 10th ward.
We don’t know how Peter Scharbach came into contact with a Conrad J. Dorff in Chicago. Presumably, this could have been done through the patent attorney he used for the first 1900 Patent, #649,878. That attorney, Thomas Robertson, was Chicago-based, well connected and would later go on to become the U.S. Commissioner of Patents. Inventors, especially inventors in that era were well aware of the risk in turning over their ideas to other agents. They tended to be secretive, not wanting their inventions stolen. Once the invention is sold however, you need to move into the realm of promotion, solicitation of investors, acting quickly to get your plant and equipment set up. The clock is ticking on your patent and your ideas. Once your ideas are on file, the small army of copyists, who inhabit the patent world and work at it daily, may well take your ideas to market before you are ready.
In the roles we see carved out by Dorff, he was manager, employee, and also one of the co-signers of the September 25, 1903, Articles of Co-Partnership for the Independent Cycle Mfg. Co. between the Muller Brothers, John, Joe, and Frank, J.A. Benson and C.J. Dorff. In that agreement Dorff agreed to assign to the Independent Cycle Mfg Co, a 51/100 interest in patent rights under Patent 725,547, which he owned, in return for $3,000. He also agreed to work on behalf of the company as a general manager and mechanic, providing instruction to employees and owners for a period of three years in return for an additional $3,000 at a monthly salary to be agreed upon. The transcription of the text from this agreement is given below:
"C.J Dorff assignment mad[e] [for $3,000] of 51/100 part of patent rights to Bicycle Bearings, issued by the United States Patent office under Serial number 725,547 and sell [for $3,000] other patant or instruction made during term of this agriment ability as mechanic and mfgr pertaining to this business also agrees to give entire tim[e] during morning hours to the business for a contin[uous] period from date not less than three years at a monthly salary mutualy agreed upon."
In return for this assignment of the 49/100 interest, he received 700 shares of capital stock in the Hill-Climber Mfg Co., valued at $25/share or $17,500.
According to the 1900 census, Conrad Dorff was born in February, 1869 in Russia, as were both of his parents. He came to this country in 1871 as an infant. He married Elizabeth E. McCarthy, June 1, 1897 in Dane County, Wisconsin. By 1900 they had two children, Helen M. born, Dec. 1898 and Howard P., born in May, 1900. According to the census, he and Elizabeth had been married for three years. His occupation was that of a “bicycle-maker.” In his home, at 788 Kedzie Ave. there was a Charles McCarthy living with the family who was identified as a brother-in-law.
In 1910, Conrad Dorff was still living in Chicago, having moved to 810 South 41st Court, in the 34th Ward. He was employed as a Foreman for an Electric Company. His family had grown to include three more children, Violet, born about 1904, Irvin, born in 1905 and Mary, born in 1906, in addition to Helen and Howard.
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Table 1. Conrad Dorff Family Group, 1900 - 1910 Census |
However, now the information about Conrad Dorff had changed. In 1910, he was giving his birthplace as Michigan and that of his parents as Holland, identifying his family origin as Dutch. Why would he purposely change the information? Perhaps he was seeking to lose his immigrant identity. For example, by 1900, Census Takers were routinely identifying families by ethnic or racial class. It was not uncommon to find immigrants from Russia also identified also as JEW, even though their race was recorded as white. If Conrad Dorff's family was Jewish and from Russia, he may have been attempting to lose his ancestral and ethnic origins. There were several families, surnamed Dorff, in Chicago and in Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose birthplaces were given as Poland and Russia. They could be related, if Conrad is not being truthful.
By 1920, Conrad Dorff had returned to 810 South Kedzie Ave and was living in the 35th Ward of Chicago. He owned a Screw Machine Business and was living with his wife Elizabeth, and children, Helen, Howard, Irving and Mary. Violet was not in this household having died at the age of 9 years on February 25, 1913. In 1920, Conrad was still giving his birthplace as Michigan and his parent’s origin as Holland, indicating that they both spoke Dutch.
By 1930, Conrad Dorff had moved again, this time to 4300 Wilcox Avenue in the 30th Ward of Chicago. His occupation wa that of a machinist. His children, still at home were, Irvin and daughter Mary Jane. In 1930, Conrad Dorff was still giving his birthplace as Michigan. However, now he also gav e the birthplace of both of his parents as Michigan. The identity transfer now seems to be complete. He owned a home worth $10,000 in the middle of the Depression. He had shed his immigrant heritage and status for that of an American.
Joe and Frank in a tin-type photo taken either shortly before or after coming to America.
Joseph and Frank Muller
Joseph Alois Muller was born in 1862. He had learned woodworking from his father, as did all four brothers, Marzell, John, Joe and Frank. Joe and Frank were often inseparable. When the Hill-Climber venture was directed to set up a plant in Chicago, it was Joe and Frank who moved to Chicago to oversee the operation. Joseph was the Secretary of Hill-Climber and subsequently the Treasurer of the Independent Cycle Mfg Co. When Joe and Frank left for Chicago, Joe’s homestead and house were used by John K. Muller who later bought the homestead from Joe who had filed the original claim sometime after 1888 and proved it up in 1901.
Zachaus Frank Muller, was born in 1863. He came to this country with his brother Joseph, in 1881. After the first four brothers arrived, they worked and eventually sent for the rest of the family, Martin, the oldest brother, their mother Theresa, their sisters Lena and Josephine and the youngest brother, Charles, all of whom arrived in 1883. Frank Muller had also filed a homestead claim and proved it up in 1901.
After the Hill-Climber failure, Joe and Frank Muller stayed on, living in Cicero, Illinois, near the location of their West Side bicycle plant.
In 1907, Joe and Frank married Josephine and Jennie Meyer, sisters. Both brothers worked building the "L", Chicago's elevated railway system. They attended the Catholic Church and sang in the choir that Joe directed. Elmer Muller, Joe's oldest child was born in Cicero. Clarence Muller, Frank's only child, was born Cicero.
By 1908, both brothers decided to leave Cicero, Illinois for Coeur d'Alene, Idaho where they bought adjoining farms and raised garlic. As the story goes, they brought back six of the Hill-Climber bicycle prototypes. Frank went to work in the Weyerhauser mill and Joe returned to working as a carpenter. In 1910, Joe and Frank both lived in Coeur d'Alene. Later, Josephine grew tired of Idaho, so they returned to Chicago briefly. Still later, their daughter Marie became ill with spinal meningitis, after which they returned to Coeur d'Alene where Joe continued to work as a carpenter, bricklayer and landscaper.
Jenny Meyer Muller takes aim at dinner in Coeur d'Alene.
(photo courtesy of Frank's grandson, Clifford)
At the wedding in Chicago in late 1907 of Joseph Muller to Josephine Meyer. Frank (r) stood up for Joe after marrying Josephine's sister Jenny (l) earlier in the year.
1910 Census: Joseph and Frank Muller Families, May 9, 1910, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho [6]
Thirteenth Census of the United States, Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai Co., Idaho, May, 9, 1910, NARA Film Series, T625, Roll 225, p. 83.
John K. Muller
in full beard, c. 1900.
Marzell Muller
Marzell Muller was born in 1859. He married Eleanor Liebert on October 20, 1885 in Breese, Illinois, about 35 miles east of St. Louis. Marzell and John worked out of Paris, Arkansas, where their family resided. They ranged far and wide in the search for work. Marzell was the most adventuresome of the Muller brothers and took the lead by moving with his family to Tacoma, Washington in 1886.
Johann Konrad Muller was born in 1861 and came to this country in 1880 with his brother Marzell Muller. They came by boat from Le Havre, France, landed in New York and went directly to Paris, Arkansas, where they intended to take up farming in a Swiss Catholic community founded by the Benedictine Abbey of Subiaco. John and Marzell were the first two family members to come to America. They worked and sent home money, to bring the next two brothers, Frank and Joe to America in 1881.
Marzell Muller and family, c. 1904. L-R (back): Joseph, Frank. (middle): Mary, John, Marzell, Eleanor Liebert, Theresa, Agnes. (front): Eleanora, Josephine, Marzell Jr.
John Borgelt
John C. Borgelt was a resident of Pe Ell. He was of the same generation as all other investors, having been born in 1853. (Peter Scharbach was born in 1854.) Catherine Hoerth was born in 1855. In a small town such as Pe Ell, he was known as a friend of the Muller Brothers and may have even worked for a time in their lumber mill. John C. Borgelt passed away in 1923.
Frank A. Miller
Frank A. Miller was a personal friend of Joseph Muller. His name appears as a witness on Joseph Muller’s Application for Citizenship.
Julius A. Benson
Julius A. Benson is listed in the 1903 San Francisco Crocker-Langley City Directory as the Selling Agent for Hill Climber Bicycles. His residence is 1904 Market St., in the next block [west] from 1818 Market St. where Hill Climber Bicycles and Scharbach, Hoerth & Co., had their business location.
In yet another place, he appears in the Articles of Co-Partnership for Independent Cycle Mfg Co, September 23, 1903, between the Muller Brothers, Conrad Dorff, and J.A. Benson. Julius A. Benson is also named as the General Manager of Independent Cycle in Chicago in 1903. He is a signer of this agreement along with Conrad Dorff and Jos [eph] A. Muller, signing for the Muller Bros., John K., Frank Z., Marzell and Joseph A. Muller. Joseph Muller is chosen as the Treasurer. (See contract)
The 1902 photo (above) shows two unidentified persons, one of whom could be Julius A. Benson. In this photo, fourth from the left and next to Peter Scharbach is an unidentified person. We believe that this individual could be Julius A. Benson. He looks somewhat older than Peter’s son Frank, to the right of Peter, and he could be as old as 35 years, which would be his age in 1902. As with the others he is dressed in his Sunday best and looks the role of a business man. We reach this conclusion of identity from the supposition that this photo session was part of a publicity effort for the introduction of the new bicycle, and as selling agent, his presence would have been natural.
We have some correspondence from the San Francisco office between Julius and Joseph Muller in which he remarked that he was having difficulty getting the right wheels from the A.B.C. Company. In this capacity he must also be acting as a purchasing agent. In these letters, his name always appears as J.A. Benson, even in the Hill Climber Co General Journal and letterhead. Except for the San Francisco City Directory listing for 1903 we would have no other clue as to his identity. He owns one share of stock in the Hill Climber Company. After 1903, he disappears from the scene in San Francisco and there is no further mention of him.
Once Julius A. Benson became associated with Peter J. Scharbach and the Hill Climber Bicycle Mfg Co, he probably never gave up his interest in the bicycle invention or the early automobiles that led him into the automobile market. He was probably always a Salesman and the transition from selling bicycles to automobiles would have been a natural course.
While he is difficult to trace, we have found him in the 1870 and 1880 census records. We have not found him between 1880 and 1910, but he appears again in the 1910, 1920 and 1930 census records.
In 1910, in El Centro, Julius and Grace were living in a Boarding House, and Julius was listed as the Proprietor of a Pool Hall. Julius A. Benson passed away in Los Angeles County in December, 18, 1939.
Above: June 4, 1880 Census Record, Bell Creek Precinct, Burt Co., Nebraska,
showing Julius A. Benson, age 13. His father is Thorsten Benson,
mother Ellen, brothers, Albert, Harry W., and Edwin R. Benson
His wife, Grace Hartley Benson, died February 14, 1953, in Los Angeles County.
(For census record details on J.A. Benson, and discussion, click here.)