Learn about Thomas McKee. He was a founder of S. McKee & Co. and was the father and had a hand in F. & J. McKee which became McKee & Bros/McKee Glass. He also serve one term as Allegheny County Treasurer in 1846 - 1847.
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Transcript
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Hi, this is Melanie from Artifact and Landmark. Today's episode is about Thomas McKee, founder of a glassworks in Pittsburgh. Beyond being an industrialist, he was also a civic leader as treasurer of the Borough of Birmingham and Allegheny County. He helped establish the Birmingham Bridge Company, the Monongahela Water Company, and the First National Bank of Birmingham, then called the Birmingham Deposit Company.
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Thomas was born September 18th, 1800 to Daniel McKee and Mary Stewart. His father, Daniel dies in 1810 and the family moved from Tyrone, Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh. He would have been only ten years old at the time, and the middle child. His older brother would be Daniel and John, and he would have two younger brothers, James and Samuel. He marries Hetty Zillhart around 1826 and they have eight children that live into adulthood.
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This includes five sons and three daughters. His sons were Frederick, James, William H. Sellers and Stewart, who would go on to found and expand McKee glass, a tableware glass company that would operate until the 1950s and then become part of Jeannette Glass, whose own operations would cease in about 1983. He also had three daughters again. One was Harriet
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She would marry Moses Atwood Lorenz, another glass family.
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Although his early work life isn't very clear, we do see a few mentions of him being a carpenter. We know that by 1837, when he's about 36 years old, he establishes a glass work and dried goods business with his brothers Samuel and James, in the style of S McKee & Co. First, the business operated a warehouse and offices out of Pittsburgh on Wood Street by Virgin Alley, now Oliver Avenue.
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But soon they would move to Second Street and finally relocate to 62 & 63 Water Street, now Fort Pitt Boulevard. Their factory operated on Denman and Washington Streets, now 12th and Sarah Streets on the South Side. So he would be part of S McKee & Co until about 1857, when he would effectively retire from the business. But during this period, starting about 1850, his sons would become active in the glass manufacturing business, establishing their own works and, another partnership before that.
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And we believe he was part of helping his sons get ahead in this business. Now we'll go through some events chronologically. In 1839, we see him as Treasurer and his brother Samuel is President of the Birmingham Town Council. Birmingham would have been the precursor to South Side Pittsburgh. His mother passes in 1841 and, unfortunately, his brother Daniel passes in 1844.
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Now Daniel leaves behind a wife, Louisa, and at least two sons, Washington and Daniel, as well as a daughter, Charlotte. He names Thomas and his brother John as executors of the estate. Louisa would live on Wilkins now 14th Street and Neville now Muriel Streets. And she dies in about 1870. The Harris directory for 1844, we see Samuel as Director and President and his brother Thomas as Director of the Birmingham Public Schools, which report having 280 students.
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And we can see the schools in the region. In this map from 1850, on April 10th, 1845, a devastating fire swept through Pittsburgh, ravaging a significant portion of the borough's houses and commercial buildings. Of course, S. McKee did have the warehouses on Second Street, which are a total loss. They operate temporarily out of George Weyman
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But in October of that year they've already rebuilt, and they opened their new warehouse on Second Street again. That same year, Thomas becomes active in county politics with his election as Allegheny County Treasurer. He'll serve as a treasurer just for one term from 1846 to 1847. And January 1849. His father in law, David Zillhart passes at the age of 87.
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Zillhart is listed as a sausage maker in the early directories of Pittsburgh. In 1849, Thomas also gets elected to the Allegheny County Agricultural Society for the Borough of Birmingham. In 1850, we see his son Frederick and James partner with Bryce Brothers to establish Bryce & McKee. Both will leave the partnership in about 1853 1854 to form F. & J.
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McKee, which would become McKee Brothers. Brothers William, H. Sellers and Stewart would all eventually join this firm. In 1853, he helps found the Birmingham Bridge Company and is elected as treasurer of the company, with Christian Ihmsen as president and his brother Samuel as a manager. In 1855, Thomas helps found the Monongahela Water Company, serving Birmingham, East Birmingham and South Pittsburgh.
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Tragically, during that same year, Thomas faces the loss of his son James, who passes away at just 26 years old. We also see in 1857 that Thomas lays out a plan for the city, which was at Pius Street and Josephine Street, and we can see the progression of that plot in these maps. In 1859, he is elected to the board of the Birmingham Gas Company.
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In about 1861, Thomas becomes president of the Birmingham Deposit Company, which will evolve into the First National Bank of Birmingham at 1201 Carson Street. His son Sellers will eventually become President. On June 2nd, 1864, we unfortunately see Thomas pass. And he's buried at the family plot in Allegheny Cemetery. He leaves behind his wife, Hetty, who lives for many years at the family home at 1005 Bingham Street, South Side, Pittsburgh.
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She relocates to the north side at 139 Sheffield before her death in 1884. When Thomas dies, we see the First National Bank of Birmingham close at noon to give everyone a chance to attend his funeral. And you can see here this is from John P Beech, who's secretary of the bank. It says that, resolved, that we cheerfully bear testimony as a corporation to the intelligence industry and honor and integrity which formed so prominent a part of the character of our late president, and as a friend to the noble qualities of mind and heart for which he was so distinguished.
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That's all for this episode. I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about Thomas McKee. Our next video will cover Frederick McKee and his descendants.
