Smithsonian Institution The William Steinway Diary: 1861-1896
Steinway & Sons Records and Family Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Frederick Ringler
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Frederick Ringler, (b February 10, 1852, in Friedewald, Germany, d September 8, 1930, in New York City) immigrated with his brother to Chicago, Illinois in 1866 where he learned the latest techniques in the printing trade. He went on to operate a prosperous printing business in New York City while also managing his deceased brother's brewery business. He was a prominent fellow member of the German Liederkranz of New York; elected second Vice-President in 1893, first Vice- President in 1894 (1) and President in 1895 (Diary, 1895-10-08), serving three terms. William Steinway knew him through the Liederkranz, but their relationship could not be described as close.
Frederick began his education in Friedewald but continued his studies for two years at Paines Business College upon arriving in Chicago. He also began to learn electrotyping and stereotyping at the firm of Alexander Zeese in Chicago, a process advertised as photo electro plating. Shortly after the Great Chicago Fire of October of 1871, Ringler moved to New York City, joining his brother George, owner of Ringler Brewery, where he took a position as business manager with the printing firm of Hurst and Crum. In a relatively short period of time his great skill was recognized and the firm was reorganized as Crum and Ringler. This arrangement continued until 1878, when Ringler bought out the interests of his partners and the firm became known as F. A. Ringler and Company, located on Barclay St. and Park Place. (7) He became a naturalized US citizen in 1880. (6) After the death of his brother George in 1888 he took over management of the brewery as trustee for his sister-in-law and George's children. (3) Lemke mentions that he increased the brewery's business by 25% in a short period of time. (5) Both his printing and his brewing business benefited from his networking at the Liederkranz, the German Society, and many other German-American institutions in the city of New York. The F. A. Ringler Company supported the German Hospital Fair (Diary, 1889-02-17) by printing a Fair Album in either English or German produced with the typographic process containing original contributions of known writers in facsimile as well as illustrations by American artists. (4)
Frederick Ringler married Maria Stolz in 1858 in New York City. They had one child, Veronica, born in 1880. Veronica went on to marry Victor Provost (d May 1901) in January 1901 and William C. Provost in 1904. (7) The bulk of his sizeable estate was left to Veronica. (2)
Sources:
1. "Club News", New-Yorker Staat-Zeitung, September 19, 1894, p.7.
2. "Estates Appraised", The New York Times, December 2, 1930.
3. "George Ringler's Will", The New York Times, June 11, 1889.
4. "The German Hospital", New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung, February 17, 1889, p6.
5. Lemke, Theodor, History of the German Element of New York City, 1888, New York, NY, pp 141-143.
6. Naturalization Petition, United States of America, United States District Court, New York, NY October 20, 1880, R524.
7. Schlegel, Arthur. Schlegel's German-American Families in the United States, Edition Deluxe Volume II, New York: The American Historical Society, 1917, pp. 50-52, available on Google.
