Identifier: biographyofnatha00baumm (find matches)
Title: Biography of Nathan Barnert, his character and achievements; including histories of local institutions
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Baum, Michael T
Subjects: Barnert, Nathan, 1838- Charities
Publisher: Paterson, N.J., News Printing Company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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ilding, put a cellar underneath and secured tenantsto occupy the stores at fifty dollars a month. That is where Ierred—the rent was far too cheap. I raised it to seventy-fivedollars a month the second year and the third year the rent wasone thousand two hundred dollars. After a while the tax assessors discovered what rentwas being paid for the building and they boosted the taxes. Iwas paying three hundred and sixty dollars a year for my leaseand the tenants were paying me twelve hundred dollars. Mr.Van Saun had to pay the increased taxes. Do you know thathe wouldnt speak to me afterward. Property sold cheap in Paterson forty-seven years ago.One day I came home to dinner and I couldnt eat. My mothernoticed my apparent indisposition and asked anxiously Whatis the matter, Nathan? I told her that I had had an oppor-tunity that day to become a very rich man. I had the moneybut I couldnt take it out of my business. My mother said tome, Nathan, if you could buy an ox for a penny and you 26
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didnt have the penny, wouldnt it be rather expensive? Yougo ahead and eat your dinner. The property I then had inmind was just above St. Bonifaces Church on Main Street.There were six acres, belonging to the Rafferty estate. Icould have bought the six acres for six hundred dollars. Thatis what the father of Benjamin Kent, the druggist paid forthose acres. Mr. Barnert continued in mercantile life until 1878, whenhe retired in order to devote his attention to his extensive realestate interests. In this field of endeavor, Mr. Barnert hasalso succeeded. With his knowledge of the popular welfareof what the people want and with rare foresight, Mr. Barnertapplied a part of his capital to the founding of a new industryin Paterson, that of furnishing supplies for paper mills. Heformed the Annandale Screen Plate Co. Associated in thisenterprise with Mr. Barnert were Robert A. Haley, andWilliam C. Martin. Mr. Barnert retired from this companyin 1893- Mr. Barnert, ever on the lookout for benefits

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