David
Tattersdill

DAVID TATTERSDILL opened his first music store at  1002 North 27th Street in the Cramer Hill section of Camden in 1903. He sold and repaired musical instruments, and also tuned pianos. By 1909 he had increased his trade sufficiently to warrant a move to Broadway. His business, later conducted by sons Elmer and John, would be a fixture on Broadway, in various locations between Benson and Walnut Streets, until the early 1970s.

David Tattersdill was living with his wife Louise at 4172 Federal Street Street in East Camden at the time of the 1930 Census. By 1947 he had passed away. The business had moved once again, to 430 Broadway, and was being conducted by his son, Elmer Tattersdill, who also made his residence there. Louise Tattersdill was still alive, and also lived at 430 Broadway, according to the 1947 Camden City Directory. 

Tattersdill Music remained at 430 Broadway through at least October of 1956. The business moved again, to 508 Broadway, by the time the 1959 New Jersey Bell Telephone Directory was compiled. Elmer Tattersdill and Tattersdill Music remained at 508 Broadway through October of 1970. John S. Tattersdill passed away in 1974. By 1977 Elmer Tattersdill had moved the business to 1627 South Kings Highway in Haddonfield.

Louise Tattersdill passed away in Browns Mills NJ in November of 1980, at the age of 100.

DAVID TATTERSDILL, an active citizen, successful financially, a piano man of Camden, was born in England and came to this country when he was sixteen years old and in gaining a foothold in his adopted land, established a rare popularity and esteem.

Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, November 9, 1873, he was educated in the public schools of his birthplace and when barely out of grammar school, at sixteen, shipped himself to the United States. Without help from his father, John Tattersdill, a woolen manufacturer in England-—his mother was Rebecca (Slater) Tattersdill, who died when he was eleven years old—David Tattersdill, made his own way in this country. For four years he was an apprentice to a carpenter in Philadelphia and for fourteen years thereafter was a carpenter and elevator builder, working a part of that time for the Albro Chemical Company. 

In 1903, he opened a small music store at No. 1002 North Twenty-seventh Street, Camden, taking care of it only in the evenings as he worked at his trade during the day. Five years later, he moved his store to No. 313 Federal Street and began devoting all his time and attention to it. In 1909, the business had grown to such a degree that he was obliged to seek larger quarters for it and he moved to No. 929 Broadway and five years later to Broadway and Walnut Street. In 1919, when he had attained the highest place in the Camden musical business, he bought a building at No. 1000 Broadway, where he still handles pianos and musical instruments, maintaining a warehouse at Walnut and Fifth streets, which he bought in 1922.

Mr. Tattersdill is a director in the John Campbell, Jr., Building and Loan Association and in the Covenant Building and Loan Association. He is secretary of the Broadway Business Men's Association, in which he is also a director, and of the Germantown British-American Association. He is a member of the Camden Chamber of Commerce, and is vice-president of the East Camden Business Men's Association. He served on the teams in the Near East Relief drive in Camden.

Mr. Tattersdill married Louise E. Maund, daughter of William and Mary (Jones) Maund, in Germantown, September 23, 1901. They have two sons: 1. Elmer, born in 1902, married Ruth Laubenstein; they have one child, Dorothy, born May 11, 1925. 2. John Slater, born in 1904, married to Hazel Hollenbaugh. Both are employed by their father. The Tattersdills belong to the First Baptist Church of Camden.

CLUB OF MERCHANTS TO ELECT OFFICERS
Broadway Merchants to Hold Annual Banquet at Hotel Walt Whitman, Jan. 25

 An exciting contest is expected in the annual election of officers of the Broadway Business Men’s Association. The elections, preceded by a banquet, will be held Wednesday evening, January 25, at Hotel Walt Whitman.

Three merchants are candidates for the presidency, which will be vacated by Harry Pelouze. There are J.V. Moran, Walter Friant and Morris Futernick. They were nominated at the November meeting of the association.

Another battle is looked for in the naming of a vice-president. M. Fuhrman and J.W. Holmes are the two candidates while Morris Jaffe is the retiring vice president. Edwin C. Norcross, president treasurer, will be unopposed for re-election. Albert S. Dudley will be unopposed when he succeeds David Tattersdill as secretary.

Representatives from every business in every section of the city have been invited to attend the affair, while every one of the 150 members will probably be present. The principle speaker will be former Judge John B. Kates, of the Broadway Merchants Trust Company.

An address on interstate traffic and its relations to the transportation problems of Camden business will be delivered by J.J. Ruster, head of the transportation department of the Camden Chamber of Commerce. Francis B. Wallen and Loyal D. Odhner, president and secretary respectively of the Chamber of Commerce will also be guests of the merchants.

A comparison of the work of other commercial organizations will be made by several well-known visitors. Benjamin Shindler, William Lipsitz and H. Zbieratski, presidents respectively of the East Camden, Kaighn Avenue and Mount Ephraim Business Men’s Associations, will speak.

The new constitution and by-laws of the association will be adopted at the January meeting. Eighteen directors will be elected; six for terms of three years, six for two-year terms and a similar number for one year.

The candidates for director are Harry Pelouze, Joseph Kobus, J.W. Holmes, Albert Israel, James V. Moran, Walter Friant, Dr. I.S. Siris, Joseph Fuhrman, William E. Cross, S. Abeson, M. Futernick, Howard B. Lee, Fred W. Schorpp, Morris Jaffe, W. Mitchell, L. Markowitz, Joseph Corbett, M. Lasala, P. Thatcher, W. Falture, G. Lockerman and David Tattersdill. 

13TH WARD G. O. P. CLUB! TO HOLD RALLY TONIGHT

A  number of speakers will address a rally tonight at the Thirteenth Ward Republican Club, Haddon Avenue and Mechanic Street.

They will include George Stevens, D. Tattersdill and Mrs. Etta C. Pfrommer. Mrs. Louella Whaland will be in charge of the meeting. There will be music and refreshments.

The committee in charge includes Mrs. Stella Deets, Mrs. Jennie Kisland, Mrs. Bertha Bateman, Mrs. Esther Blackwood, Mrs. M. Buesz, Mrs. A. Zeigler, Mrs. Kittie Storm, Mrs. Linda Colter, Mrs. Charlotte Fawyer, Mrs. Jean Keyser, Mrs, Lillian Myers and Mrs. Matilda Ward.

The women will also take part in the parade which will form at the club 8:00 p. m. Thursday. At Thursday noon a public luncheon will be given.

Political Paragraphs

A. Harry Moore, Democratic candidate for governor, is scheduled to speak at the meeting of Gloucester Democrats in the city hall there next. Wednesday night. The meeting will be in charge of Mayor J. Emerson Jackson and the county Democratic committee.

Gloucester Republicans tonight will hold a. rally at the headquarters of the city committee, 104 North King Street.

The Polish-American Women's Citizens Club, in its recent resolution pledging support to David Baird, endorsed a candidate for the first time in the club's six-year history, according to Mrs. Priscilla Ciechanowski, secretary. The club is two to one for Baird, she said. Other officers are Mrs. A. Bec, president; Mrs. H. Stojak, vice-president, and Mrs. A. Skierska, treasurer.

A huge new sign, in vivid lettering, has appeared on the east side or Admiral Wilson Boulevard, south of Baird Boulevard, urging a vote for Baird November 3. It is one of the largest campaign signs in Camden County.

Congressman Charles A. Wolverton is appearing almost everywhere with Baird. The congressman is one of the gubernatorial nominee's ablest campaign advisers. He was with the candidate at the Trenton convention of the New Jersey Taxpayers' Association Wednesday.

David Tattersdill, Broadway merchant, is among the latest members of the Speakers' Bureau at Republican headquarters, Broadway and Stevens Street. He is one of the organizers of the Forty-second Street Baird Boosters' Club.

Seventy-two hundred applications for challengers were received Tuesday afternoon, the deadline, by the Camden County Board of Elections. Of the total, 4000 were for challengers for Republican candidates and the remainder for Democratic candidates, including those seeking office as governor, freeholder, justice of the peace and various borough and township offices. No Socialist or prohibition applications for challengers were filed here.

Joseph A. Varbalow, former assistant prosecutor, was so eager to read Moore's speech he had to borrow a cent from Chief of County Detectives Lawrence T. Doran to buy the Morning Post.

Camden Courier-Post - February 1, 1933

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Sees Inflation as Remedy for Depression

To the Editor:

Sir-I read. with interest the two sides of the currency question as outlined by Senator Borah and Secretary Mills. Secretary Mills' article was long and evasive of the important point. For instance, this is not time to worry about foreign countries or our economic relations to them, when there is hardly an active commercial group, farm or division of government that is not borrowing money to pay interest and taxes. The only way these two items can be reduced is by inflating the currency.

Senator Garner says that the president-elect will cut down every appropriation, both permanent and emergent, with the exception of the interest and sinking fund-that is, everything but the cankerous part- so it will require a strong man to go after the group of tax free bondholders.

We are taught to follow the Saviour's footstep. He kicked out the money lenders when conditions were unbearable. We don't have to be so harsh. Many of the bonds were purchased with a dollar that was worth three pounds of pork chops. The bondholder should not complain if we give him back the dollar of today that will get him 14 pounds of pork chops. Place the bonds in the National Museum if they have any values as souvenirs.

Twenty-two billion dollars thus released would be forced into business channels. The government would be able to collect taxes in reason whilst now it is making our good people rebellious by creating more imposts that do not nor cannot bring the necessary revenue.

If all this subsidizing and unemployed relief was stopped the law of supply and demand would be encouraged, we would reach the crisis, then start to get well.

If it was practical and I believe it could be made so, how much better we would all be if the government, in all its public work, should issue paper money for value created instead of using the bond floating method with all its lost motion and terrific expense. The potential buyer of these bonds would be pledged - with all his assets just the same as the rest of us. I fail to see any inflation in this plan as the assets of the country would not be disturbed.

That something must be done to remedy the mortgage situation is conceded by all, mortgagee and mortgagor alike; so why not start the ball rolling by getting the national government free of mortgage? 

D. TATTERSDILL

Camden Courier-Post - July 12, 1933

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A View of the Morgan Probe

To the Editor:

Sir-Here are many things that I have read in the Courier and just a few that I have not, such as J. P. Morgan being deeply interested in the Public Service of New Jersey; that Congressman Wolverton makes quick decisions in favor of public utilities regardless of his campaign speeches when he claims to be on the side of the so-called common people.

All eyes are on Washington, D. C. Everybody is talking about the Morgans, astounded we might say that with all their wealth and income the Morganized Republican laws permits them to evade the income tax. We the so-called common people would be guests of the government, deprived of our liberty if we would have claimed poker, bridge, horse­racing, craps or any other form of gambling losses as an excuse for not paying taxes on our gross income, even though these forms of gambling are mild in comparison with the things that are being brought to light at our Capital; which proves that to make laws that can't be gotten around is an impossibility in this country.

So to put it in a language easily understood, we will, for the sake of illustration, imagine a child with a sharp tool using it to deface property of value as well as running a great danger of hurting himself. Would we call a council of the members of the family to draft a law such as 
"Whereas, at a regular meeting of this family, after due consideration and favorable report of the childish committee, the following bill No. 41144 was passed and now becomes law. It is the purpose of this act to regulate children big and little in the handling of divers instruments with a cutting edge, etc., etc., blab, blab and more blab." 

No sir! Instead of all this we would take the dangerous instrument away from the kid and administer several healthy spanks right on that part of his anatomy where it would do the most good and that is what is needed at Washington in this bond age of tax exemption and evasion, eliminate government bonds of every description, let the people through their respective municipalities operate the gas, electric, water and bus transportation. The profits of all of which could be applied to the relief of the taxpayer. 

D. TATTERSDILL

I took guitar lessons in 1951 at Tattersdill's on Broadway, and remember it well, especially going to the Cathay Tea Garden on Broadway for won-ton soup and chow-mein after each lesson. Good memories!

Darlene Haggas Arendt
May 25, 2005