Lives but not Plutarch's; and  Reminiscences

by Sam Smith, 1957

Jacob Smith

This is a brother of the 1ate Louis Smith aforementioned. About the 1870's he migrated to South Africa with the aforementioned Jacob Wilson and on his return opened a pawnbroking and clothing business in Smeaton Street, North Ormesby. Subsequently this established business was sold to Lewis Levy. He then opened a pawnbroking and sailor's outfitting business in High East St. Where he was in competition with one Moss Wilkes, who traded under a pseudonym 'Monte Carlo'. Where the analogy exists between a gambling city and seamen's outfitting is perplexing. The only feasible conclusion one can deduce is: 'one trading there might make money'.

However, the name caught on, and became a byword, which no doubt brought him trade, and the street too for many flocked here and gaped in his windows for bargains, but whether they found any is open to question!

He was a character! Ostentatious, impressive, strutting to and fro in front of his shop, jacketless in his immaculate starched shirt sleeves, puffing his fat cigar, popping in and out of 'The Eagle' nearby then on the same parade again.

After several years here Jacob sold the business to one Jimmy Habberjam, the Denmark St pawnbroker. A shop was then opened out 175 & 177 Cannon St and another at the corner of Newport Rd and Hartington Rd. The former a pawnshop, the latter a clothing shop, where he lived on the premises and then removed to Acklam Terrace Newport Road.

Though a smart salesman, his management was open to criticism. He was erratic, unstable and unsettled, for after establishing himself firmly in Cannon Street, he returned to South Africa in the 1890's, in which country he died. He was the antithesis of his brother Louis and didn’t resemble him in any way. He had good height and was strong constitutionally.

He was dark with good features and wore a beard. Indeed, the majority of these Old Standards had this hirsute adornment, for then it was the rule rather than the exception. To day it is vice-versa.

Well, that was my father. He had a large family. Four sons and five daughters. There's one thing he left them...a strong constitution and he couldn't have left them anything better! For nothing is of much value without it!

Pinkus Fink (1841-1902)

Mr Fink was a quiet type of man, sedate and of a retiring disposition; wrapped up in his business and his family. He was an old established pawnbroker in South Bank, where he lived modestly and simply and brought up his family, Consisting of two sons and two daughters. Henry and Maurice; Kate and Henrietta. Maurice married a Miss Gompertz. Henry was a bachelor. Both died a few years ago.

They were an esteemed and respected family, connected with the Hush's. The two sons were very popular with their contemporaries, and were very friendly with many Jewish families in Middlesbro' where they had many companions. Quite a lot of their spare time was spent with them and they attended many functions of the Congregation, of which they were members.

Although these two brothers are of a somewhat later infiltration, their inclusion is justified on account of their prominence and individual similarity.

The late Abraham, like his brother the late Isadore, was a heavy built man of good physique. They had much in common. Both were very keen in business, determined, ambitious, enterprising, and progressive, more so Isadore in the latter respect, succeeding to a position of Town Councillor for the Borough. He was the more forceful character of the two.

Both started from humble beginnings, launching out in the Credit Trade on the weekly payment system, then in its incipience, and winding up in the pawnbroking, clothing, jewellery and furniture trade.

The former established himself in Stockton. The latter in Middlesbro with a shop in Hartington Road at the corner of Harris Street, which was finally taken over by his son Herbert who subsequently relinquished the pawnbroking and branched out in a most ambitious and successful way in the Furniture Trade, on the Hire Purchase System.

His other son, a former solicitor of Middlesbro', joined up as a lieutenant in the First World War and was killed in action [Lieut Henry Bloom 12th Yorks. Killed in France 1917.] A daughter married the late Lyn B Baker, the Lnthorpe Road Tailor and Gent's Outfitter. Another married the late Montague J Grunthal, formerly of Newcastle. Abraham lived in Cornfield Road. Isadore in The Crescent. The former married a Miss Myers of Stockton, sister to the late Ernest Myers. Frederick, a former solicitor of Albert Road, is a son.

Both Abraham and Isadore died within the space of a few years of each other. The former’s relict survived him by two decades. The latter’s by one.

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