The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Ee ee 8- PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, September 9, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Sketches | of Scugog by Paul Arculus Sketches of Scugog is a historical column written by local resident and historian Paul Arculus and published in the Port Perry Star each month. [J [J [J One of the many problems which face the researcher is that of name changes through marriage. One of the more com- plex set of name changes occurred in the case of Mrs. Doll-Decker-Diesfeld. William Decker and his wife Christiana Barbara (Lutz) had come from Germany and established a jewelry store in Borelia in 1850. They relocated in Prince Albert in 1860, taking over the property of David Jolly on the east side of Simcoe Street, four lots below Barbara Street. William Decker died on May 9, Port Perry's Diamond Hall... what's in a name? walk outside the store. The clock was about three feet in diameter and became a Port Perry landmark for 35 years. In 1875 Mrs. Diesfeld announced that her son Frank (born Franz) Doll was to become the new manager of the store, forming the Diesfeld and Doll partner- ship. However even this was initially mis-spelled and advertised as Diesfeld and Dole. The partnership lasted for only a year and Frank moved to Peterborough to open his own watchmaker and jewelry store. Unfortunately, in March 1877, Frank Doll, only 23 years of age, commit- ted suicide in Peterborough. His tomb- stone erroneously states that his death occurred in May 1877. John and Christiana Diesfeld had three children of their own. Two died in infancy. Their daughter Olga Prices to. suit. you all right. | GREAT VARIETY VERY CHEAP. Sets, &c., and some more to follow. EZ Also Fancy Goods. } &LF Repairing as usual, I'ort Parry, Nov. 30, 1808, Diesfeld's = We are prepared tc give SPECIAL BARGAINS in GOLD AND SILVER WATCHES. Gold Filed Cases in great variety, some as smell as a Quarter ol Dollar, nicely Enameled and Set with Pearls, &c. WEDDING AND ENGAGEMENT RINGS in Pearl, Opal and Diamonds, all fine and New Designs. Crocks in Kaives, Forks, Spoons, Fruit Dishes, Butter Diss, Cake Baskets Tea EVERYTHING GOES CHEAP. &] DIESFELD'S took a major role in the opera- tion of the store in their later years and was a featured member of the Presbyterian Church choir. The Diesfelds by this time were subject to intense compe- tition from W.H. McCaw's jew- elry store a mere five stores away at the other side of the Blong block. It is quite obvious that Christiana played a major role in the business affairs of the store. Her name appeared prominently in advertisements of the day and in many of the municipal records of business including her personal payment of the store's cost of paving the side- walk in front of the store in Ad for The Diamond Hall advertised on Nov. 30, 1898 1868 at the age of 42. He had advertised himself as William Decker, and in his obituary he is given that name. However, his tombstone is marked William Doll. The Doll/Deckers had five children: Bertha, Eliza, Francis, Ludwig and - William. The 1871 census lists the child- ren with Doll as their surname. Within a few weeks of William Decker/Doll, his wife advertised that she was continuing to operate the jewelry shop as "Mrs. Doll, formerly Decker." She remarried again in September 30, 1869, to John Diesfeld who had been born in what is now Germany in 1833. He arrived in Prince Albert in 1867. After Mrs. Decker/Doll remarried, the Prince Albert jewelry store became known by the Diesfeld name. In 1873, the Diesfelds joined in the migration from Prince Albert to Port Perry. They briefly established a shop on Perry Street opposite G.U. White's carriage shop which later became the Ontario Carriage works and is now the Liquor Store. : By 1875, they had a new building erected at what is now the site of the present day "From My Heart." Because of the nature of his business, Diesfeld named the building, the "Diamond Hall." The Diesfelds owned the build- ing and they were among the few... downtown merchants who lived above their stores. to a AR A In order to further confirm hig... trade, Diesfeld had a large, double. faced clock made and placed it.on a post on the edge of the wooden side- A 1901. The Port Perry Diamond Hall was destroyed in the 1883 fire and the Diesfelds had the pres- ent two storey, red brick building built in the fall of 1884. A new clock was also erected. The Diesfelds moved into the new building in December 1884. As business declined due to the com- petition from McCaws, the Diesfelds rented out the eastern half of the ground floor of his store to Madison Williams who operated a liquor store in the 1890s. In 1897, Williams sold the business to ~ Photo of Olga Diesfeld in 1895 The Diamond Hall clock, located on the edge of the sidewalk in front of the Diesfeld store. her clerk, W.S. Short and purchased the Paxton and Tait Foundry on Perry Street. Christiana Diesfeld died in 1905. Diesfeld and his daughter Olga continued to operate the Diamond Hall until March 1910 when they sold their business to Greenberg Brothers. The Greenbergs only remained in business here for a year. After Diesfeld went out of business, Short purchased the building and, and gift shop. Mrs. Diesfeld's tombstone in the Prince Albert cemetery states, "Christia- na Barbara Lutz, wife of William Doll, late wife of John Diesfeld, died July 19, 1905, aged 72." John Diesfeld died six years later. So far I have been unable to complete this story by tracing what hap- pened to Olga Diesfeld. I would appreci- ate hearing from any reader who has information on her whereabouts. after the Greenbergs left, he expand- ed his liquor store business to the entire store. He sold the store in 1914 and moved across the road to lot 59. He declared bankruptcy in 1927. In 1914, Philip Polito opened a fruit store in the old Diamond Hall which later became known as the Naples Fruit Store. It later became a restaurant run by George Hall. In September 1937 the entire building was purchased by Samuel and Ann Levinson who converted it into a dry goods store which they named Port Perry Dry Goods. The Levinsons ran the store and lived in the apartment above as had the Diesfelds many years before. They retired and sold the building in 1981. At that point it was taken over by Tom and Daphne Mitchell as part of an expansion of their Settlement Prince Albert Watch, Clock, Jewelry, kc. Eslablishment. 2 WATCH MAKER AND JEWELER | Gold and Silver Watches, Jewelry, ' . fail tn secure purchasers. Watches, Clocks, Jewelry, &c., repaired with nentness and dispatch by a thoroughly trained workman, All work warranted. Charges moderate. Prince Albert, June 23, 1869. 25 GON " AND DEALER IN clocks, Fancy Goods, &ec. LL of the newest styles and of the best workmanship, and at such prices as cannot MRS. DOIJ.L, [LATE MRS. DECKER. House Shops. This section of the Settlement House Shops is how the tasteful "From My Heart," the card Mrs. Decker announces herself as Mrs. Doll while in Prince Albert, June 23, 1869. I E---------- ----