Book
Reviews
".... well-written text, carefully annotated and
accompanied by interesting illustrations. In all, this
is a welcome contribution to New York history."
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record
"Conrad
Poppenhusen came to America at the right time - when
the nation was
just beginning to flex its industrial muscles. Through
that magic combination of hard work, foresight and good
fortune he established himself as an early exemplar
of the American dream. James E. Haas has done an excellent
job of taking a relatively obscure and unjustly forgotten
figure and restoring him to his rightful place in American
industrial history. Starting with Poppenhusen's own
brief and sketchy memoir, Haas used good old-fashioned
legwork to fill out a wonderful story complete with
trials and errors, sadness and joy, and even a shipwreck.
The book is well researched and richly detailed, and
will add to the knowledge of anyone interested in the
history of New York, the German-American experience
or industrial history."
Charles Slack, author
Noble Obsession: Charles Goodyear, Thomas Hancock and
the Race to Unlock the Greatest Industrial Secret of
the Nineteenth Century, Hyperion, NY
"Great
publication - detailed, highly professional and very
accurate."
Joseph S. Dolan, Executive Director
The Achelis Foundation
Conrad Poppenhusen: The Life of a German-American Industrial
Pioneer
"Like the energetic and adventurous immigrants
of the nineteenth century that are his subjects, James
Haas has traveled far and dug deeply to trace the fascinating
story of idealistic industrialist Conrad Poppenhusen.
When the German immigrant was not making his fortune
manufacturing hard rubber combs, or backing his employees
who volunteered in America's Civil War, the tireless
Poppenhusen kept busy founding America's first free
kindergarten in a little town called College Point,
Queens. This is a story of business and patriotism,
fortunes won and lost, progressive thinking and the
immigrant adaptability that has vitalized the culture
of New York City. Read it and be inspired anew by the
impact of strangers in the New World."
Kathleen Hulser
Public Historian
The New York Historical Society
"James
E. Haas has penned a biography that is both a beautiful
and revealing
“work of art” on the life of this extraordinary
and benevolent German immigrant,
Conrad Poppenhusen. Through his thoroughly researched
body of work, he has
brought honor to along overlooked industrial giant and
social activist of the
19th century."
Susan K. Brustmann, Director
The Poppenhusen Institute
College Point, New York
"I
always thought I knew a lot of the life of my great
grandfather, but after reading your book, I realized
how much was absolutely new to me. Thank you."
Conrad Poppenhusen
Hamburg Germany
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