Pipe Organ Database

From the OHS PC Database, derived from A Guide to North American Organbuilders, by David H. Fox (Richmond, Va.: Organ Historical Society, 1991). -

Born February 10, 1862 near Heidelberg, Germany; father of Henry A. and Herbert R. Gottfried, husband of Regina Gottfried, father-in-law of Max W. Beyer; at Missionsschule Chrischona of Basel, Switzerland; with August Laukhuff of Weikersheim, Germany, c. 1878; with E. F. Walcker firm of Ludwigsburg, Germany, 1888; immigrated to the United States, 1888; with Roosevelt firm in New York City, New York, then Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; established A. Gottfried & Co., 1890; partner with Henry Kugel, 1892- 1911; relocated firm to A. B. Felgemaker factory of Erie, Pennsylvania, 1894; relocated to Charleston, South Carolina; with Standaart Organ Co., which acquired his firm, 1948, head voicer; died 1954.

Patent #872,931; December 3, 1907; pipe

Sources:

• The Diapason March 1942, 27.
• The Diapason April 1949, 1.
• The Diapason June 1950, 10.
• David Junchen, Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, vol. 1 (Pasadena: Showcase Publications, 1985) 147.
• David Junchen, Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, Vol. 2 (Pasadena: Showcase Publications, 1990) 807.

See main entry: A. Gottfried & Co.

From Organ Database Builders editor Stephen Hall, December 29, 2018. -

Anton Gottfried was the father of Henry A. Gottfried and Herbert R. Gottfried, husband of Regina Gottfried, and father-in-law of Max W. Beyer. He was born in Europe and was at Missionsschule Chrischona of Basel, Switzerland. He was with August Laukhuff of Weikersheim, Germany, c. 1878; and with E. F. Walcker firm of Ludwigsburg, Germany, until 1888.

He immigrated to the United States in 1888; and began with the Roosevelt firm in New York City, New York, later working in their Philadelphia, Pennsylvania branch. After the Roosevelt firm closed, he established A. Gottfried & Co. there in 1890. He became partner with Henry Kugel in 1892, the partnership lasted until 1911; the two relocated the firm to the A. B. Felgemaker factory of Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1894. ¹

Anton Gottfried left Erie in the 1940s. It is not certain what happened to the firm in Erie: It either closed or was sold to former staff member Frederick Durst who changed the name. The National Organ Supply Co. was organized by other former employees of A. Gottfried & Co. and may have acquired some part of the business. Organ Supply Industries (OSI) lists all three companies as part of its heritage ² Gottfried himself relocated to Charleston, South Carolina in the late 1940s establishing a firm there; he sold that concern to the Standaart Organ Co. in 1948, and went to work for them as head voicer.³ He retired from Standaart and moved to Daytona Beach, Florida; he died there in 1954.⁴

Sources:

1. David Fox, A Guide to North American Organbuilders (Richmond, Va., Organ Historical Society, 1991), 139.
2. OSI website,(http://www.organsupply.com/about-osi/history/), accessed October 2015.
3. Fox, Guide to North American Organbuilders 139.
4. Henry Gottfried, quoted by Ray Laprise, "Organ Tuner Has an Ear for Tunes from 2,063 Pipes" Daytona Beach Journal, May 1, 1960. [Henry was the son of Anton, he had a service firm in Jacksonville, Florida at the time this article was written. -Ed.]