William F. Rupp was born in 1829, and entered the tailoring business in 1861. In 1872, Gustav Rosberg, who arrived in the United States from Sweden just a few years earlier in 1869, began his partnership with Rupp. Rupp and Rosberg maintained their storefront on Washington Street until they moved to 25 North Pennsylvania Street in 1890. Rupp retired from the tailoring business a year later, and passed away in 1897. Rupp is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery.
Rosberg continued in the tailoring business, opening Gust Rosberg and Son Tailors, open in 1924 based on an advertisement in the Indianapolis Star. Presumably, Gustav’s son was Harry, who is buried with Gustav and his wife, Betty, in a family plot in Crown Hill Cemetery. Gustav passed away in 1928.
The date on this trade/collector card is not clear, though based on the time Rupp and Rosberg were in business together, it was likely distributed between 1872 and 1890.
RE:Mercantile story evokes fuzzy memory of turn-of-century store (perhaps dry goods/hair or hair goods mixed info) in this area of E.Wash (or could have been W.) run by miserable abusive father named Gumbinski (or later Gumm)–family lived downtown with several sons including teen Harry who hated working in family store,gravitated to travelling entertainers who rehearsed in rental 2nd story rehearsal hall. He won small prize $ in “greased pole” contest -enough to run away to NYC–followed later by brother Alfred. Between the 2 they wrote more than 300 songs ranging from 2nd national anthem “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” “Wait ’til The Sun Shine Nelly”, “Apple Blossom Time”—at same time actually created the music publishing industry in U>S (formerly centered in England), created and actually named Tin Pan Alley(there is plaque on NYC building still today.) They “anglicized ” last names for the more distinguished/cosmopolitan last names –today the incredible music library of brothers Harry and Alfred Von Tilzer is best kept secret in InHisSociety archives—everything from the various generations of sheet music (VT actually created sheet music sales in l0 cent stores), up to the recording of lst induction into Song Writers Hall of Fame with Berlin,VonTilzer,ragtime icon WC Handy performing on it. (Getting this treasure trove was one of major coups of the short-lived Indiana Musical Heritage Committee, donated by author/brain trust whiz Herbert London formerly of Hudson Institute.) Would make a wonderful HIS In story–good sources available (I organized the committee made up of incredible local “brains” and “do-ers) and there are stories/power point done by authors/music whizzes Duncan Schiedt,Nancy Lowe Kriplen,Reid Duffy etc.) Love your stories and this one brought back fuzzy memory of the Gumbinski store etc. Details on request-just call me–Sharon B-F,Libby C have my number.
I looked at an old city directory in the downtown library for the Rupp family several years ago and found that this tailor owned a farm spreading from the southeast corner of Rural and East Michigan Streets which was apparently a dairy farm when they had their tailor shop on Washington Street. his farm was originally addressed on “the East National Road”, or words to that effect. There is a plat of a subdivision in that area called “Rupp Park Addition”, which apparently was developed in the 1880-1890 type period, as was the adjacent area around Rural and Michigan (a branch of Pogues Run called Crooked Run used to flow diagonally across the Rural-Michigan intersection till it was storm sewered around 1910 or thereabouts; it flowed through the Rupp farm and north of Michigan through Lange’s nurseries, according to an old map also in the library). Later there was a Rupp farm operating along Emerson north of 10th Street from around 1900 to the late 1940s, primarily on the east side of Emerson. Grace Rupp had a “country” general store at the southeast corner of 16thand Emerson from 1930 till about 1947, when it burned. Since I’m not the “youngest guy” around, I barely remember toddling around in that store with my Mother (and on East 16th, where Community Hospital is now, there was another farm family that had a roadside stand we used to buy stuff at). Ritter Avenue at that time was gravel from 16th south to 10th, with fields on both sides. Later the Rupp farm became the Justus East Side Addition. just trivia!