Several months ago, a friend, one of the most experienced Jewelers in Richmond, showed me a pocket watch that an elderly friend wanted to sell. My friend Amy Shady knew how much I liked pocket watches and history and thought I would appreciate seeing it. I was intrigued from the moment I saw it. It was a ladies pocket watch with a dial that was marked "Jahnke Richmond VA". I had to begin research right away. Jahnke Road was about a mile from my house. I always wondered where the name came from, but never looked in to it.
My research took me to the Jahnke Family Page on Rootsweb.ancestry.com. I have provided the link here.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bensonarchives/JahnkeFamilyArchives/jahnke_family_page.htm
Albert F. Jahnke, Sr., was born 1826 in Prussia. According to several newspaper articles, he immigrated to New York in 1848, stayed there for two years, moved to Petersburg Virginia and two years later moved to Richmond. He was a partner in a jewelry business called Myers & Jahnke. The The 1881 Richmond City Directory lists the store at 1201 E. Main St. The Virginia Select Marriages 1785-1940 lists his marriage to Mary B. Chaulkley Sept. 3rd 1859 in Henrico County. 1893 Richmond City Directory lists Albert F. Jahnke, watchmaker at 912 E Main Street in downtown Richmond and home in Chesterfield. He brought jeweler and
watchmaking skills from Prussia.
Below is page 145 from a book published in 1903 "Richmond Virginia: The City on the James: The Book of Its Chamber of Commerce" with a photo and small bio (upper right). This book was digitized by Google and can be found in Google Books. The bio reads A.F. Jahnke , Founder of the business of Jahnke Bros., now conducted by A.F. Jahnke, Jr. Watchmakers, Jewelers and Opticians, 912 East Main Street. Established 1852. Fine Watch Making and Optical work a specialty. Largest stock of watches in the city. Agents for Patek, Phillippe & Co.
Albert F. Jahnke, Sr. ran the business until 1890. His two sons ran it under the name Jahnke Brothers until their deaths. His daughter Minnie was the first woman jeweler in the state of Virginia and finally closed the business in 1952, a 100 year run.
In the 1915 Richmond City Directory his residence is listed as the Virginia Building, which was an apartment building. He died there on November 27th 1915. He was the oldest jeweler and mason in the state.
Thanks to a descendant of Albert`s wife Mary`s side of the family for emailing me this Richmond Times Dispatch article from Sunday, February 8th 1953, page 89.
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| The Jahnke Farm taken 1/31/2015 |
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| Taken from Jahnke Road 1/31/2015 |
The pocket watch was purchased new and given to a young lady when she was about 18 years old. It is a Swiss movement with a serial number 1232259. The dial and movement ordered from the Swiss maker and are marked Jahnke Richmond. Then the customer would choose a case to hold the movement. The owner gave it to her friend who is now in her 90`s.
The case is gold filled, although marked 14K. Information below on the case was gathered from NAWCC:
James Boss patented the "gold filled" watch case in 1859. A JBoss marked watch case it will be "gold filled" and not 14k solid
gold.
The Keystone-Watch-Case Co. purchased the patent and trademark rights
for the JBoss case from the previous owners and used it with their own
trademark.
