SMITHBITS RADIO MAGAZINE

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Alvah C. Roebuck - Black English Parents - Sears and Roebuck Never Say

Alvah C. Roebuck asked Richard W. Sears to buy out his interest in the company in 1895. Richard Sears asked Roebuck to remain with the company as a salaried employee to manage the Sears Home Entertainment Department. After four years Roebuck quit to form his own movie projector manufacturing company, with Sears becoming one of his best customers. In 1903, Roebuck worked on the first of many improvements to the motion picture machine, building the Optigraph Motion Picture Machine. Roebuck later returned to Sears in 1933 and worked for wages until 1940. During this time he wrote a history of Sears early days, and became a star attraction at Sears store openings. Roebuck passed away June 18, 1948, never publicly regretting the fortune he missed by not staying with Sears, Roebuck and Co

Alvah C. Roebuck (1864-1948)

Co-Founder "It was our constant desire to maintain our margin of superiority by means of improvements and new inventions." (1934)


Alvah Curtis Roebuck, co-founder of Sears, Roebuck and Co., was born on January 9, 1864, in Lafayette, Ind., of English parentage.

When Alvah was three years old, his family moved to a farm about five miles outside of Lafayette. It was there that Alvah attended country school, and his mother took over the family farm when her husband died in 1876.

At an early age, Alvah showed a great interest in mechanical things, and at 16 he was already a self-taught watchmaker. When he reached 22, Alvah secured a position in a small jewelry store in Hammond, Ind. The following year, impatient to get ahead and earn more money, he began scanning the help-wanted sections of Chicago newspapers.

On April 1, 1887, Roebuck answered an advertisement for a watchmaker in the Chicago Daily News, and two days later he received a reply—Richard W. Sears wanted to hire him. Thus began the association of two men who would soon form one of the world's best-known business partnerships. The firm was incorporated as Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1893.

In 1895, Roebuck asked Sears to buy him out. However, at Richard Sears' request, he took charge of a division that handled watches, jewelry, optical goods, and, later, phonographs, magic lanterns and motion picture machines. His business interests did not end with Sears. He later organized and financed two companies: a manufacturer and a distributor of motion picture machines and accessories. Roebuck also served as president (1909-1924) of Emerson Typewriter Company, where he invented an improved typewriter, called the "Woodstock."

After several years in semi-retirement in Florida, the financial losses he suffered in the stock market crash of 1929 forced Roebuck to return to Chicago. By 1933, Roebuck had rejoined Sears, Roebuck and Co., where he largely devoted his time to compiling a history of the company he helped found.

Then, in September of 1934, a Sears store manager asked Mr. Roebuck to make a public appearance at his store. After an enthusiastic public turnout, Mr. Roebuck went on tour, appearing at retail stores across the country for the next several years.

Alvah Roebuck returned to his desk at company headquarters in Chicago, where he enthusiastically assumed the task of compiling a corporate history until his death on June 18, 1948.

Company History:
With a network of more than 870 full-line department stores and 1,300 freestanding specialty stores in the United States and Canada, Sears, Roebuck and Co. is the world's fourth largest retailer. For more than a century Sears has provided consumers with top brand names synonymous with durability and quality. Craftsman tools, Kenmore appliances, Diehard car batteries, and WeatherBeater paint are a just a few of its most recognized products; Sears also provides a variety of competitively priced apparel for men, women, and children featuring its own brands (Canyon River Blues, Covington, TKS Basics) and such staples as Levi's jeans and Nike athleticwear. A newer addition to its empire came with catalogue and online retailer Lands' End, acquired in 2001.

Humble Beginnings: Late 1880s to 1914

Sears bears the name of Richard W. Sears, who was working as a North Redwood, Minnesota, freight agent for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad in 1886 when a local jeweler gave him an unwanted shipment of pocket watches rather than return them to the manufacturer. Sears sold them to agents down the line who then resold them at the retail level. He ordered and sold more watches and within six months made $5,000. He quit the railroad and founded the R.W. Sears Watch Company in Minneapolis.

Business expanded so quickly that Sears moved to Chicago in 1887 to be in a more convenient communications and shipping center. Soon customers began to bring in watches for repairs. Since he knew nothing about fixing them, Sears hired Alvah Roebuck, a watch repairman from Indiana, ALVAR CURTIS ROEBUCK - A BLACK BUSINESSMAN
in 1887. A shrewd and aggressive salesman--a colleague once said of him, "He could probably sell a breath of air"--Sears undersold his competition by buying up discontinued lines from manufacturers and passing on the discounts to customers. At various times from 1888 to 1891, thinking himself bored with the business, Sears sold out to Roebuck but came back each time.

In 1888 the company published the first of its famous mail-order catalogues. It was 80 pages long and advertised watches and jewelry. Within two years the catalogue grew to 322 pages, filled with clothes, jewelry, and such durable goods as sewing machines, bicycles, and even keyboard instruments. In 1894 the catalogue cover proclaimed Sears was the "Cheapest Supply House on Earth."

The company changed its name to its current form in 1893, but Alvah Roebuck, uncomfortable with his partner's financial gambles, sold out his share two years later and remained with the firm as a repairman. Sears promptly found two new partners to replace Roebuck: local entrepreneur Aaron Nusbaum and Nusbaum's brother-in-law, haberdasher Julius Rosenwald. The company recapitalized at $150,000, with each man taking a one-third stake. The company continued to prosper; when the cantankerous Nusbaum was forced to sell out in 1901 after clashing with Sears, his interest was worth $1.25 million.

There was little harmony between the two remaining partners, Rosenwald and Sears. Sears believed in continuous expansion and risk-taking; Rosenwald advocated consolidation and caution. Rosenwald also objected to his partner's fondness for the hard sell in the catalogue and advertising copy. Had the Federal Trade Commission existed then, some of the company's advertising practices probably would not have passed muster--but it should be mentioned that Richard Sears invented the unconditional money-back guarantee and stood by it.

In 1905 construction began on a new headquarters plant on Chicago's west side to consolidate all of the company's functions. To help raise the necessary capital, Sears went public in 1906. Yet Wall Street was leery of the incautious Richard Sears and he resigned as president in 1908 when it became clear he was obstructing the firm's progress. He was appointed chairman, but his heart was never in the job and he retired in 1913, never having presided over a board meeting. Sears died the following year at the age of 50. Near the end of his life, he summarized his career as a merchant: "Honesty is the best policy. I know, I've tried it both ways."

New Leadership and Growth: 1915 to the Late 1920s

Sears was now Julius Rosenwald's company to run and he did it with such skill and success he became one of the richest men in the world. Sales rose sixfold between 1908 and 1920, and in 1911 Sears began offering credit to its customers at a time when banks would not even consider lending to consumers. During this time the company grew to the point where its network of suppliers, combined with its own financing and distribution operations, constituted a full-fledged economic system in itself. Rosenwald's personal fortune allowed him to become a noted philanthropist--he gave away $63 million over the course of his life, much of it to Jewish causes and to improve the education of Southern blacks. As a result of the latter, he became a trustee of the Tuskegee Institute and a good friend of its founder, Booker T. Washington.

The depression of the early 1920s dealt Sears a sharp blow. In 1921 the company posted a loss of $16.4 million and omitted its quarterly dividend for the first time. Rosenwald responded by slashing executive salaries and even eliminated his own. He was also persuaded to donate 50,000 shares from his personal holdings to the company treasury to reduce outstanding capital stock and restore the firm's standing with its creditors. Sears thus weathered the crisis and benefited from the general prosperity that followed.

Was Roebuck was black?
At one of my classes a few weeks ago, while discussing the black experience in America, the instructor mentioned that "Roebuck (of sears Roebuck) was black." One student in the class said "That's right;" most of the responses ranged from thoughtful "Huh!" expressions to disbelief that they had never known this.

Curious to learn more about this supposedly forgotten historical figure, I Googled around a bit - none of the online biographies or Sears Co. histories mention Alvah Roebuck's ethnicity, nor does his picture look particularly African-American (not that one can always tell):

A few blogs/amateur history sites throw out the factoid, but never with any citations.

So, was Alvah Roebuck black, and deliberately forgotten as an important player in American business history? Could it be the people relating the story are using the same "one drop" principle that people used to call Warren G. Harding black? Or is the whole thing in error?

39 comments:

  1. His aunt was my great, great, grandmother, Susan Roebuck. Susan's older brother was Samuel, who married Mary Jane Wolff, father of Alvah. I haven't come across any pictures yet. Samuel's parents were George Roebuck and Catherine Ann Stophlet. I know nothing of the Wolff side, as that isn't part of my genealogy. I do not think there are any blacks on the Roebuck side of the family but who knows... But I doubt it.

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    1. Hi cuz'n, I'm part of your family in Arkansas.

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    2. Hi cuz'n, I'm part of your family in Arkansas.

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    3. I am his decendant mom says the family money got spent on booze by his sons son so we don't have our portion of sears

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  2. As a black man I had heard of Mr.Roebuck being black,but only now did I google to find this information,I am pleased at what I have found,We as BLACKS are instrumental in building this great nation called AMERICA.

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    1. Isn't it amazing that our forefathers who did not have the internet or even possibly grandparents that could read or write but knew about the successes of African-Americans but in his case an English black person. My mother who is from North Carolina had told me that he was a black man. Not until I Googled that I confirm that it was true. I was pretty surprised too. It's true.

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  3. My family is named SEARS, however, we are mixed 'black'. Doing a genealogical search and found that the Roebucks, specifically Earnest Roebuck looks JUST like my grandfather, Earnest Sears. There must have been a child between these families. My family is of mixed heritage and my grandfather was called a "black man walking in a white man's body". We have European features and my grandfather was very very fair skinned. He was more educated and eloquent than most, which said a lot for that day. Also, he had a certain way of carrying himself that garnered a lot of attention. He may be an illegitimate child of the Roebuck/Sears family.. maybe even their slaves, as I see they were passed down in the Roebuck family...but his features tell us that he was most certainly (likely) a product of Sears-Roebuck breeding. We are searching for clues, please contact me if you have any information. :)

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  4. In school, we were taught that Alvah was most certainly black, which was why he signed his name off of the company, because of the persecution against blacks back then, but that Mr. Sears still 'took care' of Alvah and his family. My teacher said that is why they dropped the Roebuck name. Sad if true.

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  5. The answer lies most likely with Rosenwald! I've done a considerable amount of research on Sears and the South and I believe the reason this myth exists is because Julius Rosenwald was very conscious of the "Mr. Sears" persona and wanted to protect it, so he intentionally kept his position as president of the company out of the limelight (remember this was before the internet/social media age!). Rosenwald was not only an early supporter of the NAACP, but he was also quite close to Booker T. Washington and served as a board member at Tuskegee. Through this relationship Rosenwald helped open over 5,000 schools for African-American children in the South, known still as "Rosenwald Schools." Through his philanthropy for black education and vague association with Sears, I believe many whites in the region somehow tried to make the connection of "Roebuck/Rosenwald" and assumed that this big executive from Sears is building all of the schools for black children, he must also be black? Again, this is just a theory, but as is seen by this post, the myth is still alive and well!

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    1. It could be that Rosenwald's respect for Roebuck's vital role that he played in starting & growing the business, along with Sears; made him want to invest more in black people's education. If such a great man as Roebuck came from such a despised race, how many more Roebucks are out there with the next multimillion dollar concepts and ideas!?

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    2. This is very interesting. I would always hear that one of the founders of Sears & Robuck were Black, but considered it nothing more than a myth. However, for a white man to sell off his shares to a successful company and continue as an employee in highly unlikely and unusual. So, this leads me to believe the heritage of Robuck must jave been a black man. Instances like that was commonplace back then.

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  6. The answer lies most likely with Rosenwald! I've done a considerable amount of research on Sears and the South and I believe the reason this myth exists is because Julius Rosenwald was very conscious of the "Mr. Sears" persona and wanted to protect it, so he intentionally kept his position as president of the company out of the limelight (remember this was before the internet/social media age!). Rosenwald was not only an early supporter of the NAACP, but he was also quite close to Booker T. Washington and served as a board member at Tuskegee. Through this relationship Rosenwald helped open over 5,000 schools for African-American children in the South, known still as "Rosenwald Schools." Through his philanthropy for black education and vague association with Sears, I believe many whites in the region somehow tried to make the connection of "Roebuck/Rosenwald" and assumed that this big executive from Sears is building all of the schools for black children, he must also be black? Again, this is just a theory, but as is seen by this post, the myth is still alive and well!

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  7. My father's last name is Roebuck and he grew up on a farm also. In Virginia, 1907-76. I've always been asked if there was a connection to Sears Roebuck, that's why doing this research about AC Roebuck. My father was mixed also, like this man. He was Native american, black and English.

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  8. Was Reba & Alfred Roebuck of Hollywood part of the family? If so I got an old polorid photo of them. He was suppost to be related to the family, I don't really know.

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  9. I worked for Sears and Roebuck in the 60's, while in college, and he was a Black Man Clearly. We punched in at the time clock, right underneath his portrait! He was dark skinned with wooly hair, and until today I don't know why they lied.

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  10. A. ROEBUCK is in my family tree. There is a lot of talk about the company and what he did for the company that need not be spoken about. But know that money still comes in from Sears. I find it good that more in formation has come out about our cousin. If only the time was different you would know about him and his work.

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  11. I have a distant ancestor on my paternal grandfather's side, his father's second cousin was Thomas Alva Edison. All the men in our family have been toolmakers, locksmiths, or in science/healthcare, and we all have that Edison temper! My great grandfather was named Alva Curtis, and I couldn't help but notice the name Alvah Curtis Roebuck. Maybe Alva Was just a popular name back then, but my ancestor (gr.grandfather) was named after his 2nd cousin Edison( before he was famous). I don't remember seeing any Roebuck in the family tree, but I know the Curtis's were English, and came to the U.S.A. On the pilgrim ship Elizabeth & Ann to Mass. Bay, arriving 14 May, 1635. I do not believe that 27 year old Henry was black.

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  12. Rich History. Thank God for the black men who paved the way to success.

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  13. My mom have always said that Roebuck was a black man. She is now 83yrs old & she still says he is black & it was obvious that he was black. She said that they use to have his picture in their catalogue. She does not recognize this picture on this website @ all.

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  14. My last name is ROEBUCK and idk I'm just learning about all of this can u guys help me?

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  15. Truth always find it way to the surface

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  16. So what your really saying is I am decended from black yet I am white. Hmm guess that explains everything I have done ha can't breed nothing out

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  17. People are always given different names when they moved to America it's never the original family name so if your name is Roebuck it's by coincidence it's not by breeding

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  18. Just because my name is Burton doesn't mean Tim Burton is related to me and I should have some famous film or be a producer

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  19. He does not look black to me. I do not claim him, whatsoever. I do not claim Warren G. Harding, either. Some people, seem to think it is some kind of honor, to claim whites, as one of their own. I am not persuaded to that position. I am quite comfortable,in my own skin.

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  20. somebody please do a DNA test and stop the speculation.

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  21. To all of you who wants to know what A.C. Roebuck really looks like. Go to Getty images and see his picture. You will find him and Sears side by side in the early age, then you tell me what you think?

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  22. The man pictured is not of Black African descent,are you all nuts!

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  24. Certainly with your thoughts here and that i love your blog! I’ve bookmarked it making sure that I can come back & read more in the foreseeable future. Grandparents Day Quotes and Saying 2018

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  25. Around 2005, while shopping at Sears I passed by a wall that displayed an outline of Sears & Roebuck history. The story went as such: both Sears and Roebuck together founded Sears and Roebuck. Then when i came to the section of how it became just Sears it read: Roebuck a black man was forced out of the company and upon his death his wife and child never received compensation or any of Roebuck’s shares they were entitled to. There were pictures of the first S&R building in Chicago and stores to follow in the later years. However, there were no pictures of either man.

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  26. “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Dr King. It’s a shame in 2018, that white folks (especially the ones on the blog) have not learned anything about race in America nor have they tried to learn. Since the slave master fornicated, rapped, or slept with his slave women mixed race children have been born ranging in darker skin complexion to extremely white looking. The term “passing for white” was used to describe black people who looked white in color and in features. I direct you to read, study, and become educated before you speak on something you know absolutely nothing about.

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  27. Growing up in the late '60s I had heard Mr. Roebuck was Black. But his obit of 1948 states he had blue eyes. It could be that he was a double Mulatto, as Sally Hemmings was. Or it could be a deliberate red herring written by the author of the obituary. Someone earlier mentioned the "the one drop" rule … who knows. I vote for a DNA test.

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  28. Wasn’t there an illegitimate son who had been related to a relative of the Roebuck’s, through one of the maids, and then put into an orphanage?

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  29. If somebody could find his name, if that’s a thing (above), I’d greatly appreciate it

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