Johannes Eckart (Da VII 10)

Johannes Theodor Georg Eckart, (*January 23, 1840, in Emskirchen, Germany, †November 26, 1899, in Munich, Germany), estate owner, canning factory owner; married Susanne Elisabeth Henriette Zick on May 2, 1868, in Emskirchen, Germany.

The young Johannes Eckart, around 1859.

Childhood in Emskirchen

Johannes was born on January 23, 1840, in Emskirchen. He attended elementary school. He had to learn to stand on his own feet from an early age, as the family continually experienced financial difficulties. When he was 13 years old, his father David Eckart died; and three years later his mother had to sell the family’s home. After elementary school, Johannes Eckart attended trade school in Nuremberg. His sister Christina looked back on that time: "Johannes was a family man and very attached to his hometown. Thus, whenever there was no Sunday school, he embarked upon the seven-hour walk from Nuremberg to Emskirchen at the beginning of the weekend to spend the Sunday with his family. He spent the holidays catching fish and crayfish, gathering charcoal, berries and mushrooms. He sold what he caught and gathered. He was often involved in pranks. And when he came home with torn and wet clothing, mother, who is said to have had a ›loose hand‹, slapped his face." For generations the family have recounted how Johannes once came home in the middle of the week, as he was suffering from scarlet fever – as usual, he walked, and in a heavy thunderstorm at that. He then infected his sister Christine and his brother Max with scarlet fever.

Engagement picture of Susanne Zick and Johannes Eckart. They married in 1868 and moved into an apartment at the address Salvatorplatz 2 on the same day.

Apprenticeship and Army Service in Nuremberg and Munich

After successfully completing trade school, Johannes undertook a commercial apprenticeship in Greiz, Thuringia, in 1857/58. He subsequently returned home and served in the Bavarian army between 1859 and 1865. However, the armed forces did not impose strict rules in times of peace, so Johannes was on leave for a total of 762 days during these years. This adds up to more than two years. At first, he was stationed in Nuremberg, then in Munich from 1863. Johannes had relatives in Munich; his uncle Philipp Wich ran a draper’s store at the address Residenzstrasse 5. Besides serving in the army, Johannes held a position as bookkeeper in Josef Beck’s factory that produced tar paper in Sendling, then a village near Munich (today a municipal district). Even after his army service, Johannes stayed in Munich and started to set up his own business as a sales agent. At first, he worked on the disinfection of privy pits, i.e., toilet pits, with his brother Friedrich. No one less than Professor Max von Pettenkofer, the famous promoter of hygiene measures, wrote a report about the activities of the Eckart brothers on September 15, 1867. This report states among other things: "The principle of their disinfection procedure is to acidify the contents of the toilet pits and to keep them acidic. This is mainly achieved by using solutions of iron and manganese metallic salts with an acidic reaction in combination with a bit of carbolic acid. … I have seen for myself in several houses that the aforementioned gentlemen carried out the procedure in a correct and thorough way and am thus able to highly recommend their disinfection company to everybody." It was also during that time that Johannes conceived a procedure for protecting metals against rust and another for protecting walls against humidity and efflorescence. He also occupied himself with the usability of carbon black.

Oil painting of Johannes Eckart, fruit juice and canning factory owner, around 1870.

Marriage and Founding a Company

In 1864, Johannes, 24 years old at the time, became acquainted with Susanne Zick (1844 to 1909), four years his junior, in the house of his uncle Philipp Wich. It was not long before they got engaged. However, marriage was only possible if Johannes was able to establish proof of an income or property. For this reason, he purchased land at the address Birkenau 24 1/3, where his brother lived at the time, in 1867. Johannes Eckart thus obtained citizenship in Munich and permission to marry. At the same time, he prepared to establish a business. When freedom of trade was introduced in Bavaria on January 30, 1868, this opened the way for the ambitious young man. On May 2, 1868, a Saturday, he founded the "Johannes Eckart Fruchtsaftfabrik" (Johannes Eckart Fruit Juice Factory). May 2, 1868, was one of the most important days of his life, also for another reason: He married Susanne Zick in the Protestant church in the street Sonnenstrasse. On the day of their marriage, the young couple moved into an apartment of the house at the address Salvatorplatz 2 in central Munich. The fruit juice production, which was still small, was set up in the apartment. At first, it only took up a single room. At that time, it was common practice to establish small production facilities in an abode.

Beer stein with the engraving "Conservenfabrik Johs Eckart München" (Canning Factory Johannes Eckart Munich), undated.

Johs Eckart Fruchtsaftfabrik (Johannes Eckart Fruit Juice Factory)

The business started with the production of fruit juices, mainly from raspberries and blueberries. Johannes delivered the juices to the numerous refreshment stands at the busiest squares in Munich, among others. These stands served "soda water with and without juice". Many of these refreshment stands were owned by Friedrich Seyboth, a longtime friend of Johannes’ brother Friedrich Eckart. In 1869, the Eckart couple had their first son, who died that same year. Johannes and Susanne Eckart had twelve more children, only seven of whom survived early childhood: Fritz, Tilly, Käthe, Otto, Hedwig, Elsa and Johanna. This line of the family branch, that continued their successful activity in the food business, was later perpetuated by Fritz, born in 1870, and Otto, born in 1877. Johannes Eckart and his wife Susanne had just furnished the apartment at the square Salvatorplatz und established the fruit juice production when they already had to move out again. In 1869, the Eckart family rented a house at the square Gärtnerplatz 2; the factory was set up in the rear part of the house. That same year, Johannes Eckart officially registered his trade of producing fruit juices. He bought the raw ingredients for his juices – wild raspberries and blueberries – in the regions south of Munich, as far as the town of Holzkirchen, and later in the Bavarian Forest. As it was not possible to process all the berries, he also resold fresh berries. Johannes’ sisters Henriette and Jakobine supported him with his businesses. Soon, he was also engaged in methods for preserving fruit and vegetables.

Eckart family, around 1885. The children, from left to right: Hedwig (*1878), Tilly (*1871), Käthe (*1873), Johanna (*1881), Fritz (*1870), Otto (*1877), Elsa (*1879).

Development of the Canning Factory

In the Franco-German War 1870/71, Johannes volunteered for military service and became orderly. The war was followed by the foundation of the German Empire on January 18, 1871. According to the memories of the family, Johannes proudly carried his nearly one-year old second son Fritz, born on February 22, 1870, around the square Gärtnerplatz; the child wore a black-white-red jacket. In the aftermath of the war, Johannes Eckart again turned his attention to the topic of preservation. One problem of that time were the limited possibilities for cooling food. Even though there were underground ice houses, filled with big blocks of ice in the winter, the storage of food in these houses was cumbersome and very limited. This situation only changed when Carl von Linde invented the ice and cooling machine in Munich. The brewery Spaten established the first trial machine in 1871. This was a spectacular success. Refrigeration methods were also interesting for Johannes Eckart, but he thought that cans would be a more suitable way of preserving larger quantities of vegetables in particular. The production of cans had started in 1804, when the Frenchman François Nicolas Appert made his process of long-term preservation of food in airtight containers available to the public. In Germany, the first canning factories were founded from 1840. In North Germany, centers of canned food production had developed in Lübeck and Braunschweig. In South Germany, Johannes Eckart was one of the first to succeed with his experiments, learned to master the technique and added a department for canning vegetables to his fruit juice factory. In 1872, Johannes Eckart bought the neighboring house at Gärtnerplatz 1. This is where he lived with his family on the second floor, while the factory was in the rear building.

At first, he bought the vegetables for the canning department from market gardens in Munich. Then, however, he went onto purchase plots of land in the vicinity in order to grow vegetables himself and be independent of potential market fluctuations. After Johannes Eckart had gained experience with the canning of vegetables, he focused on the preservation of meat. He established a poultry farm and was even awarded two honorary diplomas by the "Landwirtschaftlicher Verein" (agricultural association) for his merits in this field, which was new to him. On December 12, 1875, Johannes Eckart submitted his patent application regarding a process for "pickling meat under pressure" to the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior. The method proved technically and scientifically correct, but was uneconomical. Therefore, Johannes Eckart experimented with other ideas for preserving meat. For example, he built machines for pressing raw meat. Another variant was chemical preservation by means of a special preserving salt. He used this salt, produced on the basis of antiseptic boric acid, in his own company, but also sold it in ten-pound bags.

In the meantime, the Eckarts and their company had moved from Gärtnerplatz to nearby Klenzestrasse 27. The reason for the move is no longer known; it may be that the premises at Gärtnerplatz 1 had become too small. Business was booming at that time. Due to the company’s upswing, Johannes Eckart increasingly traveled on business. He became familiar with all of Europe. His passports show trips to Great Britain and Russia. Johannes Eckart spoke English, French, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and some Russian. On a journey to Norway, he was confronted with the problem of preserving fish. Even though fish was already transported in refrigerated boxcars with blocks of ice at that time, this could only be done for short distances. Using his preserving salt, he managed to achieve optimal storage life for lobsters and fish. For the first time, it was now possible to transport fresh saltwater fish from the north to Munich. Whenever Johannes was traveling professionally, his wife Susanne took control of the business.

New Beginning After the Crisis

The company experienced financial difficulty in the beginning of the 1880s. Business partners had become insolvent which led to liquidity problems for Johannes Eckart. At first, he sold his property in Klenzestrasse 27 and moved the apartment and business to Rumfordstrasse 27, later to no. 13 of the same street. Sales of the preserving salt and intensification of the canned food production played an important role in the successful economic recovery. Johannes Eckart also started to produce jam and seasoning herbs. Once business improved again, bigger premises were needed for the production. This is why Johannes Eckart bought the so-called "Daxenberger" houses, located between Dultstrasse 5 and Sendlinger Strasse 7 and 8, for the price of 292,000 Mark. The family used the building at the address Dultstrasse 5 as a dwelling. The store and warehouse were located on Sendlinger Strasse 7 and 8. The manufacturing plants extended between the store and the residential house. At that time, the product range included fruit juices, canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned meat and preserving salt. The customers included the military, which used the products as provisions, and travelers who took canned food on cruises, for example.

The Estate Grub

On January 29, 1894, Johannes Eckart bought another plot of land: the country estate Grub, near Poing in the vicinity of Munich. It encompassed 250 Tagwerk of land, which corresponds to approx. 85 hectares, and cost 86,000 Mark. The estate included livestock breeding, market gardening and hunting grounds. The main crops were peas, while Johannes Eckart also grew raspberries in Grub. He also had fruit-bearing trees but achieved less success with them. Johannes Eckart also established a poultry farm, which was even equipped with a steam hatchery. Johannes Eckart’s eldest daughter Mathilde, called Tilly, had learned the basics of poultry farming on a poultry farm near Magdeburg. This is also where the hatcheries for Grub were bought. Following her training, Tilly managed the poultry farm in Grub. Catastrophe struck on the estate in April 1896: A large part of the estate burned down. Johannes Eckart believed it to be arson. Even though the estate was quickly rebuilt, and a railway station was opened in Grub, it did not make Johannes Eckart happy, so he sold the unprofitable estate once again in 1899. The neighbor Georg Kessler, one of the biggest estate owners in Bavaria, bought it. However, the crop areas were still leased and used by Johannes Eckart.

The Last Year

The factory building between Dultstrasse and Sendlinger Strasse had quite a spacious design, but the production facilities had to be expanded again due to an increase in orders and high sales. When the City of Munich wanted to demolish the property on Dultstrasse 5 to create a street opening, a quick decision was needed, and Johannes initiated the purchase of a property at Jakobsplatz 3 in 1899. This was a large property with buildings suitable for being turned into a canning and juice factory. Shortly before the purchase, Johannes Eckart fell seriously ill. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer. By the time the purchase was documented, Johannes Eckart was already bedridden. Nevertheless, he pressed ahead with the conversion of the property at Jakobsplatz. Within a very short time, he commissioned the building of a factory, with a comparably narrow front towards Jakobsplatz square and two courtyards that stretched far to the back. Johannes Eckart died on November 26, 1899, at the age of only 59 years, surrounded by his family.

Johannes Eckart in Jagdkleidung um 1895.

The siblings Johannes, Henriette, Jakobine and Friedrich in 1896.

Family

His marriage with Susanne Zick produced 13 children.

• Ernst Eckart (Da VIII 16), (*February 15, 1869, in Munich, Germany, †March 11, 1869, in Munich, Germany).
• Friedrich Eckart (Da VIII 17), (*February 22, 1870, in Munich, Germany, †June 6, 1928, in Munich, Germany), canning factory owner, königlich bayer. Kommerzienrat (an honorary title bestowed by the King of Bavaria upon distinguished businessmen), commercial judge.
• Mathilde (Tilly) Eckart (Da VIII 18), (*January 15, 1871, in Munich, Germany, †October 17, 1939, in Hallthurm, Germany), poultry breeder.
• Babette Eckart (Da VIII 19), (*December 30, 1871, in Munich, Germany, †January 17, 1872, in Munich, Germany).
• Hansl Eckart (Da VIII 20), (*December 28, 1872, in Munich, Germany, †January 18, 1874, in Munich, Germany).
• Anna Katharina (Kaethe) Eckart (Da VIII 21), (*December 31, 1873, in Munich, Germany, †April 1, 1951, in Berchtesgaden, Germany).
• Johanna Eckart (Da VIII 22), (*February 23, 1876, in Munich, Germany, †April 2, 1877, in Munich, Germany).
• Otto Friedrich Richard Eckart (Da VIII 23), (*March 8, 1877, in Munich, Germany, †December 13, 1942, in Munich, Germany), canning factory owner, qualified agronomist, königlich bayer. Kommerzienrat (an honorary title bestowed by the King of Bavaria upon distinguished businessmen), captain, genealogist.
• Johanna Hedwig Eckart (Da VIII 24), (*February 25, 1878, in Munich, Germany, †October 24, 1959, in Munich, Germany), actress, owner of a foreign correspondence office.
• Elsa Babette Eckart (Da VIII 25), (*April 3, 1879, in Munich, Germany, †June 16, 1964, in Munich, Germany).
• Maria Eckart (Da VIII 26), (*March 29, 1880, in Munich, Germany, †September 14, 1880, in Munich, Germany).
• Johanna Eckart (Da VIII 27), (*December 29, 1881, in Munich, Germany, †November 16, 1947, in Duisburg, Germany), nursery teacher, nurse.
• Richard Eckart (Da VIII 28), (*July 19, 1883, in Munich, Germany, †March 9, 1884, in Munich, Germany).