Charles James Kershaw
Charles James Kershaw was a businessman born in Burnley, Lancashire, England, in 1832. He came to America in 1841, and received his education at the Derby Line Academy, in Derby Line, Orleans County, Vermont. He came West in 1853, and engaged in a general trade in provisions, grain and flour, both in Milwaukee and Chicago, and made Milwaukee his permanent home in 1861.
He continued the produce and commission business alone till 1867 during which years he formed a copartnership with Greenleaf D. Norris, which occurred in 1870, at that time Mr. Joseph P. Hill becoming associated with him under the firm name of C.J. Kershaw & Co.
This business conducted grain brokerage on the Chicago Board of Trade. Due to the defalcation of a major client who was attempting a speculative corner, Kershaw & Co. was forced into bankruptcy in 1887. Issues in the case were considered sufficiently important as to make it to the United States Supreme Court as Armstrong vs American Exchange National Bank. The business was reorganized with an injection of new capital from the Kershaw family.
Charles Kershaw's daughter Alice was married to Howard Cranston Potter whose grandfather was James Brown among the founders of Brown Bros. & Co. and whose father Howard Potter was the senior partner in Brown, Shipley & Co.. Rather than join the family business Howard C. Potter invested in and joined Kershaw & Co. and operated a branch from Tacoma, Washington.
In addition to the commission business carried on by the above-named firm, Mr. Kershaw, commenced 1875 another copartnership which carried on an extensive trade in lumber and salt. C.J. Kershaw & Sons were dealers in lumber, salt stucco, lime, etc. The lumber yards were located on the north side of Burnham's Slip, near the foot of Sixth avenue. This area of Milwaukee is currently as of 2009 Clock Tower Acres. The business was established by proprietors in 1875. A directory published in 1881 describes the business. From fifty to seventy-five men were employed about the extensive yards. The sales aggregate was nearly 12,000,000 board feet (30,000 m3) of lumber per year. This branch of the business was under the management of R. Stockwell, Jr., who had been superintendent of the yards since 1877. The house, with office at No. 68 West Water street, under a separate management, nearly controlled the salt trade of the city, and had a large shipping trade with the interior. This department conducting salt trade was under the superintendency of P.H. Kershaw, the junior partner of the house.
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