#52Ancestors Week 27 – Family Business
Sometimes the most remarkable family stories hide behind the simplest occupations listed in census records. When I first discovered my paternal 2x great-grandfather Peter Plunkett in the 1860 census, listed as a “junk dealer,” I never imagined the entrepreneurial journey that single entry represented. But Peter’s story isn’t just about what he did for a living—it’s about how an Irish immigrant transformed discarded materials into a family fortune and built a business empire that would sustain multiple generations.
The Arrival
Peter Plunkett arrived in America around 1848, when he was about nineteen years old. The 1900 census suggests this timing, though like so many Irish immigration stories, the details remain frustratingly incomplete. What I do know is that he arrived as part of that great wave of Irish immigrants who would reshape American cities in the mid-19th century.
Presumably born in Ireland in June 1829, Peter would have been old enough to remember the Ireland he left behind—the rolling hills of County Meath, the struggles that were already driving families to seek new opportunities across the Atlantic. By the time he reached Brooklyn, he was ready to work, and work he did.
From Rags to Riches: The Junk Business
By 1860, Peter had established himself as a “junk dealer” in Brooklyn’s Ward 12, but here’s what absolutely floors me: at just 31 years old, this Irish immigrant had accumulated real estate worth $1,500 and personal property valued at $1,200. And by 1870, his real estate value had soared to $8,000! In today’s dollars, we’re talking about roughly $50,000 in real estate and $40,000 in personal assets by 1860, growing to an astounding $192,667 in real estate by 1870—remarkable wealth for any immigrant who’d arrived with nothing just twenty years earlier!
What exactly did a “junk dealer” do in 1860s Brooklyn? Think of Peter as an early recycling entrepreneur. He collected discarded materials—rags, metals, paper waste, rope, anything that could be cleaned up, sorted, and resold. It was hard, unglamorous work, but for someone with Peter’s eye for opportunity, it was also the foundation of a fortune.
The genius of the junk business was that it required more brains than capital. You needed to know what had value, where to find it, how to process it, and who would buy it. Peter clearly excelled at all of these skills, building relationships with suppliers and customers throughout Brooklyn’s growing industrial economy.
The Evolution: From Junk to Paper Stock
Watching Peter’s occupation listings change year by year tells the story of a businessman refining his focus. By 1879, the city directories show him dealing in “ropes.” By 1881, he’d moved into “paper stock.” By 1886, he was calling himself a “paper manufacturer.”
This wasn’t just a change in terminology—it represents a complete business transformation. Peter had discovered that paper waste was one of the most valuable components of the junk trade. Old newspapers, book pages, commercial paper waste—all of this could be collected, sorted, processed, and sold to paper mills for recycling into new products.
The move from general junk dealing to specialized paper stock dealing shows Peter’s business acumen. He identified the most profitable part of his business and doubled down on it. By the 1880s, he wasn’t just collecting paper waste—he was manufacturing new paper products, which meant higher profits and a more stable business model.
Building an Empire on Van Brunt Street
In 1891, Peter made what might have been his smartest business move: he built new facilities at 418 Van Brunt Street in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Eagle reported on these “new buildings,” suggesting this was a significant expansion of his operations. This wasn’t just a home—this was the headquarters of what had become a substantial family business.
Van Brunt Street was perfectly positioned for Peter’s paper business. Located in Brooklyn’s industrial corridor, it provided access to both the waste materials flowing out of the city and the transportation networks that would carry his finished products to customers throughout the region.
By this time, Peter had brought his sons James and Stephen into the business. The 1915 census would later list both of them as “paper makers,” showing how successfully Peter had established a family enterprise that could support multiple generations.
The Colorful Side of Success
Peter’s timeline reveals he wasn’t just a successful businessman—he was clearly a character! There’s a fascinating 1858 incident where his horse ran away with his wagon (apparently creating enough of a scene that the newspaper wrote about both the runaway and the resulting accident!), some mysterious “police matters” in 1863, and my personal favorite: a 1896 newspaper report titled “Piece Of His Nose Bitten Off” (not proven yet—still researching!).
These incidents remind us that success in 19th-century Brooklyn wasn’t always smooth sailing. Peter was operating in a rough-and-tumble business environment where physical confrontations weren’t uncommon, and accidents were part of daily life. The fact that he bounced back from each setback and continued building his business shows remarkable resilience.
A Legacy Built to Last
When Peter died on May 31, 1903, he left behind more than just a successful business—he had created an economic foundation that would support an extended family network for decades. The probate notices that ran for months in Brooklyn newspapers suggest this was a substantial estate requiring careful administration.
Peter had raised eleven children: Bridget, Bernard (who became a priest but died young in 1883), James, John, Peter (also became a priest, dying in 1886), George, Julia, Stephen, Mary (my great-grandmother), Margaret, and Letitia. That’s quite a family to support! His surviving children inherited not just a business, but a complete understanding of how to turn society’s discards into profit. The paper-making enterprise Peter established would eventually enable the kind of extended family household arrangements I’ve written about before—where multiple Plunkett siblings could move in with the Dowling family, pooling resources and supporting each other through economic uncertainties.
From Waste to Wealth: An American Story
Peter Plunkett’s journey from Irish immigrant to Brooklyn paper manufacturer embodies everything we think of when we imagine the American Dream. He arrived with nothing but determination, identified an opportunity in what others considered waste, and built it into a family fortune.
But what I find most remarkable about Peter’s story is how he saw value where others saw refuse. In a throwaway society, he built wealth by finding new uses for old things. In a city full of immigrants competing for opportunities, he created his own opportunity by solving a problem others hadn’t even noticed.
The paper business Peter built lasted well beyond his lifetime, supporting not just his immediate family but the broader network of relatives who would eventually form the complex household arrangements that sustained our family through the early 20th century. When Julia, Bridget, James, and Stephen eventually moved in with the Dowling family, they could afford to do so partly because Peter had built something lasting—a business that provided the economic stability that made such generous family arrangements possible.
Reflections on Entrepreneurial Legacy
Looking at Peter’s timeline today, I’m struck by how his story resonates with modern entrepreneurship. He identified undervalued resources, built efficient systems to process them, continuously refined his business model, and scaled up when he found success. The fact that he transitioned from junk dealer to paper manufacturer shows the kind of strategic thinking that builds lasting enterprises.
Most importantly, Peter understood that true wealth isn’t just about accumulating money—it’s about creating something that can support future generations. The business he built became the economic foundation that enabled multiple family members to thrive, whether they worked directly in the paper trade or used its profits to pursue other opportunities. When Julia, Bridget, James, and Stephen eventually moved in with the Dowling family (through Mary’s marriage to Thomas), they could afford to contribute to that remarkable household partly because Peter had built something lasting.
Peter Plunkett proved that in America, it really was possible to turn trash into treasure—and more importantly, to turn treasure into a legacy that would last for generations.
Have you discovered entrepreneurs in your own family tree who built something from nothing? I’d love to hear about the creative ways your ancestors found success in their new country!
- 1860 U.S. census, Kings County, New York, population schedule, Brooklyn Ward 12, District 1, dwelling 62, family 105, Peter Plunkett household; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Jul 2025), citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 806. ↩︎
- 1870 U.S. census, Kings County, New York, population schedule, Brooklyn Ward 12, dwelling 803, family 803, Peter Plunkett household; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Jul 2025), citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 950. ↩︎
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