Biography

Stephen N Winslow Jr. was born on January 2, 1847, in Pennsylvania, to Stephen Noyes
Winslow and Sarah A Winslow. Stephen’s father, Stephen Winslow Sr., was born and raised in
Vermont before he moved to Philadelphia with his immediate family, while his mother, Sarah A.
Winslow, whose maiden name was Breish, grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she
lived for her entire life.1

Winslow Jr. was baptized on January 9th of 1853 in the Bible Christian Church in
Philadelphia, when he was 6 years old, along with his other siblings, Sarah Elvira Martin,
Lucretia Winslow, and Henry C. Winslow (Doc B). It can be inferred that Stephen and his family
were vegetarians as this church was one of the founders of the movement.2 He was described in
his passport application from 1877 as 5 foot 1 ½ inches with brown eyes, light brown hair, a
small mouth, a small chin, and a high forehead. His passport also stated that he was German
(Doc L), although his father was stated to be “of Puritan stock of the bluest blood,” which would
suggest that his father was mainly of English ancestry (Doc A II).

Stephen N Winslow Jr. grew up as a part of the wealthier middle class, taking trips with
his families, enjoying luxuries that would not have been available to other children. On July 4th,
1885, he most likely joined his father in a trip “Up the Hudson” with his immediate family: his
mother, and his 2 sisters who had been born relatively recently to the trip, Sarah and Lucretia.
This trip was to review and write about the PA railroads. This shows the privilege that he
experienced growing up, privileges that were made possible because his father was known in the
journalism industry. It is also surprising to think about the fact that his family, as young as he and
his siblings were, (8 years old, 6 years old, and 3 years old) would go on such a getaway, so they
most likely hired people to help with the children (Doc O). Little else is known about his
childhood, as it is not heavily documented, but he was the firstborn of his siblings, and one can
assume that throughout his childhood he felt pressure, responsibility, and other emotions that
could have contributed to his time at boarding school, although that was pretty normal at the
time.3

Stephen N. Winslow Jr. attended Nazareth Hall Boarding School for Boys till he was 12
years old. Nazareth Hall was a prestigious private all boys boarding school for Moravians. The
school later adopted military drill, during the Civil War, and became known as a “military”
academy.4 At the time of his attendance, it was a Military School and one can infer he attended
because his father was a colonel and fought in the Civil War. After graduating as class of 1859

1
Long, Bruce Robert. “Stephen Noyes Winslow, Jr..” Geni Family Tree, 13 Mar. 2016,
https://www.geni.com/people/Stephen-Winslow-Jr/6000000028581860517.
2
Puskar-Pasewicz, Margaret. “Bible Christians, English.” Cultural Encyclopedia of Vegetarianism, Greenwood,
Santa Barbara, CA, 2010, pp. 55–55,
https://books.google.com/books?id=3-braqoek0AC&pg=PA55#v=onepage&q&f=false. Accessed 2022.
3
Find a Grave, Memorial page for Col Stephen Noyes Winslow (14 Apr 1826–21 Feb 1907), Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62578619/stephen-noyes-winslow.
4
“Background Note.” Nazareth Hall School for Boys account books (Collection 1521), The Historical Society of
Pennsylvania. http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/n/NazarethHall1521.html
(Doc D), it was inferred that Stephen attended Central Highschool, his fathers alma mater (Doc
A II). Although there is no evidence for this, it may have been likely he did as there are no
records of what he was doing between his education at Nazareth Hall and when he joined his
father’s publishing company. Stephen most likely did not attend college, a norm for the time, as
it was mainly more of a need for rich elites who wanted their sons to be ‘gentlemen’.5

It is notable that Stephen Sr. did not attend college, he went straight from Central High
School to working at the Inquirer newspaper, and plunged into his career as a journalist. Since
Stephen Jr.’s father did not attend any university after graduating from Central High School he
might have wanted his son to do the same as he did, become a journalist after graduating. He also
had excellent primary and secondary schooling with his father’s company, it was probably most
accessible that he went into the family business. Again, this shows the privilege he experienced
during his young adult years. Although he worked honorably, his father created the family
business and set a precedent for Winslow men for years to come.

After attending Nazareth Hall Boarding School for Boys, Stephen Winslow Jr., went on
to become a partner of his father’s publishing company, The Commercial List and Philadelphia
Price Current, at just under 21 years old, in 1867 (Doc H). When he started at the company they
moved their company from 222 Gold Street to 241 Dock Street (Doc J). Winslow Jr. also became
its sole owner in 1908 after his father passed away, and continued on as editor for 5 more years
before he passed away in 1913. One can assume he worked there till he passed, which means he
worked at the Commercial List for around 46 years. At the time of Winslow Jr.’s death, he was
living across the street from a cemetery as seen on a map from 1858. It is interesting to wonder
why he was not buried there, as it most likely would have been easier and cheaper to be buried
there (Doc C). Winslow Jr. died in his home, however at the time across the street

Stephen married his wife, Emily Winslow, in 1868 (Doc I), and they went on to have 7
children, whose names were William Warnock Winslow, Stephen Piere Winslow, Frank Norris
Winslow, Clarence Henry Winslow, Emilie Blanch Winslow, Howard Neal Winslow, and Walter
C. Winslow.6 He had a long and fruitful life and was celebrated in death by his existing family
members: siblings, children and grandchildren.

Although Stephen N. Winslow Jr. was not as successful as his father, he was still notable
throughout the city and recognized in newspapers at the time of his fathers death. He most likely
had many connections in the journalism industry through his father, whom he may owe some of
his success to. This further exemplifies the privilege that Stephen grew up with, although that is
not to say that his work was not honest, only that he had some help throughout his career (Doc A
II).

5
“History of College Education.” ProCon.org, 14 Jan. 2021,
https://college-education.procon.org/history-of-college-education/.
6
Long, Bruce Robert. “Stephen Noyes Winslow, Jr..” Geni Family Tree, 13 Mar. 2016,
https://www.geni.com/people/Stephen-Winslow-Jr/6000000028581860517.
 In 1877, Stephen N. Winslow Jr. took a trip to Belgium, France, Germany, and England,
as mentioned on his passport application (Doc L). His passport application also says that he was
German, despite his father saying that he was of English ancestry (Doc A II). This trip could
have been him traveling to visit relatives, maybe in England or in Germany. However, the trip
could have also been for either work or pleasure. Whatever the reason, it’s safe to say that these
would likely have cost him a great deal of money. Traveling to so many places at a time would
have been costly, especially since it was not as common or accessible as it is today. If it was for
work, it would have been for the Commercial List’s success, which is good because that might
have meant the Commercial List had an impact abroad. If it was pleasure that’s also good
because it shows he had enough money to travel for fun. As well as having so many children,
affording a life such as his would have been quite costly.

The family business, The Commercial List and Price Current, occasionally called S. N.
Winslow and Son, Commercial List Company, and the Philadelphia Commercial List, was
established in 1827 by a man named Henry Billington. The Commercial List was a report
traditionally published on a weekly basis, although this varied depending on its owner. Stephen
Sr. became a part of the company in 1847, starting out as an errand boy, and in a year, became a
local and commercial reporter. He continued on to do so well that he could afford to buy a “one
fourth interest” in the company, and after the previous owner retired in 1852, he became its sole
owner (Doc H).

Mr. Winslow Sr. worked alone at the Commercial List for ten years, from 1857 to 1867,
which is the reason that he was, “for many years… recognized as one of the best informed men
in the country,” (in the department of commercial reports), and the reason that he could write a
book about fellow businessmen in Philadelphia and their life’s work (Doc A II). Stephen N
Winslow Jr. joined the business as a partner to his father in 1868, and worked in this industry for
the Commercial List for many years of his working life, so he was well informed as well,
although not exactly a pioneer in the industry like his father was (Doc H). After his father died,
in 1907, he took over the company and was elected president the same year (Doc C II).

Stephen N. Winslow Jr. worked closely with his father, Stephen N Winslow, who was
also a notable editor of his time. Winslow Jr. was raised to be an editor, supervised under his
father’s guidance and deep experience of the world of publishing. Stephen N Winslow Jr. can
attribute some of his success to his father, who moved to Philadelphia in 1832 with his family
from Hartland, Vermont, and attended Central High School, where in 1842 he started an
internship at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Stephen Sr. rose from the ranking of reporter at The
Philadelphia Inquirer to co-owner of The Commercial List, and soon became its owner. It was
located at 222 Gold Street (Doc F).

Wherever Colonel Winslow went, he was always a leader and known as the ‘youngest
chap’ in the crowd. He also suffered from Locomotor Ataxia and traveled in a carriage. He was
also put in an article in 1905 titled “The Hall of Fame.” in a newspaper located in Oregon. The
article mentions that he has been connected to The Philadelphia Inquirer for 63 years which is an
incredibly long time (Doc Y). This shows how he even had influence across the country. Colonel
Winslow also made his family proud through his service in the civil war, along with his many
achievements in life, as listed above (Doc A II).

One of Stephen N. Winslow’s most notable accomplishments was the publication of his
famous book, “Biographies of Successful Philadelphia Merchants,” in which he detailed his
colleagues’ work throughout the years, as well as talked about the culture of business in
Philadelphia. Although the book is mainly about other businessmen in Philadelphia, the reader
gains insights about what kind of person Stephen Winslow Sr. was. He argues against the culture
in Philadelphia of businessmen retiring and leaving nothing for the many people who were
working for them, and compares this practice to the merchant culture of New York where
merchants leave a portion of their ¨capital” to those who have worked for them. Mr. Winslow
was quite a philanthropist in theory; his belief shows his insistence in giving back to
communities and citizens of Philadelphia. He even says, “every man can help his brother, if he
will only set about it in the right spirit, and with a generous determination to act as fairly by
others as we would wish to be dealt with himself,” showing the importance of community in his
life (Doc G).

Mr Winslow Sr. was an honorable man, shown through his beliefs about how business
should be done, as written in his book. One can imagine that he raised his son, Stephen N
Winslow Jr., with these ideals in mind, and most likely other ideals that will never be known,
only exemplified through these men’s success. His political affiliation was republican and was
known as “the most influential Republican editor in Philadelphia” (Doc N).

Winslow Sr. taught his son that if one cannot leave towering monuments behind like
Stephen Girard, such as Girard College, “men must use their actions to leave a positive mark in
the world. He also thought that greed could be a cause for failure in the world of business, and
wrote, “Man’s destiny has a higher and nobler aim and end than seeking wealth at the sacrifice of
health and success.” Thus, the legacy that he left for his son was honorable as well as highly
notable throughout the city of Philadelphia. After his death, an article in the New York Times
wrote about his works and says how he was known as the “Oldest reporter” and how he also
contributed to the first paper of The Evening Bulletin which is published in New York City (Doc
B II).

Stephen N Winslow Jr. was the firstborn of his parents but had 5 other siblings. He and
his brother Henry were the only two boys as they had four sisters, Agnes Anna Riley, Clara
Elizabeth Long, Sarah Elvira Martin, and Lucretia Carrick. It is inferred that his sisters were
more notable in society than him, as they are all well documented. There are pictures of all of
them but none of him. All five of his siblings were married and had children, in total Stephen N
Winslow Jr had 17 nieces and nephews.

Growing up Stephen lived mainly in the North area of Philadelphia. There were many
locations that he lived in and assumptions had to be made to figure out where he must have lived,
when. The first 3 addresses that were found were from the U.S. censuses of 1850, 1860, and
1870. For his first 3 years he lived in the 6th ward with his siblings and parents and two servants
named Mary Myres from Germany and Catharine Proctor from Pennsylvania (Doc A). In 1860
he moved to Ward 17 with his family, this time with a servant named Margaret Miguire from
Ireland (Doc E).

In the middle part of his life he lived at several more addresses. The 1870 census showed
that he moved to Ward 20, District 66 and it was inferred that he most likely lived there till 1879.
It also lists he had two domestic servants from New Jersey named Eliza Sears and Emma Stewart
(Doc K). From most likely 1880 to 1886 he was found to be living at 1510 North 8th street. He
also had a servant from Denmark, named Caroline Christiansen, when he lived at that address
(Doc M). From 1887-1891, his address was found in a directory that he was living at 1315
Jefferson (Doc P), which would match up with information found about him living in Ward 20
on ancestry (Doc R).

When he was 45, from 1892-1899, he lived at 1512 N 19th Street. He also had a servant,
Kate Caroline, at this address, and she was from Ireland (Doc S). Then, in a Philadelphia city
directory from 1900 it was found that he moved to 2119 N 19th Street (Doc U). His last known
address was 1810 North Broad Street and this is where he died (Doc H II). He lived in a lot of
different places and it was assumed that he was renting as maybe it was too costly to buy an
actual house.

Stephen N. Winslow Jr died in his house on March 13, 1913 of Chronic Myocarditis,
contributing factor was a Pulmonary Edema. His death certificate says his location of death was
1810 N Broad Street(Doc H II). However, a newspaper article about his death says that his home
address where he died was 1809 N Broad Street (Doc G II). Being that the addresses of death are
very similar, this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it’s interesting to know. One assumed that the
newspaper article must have gotten it wrong.

It was inferred that Heart Disease runs in the family. Sadly, both Stephen N. Winslow Jr.
and his wife Emily Winslow died of Chronic Myocarditis. Clarence H. Winslow died of Valvular
Heart Disease when he was 42 (Doc I II). Winslow Jr.’s sister, Lucretia Winslow Carrick died of
Carcinoma of Esophagus, however, a contributing factor was Chronic Myocarditis (Doc K II).

Stepehen N Winslow Jr had a sister, Agnes Anna Riley, who married Charles
Edward Riley. Charles was English and often spent time in Australia, whether it be for
business trips or leisure activities.7 In 1937, Charles was on a trip to Australia for business,
and was murdered by Ernest Long, a 37 year old labourer. It is unknown if this man, had
any motive for killing Charles Edward Riley, who was Stephen Winslow Jr.’s
brother-in-law, so the reason of murder remains unknown.

Stephen N. Winlsow Jr. was baptized into a church that had a relatively short, but
very interesting history, the Philadelphia Bible Christian Church (Doc B). The Winslow’s
were said to be very proud of their English ancestry which is something that might have

7
Long, Bruce Robert “Charles Edward Riley.” geni_family_tree, 30 Aug. 2018,
https://www.geni.com/people/Charles-Riley/6000000078105118821?through=6000000028559390936#/tab/media.
attracted them to this church. The church has strong roots in England and its first pastor,
Reverend William Metcalfe, was a part of the same church’s community in Manchester,
England, where this denomination was founded in 1809.8

The Winslow family may have been converted from a different denomination to the
Bible Christian Church. The church made special efforts to attract new members after a
period of difficulty and negative press coverage in Philadelphia. A lot of the criticism of
the church came from its radical beliefs which caused people to look at the church and its
message negatively.9 Some of its special efforts to attract new members included hosting
teas and vegetarian meals after religious services and educational programs.10 It can be
inferred that Stephen Jr. attended one of these teas and social gatherings with his parents
while they were choosing to convert to this church.

In 1853, when Stephen N. Jr and his sister were baptized, the church was located at
Third and Girard Avenue. 11 The family at this time was living in Kensington but many of
its members were from other places, including Germantown, Frankford, the City of
Philadelphia and also as far away as Delaware County and the State of Maryland (Doc B).

Though there isn’t specific information about Stephen Jr.’s own personal beliefs,
the religious community that he and his family belonged to had unusual rules and practices
for the time. The church believed in the strict interpretation of the Bible and the idea that
its members could move from a material existence to a spiritual existence through
following practical steps on earth. Steps like being peaceful, avoiding consuming animals
as food, and practicing acts of charity. They church and its memebers were also active in
the movement to abolish slavery, dress reform for men and women, and heath reform. It
can be inferred that the Church’s beliefs and tenets played a role in Stephen N. Winslow Jr.
's upbringing and childhood. It was in this religious and spiritual community that Stephen
Jr. and his siblings spent their most formative childhood years.

Stephen was involved in a trolley accident in 1895. Philadelphia Trolleys had just
started working 3 years prior, and still had malfunctions here and there. Although not much
is stated in the News article, it is very clear that Stepehen was pretty hurt. Not only is he
referred to as a ¨victim¨ but it is also said that his arm was put in a sling as his entire arm
was almost pulled out of its socket (Doc T).

On Stephen's passport it says he is roughly 5´1 ½ (Doc L). At the time the average
height for men was about 5 foot 7, so Winslow Jr. was considerably short.12 Despite this,
Winslow had no trouble settling down and marrying Emily Winslow at 21 years old (Doc
I), and earning the respect of his father’s colleagues. Stephen even got to a point where he
8
Puskar-Pasewicz,“Bible Christians, English.” pp. 55–55.
9
Puskar-Pasewicz,“Bible Christians, English.” pp. 55–55.
10
Puskar-Pasewicz,“Bible Christians, English.” pp. 55–55.
11
Puskar-Pasewicz,“Bible Christians, English.” pp. 55–55.
12
Melissa. “Why Are People So Much Taller Today than Historically?” Today I Found Out, 14 May 2016,
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/05/people-much-taller-today-historically/.
was a major part of the publishing company, and his father named the company, “S.N.
Winslow and Son” in 1867 when Winslow Jr. joined the family company. This could show
that he and his father worked well together without any tension about the management of
the business, yet possibly only for a period of time, because the name of the publishing
company was changed back to “S. N. Winslow” in 1879, after 12 years of working
together.13

On September 11, 1869, Stephen and Emily had their firstborn son. They named him
William Warnock Winslow, nicknamed “Willie.” (Doc K). As the firstborn son, he most likely
experienced many of the same pressures that his father faced growing up. Pressure to join the
family business, and continue the legacy of Winslow men in the world of journalism was most
likely prevalent, but not forced upon him. William lived with his parents until he was 21, when
he enlisted in the Navy in November of 1889 where he was deployed to Mare Island (Doc Q).
After his enlistment he continued to live with his parents and worked as a stock clerk (Doc W).
On December 28 1905, at the age of 36, he married a woman named Minnie Palmer who died
two years after their marriage (Doc Z). William never married again and they had no children
together. William would die of an aneurysm at the young age of 38 on January 22, 1908 (Doc E
II).
Stephen and Emily Winslow’s second child was a son named Stephen Perie Winslow,
possibly named after his father or grandfather. He was born on March 24, 1874 in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania (Doc M). He worked as a railroad office clerk when he was 29 years old, at this
time he was still living with his family (Doc W). By this time, their first 2 sons were still living
in their house, which must have been hard, especially with so many other children to handle, as
well as the family business. Still, Emily and Stephen continued to parent and accept their
children, as well as their partners, jobs, and lifestyles. Sadly, on August 9, 1930 Stephen Perie
Winslow died of mesenteric thrombosis. (Doc L II)

Frank Norris Winslow was their third son out of four. He was born on January 3, 1873 in
Philadelphia (Doc M). In 1905, on April 24, he married Martha Ellen Gibson of Vermont (Doc
X) and they had a daughter named Ruth Dorothy Winslow, who was born on April 13, 1907
(Doc D II). Though Frank made a living for himself as a traveling cigar salesman, the year
before he died he was unemployed. The only person making a living in the house was Ruth who
was a school teacher in the public school system (Doc M II). Ruth sadly died on January 28,
1931, at the age of 23, of Pneumonia (Doc N II). Frank followed soon after, dying on September
5, 1932, of cerebral thrombosis, at the age of 59 (Doc O II).

The couple’s fourth and final son was named Clarence Henry Winslow who was born on
March 24, 1874. At the age of 26 he lived with his family. Clarence died on November 29, 1916
of valvular heart disease at 42 years old (Doc I II).

Emily Blanche Winlsow was the youngest of the Winslow family and the only daughter
of Stephen and Emily Winlsow. She was born on December 25, 1879 in Philadelphia (Doc M).

13
Pennsylvania Historical Commission. “A Checklist of Pennsylvania Newspapers”, Harrisburg, (1944), 57.
https://archive.org/details/checklistofpenns00penn/page/n3/mode/2up?q=commercial
Emily would go on to use her middle name, Blanche, when getting married to her first husband
John H. Mooney on July 17, 1900, in Manhattan (Doc V). On December 23, 1904 her son,
Walter John Mooney was born (Doc F II). John H. Mooney died on December 18, 1939, though
it can be inferred that they possibly divorced (Doc P II). This can be speculated because in 1917
she married Harry Erwin Magaragal (Doc J II). On December 18, 1954 Emily died due to acute
coronary syndrome (Doc Q II).

Emily and Stephen were good parents, shown by the fact that 3 out of 4 of their sons
lived with them past the age of 25. These 3 sons were William, Stephen P., and Clarence, who
were all steadily employed at the time they were living with their parents. It is possible that this
was just out of convenience, but with the small quarters of city housing, that is hard to imagine.
In all, Stephen led a long and successful life. His relatives could have celebrated his dedication to
being an editor and his commitment to his career, as well as the family that he and his wife
raised.