The "Other" Charles Biele

During the late 1800's and early 1900's two prominent businessmen named Charles Biele lived and worked near each other in New York City.  One was my ancestor Charles F. Biele who ran Charles F. Biele and Sons and the "other" was Charles Biele, the coffee merchant who ran Cafe Savoy Coffee.

Charles Biele was born in February 1866 in New York City to Frederick W. Biele and Elizabeth Zink.  Both parents were originally from Germany and immigrated to New York in the mid 1800's.  (There is no know link between this Biele family and mine)

Charles was the youngest of seven children and the only one known to have married and had children.  His first marriage was to Della Ward in 1894 and there are no record of children.  The second marriage was five years later to Margaret Thomson.  They has one daughter, Elizabeth, one year later.

Charles Biele was a prominent coffee merchant and items from the business are for sale on various web sites:

Charles Biele Cafe Savoy Coffee Tim (front)

Charles Biele Cafe Savoy Coffee Tin (side)

 During the 1909 New York Electrical Exhibition , Charles Biele displayed items that were mentioned in the Edison Monthly magazine that highlighted new electrical devices and in Electrical World

Highlight of Charles Biele of Cafe Savoy Coffee in the Edison Monthly in 1909

Highlight of Charles Biele of Cafe Savoy Coffee in Electrical World in 1909

This ad from 1917 is from Charles Biele but does not use the Cafe Savoy Coffee brand name.

1917 Coffee Ad from Charles Biele 

Charles Biele died in 1918 and his death was recorded in the New York Times.

Charles had a brother, Edward, who died one week earlier.  They were the last two known male Bieles from the Frederick Biele family.  Charles's daughter, Elizabeth, married and took the last name Favarger.  She died in 1993.