Alois Winter

Alois Winter & Family

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--- Alois and Barbara Winter ---

Alois Winter was born 30 December, 1851 in Hohenwart, Bayern, Germany; the middle son of Franz Winter (1816-1874) and Anna Maria Muhlbauer (1814-1899). He arrived in America from Germany by way of steamship in 1873 at the age of 21. He, his parents and brothers, settled in Chicago, Illinois by 1875. While there he met Barbara Will, and became married to her on 25 April 1881 at the St. Anthony's Catholic Church of Chicago. She was the daughter of Johann and Barbara Will, and had immigrated to the United States in 1880. She was born in Walbengrin, Germany on 28 April 1859.

The 7 children of Alois and Barbara Winter:

i. MARY G. WINTER, b. January 1883, Chicago, Illinois; d. 1960; m. LOUIS A. SAHNER; b. about 1883, Pennsylvania. They had one daughter who is now deceased, Rita Barbara Sahner. She did not marry and had no children of her own.

ii. ALOYSIUS WOLFGANG WINTER, b. September 1884, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania d. 22 November 1959, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; m. VICTORIA P. BENZ, b. May 1882 in Pennsylvania; d. 20 June 1960, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They had 2 daughters and a son; Mary (1909-1981), Victoria (1911-1989), and Philip (1913-1975). Mary married, but had no children; Victoria, a successful Pittsburgh Realtor, never married; Philip had 2 sons...Philip Jr. and Mark, each with children.

iii. AUGUSTUS ALOYSIUS WINTER, b. 09 June 1886, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; d. 29 December 1963, Coral Gables, Florida. He married a woman named Margaret O'Neil. They had only been married a short time when she became quite ill and died. He then married Lillian (O'Neil) Henky (1886-1973), who was a widow with 5 children, and was the sister of Margaret O'Neil. "Gus", a WWI veteran, had no children of his own.

iv. WILLIAM JACOB WINTER, b. 07 November 1887, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; d. 07 February 1936, Lyons, New Jersey; m. cousin ELIZABETH CAROLINE WINTER --daughter of Michael & Gertrude Winter; she was b. 12 January 1899, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; d. 30 May 1940, East Orange, New Jersey. William was exposed to mustard Gas during WWI and was somewhat affected by it, in terms of some paralysis. He required the use of a cane after returning from the war. William lived in New Jersey and did not remain in Pittsburgh, as the rest of his siblings and parents did. They had 2 sons and a daughter; William Jr. (1922-?), Thomas Raymond Winter (1924-2010), and Elizabeth Barbara Winter (1926-1975). William Jr. never married; Thomas had 4 daughters; and Elizabeth had 2 sons and 2 daughters.

v. ALBERT P. WINTER, b. 11 November 1893, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; d. 03 March 1983, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania; m. MARGARET SAYLOR; b. 13 October 1893; d. 24 January 1973, Pennsylvania. They had one daughter, Rosemary Gertrude Winter (1919-2001). Also known as "Dolly", her married name was MILLER, and she had 2 daughters, Margaret and Rosemary.

vi. HENRY WINTER, b. February 1895, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; d. about 1903, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

vii. RAYMOND MICHAEL WINTER, b. August 1897, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; d. 06 July 1974 in PA. Raymond Winter was a talented artist who never married; last resided at 3336 Brownsville Road in Brentwood, PA

Alois, along with some other former brewery owners, founded in 1901 a savings bank in Pittsburgh known as The People's Trust Company of Pittsburgh, and he served on their Board of Directors. He was also on the Board of Directors of The Fourteenth Street Bank of the Southside, Tech Food Products Company, and Pittsburgh Brewing Company. He and his family were members of the St. Basil's Roman Catholic Church in Carrick. Alois died at age 74 on 29 March, 1926 while visiting in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania (obituary). His wife Barbara died 18 December 1938 at 79 years in Pittsburgh. Alois and Barbara Winter rest in a mausoleum at the St. George Cemetery on Brownsville Road in Pittsburgh along with sons August, Henry, and Raymond Winter, and daughter Mary. At a nearby plot at St. George Cemetery are several other Winter family members

Former Residences: 1880: 46 Alexander Street, Chicago IL 1890: 2701 Josephine Street, Pittsburgh, PA 1895: 2227 Jane Street, Pittsburgh, PA 1905: 2122 Brownsville Road, Carrick, PA 1909: 2314 Brownsville Road, Carrick, PA 1922: 136 Hornaday Road, Carrick, PA

Winter Brewery Location

The M. Winter Brothers Brewing Company of Pittsburgh was located on the Southside of Pittsburgh, at the Southwest corner of Josephine Street and South 21st Street, also abutting the curve in the road of South 18th Street. The facility no longer exists, as it was demolished many years ago. Diagonally across the railroad tracks stood the also now-defunct Duquesne Brewing Company. The photograph below shows how the area looked in 1910 if one were standing near the lower right corner of the map above (at the Pumping Station) and facing out toward the railroad tracks. Winter Brewery is on the immediate left. A large "W" adorned the top of its smokestack.

The M. Winter Brothers Brewing Co. of Pittsburgh Brothers Alois, Michael, and Wolfgang Winter came to America in late 1873, arriving at the Port of New York from Bavaria with their parents while still young men in their 20's. The family traveled west, and settled for a time in Chicago, Illinois, where they first appear there in official records in 1875. While in that city, Michael Winter took employment at the Conrad Seipp Brewing Company of Chicago, a large Mid-Western brewery. Upon later coming to Pittsburgh in 1883, the three brothers obtained possession of the old brewery of John H. Reichenbach, which was located at the corner of South 27th and Josephine Streets on the Southside of Pittsburgh, and in October of that year they commenced to the business of brewing fine ale and lager under the name of Michael Winter & Brothers.

The first year's brew was not quite 500 barrels of production for the entire year, but in less than four years this increased to about 9,000 barrels annually. The rapid gains in their business and the constantly increasing demand for their Bavarian style product necessitated a large increase in their manufacturing facilities, and they decided to erect an entirely new brewery, which was completed and ready for production in April of 1887. This facility waslocated on the Southwest corner of S. 21st Street and Josephine Street on the Pittsburgh Southside, in close proximity to their residences and just down the road from the location of their first facility.

The brewery was built from plans made by well known Chicago architect Mr. Wilhelm Griesser, who also supervised the construction of the entire plant. The Brew-House was located immediately upon the corner. Next to the Brew-House on the left was the storage department, conveniently arranged for handling and shipping of the various materials. The lower floor of the storage house was used as a wash house and racking-off room, and an arched passage way extended through this portion of the building from the street for the entrance of horse-drawn wagon teams. The Office, on the lower floor of the Brew-House, opened off of this passageway. Adjoining the storage house was the stock house, also four stories high, which contained the fermenting tubs, vats, and casks. To the rear of the Brew-House, and fronting Josephine Street, was the refrigerating machine house and boiler room. All cellar floors were laid with imported rock asphalt. The business, at this point, became known as The M. Winter Brothers Brewing Company of Pittsburgh, whose trade slogan was "At Meal Times, At All Times...DRINK WINTER". Apparently, the beer drinking populace agreed, for by the end of 1891 their annual output had grown to over 40,000 barrels, and a 4 story addition to the plant was soon added in 1895. By the late 1890's they were nearing the capacity of their facility at 150,000 barrels a year.

Excerpt from 1895 Pittsburgh Business Directory They became one of the largest beer producers in Pittsburgh during this period (the third largest in all of Allegheny County), and sold primarily through beer halls and taverns in large wooden barrels, many of which were supplied by Frank Denk General Cooperage, a local southside cooper (barrel maker) specializing in brewers work. Apparently they did not bottle the product, and so there are no beer bottles from this brewery that are known to exist. It is not clear why the business was named after the youngest brother, Michael Winter, or why he held the title of President, although it is speculated that it was because he was the Master Brewer by trade. Eldest brother Wolfgang Winter served in the capacity of Vice-President, and Alois Winter was the Treasurer. They continued to live in close proximity to one another, with their homes being located at 2225, 2226, and 2227 Jane Street on the Pittsburgh Southside.

In 1899, the brothers sold their lucrative enterprise for in excess of $4,500,000 to The Pittsburgh Brewing Company (PBC). There were some twenty or so other brewers who also sold to PBC during the brewing industry consolidation in Pittsburgh that year. The facility remained in PBC ownership and operation as "The Winter Brewery", up until about 1920 and the start of Prohibition. Alois Winter served as Plant Manager of the facility under the new entity, eventually sat on the Board of Directors of PBC, and had a successful second career in commercial banking on the Southside. Michael and Wolfgang Winter moved on to Orange, New Jersey in early 1901 and built a brand new brewery there known as The Orange Brewery, which they successfully operated in that location up until Prohibition, serving yet another thirsty segment of the populace.

 This 4 story addition was added on to the South end of the Winter Brewery in 1895 

Wolfgang died in 1922 at age 79; Alois in 1926 at age 74; and Michael in 1929 at age 75. It is interesting to note that in 1889 the brothers purchased a large cemetery plot at the St. Peter's Cemetery (on Arlington Avenue in the Mt. Oliver section of the Pittsburgh Southside), which is a parish cemetery of The Prince of Peace Catholic Church. At the center of this burial plot stands a large, 100' tall missile-like stone, or obelisk. On one side of the base it reads "Winter Brothers", with the individual names of each of the 3 brothers engraved on the other 3 sides of the base, assuming that someday this would end up being their final resting place. Ironically, none of the 3 brothers ended up being buried there. The stone still stands, though their once thriving Bavarian brewery was torn down many years ago.

Alois Winter Obituary as it appeared in the Pittsburgh Gazette; March 30, 1926 

Pictured is the Winter Mausoleum located at St. George Cemetery Now St. John Vianny Cemetery on Brownsville Road in Carrick, PA.