Althouse Stove PageAlthouse Stove PageIn reverse chronological order, this page describes the continuing saga of the Gas Heating Stove we purchased on eBay
Dear Dave and Barbara,
Let me introduce myself. My name is Paulette Wright and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I have been doing genealogy research for myself and my family. I am so excited!!!! After seeing the pictures of the Estate Stoves, I just had to email you. The people that started The Estate Stove Company were my great uncles.
I thought you might be interested in the information below because you own a stove made by the Estate Stove Company.
My great grandfather was David Kahn, who was born in Ingerville, Alsace France around 1800. He was married twice. His second marriage was to Gertrude Meis. The seven children of this marriage were Felix, Lazard, Sol, Adele, Pauline (who was my grandmother), Brunette and Samuel.
David Kahn and Gertrude Caroline Meis Kahn
David also was married before (wife unknown) and had seven children by that marriage, including Rosalie and Maurice. David’s father, Leon Kahn, was a commission broker and also a small farmer who died in 1878 in France at age 78. Caroline died in 1888. Her father was Moise Meis, who lived to be 84. He was shoemaker and manufacturer of matches and potash. Her mother died at 89.
- Felix – married Rachel Simon (see note below)
- Lazard – married Coralie Lemann of Cincinnati
- Sol – died 1887 (was one of the owners of Estate Stove)
- Adele – married Jacques Meis of Ingweiler, France
- Pauline – married Jules Klotz of Wissembourg, Alsace
- Brunetta – married Abraham Schwab of Diemeringen, Alsace
- Samuel – married Pauline Bettman of Cincinnati
CHILDREN CONNECTED WITH ESTATE STOVE
Almost all of the Estate Stove Kahns lived in Cincinnati.
- Felix – born 1848, died 1924 at age 76. History states: “in 1875 he had married Rachel Simon and was living in Cincinnati.” Record shows two sons: David and Albert
- Lazard - born 1851, died 1928 at age 77. Record shows two sons: Bertrand (“Bert”) and Lucien
- Sol - birth date unknown, died 1887 (“at young age”)
- Sam - born 1859, died 1921 at age 62. Record shows one son, Myron (“Mike”)
I hope you all find this information of interest...
Sincerely,
Paulette Wright
198 Springdale Dr, NE
Atlanta, Georgia USA
February 4, 2004: Last night we received a phone call from Ann Meehan in Rhode Island. She recently bought a similar gas heater, searched the web, and found this page. Today she writes:
Barbara and Dave,
It was great talking to you about your stove last night.
I just recognized that your stove is larger. See the top...you have more openings on top! We have someone coming over tomorrow night to tell us what we have to do to hook it up to use propane. We use oil to heat the steam pipes. This is how some of the big mansions were heated in Newport, R.I. I'll send you photos of our stove [see below], the grate that shows where the isinglass once was and a photo of our new home-Colonial Revival-Circa 1920.
If you like, I can let you know tomorrow night what the man has to do to convert our stove. I think we are going to mount it on brick. We just want to heat the kitchen better as it was very cold in here during the cold spell. This house was owned by a heart surgeon and before him, another doctor who had 12 kids. So 14 people lived in this house. We have 6 bedrooms, 4 baths in the main house, a carriage house with 4 rooms including a bath, a bath for the in-ground pool, a 3 car garage and a Jacuzzi on the 3rd floor. What I love most is the solarium and the long screened in porch. Let's hope we both get our stoves going!!
So nice to talk to you,
-- Ann
p.s. photos of house taken before we moved in!
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On February 8th she sent this additional postscript:
HI, Just wanted to tell you the stove is operating and we are enjoying it so much. It keeps our kitchen nice and warm!!
Ann
 | February 2004: Ann's stove in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. |
 | February 2004: The top view of Ann's stove. Other than being narrower, it appears identical to our stove. |
 | February 2004: Ann's Colonial Revival home. |
 | February 2004: The porch in Ann's home. |
 | February 2004: The entryway to Ann's home. |
 | January 15, 2004: The base of the stove gets repaired. |
 | January 15, 2004: Barb attaches the decorative trim. |
 | January 17, 2004: Barb and I couldn't figure out where the last piece of trim for the stove was supposed to attach, so we had to look at the original pictures of the stove from the eBay auction. That showed us the piece fits along the top as a decorative backsplash. So now the stove is back to its former glory, but we still have to assemble and test its inner workings and attach it to the gas lines and chimney. |
 | November 15, 2003: The stove arrives with broken legs. Disheartening. It isn't clear how much work it will be to fix -- or whether it will ever be brought back to original condition. |
 | November 15, 2003: Chris Reiter suggests using JB Weld -- a two-part epoxy-like glue to put the legs back together. He is test fitting the pieces here. Ultimately this approach didn't work. |
 | January 15, 2004: To repair the stove, we used an oxygen/acetylene torch to heat the cast iron red hot, etch the metal with acid flux, and seal the joints with silver solder. The new joints should be stronger than the original metal. |
 | October 2003: When we purchased the house, this was the original water heater and gas forced-air heating system. (Click picture to enlarge.) |
 | October 2003: A careful inspection of the front parlor revealed a 3/4" round hole in the floor in front of the chimney -- a dead giveaway that there used to be a gas heater at this location. So we searched eBay for a suitable replacement and found a perfect match. It wasn't cheap, but we couldn't resist.The chimney in the front parlor is not lined with a flue, so it is not suitable for a regular wood-burning stove. We looked carefully at the floor below the chimney and found a hole where natural gas used to come up through the floor. This prompted us to begin hunting for a replacement heater. (Click picture to enlarge.) |
 | October 2003: These pictures come from the original eBay auction listing. |
 | October 2003: The heat exchanger looks to be in remarkably good condition. This unit really ought to be able to heat the house. |
 | October 2003: We were captivated by the porcelain trim. |
 | October 2003: It looks like a bit of stove pipe should connect this unit to the existing chimney. |
 | October 2003: In 100 years, even a cast iron appliance will see some wear and tear. |
 | October 2003: It looks like we may need to bring in a heating expert to return the heater to full functionality. |
"1895 ESTATE GAS STOVE, PORCELAIN TRIM
"This gorgeous parlor gas heating stove features embellishments of gracefully placed green porcelain guards and trim, cut with intricate designs of the Louis XV period. The stove castings are highly decorative with ornamental swirling scrolls and flower frills found on front, sides, and back, including the contoured feet, and handsome top grill. The curved double-doors of the fire box open wide to feature an elaborate interior gated by a French-style flame guard and side panels of flowers in diagonal squares. The fanciful doors latch tightly, and are enhanced by a patterned transom cut to match. The openings in these graceful front castings will allow full view of the gas flames inside. Heat will flow generously from 5 of the 7 upper chambers.
"Found on various sections are the following markings: Top: "Pat'd 9th April 1895"; Center porcelain medallion: "Estate Stoves House Founded AD 1895"; Mid-back: "#7 F&L Kahn & Bros. Hamilton, O"; Main body: "Patented on 9 April 1895 by F&L Kahn & Bros. Hamilton, Ohio"; Plaque on back: "Estate Triple Effect # 17, The Estate Stove Co., Hamilton, Ohio"; porcelain back splash: "The Estate Stove Co. Hamilton, Ohio"; Mid-front: "Triple Effect"; Door backs: "Trip-E 7". Porcelain pieces are marked with various identifying numbers on back.
"Gas fittings are included. We never connected this stove to gas, so would strongly advise professional inspection and installation of any gas source. No warranty stated nor implied by Seller.
"There are some small nicks on the porcelain trim above the doors, a thin area of missing porcelain along the lower edge of the lower guard, and nicks on the left rear of the mid-porcelain trim. Please see close-up photos of these. All porcelain trim removable.
"Dimensions: (Measurements are as accurate as possible, but may vary slightly) Overall Height (includes porcelain) - 43 ˝" Width (foot to foot) - 31 ˝" Depth (includes porcelain) - 15 ˝" Firebox: Height - 12 ˝" Width - 26 ˝ " Depth - 9 ˝" Vent pipe connection - 3 ˝" diameter Weight is approximately 150 lbs. "
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