Wesley H. Hallock according to census records was born the son of a Long Island clergyman in August, 1872 (1900 census). In 1895 he and his brother, J. Frederick Hallock, opened a general store in Commack, Long Island under the name Hallock Brothers. The store’s opening was announced in the “Commack” column of the May 25, 1895 edition of “The Long-Islander.”
The Messers. Hallock Bros. have opened a general country store in the building recently erected by Jas. F. Lewis for that purpose. The new building is a very handsome structure.
Less than five months later the October 12, 1895 edition of “The Long-Islander” reported that the store had been completely destroyed by a large fire.
The business portion of this village was completely wiped out by fire between the hours of 12 and 1 Sunday morning. The fire started in the store of Hallock Bros., part of which is used as the village post office, and it soon spread to the hotel of Henry Beatty, the only public house in the place. This was soon in ruins and the end wall is all that is now standing. The fire originated in the basement of Hallock’s store, but the cause has not been ascertained. The firm has met with a severe loss, as they carried no insurance. They had only recently started in business and it is a question whether they will be able to resume. They rented a portion of the store for the post office and quite a quantity of stamps was burned up, but the mail matter lost was small, as on a Saturday evening nearly everybody called for their mail. This place has no organized fire company, so there was no means of fighting the fire except by organizing a bucket brigade. This was done and soon all the cisterns nearby were emptied, and then there was nothing left but to watch the fire burn until there was nothing left to feed it…
In spite of his loss, a month later this November 30, 1895 item in the “South Side Signal” announced that Welsley Hallock had just gotten married and was committed to rebuilding upon returning from his honeymoon.
Wesley Hallock was married on Thursday. After the honeymoon Wesley will “pull himself together” and build a new store in place of the one burned some time ago.
And rebuild he did, apparently without the support of his brother. No longer called Hallock Bros., advertisemnts for W. H. Hallock’s new country store began appearing as early as June, 1896 in “The Long-Islander.”
The store offered a wide variety of items but the ad suggested that ice cream was their primary focus stressing in large capital letters “ICE CREAM BY THE QUART OR PLATE.” Three years later another advertisement in “The Long Islander,” this one in the September 2, 1899 edition, simply said “WHOLESALE AND RETAIL MANUFACTURER OF MINERAL WATERS & ICE CREAM,” suggesting that by then Hallock’s store was now serving primarily if not exclusively as a confectioner.
In 1902 a May 19th “South Side Signal” story announced that Hallock was adding a building next door to serve as a catering hall/party facility.
W. H. Hallock who bought the North schoolhouse, has moved it onto his ground, adjoining the store, and is fitting it up as a village hall, to let for socials and entertainment, as Burr Homestead Hall is quite a distance from the center of the village.
In announcing his 1911 seasonal opening in the May 19th edition of “The Long-Islander.” Hallock referred to his business as an “ice cream saloon.”
W.H. Hallock has opened his ice cream saloon, and Fussell’s famous cream can be had by the plate or quart.
Directory information found in “A Historical Guide to Long Island Soda, Beer & Mineral Water Bottles & Bottling Companies, 1840 – 1870,” by George Fisher, indicates that as late as 1917 Hallock was listed as a confectioner on Jericho Turnpike in Commack.
I suspect Hallock remained in business until 1920 when an April 2nd classified advertisement in “The Long-Islander” suggested he was shutting it down. The ad announced he was selling among other things “50 cases of 8 oz. soda bottles” as well as “Ice Cream Machinery, Tubs, Cans etc.
Census records in 1920 through 1940 suggest Hallock became a full-time farmer east of Commack in the Lake Grove/St. James area. As late as 1940 census records listed his occupation as “Proprietor of Road Stand.”
The “Northport Journal” reported that Hallock passed away tragically in August of 1943
Friends of Wesly H. Hallock of St. James were shocked to learn of his sudden death Thursday evening, following an automobile accident, and extend their sympathy to his family. Mr Hallock was a long time resident of Commack…
More detail was provided in this item found in the August 6, 1943 edition of the “Brooklyn Daily Eagle.”
A Wac and a 71-year old man were killed and another Wac was seriously injured last night when an army mail truck and a light delivery truck collided at Yaphank and Horseback Roads, Brookhaven Village.
The dead are Wac Junior Leader (Corp.) Marie Craig, 37, of Memphis Tenn., who was pinned beneath the overturned mail truck, and Wesley H. Hallock of St. James, who was crushed in the cab of his quarter-ton vehicle. Auxiliary (Pvt.) Elsie Robinson, 38, of Lincoln Neb., is in the post hospital with a broken leg and several fractured ribs.
Miss Craig was riding with Mrs. Robinson, carrying post mail to the Patchogue railroad station. Police said Hallock was driving alone.
The bottle I found is a mouth blown 8-ounce hutchinson style soda that likely dates it to the earlier days of Hallock’s ice cream and mineral water business. It quite possibly could have been in one of the 50 cases of 8-ounce bottles he would later offer for sale.