Frank Bostner

18 Dec 1882 - 21 Mar 1975

To the ready in all things, gently in manner, boldly in deed

Fans of the Henry Cheney Hammer Company have a hero and his name is Frank Bostner. He is the best documented employee of the Henry Cheney Hammer Company. He was noted as the company’s oldest employee in 1929 — when Frank was 46 and the company owner, Elmer Mulford, was 38. In 1940 he had one son working for the company and a daughter working for the family of Elmer Mulford. When the Little Falls hammer factory shut down, Frank was the last Superintendent of the Henry Cheney Hammer Company — at age 71. He followed the machinery to the Collinsville factory in Connecticut where he continued to produce Cheney brand hammers for perhaps as long as five years. He probably worked for the company 40-50 years.

It seems certain that Frank was the model for the cartoon character in the Cheney Nailer instructions. His grandsons have confirmed that Frank posed for this picture — which started out as a black and white halftone print for a trade catalog, then it was colorized for the ultimate “Silver King” Cheney Nailer Sales Maker retail display, and finally recreated in detail as a cartoon for the Cheney Nailer instruction decal and sheet.

This, literally iconic, image perfectly embodies Frank’s family motto —
“To the ready in all things, gently in manner, boldly in deed.”

Humble Beginnings

Frank was born, December 18, 1882, in Austria. His parents were from Slovenia. He immigrated to the United States in 1903 — at age 20. In 1905 he was living in Hornellsville, Steuben County, New York. In the 1920 Census, he is listed as married to Mary Oblak Bostner and living in Little Falls, NY with four sons (Frank H. Jr., Stanley J., Cyril P., and Albert J.) and one daughter (Judie Julia).

By the 1940 census Frank and Mary had another son (Ludovic C.) and another daughter (Mary). Also noted in the 1940 census — Frank’s son, Cyril (24), was working for the Henry Cheney Hammer Company as a shipping clerk and Frank’s daughter, Mary (27), was working as a live-in maid for the Mulford family — owners of the company. Elmer (49) and Marie (42) Mulford had three sons Edwin H. (23), John E. (18), William R. (16), and a daughter, Katharine S. (13).

Between 1942 and 1945 all five of Frank’s sons served in the U.S. Army and his oldest daughter worked at the headquarters of the Quartermaster Corp.

On April 29, 1950 Frank’s youngest child, Mary, married Floyd B. Stahl in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania.

On July 2, 1954 when the Little Falls Hammer Factory was shut down, and the equipment moved to Collinsville, it was announced that two employees: Frank Bostner and Mike Brin along with Elmer Mulford, would follow the equipment and continue to produce Cheney brand hammers.

After Frank’s wife, Mary, passed in 1955, Frank moved into an apartment.

Frank bought a 1958 Oldmobile 98 to drive back and forth to Connecticut. Unfortunately he only put about 5,000 miles on it before his eyesight became too poor to drive. The car was up on blocks by mid-summer 1959.

When the City/State realigned the highway running through Little Falls it required the demolition of Frank’s apartment building. There’s now a McDonalds on the former site of Frank’s apartment. Frank received compensation allowing him to move to a place he bought on the south side of the Mohawk river.

Frank enjoyed life on his homestead — Fort Nostalgia. And it’s easy to see why. It’s an idyllic setting with a creek running along the property.

Around his parade ground Frank built monuments. Lots of monuments. They are worthy of their own story... And he always wore a white shirt and a tie while building them!

Perhaps the most inspired of Frank’s monuments is a tribute to his sons, the "Five Bostner Brothers", who all served in the U.S. Army during WWII — including three (Frank Jr., Stanley, and Albert) who served in combat.

Frank died on March 21, 1975 in Little Falls. He was buried next to his wife, Mary.

Frank left behind a treasure trove of tools — including several not found in any known Cheney catalog.

Frank also left a sly tribute to his friend Robert Andrew Little — in the famous Silver King photo circa 1944. If you look closely then you might notice that he’s wearing a nailing apron advertising Andrew Little & Sons Lumber Company.

They were neighbors of the Cheney factory on West Mill Street. Robert, who preferred his middle name, Andrew, was born in Little Falls in 1923. In 1943 he joined the Army, serving in the D-Day invasion and under Patton at the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster for twice being wounded in battle in Germany. In 1945 he was honorably discharged. In 1946 he married Esther Davy at the First Presbyterian Church in Little Falls. They had two sons (finally living up to the company name) and a daughter. Andrew passed away 04 May 2011.

Frank may not have enlisted himself, but he certainly served his country and supported many who did enlist in military service. He was a true patriot and a hero to all fans of the Henry Cheney Hammer Company.

Acknowledgement

These pages were made possible by the extreme kindness and outrageous generosity of Frank Bostner’s grandsons, David Stahl (son of Mary Bostner Stahl) and Don Gregory (son of Julia Bostner Gregory).