Bernhard Friedrich Ehlers – Founder of the B.F. Ehlers company
Born on 29 October 1828 in Brandewurth near Bremen in the former
Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. His mother, Beke Hackfeld, was the sister of Heinrich Hackfeld, a sea
captain in the Mediterranean and the Pacific and founder of the trading company H. Hackfeld & Co.
in Honolulu. Ehlers accompanied his uncle Heinrich, who was born in the neighbouring village of
Almsloh, when he set sail for the Pacific and Honolulu once again in 1849. Hackfeld, and with him
Ehlers, sold the clothing, crockery, stationery, etc. that they had brought with them quickly and at a
profit. Hackfeld organised the supply of goods and set up several warehouses and stores. From here,
he sold mainly to whalers, who stocked up in Honolulu, and to gold prospectors in California, who
constantly needed new equipment and tools. In 1852, Hackfeld opened a store on Fort Street to
serve the local market in Honolulu. He sold high-quality clothing, silk goods and fashion accessories.
Supported and sponsored by his uncle, Ehlers gained the necessary experience here to run his own
business.
In May 1861, Ehlers travelled to Germany on the R.W. Wood to buy his parents’ farm in Steinkimmen
and get married. The wedding took place in Bremen. His wife was Anna Dorothee Glade, the sister
of Johann Conrad and Heinrich Friedrich Glade, both of whom later became directors at H. Hackfeld
& Co. Ehlers did not stay in Germany, but returned to Honolulu in March 1862, again on the R.W.
Wood. His return caused a stir: he came back as a married man. He brought everything needed for
writing, administration and accounting, including Faber (now Faber-Castell) pencils – and some
canaries that he exhibited and sold on Fort Street. He also established himself in Honolulu: in April
1862, he bought the Fort Street store from Heinrich Hackfeld and founded B.F. Ehlers. In the following
years, Ehlers ran the business alone. In September 1868, he took on Albert Jaeger as a partner; the
business now operated under the name B.F. Ehlers & Co. Jaeger, a nephew of H.A. Widemann,
became a pioneer in the Hawaiian insurance business and was well known and respected for his
collection of rare plants and reforestation efforts.
With a partner in place to seamlessly continue the business, Ehlers left for Germany with his wife and
four children. He returned in March 1870.
In May 1874, he travelled to Germany again. This time for good. The household was dissolved and
sold at auction. The select items included, among other things, a piano, a koa bedstead, a marble
flower stand, a mahogany bureau and a bathtub.
The partnership Ehlers-Jaeger existed until the end of 1874, when Albert Jaeger became the sole
owner of B.F. Ehlers & Co. Ehlers was no longer associated with B.F. Ehlers & Co., but his name
remained until 1918.
From 1878 to 1896, the business was once again taken over by the Ehlers family – August Ehlers, a brother of Bernhard Friedrich took the lead. At this time, the company belonged to Hackfeld – probably after a prior bankruptcy in 1885.
From 1896 to 1918, Carl du Roi managed the company B.F. Ehlers & Co. He and the company, the
connection to H. Hackfeld & Co. and the name were heavily attacked after the USA entered the war
in April 1917. Du Roi resigned and B.F. Ehlers & Co. became Liberty House, a subsidiary of American
Factors, the successor to H. Hackfeld & Co.
Bernhard Friedrich Ehlers died in Munich in 1907.