Wendell, Frank A.

Frank A. Wendell, born in Portsmouth, N.H. in 1854, built up his business to be one of the largest plumbing suppliers in the

Salem area. F.A. Wendell Plumber at one time employed forty-five plumbers and three bookkeepers to handle all the business.

He had his main store in the Kinsman block, 79 Washington Street. After a stint at the Navy yard in Kittery, Maine, he graduated

as a journeyman plumber in 1871. Arriving in Salem, he worked first for Daniel Staten, then after his death, he took over his plumbing business. He opened

a second store in Watertown and then a third in Beverly.