"Cray's Soda is the Best"
When researching the previous topic on the Holyoke Bottling Works, my interest was sparked by the name Cray, a longtime Holyoke business name that spanned the 20th century. Today, we visit the life of Patrick J. Cray, the founder of P. J. Cray, a soda bottling company.
Patrick J. Cray was born in Ireland on March 25, 1865, the son of Michael and Abbey Cray. On June 10, 1867, the family arrived in New York and settled in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where his father worked as a laborer. Patrick was the only one of nine children born in Ireland; the remaining were born in Pennsylvania, according to the 1880 census. Patrick, age 15, was also a laborer, and two younger siblings, ages 10 and 12, were working as slate pickers.
He arrived in Holyoke in the mid-1880s and, except for several years spent in Quincy, MA, he remained in Holyoke.
On June 14, 1888, he married Margaret F. O'Connell in a ceremony held in Quincy, MA. While residing in Eastern Massachusetts, Patrick became a naturalized U. S. Citizen on November 23, 1889.
P. J. Cray was an entrepreneur, having owned a bakery at 100 Maple Street in the late 1880s, and for a couple of years in the early 1900s, a bowling alley at 437 High Street. He was also a well-sought-after baseball umpire in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Organizations would pay him a premium rate to officiate baseball games.
He started working at bottling companies in the latter part of the 1890s, including W. P. Jameson, who owned the Holyoke Bottling Works at 90 Lyman Street, and subsequently for William Koegel at 674 South East Street.
In 1903, Patrick J. Cray opened his own business at 676 South East Street, naming it P. J. Cray. He remained at this location until the autumn of 1911, when he relocated to 1615 Northampton Street, which would also become his home.
The company produced about a dozen flavored sodas, most notably ginger ale, a popular beverage of the day. P. J. Cray promoted the superiority of his beverages, based on the quality of the water used in the process, which was drawn from an artesian well 96 feet below the earth's surface. The water was infused with a natural gas obtained from Saratoga Springs, NY. Soda was sold in cases holding two dozen bottles.
In 1917, the company distributed a product called Anzac, a non-alcoholic breakfast drink for those who enjoyed beer. The beverage was available where temperance drinks were sold. Another beverage P. J. Cray had available was Vitamalt, "A Drink With A Smile."
The company produced Sweet Cider in 1920, which was available by the gallon, by the barrel, or in glass bottles, like its sodas. This was followed in 1921 with an orange-flavored drink called Howdy.
The layout plan for Cray Ave. was introduced to city officials in 1927. The street would be located between Dillon and Woods Avenues. Six years later, Mr. Cray was granted a building permit to construct a brick gas station at 1615 Northampton Street.
Patrick J. Gray died in August 1933, and business operations continued under the leadership of his widow, Margaret Cray, along with their sons, William C., Frank J., and Roy E. Cray.
In September 1944, Cray's Package Store on Northampton Street and Cray Ave. was split from Cray's Soda, which relocated to 1552 Northampton Street. This was the former location of the Vollert family milk business, which had recently closed due to an inability to attract staff. The package store continued to operate with Margaret F. and Frank J. Cray.
The package store continued to operate with Margaret F. and Frank J. Cray
In 1945, Milton Ziff of Northampton purchased the William C. Cray Soda Company at 1552 Northampton Street. This was the former location of the Vollert family milk business, which had recently closed due to the inability to attract staff. The property was leased from the Vollerts.
On June 4, 1982, the executor of the Frank Cray estate sold all the Cray family's real estate holdings on Cray Ave.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Genealogy Records and Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
