Carl Christian William Dabelstein, senior member of the firm of Carl C. W. Dabelstein & Son, interior decorators and painters and dealers in wall paper, conducting business at No. 719 Charlotte street, in Utica, has here been active along this line for more than four decades. He was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, on the 12th of June, 1857, and was a youth of fifteen when he crossed the Atlantic to the United States in 1872. He first made his way to Elmira, New York, where he had relatives. After he had learned the painter's trade he came to Utica, in 1876, in order to paint Baggs' Hotel. Seven years later, in 1883, he returned to this city and here established himself in business on a small scale. With the passing years his activities as an interior decorator and painter have gradually expanded in scope until he is now at the head of an extensive and profitable enterprise, enjoying a patronage of gratifying proportions. The utmost integrity and thorough reliability have characterized the conduct of his interests at all times and he has long been numbered among the substantial and representative business men of Utica.
In 1883 Mr. Dabelstein was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Schornstheimer of Elmira, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Dabelstein have four children: Katherine C., whose natal day was July 6, 1886; Henry William, who was born in December, 1889, and is associated with his father in business; Clara, whose birth occurred in December, 1891; and Erma, born in 1897.
Mr. Dabelstein gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is a Lutheran in religious faith, belonging to the Church of the Redeemer. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order, and he likewise has membership in the Fine Arts Society of Utica, the Utica Maennerchor and the Master Painters' Association. The hope that led him to leave his native land and seek a home in America has been more than realized. He found the opportunities he sought — which, by the way, are always open to the ambitious, energetic man — and making the best of these, he has steadily worked his way upward. His career is identified with the history of Utica, where he has acquired a competence and where he is a highly esteemed citizen.