Materials that are always in demand are mason supplies, and while the demand will vary in accord with the activity or lethargy in building construction, there is always a certain amount of business that may be depended upon. For a quarter of a century the wants of the Mohawk valley in the mason supplies line have been supplied by the house of which Val Prossner of Rome, Oneida county, New York, is now the active head, and during those twenty-five years the business has grown to large proportions that give it a dominating position in the trade.
Val Prossner was born in Bavaria, Germany, on November 11, 1875. His parents, Sebastian and Eva (Anterader) Prossner, came to the United States in 1889 and settled in Rome, where in 1900 the father established the business now being conducted by his son — mason supplies and cement construction work, also the manufacture of cement burial cases, under the firm name of S. Prossner & Sons. Sebastian Prossner is still living but has retired from active business. His wife died in 1914. They were the parents of seven children, three sons and four daughters, Val Prossner being the youngest child. The latter obtained his education in Germany, and after coming to the United States with his parents started to learn the business and has ever since been associated with his father. He has had entire charge of the firm's operations since October 31, 1921.
On November 12, 1901, in Rome, New York, Mr. Prossner was married to Miss Emma Conrad, daughter of Lawrence and Mary Ann (Sprattler) Conrad, an old family of Utica, New York. Both Mr. and Mrs. Conrad have passed away. Mr. Conrad was charity clerk of Oneida county for thirty-five years. Mr. Prossner and his wife are the parents of three children: Evelyn, Theodore J. and Leslie G. Prossner. Mr. Prossner is a republican in politics and a member of the Roman Catholic church in religion. He is also a member of the Rome Chamber of Commerce.