National Association

Baseball Pioneers: Fraley Niebuhr

By Wikipedia

Fraley C. Niebuhr was a charter member and long-time official of the pioneering Knickerbocker Base Ball Club.

At a glance... FRALEY NIEBUHR The Facts Born November 21, 1820 Philadelphia, PA Died December 10, 1901 Brooklyn, NY Affiliations 1845-1858? New York Knickerbockers

He was born in Philadelphia in 1820, but his family soon moved to New York City and he worked at brokerage named Custom House starting age 14. He later co-owned his own brokerage firm named Wood, Niebuhr & Company.¹

See also: National Association of Base Ball Players, 'Early Baseball' FAQs.

Niebuhr served as treasurer for the Knickerbockers from 1848 to 1849 and then vice president in 1850 followed by a term as president from 1851 to 54.

He died in his home in Brooklyn on December 10, 1901 as one of the last surviving original Knickerbockers. According to his obituary in the New York Times, he had been suffering from failing health for the prior two years.

NOTES:
1. Page 9 of the December 12, 1901 New York Times.

National Association sources/bibliography:
Baseball: The Early Years by Harold Seymour.
Baseball Before We Knew It: A Search For The Roots Of The Game by David Block.
Baseball in Blue and Gray: The National Pastime during the Civil War by George B. Kirsch.
Blackguards and Red Stockings by William J. Ryczek
The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 by Marshall D. Wright.
Playing for Keeps: A History of Early Baseball by Warren Goldstein.
When Johnny Came Sliding Home: The Post-Civil War Baseball Boom, 1865-1870 by William J. Ryczek

David Nemec, the tireless 19th Century Baseball researcher, has also written a novel called Early Dreams, which takes place during this era and features real-life characters such as Cap Anson, George Wright, and Henry Lucas.

General Baseball History sources/bibliography:
Baseball: A History of America's Game by Benjamin G. Rader.
Baseball: A Film By Ken Burns (PBS DVD)
The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present by David Pietrusza.
The Great 19th Century Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball, 2nd Edition by David Nemec.
Early Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1825-1908 by Dean A. Sullivan.
Middle Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1900-1948 by Dean A. Sullivan.
Late Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball 1945-1972 by Dean A. Sullivan
Past Time: Baseball as History by Jules Tygiel
America's National Game: Historic Facts Concerning the Beginning, Evolution, Development and Popularity of Baseball by Albert Spalding
Total Baseball: The Ultimate Baseball Encyclopedia by John Thorn, et al.