Sarah Friday's 1810 Granby Drawing

Burks (Berck's) Store

Nicholas Hane and Gerard Berck - Germany to Granby

We know very little about Gerard Berck except for his business relationship with Nicholas Hane and that he probably followed Hane from Germany, to England, to Charleston, and then to Granby where they were next door neighbors in Sarah Friday's 1810 drawing of Granby. The story begins with the following public recording of a London bankruptcy on December 20, 1783. Nicholas' and Gerard's store in London was a failure:

The next thing we find (in 1784) is the first of dozens of Charelston newspaper ads (SC Gaz - 6/5/1784) for the store: "Hane and Berck" at 100 Broad Street:

Two years later, they have moved to 207 King Street and there is a change in the business (Charleston Gaz 2/3 and 2/24 1786):

A year later, another address change to 157 King Street and now a big change. Hane and Berck are looking for someone to take them up the Congaree River (Columbian Herald 3/26/1787):

Three years later and we see the final Charleston newspaper reference to Hanes & Berck. The Charleston store is closed and sold (SC Gz 10/21/1790):

Nicholas would spend the rest of his life in Granby (40 years) where he and Gerald would succesfully raise large families and operate stores, next door to each other.

Burk's store site: Status: Destroyed by quarry hole. Archaeology is not possible at this location on the quarry property (Click here to see this location on a map)

Research is still being done on: Burks Store

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