Bannerman family.

Francis Bannerman (1851-1918) was a major purveyor of military goods to sportsmen and collectors in New York City, a business his family operated for three generations.

Bannerman orginally worked for his father, who had purchased surplus military goods at scrap prices in the demobilization at the end of the Civil War. Bannerman went into business for himself in October 1872, selling potatoes and apples in season, as well as hardware purchased at government surplus auctions. Bannerman prospered and moved his store from Brooklyn to Manhattan in 1897, turning it into a showpiece museum of modern and antique weaponry and military memorabilia. To store his vast quantities of arms and ammunition, Bannerman bought Pollepel Island in the Hudson River Highlands in 1900 and erected Bannerman's Island Arsenal and a summer residence patterned after the castles of the family's native Scotland.

On January 1, 1917, Bannerman conveyed the business to his sons Francis (1873-1945) and David (1875-1957) as Francis Bannerman Sons. In 1958, David's son Charles S. Bannerman (1905-1976) incorporated the business, but he was a relatively passive representative of the family interest, the day-to-day affairs being in the hands of career employees. The business was downsized and moved to Long Island the following year. Pollepel Island was sold to the state in 1967, but the buildings were gutted by fire in 1969.