W. D. Bostick, Wdbostick@aol.com
125 Indian Lane, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Rev. 3/2002

Madison County, TN Families
FRIEDLOB

Julius Friedlob, immigrant from Poland (then part of the Russian Empire), arrived in Madison County, TN, abt 1867, where he beacame a successful merchant. Several generations of his family lived in the Madison County area.

1. Julius Friedlob

Julius FRIEDLOB was born in Poland on 22-Dec-1841. His ancestry is uncertain, but there were a number of contemporary FRYDLOP/FRYDLIB families living in the Province of Warszawa, Poland; also Frylib in the Lodz, and Frejdlib/Frydlejb in Bialystok.[1] Julius Friedlob arrived in the U.S. at New York, NY, in 1862.[2] He married Babette (Betty) FELSENTHAL in 1868.

Notes:

1870 census for Madison Co., TN (dwelling 243, family 258, p. 323):
FRIEDLOP, J., M. age 28 (b. Abt 1842, Germany), dry goods merchant, personal estate 4,000; B., F 28, b. Germany; S., m 1, b. Tenn. Also at this address, N. HICKS, F 13 (B), servant, b. Ohio.[3]

1880 census for Madison Co., TN (Vol. 22, ED 100, Sheet 17, line 1):
FREIDLOB, J., age 32 (b abt 1848??), b. Poland, residence Lafayette St., Jackson; wife Bettie, age 31 (b. abt 1849??), b. Bavaria; sons Samuel, age 11 (b, abt 1869); Henry, age 9 (b. Abt 1871); Solomon H., age 7 (b. Abt 1873); Eli, age 5 (b. Abt 1875); Joseph, 5/12 (b. Abt 1880).

1900 TN Census Vol 45, ED 111, Sheet 1, line 77
210 Market St., Jackson, Madison Co, house 3210
Friedlob, Julius; b. Dec 1841 (age 58), in Poland Russia, citizenship na
Samuel J., son, b. Jan 1869 (age 32)
Eli, son, b. Mar-1874 (age 26)
Joseph, son, b. Dec. 1879 (age 20)
Louis, son, b. Sep-1882 (age 7)

Henry Friedlob and his wife Annie are enumerated separately (ED 111, Sheet 1, line 77)

From Jackson TN City Directories: 1900-01; 1908-9; 1916: Residence and dry goods store located at 210 N. Market

"Goodspeed Histories of Madison County, Tennessee," (Orig. Publ. 1888). pp. 861-2: "Julius Friedlob, a prominant dry goods merchant of this city {Jackson, TN}, was born in Poland in 1841, and is the son of L. and Sarah Friedlob. In 1862, he emigrated to the United States, and lived in New York, peddling from that place about six months; then went to St. Louis, following the same business for about nine months; then went to Memphis, where he remained until the day after Lee surrendered; then he came to this city and engaged in the dry goods and clothing business, which has proven very successful. Mr. Friedlob began life poor, his possessions being gained by his own honesty, industry, and preseverence. He occupies his own house, and has other property also in a very desirable portion of the city. In 1868, he was united in marriage to Miss Bettie Felsenthal, daughter of Eli Felsenthal.[4] She was born in Bavaria, Germany, and is the mother of six boys. He is a member of the I.O.O.F, K. of P., K. of H., A.O.U.W., and belongs to a Jewish society in Memphis, called the I.O.B.B., and belongs to the Jewish congregations both here and at Brownsville, Tenn. In politics, he is neutral, but Democratic."

Emma Inman Williams, "Historic Madison," Madison Co. Historical Soc., Jackson, TN (1946):
p. 312: "Tradition tells that J. Friedlob arrieved in 1867, made arrangement for two wagons to go to Estanuala to get his stock of goods thathe was planning to buy in memphis. .. By 1885, the religious needs of a growing Jewish community necessitated the chartering of the congregation, so a charter was applied for by J. Friedlob, president."
p. 360: J. Friedlob was a director of the Jackson Manufacturing and Improvement Company, organized in 1887."

Document at Jackson, Tenn.:

(1) Transcription of a copy of a copy (of a copy?) of a document at the Jackson TN library. This document was copied by George Thomas Friedlob, and commented upon by Babette Friedlob Bostick (see Item 2). Much of the document (by Mr. Baum) is essentially the same as contained in The Goodspeed Histories of Madison County, Tennessee (Orig. Publ. 1887; Reprinted 1972 by Woodward and Stinson, Columbia, TN). (Note: in re: "Goodspeed":Julius Friedlob is featured in pages 861-2; "E. Felsenthal, grocer" is featured on p. 810; "H. Baum, grocery merchant, native of Germany, p. 841). The copy of document (1) in my possession is not entirely legible. The date of the document is not apparent, although the latest date referred to within the document is 1953).

In the Spring of 1865, Mr. Julius Friedlob arrived in Jackson on horseback from Memphis. He was seeking a location for a dry goods store, and as little competition was encountered in this small town at that time Mr Friedlob decided to locate here. After the necessary had been made, he opened his store at the corner of Lafayette and (Market?) St.

Mr. Friedlob, after remaining in the town for a sufficient length of time to become acquainted with the people, he set out for Memphis (Again on horseback) to purchase additional merchandise for his store. Before leaving, he made arrangements with a Mr. Jack Cocke, a citizen of Jackson, to take three large wagons to Lagrange Tennessee to bring a stock of goods to Jackson from there. When Mr. Cooke returned to Jackson with Mr. Friedlob's goods, he crossed the Forked deer river (It was 5 or 6 times-wider and much deeper than our present drainage canal) on a pontoon bridge. This was on a levee leading to Jackson built and maintained by Mr. John W. Campbell (Grandfather of Mrs. Kate Campbell Robertson) and was known for years as Cembalos Levee, and is now called Brownsville Highway.

The name of J. Friedlob Dry goods & Clothing company was known and respected by Jacksonians for many years after this. It is believed that when the store finally closed its doors to the public, that it was the oldest mercantile business in Jackson, Tennessee.

Mr. Friedlob was born in Poland 1841 and passed away 1915 at the age of 74 and was interred in the B'Nai Israel Cemetery in Jackson. He was the son of L. and Sarah Friedlob. He came to America in 1862, lived in New York about six months where he peddled for a living. Then went to St. Louis where he peddled about nine months, until the day after general Lee's surrender, from there he went to Lagrange, Tennessee, and finally to Jackson to make his permanent home. Located a store at 106 E. Lafayette St. and afterwards purchased the building at #210 N. Market St. and moved there.

In 1868 he married Miss Babette Felsenthal (his cousin) [5] daughter of Eli Felsenthal of Brownsville Tenn. She was born in Bavaria Germany in 1841 and passed away in 1897 age 56 buried B'Nai Israel Cemetery. There were born to this union 7 children: 6 sons and 1 daughter.

(i) Samuel the eldest married Rose Derry of Jackson. They had 3 children Sam, Jr. - Babbette (sic) - Isaac. Sam Sr.. was born Jan'y 1 - 1869 - died Aug 7 - 1926. Sam Jr (was born) Nov 17 - 1910 - died Sept 27 - 1916. Both buried B'Nai Israel Cemetery Jackson Tenn.

(ii) Hertz, {Henry), b. Abt 1871}; married Annie Rosenthal of Jackson; had one son Simon. He's deceased and buried in Chicago Ill. [Henry died in Chicago, IL, 16-Apr-1942]

(iii) Solomon H {b. Abt 1873}; married Rachel Baum of Jackson Tenn. They had seven children as follows-
Sadge married Edward Wittcoff of St. Louis. They had one son Raymond - She is deceased.
Hattie married David Fishman - lives Houston, Texas. No children.
Zelda married Harry Zalkind - of Jackson - live Mobile no children.
Bettie married Alva Moog. (deceased) of St. Louis. 2 children - Elaine - Alva Jr. - Bettie has remarried.
Janitte married Israel Treiman of St. Louis. 1 son Ralph.
Eva Lea married Clarence Kohner of St. Louis. They have one daughter Rochelle.
Nathan married Esther Wolf. They have two children daughters Sally and Lois.

(iv) Eli Friedlob {b. Abt 1875} married Sarah Goldstein of Jackson. They have two sons Bertram and Fred M. Chicago Ill. Sarah lives in Los Angeles - Eli is deceased. [note: Eli died in Chicago, IL, 10-May-1930]

(v) Joseph Friedlob {b. Dec. 1879} married Willis Hatch - no children. Jos. deceased, buried B'Nai Israel Cemetery Jackson.

(vi) Louis Friedlob - married Olive Patton of Jackson. They had one son, Dale. Louis was born Sept. 21 - 1882 - Died Oct 6 - 1953 Age 71 years 15 days. Buried Ridgecrest Cemetery Jackson Tennessee. Louis was the last of the Friedlob family - there is a grandson living in Birmingham Ala. Named Fred.

(vii) Mr. and Mrs. Julius Friedlob had one daughter. She died in childhood.

Mr. (Julius) Friedlob was elected the first president of Congregation B'Nai Israel when it was organized in 1885. He was also a member of the Brownville Congregation, and a member of the B'Nai B'rith of Memphis Tenn. Was a member of K of P[6] - K of H[7] - I.O.O.F.[8] and A.O.U.W.

I know of one great disappointment Mr. Friedlob had. He went to the expense of sending his oldest son Sam through business College at Cincinnati, and when he came home, instead of taking advantage of what he had learned in college, he went to work in a saloon as a barkeeper. Mr. Friedlob had my father Nathan Baum to plead with Sam, but father couldn't do anything with him. He remained a bar keep all of his life.

 

Notes taken at Newbury Library, Chicgo IL (2001):

1. Chicago City Directories:
1916:
Friedlob, Eli, clk 408, 5 N Lasalle; h. 4943 Grand bl
Friedlob, Henry, baggage. h. 6451 Minberva Ave.
1923:
Friedlob, Eli, repr Thos Friedlob Mfg. Co., h 6325 Kenwood Ave
Friedlob, Hy, slsmn, Thomson-Friedlob Mfg Co. h. 6325 Kenwood Ave.
Friedlob, Sigmund, slsmn, h. 6431 Minerva Ave.
1928/29:
Friedlob, Eli, pres Smalley Accessories Corp, r 5107 Glasgow Av
Friedlob, Henry, vp, Smalley Acc. Co.; r. 1540 E 65th Pl

IL Deaths 1914-1947
Friedlob, Eli, 1930-05-10, Cook Co., cert. 6013848
Friedlob, Henry, 1942-04-16 (abt 70), Cook Co. cert 0011271
Friedlob, Sam Julius, 1916-09-27, Cook Co., cert 6027311.

Who is Sigmund and how is he related to the Tennessee branch? It is likely that "Sigmund" and "Simon" (son of Henry Friedlob) is the same person. Sam Julius Friedlob (d. 1916 in IL; age 5 yr-10 mo-10 day), is the son of Sam Friedlob and Rosa Derry of Jackson, TN; he died at Illinois Central Hospital of post operation shock after treatment for appendicitis.

2. Excerpt of a letter from Babette Friedlob Bostick to W.D. Bostick (ca 1979), accompanying a copy of document (1), above.

Tom (George Thomas Friedlob, son of Isaac George Friedlob) came by my house to see you.... Also (brought) a write up from the Jackson Tn library about Julius Friedlob (Daddy's Daddy) - but the man who wrote it got it all screwed up about my daddy (maybe he didn't like him). Mama (Rose Derry Friedlob) would have been so mad cause daddy's daddy loved them best and lived with them (Sam and Rosa) until he died, left his business to daddy - hotel, brewery, dry goods store, etc. - and daddy went broke after so long and moved to Birmingham (AL) and worked as a bookkeeper for some place there.

 

3, Obituary of Sam Friedlob (excerpts)

Sam Friedlob Died Saturday in Birmingham
Well Known Former Citizen's Remains to Arrive This Evening

...Mr. Friedlob was in his 55th year, was born and reared in this city (Jackson), and left here only a few years ago for Birmingham, where he was an auditor for the Tennessee Iron and Coal Company. He was the son of the late J. Friedlob, pioneer merchant of Jackson. He was a Mason and a member of the Woodmen of the World.

He is survived by his wife, one son, I. G. Friedlob, and one daughter, Miss Babette Friedlob, all of Birmingham; four brothers, Eli and Henry Friedlob of Chicago, Sol Friedlob of St. Louis, and Louis Friedlob of this city (116 Prince Edward St.)... Interment will follow in B'Nai Israel cemetery with the Masonic fraternity in charge.

(Pallbearers were T. E. Lindsey, F. C. Haas, A. L. Tannenbaum, Aaron Tuchfield, Sam Baum, and John Seward.)

 

Endnotes

  1. See www.jewishgen.org/jri-pl; search "Friedlob."
  2. Source: Silverman, "Hamburg Passingers from the Kingdom of Poland and the Russian Empire, Indirect Passage to New York: 1855-June 1873," Landsmen Press, Washington D.C. (1996), p. 24.
  3. J. Friedlob was witness to the marriage of Miss Susan Hick to John J. Clanton (original p. 269 of TN records of Madison Co., Marriage Records 1868-1871).
  4. According to a narrative by Rabbi Bernhard Felsenthal, Babette (Bettie) was the daughter of Israel Felsenthal and a granddaughter of Hertz Jacob Felsenthal of Bavaria. Herz is said to be a member of the great "Sanhedrin" called together by Napoleon I in 1806.
  5. This statement appears to confound "our" Babette with Babette Felsenthal (1843-1928) of neighboring Haywood County, TN, who did marry Henry Levi, a distant cousin. Actually, Babette Felsenthal Levi (d/o Joel Lyons Felsenthal) and Babette Felsenthal Friedlob (d/o Israel Felsenthal) were first cousins; Joel and Israel were both sons of Hertz Jacob Felsenthal of Rathskirchen, Bavaria.
  6. Knights of Pythias — a fraternal society founded in the U.S. in 1864, to disseminate the principles of friendship, charity, and benevolence. Its cardinal principles are toleration in religion, obedience to law and loyalty to the government.
  7. Knights of Honor — a fraternal organization founded in the U.S. in 1873.
  8. Odd Fellows — a friendly society modeled after freemasonry.