I got woefully lost tracing my family’s Jewish roots. I fell into a familiar trap. Like many family history researchers on the Internet, I wanted to believe that I was related to the great Moses Levy, a New York merchant who commissioned portraits for most members of his family. My fifth grandmother was a Levy, […]
Academic Rips Apart Mardi Gras Queen Alma Kruttschnitt’s Dress
She never married. She never had children. She lived most of her adult life in homes owned by her brothers or sisters. Yet Alma Kruttschnitt (1863-1942) had one important claim to fame: She was Queen of the Mardi Gras in 1896, at the age of 32. Now, 100 years later, an academic comes around and spoils Alma’s party, ripping apart […]
Peninah Benjamin Kruttschnitt Died in a Big House in the Garden District
Peninah Benjamin Kruttschnitt died on April 18, 1903, at her son Ernest’s home, according to her obituary in the Times Picayune. Remarkably, the stately residence at 1423 First Street is still standing, and it’s in very good condition. In fact, the eclectic house, with its Classical columns and Palladian windows, is one of the most beautiful […]