Newspapers in New Orleans and other cities carried breathless accounts Rebecca Kruttschnitt (1889-1975) wedding in 1911 to English suitor Henry C. Woodhouse. The reports focused on the resplendent venue, the glamorous dresses worn by the bride and her maids, and the bountiful flowers that adorned the scene. They missed the most interesting event. “The wedding […]
Charting My Jewish Roots Along a Misleading Path
I got woefully lost tracing my family’s Jewish roots and 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 family members. My fifth grandmother was a Levy, Eva Levy. […]
Real Estate Mogul Fred Pickering Died Alone
Rhoda Anne Williams and Walter Hinds Doty hadn’t been married too long when a mysterious visitor showed up in their driveway.
The Man from Asarco Once Visited St. Louis
Julius Kruttschnitt, Jr. (1885-1974) was so famous in Australia that a letter addressed “Julius Kruttschnitt, Australia” was likely to reach him. But in the late 1960s, when the mining magnate visited the St. Louis suburb where my family lived, he was just another great-grandfather visiting his great-grandchildren. According to his biography, The Man from Asarco, […]
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 […]
Johannes Kruttschnitt Was a 19th-Century Renaissance Man
Born in Brenz, Germany, Johannes Kruttschnitt came to this country in 1837, seeking (what else?) fame and fortune. He achieved both. A successful merchant, a published scientist, a civic leader, and the father of highly accomplished children, Kruttschnitt rose to become one the best-known, most-respected men in New Orleans in the late 19th Century. “Despite his modesty and self-seclusion, few […]