Isidor Straus (1845 - 1912)

Born 6 Feb 1845 in Otterberg, Germany

Descendants

Died 15 Apr 1912 at age 67 in Atlantic Ocean, Titanic

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Isidor Straus has German Roots.

Isidor Straus was a passenger on the RMS Titanic. Join: Titanic Project Discuss: titanic

Biography

Isador Straus was the oldest of five children, born on February 6, 1845 to Lazarus (1809–1898) and Sara (1823–1876) Straus in Germany. He, his mother, and his siblings immigrated to the United States in 1854, after his father had immigrated two years earlier. They lived in Talbotton, Georgia, where Lazarus had opened a crockery department in the basement of Rowland Hussey Macy's store.

Isidor married Rosalie Ida Blun in 1871, with whom he had seven children. Isidor and Ida were in love and wrote to each other every day when they were separated due to travel.

According to the 1860 census, Isador worked for his father in the store.

In 1862, during the American Civil War, Isador worked for a company that ran barricades for the Confederate Army. After the war, he and his brother moved to New York where they began to work for R.H. Macy & Co.

On January 30, 1894, Isador began to serve as a U.S. Congressman, a Democratic representative to New York's 15th congressional district. He held the title until March 3, 1895. Later, he would be offered the position of Postmaster General by President Grover Cleveland. He declined.

By 1896, Isador and his younger brother, Nathan, had gained full ownership of R. H. Macy & Co, the store, in which, their father had opened a department forty years earlier.

Additionally, Isador was passionate about reforming civil service and extending education and was the president of The Educational Alliance.

After touring Europe with his wife, Isador boarded the Titanic with Ida, his manservant and Ida's maid. On the night the Titanic sank, they watched as Ida's maid, Ellen Bird, boarded lifeboat number 8. The crew in charge of loading the lifeboat offered him and his wife a seat, but he refused, saying that he would not board a lifeboat while there were still women and children aboard the sinking ship. He urged his wife to go, but she refused, stating that she would not be separated from him and would go where he went.

Isidor Straus's body was recovered and identified. His body lies in the Straus Mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery. Though Ida's body was never found, a memorial is included on the mausoleum, where an inscription reads, "Many waters cannot quench love—neither can the floods drown it." (Song of Solomon (8:7) )

Census

"United States Census, 1860"^[1]

Lazarus Straus Male 50 Bavaria Gy

Sarah Straus Female 36 Bavaria Gy

Isidor Straus Male 15 Bavaria Gy

Hermina Straus Female 13 Bavaria Gy

Nathan Straus Male 12 Bavaria Gy

Oscar Straus Male 8 Bavaria Gy

L Straus

Julius Kaughman Male 37 Baden Gy

Emma Kaughman Female 18 Bavaria Gy

Jacob Straus Male 17 Bavaria Gy

"United States Census, 1880,"^[2]

Isidor Straus Self Male 35 Germany

Ida Straus Wife Female 31 Germany

Jesse Straus Son Male 8 New York, United States

Percy Straus Son Male 4 New York, United States

Sarah Straus Daughter Female 2 New York, United States

Minnie Straus Daughter Female 0 New York, United States

"United States Census, 1910,"^[3]

Isidor Straus Head Male 65 Germany

Ida Straus Wife Female 61 Germany

Marriage

"New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940,"^[4]

Name: Isidor Straus

Event Type: Marriage

Event Date: 12 Jul 1871

Event Place: Manhattan, New York, New York, United States

Event Place (Original): Manhattan, New York

Gender: Male

Age: 26

Birth Year (Estimated): 1845

Birthplace: Otterberg, Bavaria

Father's Name: Lazarus Strauss

Mother's Name: Sarah Strauss

Spouse's Name: Ida Blun

Spouse's Gender: Female

Spouse's Age: 22

Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1849

Spouse's Birthplace: Worms, Hessia, G.d.

Spouse's Father's Name: Nathan Blun

Spouse's Mother's Name: Wilhelmine Freidenberg

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZMB-WMP : 13 December 2017), Isidor Straus in entry for Lazarus Straus, 1860.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZXS-X3K : 7 September 2017), Isidor Straus, New York, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district ED 582, sheet 409D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,895.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M5WL-WS9 : accessed 14 February 2020), Isidor Straus, Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 733, sheet 12B, family 218, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1028; FHL microfilm 1,375,041.
4. ↑ "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24MJ-Y34 : 10 February 2018), Isidor Straus and Ida Blun, 12 Jul 1871; citing Marriage, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York City Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,544,495.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isidor_Straus
• http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/isidor-straus.html