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In 1878, Abe Levy was born in Rogova, Western Russia. His forbearers had
come to Russia from France sometime after the French Revolution, and
they were destined to change homes,names and modes of living for
years thereafter. Eventually, they came to America, the haven for
the forlorn but not the hopeless.
Max Labau, Abe’s father, came to New Jersey in the 1800’s and worked hard
so that he could bring his family to join him. Labau was not an easy
name to have in this new country, so Max took the name of his
sponsor, a brother-in-law, and became an American citizen as Max
Levy. His wife, Hattie, died in Russia before Max could bring the
rest of the family to his new country. Abe, the oldest son, came
early to join his father. Abe’s first job was in the New York area;
his salary was $2.00 a week.
Later, Ike, George, Yettie, Rose and Tillie arrived. The family moved to
Seguin, Texas and
established a business. Seguin and
nearby New Braunfels had many German-speaking residents, and German
was a
language the Levys spoke and understood, which made for easier
living. There, they lived for many years with
business and marriages taking various sons and daughters to
different parts of
the country.
Abe and Ike ventured into West Texas in a covered wagon as
peddlers of merchandise to isolated areas, eventually establishing a
mercantile >
business in Ballinger, Texas. In the
early 1900’s, the Texas and Pacific, the Santa Fe and the Orient
railroads came
to West Texas, all three lines crossing at Sweetwater, a small town
with sandy
streets and plank sidewalks, making Sweetwater a railroad center.
Seeing the town as opportunity with an open
door, Abe and Ike opened a second store in 1910, The Sweetwater Dry
Goods Company, whose slogan was “The Price is
the Thing”.
In 1907, Abe married Annie Rosenwasser, daughter of Eva and
Morris Rosenwasser, who came to this country from Bavaria. Annie had
four sisters and a brother, Herman,
who became a rabbi and a distinguished biblical scholar. He
testified in the Darwin-Scopes trial as an >
expert on the Bible.
Abe and Annie had three daughters, Fannie and Hattie (born
in Ballinger) and Helen (born in Sweetwater), after Abe moved there
in 1913
when the Ballinger landlord raised the store rent. The first family
home was at the corner of
Oak and Fifth Streets; the store was at the corner of Oak and
Broadway after a
move from West Broadway. Good friends
and sometime neighbors were the Pitzer and Wight families.
By 1920 when Annie died, the family lived at 501 East
Broadway. A few years later, Abe married
Freda Horwitz Ruttenberg of San Antonio, and she and her daughter,
Esther,
became a part of the Levy family and a part of Sweetwater history.
Through the years the store withstood three
major additions and remodelings, and the name was changed to Levy
Brothers. It was the first refrigerated
air-conditioned department store between Dallas and El Paso.
The Levy family became business and town builders. Since they were of
Jewish faith, they had no
local church affiliation but kept memberships in Dallas and Abilene
congregations. Abe was a member of the
first city commission, a charter stockholder and director in the
National Bank
of Sweetwater, which later became the First National Bank, and a
charter member
of the Rotary Club. Ike was active in
Shrine, Elk and Rotary clubs, a staunch supporter of all sporting
events and
all school projects in which many of his nieces were participants.
He made his home with Abe’s family.
Through the years the brothers were partners and expanded
their holdings to Colorado City, Big Spring, Midland, Abilene,
Commerce and
Sherman, Texas.
Freda was interested in cultural advancement in Sweetwater
and was active in the store, maintaining working relations with
buying offices
in New York City and Los Angeles. The
four girls graduated from Sweetwater High School, and all went to
the
University of Texas at Austin.
Fannie’s husband, Irving Loeb, an engineering graduate of
the University of Texas, joined the partnership (store and
properties) in
1934. He, too, participated in
Sweetwater’s growth, serving on the school board, area Girl and Boy
Scout
boards, was president of the Child Welfare Association and Rotary
Club, and was
a charter director of the First National Bank.
Hattie married Bill (W. H.) Sheridan, the son of Ave and Ney
Sheridan, who was engaged in oil distribution in this area. Bill
became a partner of his father, served
on many local boards, was an early president of the Sweetwater
Country Club and
served on the city commission for several years, including a term as
mayor.
Helen married Morris Siegel and moved to San Antonio. Esther married
Irving Bock and moved to
Dallas.
Both Fannie and Hattie were active in civic work in
Sweetwater. They took part in youth
work, Young Women’s League, the County-City Library and the Women’s
Forum. Both were charter members of the American
Association of University Women.
Levy grandchildren who lived in Sweetwater through school
years: Ann Loeb (Mrs. David Sikora, Dallas),
Betty Loeb (Mrs. Frank Bouchett, Charlotte, VE), and Ann Sheridan
(Mrs. Greg
Glazner, Missoula, Montana).
The Texas adventure, begun in 1901 by Abe and Ike Levy,
became the Sweetwater adventure, and the Levys and their progeny
have enjoyed a
place of respect, influence and prosperity in a town they are proud
to call “home”.
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From FIRST 100 YEARS NOLAN COUNTY TEXAS, Page 259 (published
1985 by the Nolan County Historical Society, no longer in print,
transcribed
with permission.)
Submitted by: Janie Davis
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