Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Holly Springs, Mississippi
Overview >> Mississippi >> Holly Springs
Historical Overview
Holly Springs, a town of 8,000 people in northeast Mississippi, was once the antebellum capital of the mid-South. This county seat of Marshall County, not far from Memphis, was not only a railroad trading depot, but also an agricultural and industrial center in Mississippi.
Trade was always part of this border town, a land ripe for the emergence of Jewish settlers. While most records detail Jewish life after the Civil War, life in Holly Springs certainly felt the presence of earlier Jewish pioneers. Most of these Jews were immigrants who came from places like Alsace, drawn to a land that reminded them of their former homes. Typically, these Jews came from either New York or New Orleans, peddling from farm to farm. With the advent of the railroad, Holly Springs became a trade hub for merchants traveling between New Orleans and urban cities in the North. In the 1870s, “New York stores” opened, selling goods, particularly clothing, produced in New York. Other merchants passed by Holly Springs selling cotton or providing warehouses for raw materials, which then relocated to the manufacturing centers of the United States. The Jewish community in Holly Springs existed from the mid-nineteenth century until the 1970s.
Trade was always part of this border town, a land ripe for the emergence of Jewish settlers. While most records detail Jewish life after the Civil War, life in Holly Springs certainly felt the presence of earlier Jewish pioneers. Most of these Jews were immigrants who came from places like Alsace, drawn to a land that reminded them of their former homes. Typically, these Jews came from either New York or New Orleans, peddling from farm to farm. With the advent of the railroad, Holly Springs became a trade hub for merchants traveling between New Orleans and urban cities in the North. In the 1870s, “New York stores” opened, selling goods, particularly clothing, produced in New York. Other merchants passed by Holly Springs selling cotton or providing warehouses for raw materials, which then relocated to the manufacturing centers of the United States. The Jewish community in Holly Springs existed from the mid-nineteenth century until the 1970s.
Stories of the Jewish Community in Holly Springs
During the Civil War
While the railroad promoted trade in northeast Mississippi, it also provided a worthy winter headquarters for the Union Army during the Civil War. In the winter of 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant and his troops wintered in the bustling antebellum town of Holly Springs.
In order to control the cotton trade in the area for use in the North, the United States Treasury Department mandated that all merchants in the Deep South sell their cotton at a price of 25 cents per pound. Merchants and farmers had to take an oath on this order and follow this government-created cotton monopoly system. While this rule was in place, many Union officers believed that Jewish traders were trying to make a profit through the practice of smuggling; the officers claimed that the Army had to act in order to maintain economic order within the region.
On December 17, 1862, General Grant issued General Orders Number 11, a decree that expelled all Jews from Holly Springs and the rest of the military district under his control. This even applied to Jews who were not involved in the cotton trade. General Grant claimed that Jews were “a curse to the army.” This order angered Jews nationwide, and after intense lobbying from Jewish leaders, President Abraham Lincoln soon rescinded it.
While the railroad promoted trade in northeast Mississippi, it also provided a worthy winter headquarters for the Union Army during the Civil War. In the winter of 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant and his troops wintered in the bustling antebellum town of Holly Springs.
In order to control the cotton trade in the area for use in the North, the United States Treasury Department mandated that all merchants in the Deep South sell their cotton at a price of 25 cents per pound. Merchants and farmers had to take an oath on this order and follow this government-created cotton monopoly system. While this rule was in place, many Union officers believed that Jewish traders were trying to make a profit through the practice of smuggling; the officers claimed that the Army had to act in order to maintain economic order within the region.
On December 17, 1862, General Grant issued General Orders Number 11, a decree that expelled all Jews from Holly Springs and the rest of the military district under his control. This even applied to Jews who were not involved in the cotton trade. General Grant claimed that Jews were “a curse to the army.” This order angered Jews nationwide, and after intense lobbying from Jewish leaders, President Abraham Lincoln soon rescinded it.
After the Civil War
In 1878, around 50 Jews lived in the Marshall County area. I.C. Levy, a French immigrant, had started his clothing store in Holly Springs in 1858, and his family remained successful for over three generations. Levy was also a member of the building committee for the local Masonic temple. While Charles Schneider sold dry goods in 1870, new families began to arrive in the area with names such as Shumacker, Behr, Meyer, Grosskin, Leibson, and Sessels. While most were French, some were Russian immigrants, representing the new wave of immigrants sweeping the United States.
In 1878, around 50 Jews lived in the Marshall County area. I.C. Levy, a French immigrant, had started his clothing store in Holly Springs in 1858, and his family remained successful for over three generations. Levy was also a member of the building committee for the local Masonic temple. While Charles Schneider sold dry goods in 1870, new families began to arrive in the area with names such as Shumacker, Behr, Meyer, Grosskin, Leibson, and Sessels. While most were French, some were Russian immigrants, representing the new wave of immigrants sweeping the United States.
Jewish Life in Holly Springs
Holly Springs was close to Memphis and the Jewish community was not large enough to have its own synagogue. As a result, most Holly Springs Jews attended High Holiday services and followed any other important religious practices in Memphis. Many members of the Holly Springs community remember Jews attending the First Presbyterian Church. According to these stories, these Jews were under no pressure to worship there, but the church’s tolerant and wholesome nature attracted Jews to come on Sundays. This practice continued even as late as the 1970s when some of the last Jews left Holly Springs. Interestingly, most Jews were buried in Memphis, but the Kohner family of the 1960s specifically requested burial in the Presbyterian Hillcrest Cemetery.
The story of Jews attending First Presbyterian Church certainly reflected tolerance among the Holly Springs community as well as assimilation by Jews into Southern society. In small places like Holly Springs, assimilation also led to interfaith marriages. In the 1920s, the South Reporter described an Oxford gentleman named Sam Friedman marrying a Christian woman and celebrating Easter with non-Jewish families. While wishing everyone a good Christmas or a happy Easter was commonplace among Jewish businessmen, celebrating Christian holidays was fairly rare for Jews. Nevertheless, these stories show how Jews felt accepted in their communities.
Holly Springs was close to Memphis and the Jewish community was not large enough to have its own synagogue. As a result, most Holly Springs Jews attended High Holiday services and followed any other important religious practices in Memphis. Many members of the Holly Springs community remember Jews attending the First Presbyterian Church. According to these stories, these Jews were under no pressure to worship there, but the church’s tolerant and wholesome nature attracted Jews to come on Sundays. This practice continued even as late as the 1970s when some of the last Jews left Holly Springs. Interestingly, most Jews were buried in Memphis, but the Kohner family of the 1960s specifically requested burial in the Presbyterian Hillcrest Cemetery.
The story of Jews attending First Presbyterian Church certainly reflected tolerance among the Holly Springs community as well as assimilation by Jews into Southern society. In small places like Holly Springs, assimilation also led to interfaith marriages. In the 1920s, the South Reporter described an Oxford gentleman named Sam Friedman marrying a Christian woman and celebrating Easter with non-Jewish families. While wishing everyone a good Christmas or a happy Easter was commonplace among Jewish businessmen, celebrating Christian holidays was fairly rare for Jews. Nevertheless, these stories show how Jews felt accepted in their communities.
Jewish Businesses in Holly Springs
While religion represented an important dimension of life for the Jewish settlers of Holly Springs, business was central. In the early 1900s, Isidor Blumenthal’s Lady’s Clothing Store sold quality goods at fair prices. Blumenthal’s shop became known throughout Marshall County for its bargain fairs, which attracted people to the store. About the same time, the Shumacker brothers outfitted men with all types of clothing, and their success translated into other ventures--one of the brothers became a director on the executive board of Merchants’ & Farmers’ Bank. Some successful merchants entered the field of banking, and the Merchants' & Farmers' Bank of Holly Springs always featured at least one Jewish board member for many decades.
In the 1920s, Mr. H. Myers ran his haberdashery The Style Shop, while Leo Leibson excelled in high quality shoes and shoe repair. While fewer Jewish businesses existed between 1930 and 1950 aside from the longstanding I. C. Levy Department Store and the shorter-lived Esler’s store, optometrist Dr. J.W. Rothchild used to advertise his Oxford, Mississippi, business in the Holly Springs newspaper. Although some came to see him in Oxford, Dr. Rothchild traveled to an outpost in Holly Springs on a weekly basis to see patients for many years.
While religion represented an important dimension of life for the Jewish settlers of Holly Springs, business was central. In the early 1900s, Isidor Blumenthal’s Lady’s Clothing Store sold quality goods at fair prices. Blumenthal’s shop became known throughout Marshall County for its bargain fairs, which attracted people to the store. About the same time, the Shumacker brothers outfitted men with all types of clothing, and their success translated into other ventures--one of the brothers became a director on the executive board of Merchants’ & Farmers’ Bank. Some successful merchants entered the field of banking, and the Merchants' & Farmers' Bank of Holly Springs always featured at least one Jewish board member for many decades.
In the 1920s, Mr. H. Myers ran his haberdashery The Style Shop, while Leo Leibson excelled in high quality shoes and shoe repair. While fewer Jewish businesses existed between 1930 and 1950 aside from the longstanding I. C. Levy Department Store and the shorter-lived Esler’s store, optometrist Dr. J.W. Rothchild used to advertise his Oxford, Mississippi, business in the Holly Springs newspaper. Although some came to see him in Oxford, Dr. Rothchild traveled to an outpost in Holly Springs on a weekly basis to see patients for many years.
The Decline of Cotton and the Jewish Community in Holly Springs
While cotton had once been king in Holly Springs, this proclaimed capital of northern Mississippi changed economically with the times. In 1936, the state legislature passed a law called “Balance Agriculture with Industry,” which attempted to entice Northern industries with lower taxes and labor costs. This effort was successful in Holly Springs. While industry enabled prosperity to continue despite the decline of cotton between the 1940s and 1950s, the Jewish community was unable to grow as a result of these changes. Without cotton, Jewish merchants were not a necessity in Holly Springs anymore. Along with tighter immigration laws, deaths in the Jewish population decreased numbers to as low as 20 people by 1937. Holly Springs was close enough to Memphis that most younger generations were attracted to the lucrative opportunities of Memphis and left Marshall County for good.
While cotton had once been king in Holly Springs, this proclaimed capital of northern Mississippi changed economically with the times. In 1936, the state legislature passed a law called “Balance Agriculture with Industry,” which attempted to entice Northern industries with lower taxes and labor costs. This effort was successful in Holly Springs. While industry enabled prosperity to continue despite the decline of cotton between the 1940s and 1950s, the Jewish community was unable to grow as a result of these changes. Without cotton, Jewish merchants were not a necessity in Holly Springs anymore. Along with tighter immigration laws, deaths in the Jewish population decreased numbers to as low as 20 people by 1937. Holly Springs was close enough to Memphis that most younger generations were attracted to the lucrative opportunities of Memphis and left Marshall County for good.
The Jewish Community in Holly Springs Today
With the passing and the migration of the last two families, the Levys and the Kohners, the Jewish community of Holly Springs ceased to function by the 1970s. Many locals remember the great Jewish citizens that once resided in Holly Springs, local citizens who contributed to multiple facets of society. It is possible, however that a Jewish community could re-emerge in the town. As a possible future bedroom community for Memphis, Holly springs may once again become a home for organized Jewish life.