New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-14
James SeIigman, Original Partner
of Banking Firm, Reminiscent.
IN STEERAGE OF 60-DAY SHIP
Got Smallpox, Seven in a Bed,
Coming to Join S400-a-
Year Brother.

sessed also Of sweetness not ordinarily
associated with captains Of finance and in
dustry. He and his brother. Isaac, now
seventy Seven years old and living in Lon
don. are the only surviving members or
family Of eleven and the only surviving
original partners Of the famous banking
house Of j. & w. Seliman & Co, which COM
prised all eight brothers Of this remarkable
family.
The aged banker. after some persuasion,
consented TO tell in his quiet. simple way
the highly human story OF his career and
those OF his brothers and sisters. so in
extricably linked with his, for the eight
brothers were, at the same time, IN charge
of the various banking houses in New York
London Paris Frankfort and San Fran
cisco, and, like the Rothschild family, all
had an equal interest in the profits OF all
the firms. Mr.. Seligman said:
II was born in 1924 in Baiersdorf Ger
many. David Seligman was my father and
my mothers name before her marriage was
Fannie Steinhart. My mother was a hard
working woman. She conducted a store in
dependently of my father, who was a
woolen merchant and looked after the
home and all tine children as well. I was
the third oldest son and the fourth oldest
child in a family of eleven.
MY parents sent me to the village school
every school day. except the Sabbath, until
| was eleven years old They then decided
was old enough to learn a trade. and they
sent me TO Floss, one hundred miles from
home, TO live with my mothers sister and
learn the weavers trade from my uncle.
spent several years with my uncle and
aunt and then returned to Balersdorf.
where | got employment as weaver.
II can remember that when I was nine
years old two wagonloads of people left
Baiersdorf to take the ship for America.
My parents sent my oldest brother. Joseph,
who was nineteen years old then. with
them. giving him 500 He went directly TO
Pennsylvania and became a cashier in a
coal mine. with a salary OF 800 a year.
Got Smallpox Coming Over.
"Gn the spring OF 1899 my mother gave
me and my brother William $40 each sewed
I'm bags and tied around our waists, under
our clothes, with which to so TO America.
The trip to Bremen took two weeks We
stopped at hotels on the way and slept on
the straw on the floors. for which We had
to pay. There were four hundred pessen-
gers on the sailing vessel we took at
Bremen, each one ~ whom was charged
$40 for his passage. We slept seven or one
cot in the steerage. The passage took sixty
days. 1t makes me sick TO think of it. Is
IT any wonder that marvel at the Maure-
tania's record?
"One man among us had the smallpox
and twenty five caught It from him. ]
among them. on the Fourth of July. 1899,
when we landed ! was left IN the hospital
on the island, while my brother William
went on 10 Pennsylvania. whore Joseph got
him n job In a store. ] was over the worst
OF the rash by that time. The doctor gave
me a dose OF castor OIL which was bad
that / have tasted IL ever since The next
day he found me much better. and allowed
me 10 leave | still had some money. and
also. untouched. the $40 sewed in a bag un-
der my clothes. went straight 10 Mauch
chunk. Penn
His brother apprenticcd him to two car
penters in Bethlehem. Penn. both Of whom
failed. James rebelled against further car
pentry 50 Joseph bought him a box OF
icwelry. rings. pins chains, etc, some
gold plated and some German silver. for
which he paid 500" With this outfit and
his original $40. which he still had, he
started forth as pedler. and the first day
sold 500 worth Of jewelry among Joseph .
customers in Mauch Chunk.
The next year he went South and made
1900 He persuaded his two brothers to
Join him, and In 1910, with Jesse. a younger
brother. who had come over to America I'm
the mean time. they sailed for Mobile.
There they separated. to meet six weeks
later at Montgomery. Ala.
When we met and compared notes, "
continued Mr.. Seliman. 81 found | had
lam twice as much as Joseph and Jesse
lam twice as much Joseph and Reese
put together. We decided to continue"
Started Orysoods Stores.
A few years later tho brothers estab-
lished drygoods stores AT Greensboro and
Utah, Alabama. Later still, they sold out
and came north. establishing other stores
I'm St Louis and Watertown. y. Y. Their
mother died In lal and the year following
they brought the rest Of the family TO
America with tho exception Of the father.
who came the next year They rented
half a house downtown in New York,
where the oldest sister, Babette. reigned
while James remained home long enodgh
TO start the younger children in school.
I'm 1876 Sister Babette married" said
the aged banker. we were worth then
$500. We gave her half our fortune-yl 100
I'm cash and three notes for 81 90 each. The
next year Resale. another sister. married,
and we gave her s2,00. In lslS Joseph and !
planned TO open another business and We
went TO Europe. Joe got married over
there. and we brought his wife back with
lis Thus We combined business and pleas
ure"
When the gold fever broke out II at
tackled william. Jesse, Henry, Abraham
and Leopold, all of whom went to Cali
fornia and opened a branch of J. w.
Seligman a. Co., which had already been
established at No Beekman street as
an importing irm. The brothers prospercd
i'm both cities. and when the Civil War
came along they got contracts from the
government for supplying the Union troops
with uniforms, which netted them millions.
At the close Of the war they became bank
ers. opening their different houses here
and abroad from year to year.
1T was our pride few years ago. Mr.
seligman went on, ito erect a building OF
our own at No William street, which Is
a fitting home for J. e. W. Seligman d. Co.
In the board room there my grandchildren
may see the portraits of the eight Seligman
brothers. / trust their lives may serve as
an inspiration to all of them. What we
hava done others NAV do.
James Seigman is one Of the Oldest mem
bers of tho New York Stock Exchange and
is president of the Temple Emanuel. His
wife died some years ago. He has six chill
| dren. twelve grandchildren and one great
erandchld.
The birthday to-day will be celebrated