Postcard: Straus-Dynastie, Otterberg, Germany to Maurice Straus, care Helbing Greenebaum & Co., corner Pine & Battery Streets, San Francisco, California. Undated.

Archive

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Straus Historical Society

Name/Title

Postcard: Straus-Dynastie, Otterberg, Germany to Maurice Straus, care Helbing Greenebaum & Co., corner Pine & Battery Streets, San Francisco, California. Undated.

Entry/Object ID

EarlyFam2.004.001

Scope and Content

Postcard: Straus-Dynastie, Otterberg, Germany to Maurice Straus, care Helbing Greenebaum & Co., corner Pine & Battery Streets, San Francisco, California. Undated. Google translation of this card: "Very rare three color franking on international letter. After the tariff reform act of October 17, 1861 franked with 41 Kroner for one ounce of letter sent for Prussian-American packages. Franked with vertical pair Michel I8, 9 and 2x No 13 (in different shades tied by mark G MR "377" and next semicircle canceled in Otterberg (Sem II). the letter was sent from Otterberg to San Francisco between Jan 20, 1863 to Jan 20, 1868. Attached is a double circle endorsement (cancellation) to San Francisco from Aachen (Prussia) from January 30 in reddish color and left "Prussian closed mail." the recipient, the businessman Maurice Straus was born 1820 in Otterberg. He was actively involved in the Revolution of 1848/49. In 1849 he left his home, registered as a political refugee in Switzerland and then went to the US. In 1863 he was a businessman with the firm of Helbing Greenebaum (Gruenebaum was also a Pfalzer emigrant). Shortly before 1869 he returned to the old country. He died April 9, 1873 in Kaiserslautern where his gravestone stands today. He was a member of the Otterberg Straus Jewish dynasty."