Julius Freed

Julius Freed

Written by Carroll Van West

Julius Freed was an important post-Civil War German Jewish merchant in Trenton, Gibson County. A native of Prussia, Freed immigrated in 1854 to Columbus, Georgia, where he worked as a peddler. Three years later he moved to Memphis and established a dry goods business. From 1860 to April 1861 Freed operated a small shop in Jackson. During the Civil War he served in the Fifteenth Tennessee Infantry of the Army of Tennessee and was wounded in the battles at Perryville and Chickamauga and during the Atlanta campaign. Captured during Hood's attack on Nashville in December 1864, Freed became a prisoner of war until his release in May 1865.

After the war, Freed promptly moved to Trenton, where he established a partnership with another German Jewish merchant, Julius Ebert. Ebert's and Freed's store on the town square met with success and after Ebert's death in 1878, Freed continued to operate the store as a very successful business. By 1893 the store was known as J. Freed & Son (later Sons). He invested in banking and real estate, and operated a cotton gin. The economic success brought political power. Freed was a city alderman during the 1880s and was placed on a city board to manage the new town waterworks in 1897. Freed submerged enough of his Jewish identity to become part of the economic and political ruling class in Trenton, yet he remained proud of his ethnicity and with his family, at home, maintained Jewish cultural traditions until his death.

In 1871 Freed married Henrietta Cohn and built her a new Victorian-style house on Eaton Street. Today, a local group of historic preservationists is guiding the restoration of the house, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Freeds' sons were important local bankers and politicians, and the family made many civic contributions, including a fountain and ball park. One of its last acts of generosity was by Dr. Frederick Freed, who gave the city a unique and valuable set of Veilleuse-Theieres (night-light teapots), and this collection, housed at City Hall, has become a city symbol for Trenton.

Citation Information The following information is provided for citations.

Article Title Julius Freed
Author Carroll Van West
Website Name Tennessee Encyclopedia
URL http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/julius-freed/
Access Date April 10, 2022
Publisher Tennessee Historical Society
Original Published Date October 8, 2017
Date of Last Update March 1, 2018

Julius Freed

in the New York, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-1943

• Name: Julius Freed
• Record Type: Admission Application
• Naturalization Date: 11 Oct 1884
• Naturalization Place: New York, New York, New York, USA

Julius Freed

in the U.S., Civil War Jewish-American Veterans, 1861-1865

U.S., Civil War Jewish-American Veterans, 1861-1865

• Name: Julius Freed
• Rank: PRIVATE
• Military Place: Tennessee, USA
• Battle: Perryville
• Branch: INFANTRY
• Company: I
• Regiment: 15
• Side: SOUTH
• Status: WOUNDED

Julius Freed

in the U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865

• Name: Julius Freed
• Rank: Private
• Imprisonment Date: 17 Dec 1864
• Imprisonment Place: Franklin, Tennessee
• Side of War: Confederate
• Company: J
• Regiment: 15 Tenn Inft
• Release Date: 15 Feb 1865

Julius Freed

in the 1880 United States Federal Census

• Name: Julius Freed
• Age: 44
• Birth Date: Abt 1836
• Birthplace: Prussia
• Home in 1880: Trenton, Gibson, Tennessee, USA
• House Number: 27
• Dwelling Number: 343
• Race: White
• Gender: Male
• Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
• Marital Status: Married
• Spouse's Name: Henreitta Freed
• Father's Birthplace: Prussia
• Mother's Birthplace: Prussia
• Occupation: Dry Goods Merchant

Household Members Age Relationship

• Julius Freed: 44 Self (Head)
• Henreitta Freed: 29 Wife
• Henry Freed: 8 Son
• Sophia Freed: 7 Daughter
• Leonard Freed: 4 Son
• Joseph Freed: 2 Son
• Julian Freed: 5/12 Son

J Freed

in the Tennessee, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1965

• Name: J Freed
• Gender: Male
• Race: White
• Age: 72
• Birth Date: abt 1836
• Birth Place: Germany
• Death Date: 17 Jul 1908
• Death Place: Trenton, Gibson, Tennessee, USA
• Certificate Number: 27698
• Residence: Marital Status: MarriedRelation to Head of House: Self, Trenton, Gibson, Tennessee, United States - 1880
  • Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Apr 6 2022, 22:22:20 UTC

Married in St. Louis MO Mar. 26, 1871

Julius was a merchant in Trenton, Gibson Co TN.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 10 2022, 16:43:44 UTC
• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 12 2022, 17:22:30 UTC
• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 12 2022, 17:25:43 UTC