L Ludwig Schwarzkopf

Louis Schwarzkopf was one of the founding members of a synagogue in St. Louis Missouri. His name is frequently mentioned in the book Zion in the Valley by Walter Ehrlich. His father in law Daniel Block was also closely involved and also mentioned in the book . The time period of this activity was 1850.

I am using the name L. Schwarzkopf, without the "t" as written clearly in contemporary letters from Isador Bush to Isaac Leeser in the late 1840 to early 1850 time frame found online at University of Pennsylvania Jewish library Leeser records section.

His Second Papers, the path to US Citizenship, are attached to his profile. They state he came from Austria.

Some Schwarzkopf's were in Vienna in the 1840's as shown in the Jewish Vital Records. For one example, Cecilie Schwarzkopf was born in 1812 and died in 1840.

Louis or Leopold or Ludwig may have been the son and grandson of Rabbi's in his home town. They were part of the large Schwarzkopf family in Bohemia in the 1700 and 1800's. No record to validate his parents has been found. There are Rabbi named Schwarzkopf but no record of any son with the correct name and date has been located. (DB February 19, 2018). There are more speculative ideas on the About section of his ? father on Geni.

Ship arrival records of the ship Ann, arrived in Baltimore on September 7, 1849 state that Lazarus Schwarzkopf arrived from Delft port. He was a butcher. He came from Bohemia. He was age 27, thus a birth year of about 1822. He came alone, no other people with the same name on this voyage. He stated his destination was Missouri. This is found on Roll M255, page 007. National Archives and Ancestry,com. He was grouped with a number of people from Bohemia going to Missouri, farmers, butcher, tailor, etc. He was in a cabin as were the rest of the people. Some Jewish names, some German names, some families, some single men. The name next to his was a single male, about the same age, named Adelbert Taush.

                               Leopold or Ludwig or Louis Schwartzkopf 

                  (1825, 1826 or 1827, Bohemia-December 18, 1863 St. Louis)

Ludwig aka Louis Schwarzkopf was the first husband of Dora Block. After he died she married wounded Civil War veteran Samuel Berwin. Schwarzkopf was an immigrant from Europe, Bohemia, and was closely involved with Daniel Block, Dora's father, in the organization of the Jewish community in St. Louis prior to the Civil War.

In his book Zion in the Valley, Walter Ehrlich, quoting from Bush, mentions an Abraham Schwartzkopf, a shochet or ritual slaughterer, who immigrated with his brother-in-law Joseph Kohn and their wives, sisters Esther and Ellen Block. Esther and Ellen were sisters of Eliezer S. Block. They arrived in St. Louis in the 1837 time frame. There is no known genealogical connection between Abraham and Ludwig, but it would appear that they came in close contact with each other and with the Block families in St. Louis at that time.

In 1849 Ludwig, along with Daniel Block, Solomon Steindler, John Fleishman, Moses Epstein, Hyman Epstein, M. Sternbach, Herman Block, Jacob Wachtel, Adolph Wachtel, Joseph Katz, Nathan Aschner, Adolph Aschner, Adolph Klauber, Julius Augstein, Joseph Levi, Moses Brumi, Ephraim Fischel, M.A. Taussig, Daniel Winkler, Benard Singer and Isidor Bush started the B'nai B'rith Congregation in St. Louis.

If Ludwig was born in 1825 as indicated by his death record then he would have been only 24 at this time.

In 1852 Ludwig, along with Isidor Bush, sent a letter to a newspaper in Philadelphia asking for Jews in the US to help fund a permanent building for the congregation in St. Louis.

In Ehrlich a section relates that on November 7, 1852, Ludwig volunteered, temporarily, at least, to assume the post of chazzan (cantor), without remuneration for the new congregation. A few weeks later on January 30, 1853, Ludwig was appointed one of the seven directors, along with Isidor Bush, William Walter, Alexander Suess, Daniel Block, Bernard Singer and Isaac Lowman. Ludwig was chazzan for five years until 1857.

In February 22, 1855 he, using Louis as his name was a witness to the second papers naturalization of Henry Block, along with witness Joseph Kohn, in the St. Louis Circuit Court.

Schwartzkopf was involved in the formation of the first St. Louis chapter of the benevolent society B'nai B'rith in August, 1855. By this time Daniel Block had died, but the group that established the chapter was much the same as before. Ludwig was elected president.

In 1857 congregation B'nai El named Rev. Henry Kuttner as religious leader and rabbi. He remained so until 1870. During this period, in 1866 he performed the marriage of Schwartzkopf's widow Dora to Samuel Berwin.

Schwartzkopf was, in addition to his religious and charitable duties, an agent of various Jewish newspapers and publications including the Israelite and the Occident. These were published in Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

In the Kennedy's 1860 St. Louis City directory he was noted as living at r. 56 Franklin Avenue and working as a butcher. He was one of two Schwarzkopf in the directory. The other was Clemens Schwarzkopf, a blacksmith.

Ludwig Schwarzkopf married Dora Block in 1854. Dora was born in Plezen, Bohemia.

Daughter Rosa was born on April 26, 1856. She married Isaac Glucklich in 1874 in St. Louis. She died after 1913, in La Cygne Kansas.

Ludwig and Dora's daughter Celia Schwarzkopf was born with the name Zizilie on April 6, 1861 according to her cemetery records. She married Adolph Fischer. She died in La Cygne, Kansas in 1936 where she had moved with her stepsister Agnes Berwin. I am in touch with her descendant Penny Short in Sammamish Washington

In addition to Rosa and Celia, there were two sons born to Ludwig and Dora; Frank Schwarzkopf who was born June 20, 1859 and Leopold Schwarzkopf, born Nov 25, 1863. These men may have been named for Ludwig's male ancestors who were by then deceased. Note that Leopold was born just three weeks before Ludwig died.

Records at Mt. Sinai Cemetery in St. Louis note Louis Schwarzkopf died December 18, 1863, plot number 0164. His age was given as 38 making his birth year 1825.

With the advent of DNA testing it may be possible to link this family with other Schwarzkopf families and Rabbinical lines. Any one with descent from Louis Schwarzkopf may contribute to this end. Refer to this Geni Project on the descendants of Rabbis for advice: https://www.geni.com/projects/Rabbinical-Lineages-yDNA-and-Haplogroup-Identification/58725

Copyright Dan Berwin Brockman 2020. Updated with comments about DNA Testing, May 5, 2020.

An Abraham Schwartzkopf died on February 11, 1877, age 85, and was buried in New Mt. Sinai cemetery. He was born in 1792 in Bohemia.