Dates: 1877-1888.
Size: 0.65 cubic ft.

Biography:
Solomon and Samuel Hyman

Solomon and Samuel Hyman were Russian-born Jewish brothers who became pioneer merchants in south Mississippi and Louisiana. Born in the village of Weigla, Russia on October 12, 1827, Solomon “Sol” Hyman moved to the United States in 1850 at age 23. On March 22, 1856, he married Pauline Lichtenstein (b. 1832 – d. September 19, 1916) of Holmesville, Pike County, Mississippi.  Pauline was also from an immigrant family from Poland.  They had six children, two daughters: Rogena (b. May 13, 1857 – d. October 11, 1931) and Flora (b. October 31, 1865 – d. April 21, 1944), and four sons: Eugene (b. August 6, 1858 – d. April 2, 1915), Abraham (b. ca. 1859), Alexander (b. April 2, 1860 – d. August 8, 1934), and Harris (b. April 25, 1862 – d.  February 18, 1931).

During the Civil War, Solomon served as a private in the Company I, Second Regiment, Mississippi Infantry, also known as Quinn’s State Troops, of the Confederate States Army. After surviving the war, Solomon and Pauline were residents of Summit, Pike County, Mississippi for fifty years. While residing in Summit, Solomon became an upstanding figure in the town, establishing Summit’s first bank and becoming the town’s first mayor.  He received an appointment as commissioner to represent Pike County at the Vienna University Exposition in 1873.

Solomon’s brother, Samuel “Sam” Hyman, was born on December 25, 1839 in Russia. After arriving in the United States in 1856, he settled in Pike County, Mississippi by 1870. After marrying Adele Hiller on January 8, 1879, he had two sons, Silas (b. November 11, 1879 – d. October 23, 1943), Walter (b. ca. 1880), and one daughter, Rosa (b. September 10, 1882 – d. June 7, 1958).  During the Civil War, Samuel served as a private in the Company E, Third Battalion, Mississippi Infantry, of the Confederate States Army.

The first business venture by the brothers was the Hyman & Brother Store, one of the first stores in Summit. The store eventually grew into Hyman Mercantile Company and soon developed into a department store, with many individual departments. One of the most significant developments of Hyman Mercantile was the development of a cotton department, which could handle over 8,000 bales of cotton per season.

Samuel Hyman was also involved in New Orleans-based Hyman, Lichtenstein and Company until 1892. Officers of the company were Samuel Hyman, Hart Lichtenstein, and Jonas Hiller. The three men were related through marriage and employed other members of the extended family.

Due to population decline in Summit as a result of the boll weevil’s effect on the regional cotton industry, Samuel moved with his family to New Orleans by 1900 and Solomon soon followed. Solomon died on February 28, 1910, and Samuel died on December 23, 1910. Both are buried with their families in Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.

 
Scope and Content Note:

This collection contains one business journal from the Hyman & Brother general merchandise store in Summit, Pike County. The journal is leather and canvas-bound, containing 1000 pages, of which 977 contained daily entries. Twenty-three pages are unmarked.

 
Series Identification:

Series 1: Journal, 1877-1878.

This series consists entirely of one business journal from Hyman & Brother, which records daily entries of customer accounts. The journal is complete with a list of account names, merchandise charged, total balanced charged for each account, and paid accounts. Daily entries span the months of January 20, 1877 through March 30, 1878.

Box 1: Daily Journal, 1877-1878.