The Sternbergs in the Early 1900s

In the 1900 census, the Sternbergs are shown as living at 109 Taylor Street in Savannah. Jerome is nine years old and his sister Blanche is 10. Their father, Jacob, is working as a jeweler (for his brother, no doubt), Ida, Jerome's mother, does not work, and the children are both in school. They have a servant--a white woman, Louise Alexander, aged 19. I mention her race because looking at the census records of the time, I see that black servants were common among the Sternbergs' neighbors.

There are a couple of discrepancies with this census record--not unusual in records of the past. One discrepancy is the place where Jerome is born. This census says he was born in New York; however, later, on his WWI draft registration form, he says he was born in Savannah. Since I have found no birth record for Jerome, I can't say for sure which is correct.

Another discrepancy is Jacob's age. But I will get back to that when I discuss Jacob.

In 1905, according to the Savannah City Directory, the Sternbergs were living at 225 East Taylor Street, along with Jacob's brother Simon, who also worked in the jewelry business where Jacob was still a manager. Here is the listing as it appeared in the directory:

Sternberg & Co, watchmakers and jewelers, was located at 117 W. Broughton St. That space is now occupied by a Michael Kors outlet store. Below is a recent photo of the building.

From Google Maps Street View