An American Experience
Adeline Moses Loeb (1876-1953) and Her Early American Jewish Ancestors

With an Introduction by Eli N. Evans

Cloth $49.95    |    978-0-9822032-0-0    |    2009

Reviews
"A model for genealogists, a gift to historians, and a treasure for anyone who loves American portraiture, this magnificently-produced volume sets a new standard for family history. It reveals much not only about John L. Loeb Jr., Adeline Moses Loeb, and the ancestors who shaped them, but also about the American Jewish experience as a whole, from its early colonial beginnings."
—Jonathan Sarna
Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History
Brandeis University
Author, American Judaism; co-author, The History of Jewish People

"This exquisitely edited and beautifully illuminated volume is much more than a family history. The story of Adeline Moses Loeb and Her Early American Jewish Ancestors constitutes a veritable epitome of the American Jewish experience. The contributors have successfully reconstructed the lives of an impressive array of captivating personalities - men and women whose biographical sketches genuinely enrich our understanding of Jewish life in the American world from the colonial period through the twentieth century. Readers who enjoy discovering and rediscovering why Whitman described this country as ‘a teaming nation of nations’ will relish exploring each and every page of this book. "
—Gary P. Zola
Associate Professor, American Jewish Experience
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio
Executive Director, Jacob Rader Marcus Center,
American Jewish Archives
Co-author, American Jewish History:A Primary Source Reader

"How fresh and illuminating to tell history through the lens of a woman, her world and her words. Adeline Moses Loeb emerges in these pages as a determined woman. Thinking of American Jewish history from her perspective offers a unique engagement with history. The fact that this book looks backward from her times to the experiences of previous generations of American Jews, again with an eye toward women’s experiences, makes this an important book. "
—Hasia Diner
Paul and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History
Director, Goldstein-Goren Center for American Jewish History, New York University
Author, The Jews of the United States, 1645-2000 and The Jewish Place in America

"Adeline Moses Loeb and Her Early American Jewish Ancestors is an extraordinary tapestry composed of variously colored threads-of anecdote, of biography, of gossip, of memoir, of scholarly genealogy, and of rich American history-all of which come together to create an intricately lacy valentine to a great American Jewish family, such as few other families are likely to receive."
—Stephen Birmingham
Author, Our Crowd and The Grandees

"Jewish immigrants, seeking religious freedom and financial opportunity, arrived in the New World more than a century before the American Revolution. Many of them prospered through trade with the British. But these pioneers, entrepreneurs and patriots—including the ancestors of Adeline Moses Loeb—gave up their fortunes, their freedom and often their lives for America’s independence. In telling the story of his grandmother, former Ambassador John Loeb shines a light on the even greater story of American Jewish history and the founding of the nation that endures as the symbol of freedom for all."
—Diana L. Bailey
Author, American Treasure: The Enduring Spirit of the DAR

"John L. Loeb Jr. over the years has emerged as one of the outstanding benefactors of American Jewish historical study. This book, a combination of personal memoirs, genealogy, and family history helps further the message that John has preached for years—that American Jewish history is American history, and from it we can all learn."
—Melvin I. Urofsky
Author, The American Presidents and The Levy Family and Monticello, 1834-1923: Saving Thomas Jefferson’s House

"Adeline Moses Loeb stands out as a lovable matriarch in a distinguished American Jewish family, including everyone from Revolutionary and Civil War veterans to contemporary leaders in philanthropy, diplomacy, and finance."
—Ken Libo
Professor of History
Hunter College Co-author, Lots of Lehmans, All in a Lifetime, and World of Our Fathers

"An intimate portrait of an American Jewish family at once typical and extraordinary. The impetus to recall the life of Adeline Moses Loeb has stimulated an unusual blend of genealogy, memoir, and social and cultural history that is well worth exploring."
—Deborah Dash Moore
Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor of History
Director, Frankel Center for Judaic Studies
University of Michigan

"Evoking love of family and country, Adeline Moses Loeb traces an eminent contemporary American Jewish family to its origins more than three centuries ago. It is a loving tribute to America’s capacity to embrace people of all persuasions, and to provide them with the opportunity not only to succeed as individuals but, as well, to contribute to the greater good of community and nation. For genealogists and students of American Jewish history, it contributes significantly to our knowledge of the American Jewish experience, especially in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is a splendid addition to the annals of the American Jewish record."
—Eli Faber
Professor and Chairperson, History Department
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Author of Jews,Slaves and the Slave Trade: Setting the Record Straight

Description
Eight generations of a prominent American Jewish family unfold in this captivating biography of Adeline Moses Loeb. Combining lively stories by family members with archival and genealogical research, this book is a glowing portrait of Adeline, the daughter of a successful banker, and the family that shaped her. Part one recounts Adeline’s early life in Alabama and St. Louis, Missouri, and her move to New York after she married Carl M. Loeb, founder of the legendary Wall Street firm of Loeb Rhoades. In part two, Adeline’s grandson, John L. Loeb, Jr., describes the family’s close relationship with the Sons of the Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution, as well as many national exhibits of early Jewish life sponsored by the Loeb family and the enthusiastic public response. Finally, in part three, historian Judith Endelman chronicles the lineage of the Moses family dating back to the 1600s.

8 3/8 x 10 1/2, 380 pages, approximately 50 full color and 50 black-and-white photographs, 6 maps, 11 family trees, bibliography, appendix, index

Distributed for Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York