Max Blum (January 15, 1895–January 7, 1989)
By Foster Strong and Sarah Schneider
Early Life
Early Life
Max Blum was born on January 15, 1895 in New York City. 1 His mother and father, Tobina and Edward Blum, were born in Germany and immigrated to America in the late nineteenth century. 2 The Blum family was Jewish. Many Jews left Germany in the mid- to late-nineteenth century in order to seek economic opportunity elsewhere, which may have been why Max’s parents immigrated to the United States. 3 Max lived with his immediate family in Manhattan, NY, and he had two older brothers named Joseph and Robert. 4 Max’s father worked as a butcher and his mother was a housewife. 5 In 1905, Joseph worked as a jeweler’s apprentice, Robert worked as a printer’s helper, and Max was in school, shown here on the 1905 New York State Census. 6 Ultimately, Max’s education would go no further than eighth grade. 7 Employed as a drug store clerk in 1915, Max was the last of his brothers to live with his parents. 8
Service during World War I
On July 16, 1918, Blum began his military service at the age of twenty-three. 9 His Abstract of World War I Military Service, shown here, demonstrates that he was sent to Camp Meigs in Washington, DC where he served in the Quartermaster Corps. 10 Named after a former Quartermaster General, Camp Meigs was used for quartermaster training. 11 Prior to the establishment of the camp, a mansion belonging to a prominent Washington, DC family occupied the land. 12 After a fire destroyed the house, the land was leased to the government to create Camp Meigs. 13 The Quartermaster Corps was a “supply service that procured and distributed clothing, rations, and equipment” and also helped to “promote the health and welfare of the soldier.” 14 Therefore, Blum most likely was trained to purchase and to distribute supplies while at Camp Meigs.
In addition to his service at Camp Meigs, Blum was stationed at the US Army Hospital located at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana. 15 There, he most likely dealt with those injured from the war and may have provided the hospital with needed supplies. It is possible that he used his training from working at a drug store to help those returning from the war. Blum was never sent overseas during his service, but the work of the Quartermaster Corps in the United States was nevertheless vital to the war effort. 16 On April 25, 1919 Blum was honorably discharged from the service and returned to civilian life. 17
Post-Service
After his service in the military, Blum went on to marry and start a family. On January 20, 1925, Max married Rose Zimmerman in New York City. 18 Working as a druggist in 1930, Max lived in Brooklyn with his wife and first-born son, Martin. 19 The couple’s second son, Herbert, was born around 1934. 20 There were also two young boys, Herbert and Roger Parker, who lived with the Blum family in 1940 and were categorized as boarders on the census. 21 By 1940, Max had changed professions and was working as a window trimmer at a department store. 22 Throughout his career as a window trimmer, he arranged store window displays in order to advertise products to customers. 23
Eventually, Blum moved to Long Island. 24 At some point he married a woman named Mildred, possibly in 1979 in New York. 25 Blum moved to Leesburg, FL in 1979, presumably to retire. 26 Blum was active in veterans causes as part of American Legion Post 330, Mid Florida Lakes, and participated as a veteran in events such as the 1987 Washington’s Birthday parade in Eustis, FL. 27 Blum passed away on January 7, 1989 in Leesburg, FL at the age of ninety-three. 28 He was survived by his wife, Mildred, and his sons Herbert and Martin, as well as additional generations of the Blum family including seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. 29 Blum was buried at Florida National Cemetery where future generations can honor his life, service, and memory. 30
Endnotes
1 “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca. 1775-2006,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, Florida National Cemetery; “New York, New York, Birth Index, 1878-1909,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, Manhattan, NY. Note: Some sources list Max Blum’s birthdate as January 15, 1895, and some list it as January 16, 1895.
2 “New York, State Census, 1915,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, New York, NY.; “United States Census, 1920,” database, FamilySearch.org https://FamilySearch.org (accessed July 25, 2017) entry for Max Blume sic , Manhattan Assembly District 12, New York, NY. Note: Some records list Edward’s name as Adolph and some records spell Tobina other ways, such as “Tobeina.”
3 Rafael Medoff, Jewish Americans and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2002), 5-6.
4 “New York, State Census, 1905,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, Manhattan, New York, NY.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 “1940 United States Federal Census,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, New York, Queens, NY.
8 New York, State Census, 1915,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, New York, NY.
9 “New York, Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www. Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, New York City, NY.; “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca. 1775-2006,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, Florida National Cemetery.
10 “New York, Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, New York City, NY.
11 “War Department. Camp Meigs, Washington, D.C. 9/1917-5/7/1920, Organization Authority Record,” National Archives Catalog, accessed July 26, 2017, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10464773#.WXjiIsiCQHo.link.; “Panoramic Photographs from the National Archives…Panoramic Photographs, Part 3,” Archives.gov, accessed July 26, 2017, https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/panoramic_photography/part_3.html.
12 Kim Williams, “Union Market,” Historic Preservation Review Board, Historic Landmark Case No. 16-18, September 23, 2016, accessed July 26, 2017, https://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/Union Market Terminal Nomination Florida Avenue 4th and 5th and Penn Street NE Staff Report Case 16 18.pdf, 2.
13 Ibid.
14 Erna Risch, Quartermaster Support of the Army: A History of the Corps, 1775-1939 (Washington, DC: Quartermaster Historian’s Office, 1962), v, 2.
15 “New York, Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, New York City, NY.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 “New York City, Marriage Indexes, 1907-1995,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, Brooklyn, New York City, NY.; “1940 United States Federal Census,” database, Ancestry.com https://www.Ancestry.com, (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, New York, Queens, NY.
19 “1930 United States Federal Census,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, Brooklyn, Kings, NY.
20 “1940 United States Federal Census,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, New York, Queens, NY.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 “Obituaries…Max Blum,” The Orlando Sentinel, January 9, 1989, page b4.; Louisa Iarocci, ed., Visual Merchandising: The Image of Selling (New York, NY: Routledge, 2013), 97-99.
24 “Obituaries…Max Blum,” The Orlando Sentinel, January 9, 1989, page b4.
25 Ibid.; “New York City, Marriage Indexes, 1907-1995,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www. Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum and Mildred E. Collins, Queens, New York City, NY.
26 “Obituaries…Max Blum,” The Orlando Sentinel, January 9, 1989, page b4.
27 Ibid.; Bill Bond, “City’s 2nd Swan behind Bars during Search for New Home,” The Orlando Sentinel, March 5, 1987, page 3.
28 “Florida Death Index, 1877-1998,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, Lake, FL.; “Obituaries…Max Blum,” The Orlando Sentinel, January 9, 1989, page b4.
29 “Obituaries…Max Blum,” The Orlando Sentinel, January 9, 1989, page b4.
30 “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca. 1775-2006,” database, Ancestry.com, https://www.Ancestry.com (accessed July 24, 2017) entry for Max Blum, Florida National Cemetery.
© 2017, University of Central Florida
