Carolyn Baruch (Sam Levenson's wife) begins interview with brief synopsis of her family history. Her mother, Theresa Block, was born (1889) in Brooklyn, NY, and met Herman Baruch (born in Camden, SC) while visiting an uncle in Camden. The couple married (1920) and Herman Baruch ran a men's clothing store in Camden. Baruch ancestors were originally from Germany but immigrated to America during the early 1800s. The family spread throughout South Carolina and famous relatives include American financier and diplomat, Bernard Baruch (a cousin of Herman Baruch.). Sam Levenson and his sister, Ella Levenson Schlossberg, next discuss their family history. Originally from Lithuania, their father, Frank Levenson (born Ephram Zay Levenson), immigrated (ca. 1890) to America with his family and settled outside of Baltimore. Sam Levenson recounts an anecdote about his father's mischievous behavior on the boat ride to the U.S. Once in America, Frank Levenson often accompanied his father, a traveling peddler, on the road. Business opportunities led the family to Bishopville, South Carolina. Sam Levenson describes Bishopville in the early twentieth century as the "wild west." He portrays it as a "rough" area replete with shady characters and gun fights that took place in or near the general merchandise store Frank Levenson opened in 1910. Levenson recounts his memories of growing up in Bishopville. His mother, Nettie Levenson, (also from Lithuania) was the daughter of a butcher, and knew how to kosher chickens. She did her best to keep a kosher kitchen with help from Rabbi David Karesh of Columbia, SC. Rabbi Karesh traveled to Bishopville every few weeks to slaughter chickens or bring kosher meats. The Levensons attended Jewish services at a Masonic Hall, and a majority of Bishopville Jews spoke Yiddish. Frank Levenson even recorded his business records in Yiddish and had African American employees who learned to speak Yiddish. Sam Levenson worked in his father's store as a young man and eventually ran his own business (a liquor store) in Bishopville. Miscellaneous topics include the changing nature of Bishopville's Jewish community, the Levenson family's congenial relationships with their African American employees, Sam Levenson's experiences as a Jewish soldier during World War II, and incidents of anti-Semitism experienced by all three interviewees during their lives, with particular emphasis on the Camden community.
