Stifft Family Legacy

Origins in Europe

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In a small Polish town under German rule in the early 19th century, a master jeweler named Perez worked meticulously at his craft. Like generations of men before him, he practiced the delicate art of jewelry making and engraving that had been passed from father to son for as long as family memory stretched. At his side was his wife Henrietta, and together they raised their son Michael, born in 1822.

 

During this period, Jewish families across Europe were being assigned surnames for the first time. When officials approached Perez at his workbench and asked what name he would choose, he hesitated, contemplating the decision.

 

The official, noticing the engraver's tool in Perez's hand, asked, "What is that in your hand?"

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"That is my stift," replied Perez, using the German word for pencil.

"All right," declared the official, "from now on you are Perez Stifft." Thus began the family name that would carry through generations, later gaining an additional 'f' through time and migration.

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A Mother's Sacrifice

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By 1835, when Michael turned thirteen, German authorities were conscripting young boys for military service. Determined to save her son from this fate, Henrietta made the heart-wrenching decision to send Michael away. She arranged for him to apprentice with a jeweler in London, escorted him to the border, and with a final embrace, bid farewell to her son—never to see him again.

In London, Michael honed his craft for several years before securing passage on a sailing ship bound for America.

 

The promising young artisan carried with him not only the technical skills of his ancestors but also a love of learning that would define his character throughout his life.

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The Ironies of Fate

 

Despite his mother's efforts to spare him from military service, Michael's life took an ironic turn when he enlisted to fight in the Mexican-American War after arriving in the United States. At the Battle of Point Isabel, he sustained a wound that left a bullet lodged in his arm—a bullet he would carry for the remainder of his life. This injury earned him a monthly pension of $12, which he faithfully shared with his grandchildren, giving each a dollar whenever he received his payment.

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The Artisan Settles

 

Michael eventually established himself in Cincinnati, where he married Bertha Lovendorf. His reputation as a jewelry artist grew, with his creations becoming treasured heirlooms. Years after his death, people still prized his work, including a particularly remarkable ring composed of five narrow bands of gold that ingeniously formed two clasped hands when worn. His son would later remark that throughout his own career in the jewelry business, he never encountered an artist who could match his father's skill.

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New Beginnings and Tragedy

 

After the birth of their first son in Cincinnati, Michael moved his young family to New Orleans, driven by what his descendants would later describe as a "restless, roving nature." There, six more children joined the family, but tragedy struck when Bertha died giving birth to their seventh child.

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The widowed Michael struggled to maintain his household with a succession of housekeepers, each departing with linens and silver until little remained. His eldest son, just thirteen and having completed his grammar school education, began working in his father's shop to help support the family. Following advice from concerned friends, Michael reluctantly placed his younger children in an Orphan's Home to ensure they received proper education and care.

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A Family's Legacy

 

Despite these hardships, Michael's children went on to forge their own paths:

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His eldest son followed in his father's footsteps, learning the jewelry and watchmaking trade while continuing his education through self-study and organizing literary and reading groups among his friends in New Orleans. Known as "Charlie," he became a respected community leader and accomplished violinist.

Peter became a lawyer in New Orleans, experiencing both professional success and personal tragedy.

 

After losing his beloved wife Evelyn after ten years of marriage, his ambition waned, though he maintained the family connections.

Henrietta developed into a remarkable woman of many talents—teaching, painting, sewing, crocheting, playing piano, and later mastering business skills. Though accomplished, she struggled with personal relationships throughout her life.

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Nathan joined his brother in the family jewelry business, working there until his untimely death from pneumonia at age forty-four.

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The Final Chapter

 

Michael Stifft lived to the venerable age of eighty-four, receiving his final pension payment just one day before his passing. His legacy lives on not only in the artistic jewelry pieces he created but also in the stories passed down through generations of his family—stories that capture the journey of a Jewish immigrant who carried ancient craftsmanship from Poland to America, overcoming adversity to establish a new branch of a centuries-old family tradition.