Samuel Friedman was born in Austria in 1888, the son of Solomon and Annie Friedman. In December 1899, the Friedman family immigrated to the United States of America, settling in Brooklyn, New York City. On 20th July 1906, Solomon Friedman, who by occupation was a cloak maker, became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America. As a result of this, his wife and their four sons, Louis, Samuel, Isaac and Raphael, also became naturalized American citizens. The eldest of the children, Paulina, did not qualify as she had reached the age of majority by this time. She subsequently died in 1919.
At some point, Solomon Friedman’s wife died, leaving him with the five children, and he re-married, his second wife’s name being Etta. They had one child, a daughter named Rachel. Their home was at 1531, 51st. Street, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
In early 1910, Solomon Friedman and his two eldest sons, Louis and Samuel founded an import business - Friedman and Company, Importers, of 491, Broadway, New York City. Louis and Samuel managed the business, their father assisting them.
In the spring of 1915, Samuel’s work took him across the Atlantic Ocean and for his journey to Europe; he booked on the scheduled May sailing of the
Lusitania as a second cabin passenger.
Having boarded the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York Port, before her scheduled departure time of 10.00 a.m., he had to wait until just before 12.30 p.m., before she actually left on what became her final journey. This was because she had to embark passengers and crew and load cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war service as a troop ship, at the end of April.
The Lusitania finally left port just after mid-day and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May; she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine
U-20. At that point, she was off The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland and only about fourteen hours steaming time away from the safety of her Liverpool home port.
Samuel Friedman was one of over 375 second cabin passengers who were killed as a result of this action and as his body was never recovered from the sea and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 27 years at the time of his death.
His family later submitted a claim with the U.S. State Department, seeking a substantial amount in compensation. The claim included compensation for a large amount of cash and 50,000 gross, (7,200,000), chatons (rhinestones). The claimants were unable to give an account of the large amount of cash Samuel was alleged to have had on his possession when sailing, nor could they produce documentation to prove the declaration of the rhinestones. The Commission concluded that Samuel, if he had the rhinestones, was attempting to smuggle them in to England. In light of the lack of evidence, the Commission refused to make any award for the loss of his life, or for any property he might have had with him.
1900 U.S. Federal Census, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 2049, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.