Levi (Löb)
STRAUSS (STRAUß)
Born
26 February 1829
,
Bavaria, Germany
Died
26 September 1902
,
San Francisco, California, USA
Parents & Family of Levi (Löb) STRAUSS (STRAUß)
Explore parents, grandparents, spouses, children, and the family connections surrounding Levi (Löb) STRAUSS (STRAUß).
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Grandparents
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Family Tree
Born: 26 February 1829 in Bavaria, Germany
Father:
Unknown
Mother:
Unknown
Levi (Löb) was an immigrant to the United States, arriving by 1870.
Levi (Löb) STRAUSS (STRAUß) died 26 September 1902 in San Francisco, California, USA.
Jacob W. Davis (1831–1908) was a tailor in Reno, Nevada, who is credited with inventing the modern riveted blue jean in 1871. While working in his shop on Virginia Street, he developed the idea of using copper rivets to reinforce stress points on work pants—specifically pocket corners and the base of the button fly—after a customer requested a more durable pair of trousers for her husband.
Because Davis lacked the $68 needed to file for a patent, he wrote to his fabric supplier in San Francisco, Levi Strauss. The two men partnered and were granted U.S. Patent No. 139,121 for an "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings" on May 20, 1873. This date is widely considered the "birthday" of blue jeans.
Levi Strauss never married.
Levi's sister Fanny and her husband David Stern moved to St. Louis, Missouri, while Levi went to live in Louisville, Kentucky, and sold his brothers' supplies there. Levi became an American citizen in January 1853.
Levi's nephew Sigmund Stern's only child, Elise Fanny Stern, married Walter A. Haas, the son of Abraham Haas, whose descendants are the current owners of Levi Strauss & Co.
Because Davis lacked the $68 needed to file for a patent, he wrote to his fabric supplier in San Francisco, Levi Strauss. The two men partnered and were granted U.S. Patent No. 139,121 for an "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings" on May 20, 1873. This date is widely considered the "birthday" of blue jeans.
Levi Strauss never married.
Levi's sister Fanny and her husband David Stern moved to St. Louis, Missouri, while Levi went to live in Louisville, Kentucky, and sold his brothers' supplies there. Levi became an American citizen in January 1853.
Levi's nephew Sigmund Stern's only child, Elise Fanny Stern, married Walter A. Haas, the son of Abraham Haas, whose descendants are the current owners of Levi Strauss & Co.
Details of the family tree of Levi appear below.
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Life & Records
Photos, life events, and historical records for Levi (Löb) STRAUSS (STRAUß).
How to read this timeline
Records about Levi (Löb) STRAUSS (STRAUß) and family appear alongside historical events from the same years. Each item is labeled so you can quickly tell family records from historical context.
Records about Levi (Löb) STRAUSS (STRAUß) and family appear alongside historical events from the same years. Each item is labeled so you can quickly tell family records from historical context.
Birth — 182926 February 1829
Bavaria, Germany
1843 - The Christmas card is invented (Sir Henry Cole and John Callcott Horsley, England)Artificial Freezer Patented (Nancy M. Johnson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
1845 - The rubber band is invented (Stephen Perry, England)The refrigerator is invented (John Gorrie, United States)
1868 - The typewriter is invented (Christopher Latham Sholes, United States)Thomas Edison applies for his first patent, the electric vote recorder.
1870 - San Francisco, California
Name: Levi Strauss
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1870
Event Place: California, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Race: White
Race: W
Birth Year (Estimated): 1827-1828
Birthplace: Bavaria
Page Number: 22
Household ID: 170
Line Number: 36
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: M593
GS Film number: 000545581
Digital Folder Number: 004259320
Image Number: 00210
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
David Steno M 45 Bavaria
Frances Steno F 35 Bavaria
Jacob Steno M 19 New York
Caroline Steno F 17 New York
Henry Steno M 14 California
Sigismund Steno M 12 California
Louis Steno M 11 California
Harriet Steno F 9 California
Abraham Steno M 7 California
Lilian Steno F 5 California
Levi Strauss M 42 Bavaria
Nathan Strauss M 23 New York
David Marks M 27 Bavaria
Honora Koff F 22 Ireland
Margaret Hunsga F 20 Switzerland
Dora Gerris F 32 Holland
Joseph Mc Kerr M 45 Ireland
Chis...Read full story
1870 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data
Name: Levi Strauss
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1870
Event Place: California, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Race: White
Race: W
Birth Year (Estimated): 1827-1828
Birthplace: Bavaria
Page Number: 22
Household ID: 170
Line Number: 36
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: M593
GS Film number: 000545581
Digital Folder Number: 004259320
Image Number: 00210
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
David Steno M 45 Bavaria
Frances Steno F 35 Bavaria
Jacob Steno M 19 New York
Caroline Steno F 17 New York
Henry Steno M 14 California
Sigismund Steno M 12 California
Louis Steno M 11 California
Harriet Steno F 9 California
Abraham Steno M 7 California
Lilian Steno F 5 California
Levi Strauss M 42 Bavaria
Nathan Strauss M 23 New York
David Marks M 27 Bavaria
Honora Koff F 22 Ireland
Margaret Hunsga F 20 Switzerland
Dora Gerris F 32 Holland
Joseph Mc Kerr M 45 Ireland
Chis...Read full story
1870 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data
1884 - Photographic film is invented (George Eastman, United States)The first gravity roller coaster amusement ride (LeMarcus A. Thompson, United States)
1891 - The zipper is invented (Whitcomb L. Judson, United States)The motion picture camera is invented (Thomas Alva Edison, William K.L. Dickson, United States)
First Perforated Toilet Paper Roll is Patented
Death
Name: Levi Strauss
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 26 Sep 1902
Event Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Gender: Unknown
Age: 73
Marital Status:
Birth Date:
Birthplace: Germany
Death Date:
Birth Year (Estimated): 1829
Burial Date:
Funeral Home: Halsted & Co. Funeral Records
Funeral Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Obituary Included:
Father's Name:
Mother's Name:
Record Type: Register
Source Reference: Vol. 2,, 1898-1913
Digital Folder Number: 4191230
Image Number: 00091
Number of Images: 2
'California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1835-1979,' database with images, FamilySearch.org
See it on familysearch.org
Name: Levi Strauss
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 26 Sep 1902
Event Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Gender: Unknown
Age: 73
Marital Status:
Birth Date:
Birthplace: Germany
Death Date:
Birth Year (Estimated): 1829
Burial Date:
Funeral Home: Halsted & Co. Funeral Records
Funeral Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Obituary Included:
Father's Name:
Mother's Name:
Record Type: Register
Source Reference: Vol. 2,, 1898-1913
Digital Folder Number: 4191230
Image Number: 00091
Number of Images: 2
'California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1835-1979,' database with images, FamilySearch.org
See it on familysearch.org
FINAL RESTING PLACE
Burial & Cemetery
Burial details for Levi:
Home of Peace Cemetery and Emanu-El Mausoleum Colma, San Mateo County, California, USA
RECORD HISTORY
Record added: 12/26/2018 2:32:12 PM
Last updated: 3/20/2026 12:50:22 PM
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