Lipsitz family papers

In 1900, Lithuanian immigrant Max Saul Lipsitz (1886-1964) moved to Beaufort, South Carolina. Two years later, at the age of sixteen, he founded the Lipsitz Department Store, located on 825 Bay Street in downtown Beaufort. In the beginning the store sold groceries and clothing but after a renovation in 1922 moved into general merchandise and dry goods. Finally, in 1942, the store was converted into a department store. In 1908 Lipsitz married Bertha Rubin (1886-1956). The couple had three children: Ethel Lipsitz Rabinowitz (1911-1997), Hyman Lipsitz (1913-2002), and Joseph Lipsitz (1921- ). In 1946 Lipsitz retired, turning the store over to his son Joseph Lipsitz, his daughter, Ethel Lipsitz Rabinowitz, and her husband, Henry Rabinowitz (1907-1964).

Ethel Lipsitz Rabinowitz was a co-owner of the Lipsitz Department Store until her retirement in 1972. She was a graduate of Winthrop College and a member of Beaufort's Congregation Beth Israel.

Hyman Lipsitz attended the University of South Carolina and graduated with a DDS from the Atlanta-Southern Dental College in 1936. He practiced dentistry in Bishopville, South Carolina from 1936 to 1940 before returning to Beaufort. He served four years in the Army Air Corps during World War II as a major with the 15th Fighter Group of the 7th Air Force. After the war, he resumed his dental practice in Beaufort, retiring in 1981. He was an active member of Beth Israel synagogue, where he served as president for 13 years.

Joseph Lipsitz owned and managed the Lipsitz Department Store from 1945 until his retirement in 1986. In 1955 he married Lucille Bass (1930- ). The couple has four children: Neil Lipsitz, Barry Lipsitz, Sandra Lipsitz, and Judy Lipsitz Thornberry. Neil Lipsitz joined the family business in 1981, eventually opening his own shoe store, Lipsitz Shoes, in 1998, directly across the street from the family store. Lucille Bass Lipsitz, with other family members, continued to manage the department store until its closing in February of 2009.