Beatrice Fox Auerbach was born on July 7, 1887, which means today is her 120th birthday!
I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of an appropriate (and fun!) way to commemorate the occasion. I started wondering how she had celebrated her birthdays and realized that the collection doesn’t really offer any glimpses into that aspect of her life. I can tell you how her father, Moses, spent his birthdays (at least those towards the end of his life) because, as a leader in the Hartford business world, his birthdays were considered important enough to be written up in the newspapers. But times had changed by the time Mrs. Auerbach was president of G. Fox & Co. and events like birthdays were no longer considered newsworthy.
On the other hand, I know that her employees marked the occasion of her birthday by bestowing gifts (often handmade) upon her. In fact, we have a few of the items they created in our collection. Some of the gifts the G. Fox employees made are really quite neat. My favorite is a hand-drawn “storybook” that tells the tale of how Mrs. Auerbach became president of G. Fox & Co.
In the absence of any brilliant ideas on my part, I have decided to commemorate the occasion with a small pictorial tribute. I hope that, despite her aversion to personal publicity, Mrs. Auerbach would approve.
Happy Birthday, Mrs. Auerbach!
This photograph shows Mrs. Auerbach as she is perhaps best remembered.
In this photograph, probably taken on one of the family’s many cruises, Beatrice Fox is on the far right. Her parents, Theresa and Moses, are on her right and her sister, Fannie, is sitting in the foreground.
This last photograph is actually the front cover of Mrs. Auerbach’s 1966 Christmas card, which shows her surrounded by her entire family, including all 12 grandchildren!
inside the CHS 
Thank you for your efforts on behalf of a subject very dear to my heart – the Auerbach, Koopman and Schiro families. I wish I could have made even a small contribution, but after reading your writings I realize my knowledge pales in comparison and I am better off learning from you.
Mr. Murtha,
Thank you for your kind comments. If you have memories of the store or the family, we would love to have you share them with us. I’m sure I could learn much about G. Fox from you as well.
Cyndi
My father was Robert Brooks Siegel. My father died in January of 2004. He would have been 83. His mother was Josephine Auerbach. His mother died when he was 5 years old. My father was from New York city and had spent time in Salt Lake City with his aunts as a child. In the late 1970’s and early 80’s I attented many dinner parties at Fanny Fox & Leslie Samuels. One of my great aunts was Madeline Auerbach Werner. I remember meeting Fred Auerbach, my father’s cousin and Fanny Fox’s son. I meet other
family members at these dinner parties like the Koopman, Schiros and people I can’t remember now their names or family connects.
Ms. Tyde,
Thank you so much for sharing your memories with us. I still have much to learn about the intricacies of the families’ relationships, but your comments add to my knowledge.
Many thanks for sharing.
Cyndi
I am a descendant of Rosa Auerbach who was the mother of Josephine and sister of Fred H and Sam H Auerbach the original owners of the department store in Salt Lake City from 1864. My grand mother was Luscha Auerbach Meyer Friedman. I am interested in possibly getting a family reunion together in Salt Lake. I have many photos of our ancestors and would love to share them if you are interested.
stanlelyjoelfriedman@att.net
I remember Mrs. Werner (Madeline Auerbach Werner), both from the mid sixties when I often saw her car (MAW 8) about New York City, as it was then very special, a custom bodied 1960 Lincoln Continental limousine — a pocket limo in that the passenger compartment only sat two people. Then later, in the mid seventies I have the good fortune to read something of the Auerbach family settling in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, I never finished that reading and would much like to do so.
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