A Joint Project of the Sam Rayburn House Historic Site and the Fannin County Historical Commission

Celebrating America 250 with spotlights of Fannin County citizens who participated in or witnessed historical events

Max Levine was born on June 21, 1863, in New York, NY. His parents Jacob Levine and Bertha Bach were likely born in Kórnik, Prussia (modern-day Poland), and immigrated to the U.S., Jacob arriving in 1856 and Bertha bringing herself and four of her children a couple of years later.

The couple had two more children in New York before moving to Galveston, TX, in the late 1860s. The Anglicized names of Max’s siblings are Louis, Henry, Flora, Hannah, and Sarah.

In the late 1800s and into the twentieth century, a number of Jewish merchants and their families moved to Bonham and engaged in the mercantile trade, the cotton business and bought and sold real estate.

Max and his brother, Henry, eventually moved to Bonham, TX, where Max was in the merchandising and cotton businesses. He married Susie Levy in New Orleans, LA, and the couple had eight children, seven of whom were living at the time of Max’s death on September 26, 1908, in Bonham. He is buried in the
Jewish Cemetery at Willow Wild.

Max’s sister Hannah and her husband Henry, Max’s sister Flora and her daughter Bertha "Birdie” and son Leo, and nephew Carroll were all killed during the hurricane that destroyed Galveston, TX, on September 8, 1900.

This hurricane remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, killing an estimated 10,000–12,000 people.

This information was obtained from the Fannin Co., Texas GenWeb (txfannin.org), The Jewish Merchants of Bonham, Fannin County, Texas (published by the Fannin County Museum of History), FindAGrave and other online sources. The Sam Rayburn House SHS presented this information at their 2025 Cemetery Walking Tour. For a copy of the 2025 Cemetery Walking Tour guide or for other information, contact the Sam Rayburn House at (903) 583-5558 or email Margo.McCutcheon@thc.texas.gov.