Joe Friedman has very well documented his parents Morris and Becky Friedman's life, and his own childhood in "A Biography Of My Father". Joe thoroughly describes his mother and father. He says "I believe that understanding peddling as he practiced it is essential for comprehension of Morris". He explains "before World War II, the public was accustomed to door-to-door merchandising. Even large businesses furnished home sales and deliveries, for example with milk, ice, laundry and Fuller Brush products. There were many individual peddlers selling fruits and vegetable, fish, clothing, books, and a tremendous variety of other merchandise. But peddling as Morris and later Sol practiced it differed from most; they covered wide ranges of territory, they had large stocks of merchandise to fit farm customer needs in their trucks or quickly available, and they enjoyed higher profit potential despite low sales prices." "Particularly favorable conditions existed in California from 1915 to 1943" and Joe described them.

This reminds me of the time when Senator Barry Goldwater, was at the Republican Convention, before he was nominated to be the presidential candidate, and he used the slogan that he was the “Peddler’s grandson”, to show his roots.

Morris and Becky Friedman arrived in San Francisco in 1915, having been in Chester, Pennsylvania, from 1913, when they arrived there from the Ukraine.

"The relationship between Eda and Becky often was more like mother and daughter than sisters, and Eda asked Morris to try to make a living in San Francisco.” Eda Licht, and Becky Friedman, were Maltzer sisters before they married.

Morris Maltzer arrived from Chester shortly after 1915, and he soon became a wholesale clothing jobber in San Francisco, with a partner. Their location was Bush and Battery, where the Shell Building later stood.

Morris Friedman bought his first truck in 1918, a model T Ford. He began selling in North Beach, Bayview, Colma, Daly City, and South San Francisco, and then farther down the Peninsula. He later traveled to Santa Cruz, Monterey, the Sacramento Delta, etc.

They opened a dry goods store on Cortland Ave. in the outer Mission District. Becky  operated the store. Becky, in her 20's, liked being taken for a mature business woman. She used her idle time to indulge in reading, her favorite hobby. They made close friendsips with other Mission St. merchant families, including among others, the jewelry Granats. Their son Sam was born 5/19/16, the first and only child in the extended family for almost five years.

The U.S. entered World War I, with some agonizing decisions. Morris Friedman had "weatherstripping" from the draft because he was father of a small child. The two Los Angeles Friedman brothers moved to Sonora, Mexico. Morris Maltzer flunked his physical examination, reportedly with the help of medication. (JF)

In 1919 Morris, Becky, and Sammy, moved to the main part of the Mission District. Morris bought the property, 2333 Mission St., with a store on the ground level, living space above the store but direct entry from the street, and a cottage behind the store. The location, between 19th and 20th Streets, was one block from the Starlight Furniture Company of the Lichts near 18th Street.

Sol Friedman documented his life in "Oral History, April 1985". He described the early days after they arrived in San Francisco. Isaac and Ethel Maltzer, Sy and Dina Maltzer, Betty Maltzer and her mother, all lived in the cottage behind Morris and Becky Friedman’s store. Sol Friedman lived in the upstairs flat above the store. That was in 1921. Sol applied for citizenship, in 1921, which took until 1927.

A week after their arrival, Morris Friedman took Sol and Sy to the wholesalers. They filled suitcases with ladies stockings, dresses, etc. The first day Sol went door to door in San Francisco, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, without a sale. At the end of the day, near Telegraph Hill, which had only a few houses, a lady bought forty dollars of clothing. That was a profit of fifteen dollars, and he sent ten dollars to his brother in Romania. The first year Sol saved twenty five hundred dollars, and then he bought a model T Ford truck.

Sol Friedman, and Sy Maltzer, bought mens' and womens’ clothing from Jobbers, or at auctions. They sold them from their trucks, mostly to Italians, Mexicans, Filipinos, and Japanese, through the San Joaquin Valley, and Sacramento Valley.

In addition to traveling to sell, they also had small stores in San Francisco. The wives, and later children, worked in the stores. Sy’s store was on Mission St., Sol’s store was on Castro St. near Market St.

In 1927, Morris and Becky moved to a new, large, bright flat on Guerrero St. They closed the store, remodeling it for rental income".

Becky died in 1929.

In 1931 Morris married Clara Friedman, sister of Samuel Friedman of Los Angeles, who had married Ann Licht.

Morris, Clara, Sam and Joe, moved to a flat on 20th Ave., in the Richmond District.

Betty divorced Sol, to marry his friend Phil Bibel. Later Betty adopted her Yiddish name of Bassya.

Sol later married Faye Calic.

Morris Friedman died in 1942.

In World War II, the sons of the Friedmans and the Maltzers went into the Armed Services. Joe Friedman and Sam Friedman served in the army, Joe in the Campaign in Italy. Irving Maltzer served in the Navy, as an electrician on a Destroyer, which participated in  the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Louis Licht’s grandsons also were in the Service: Robert was an Army officer, Alvin was in the Army late in the war, and I went into the Army right after the end of the War. I think this is one example, that from 1913 to World War II in 1939, how much the  extended family had become integrated into American life.

The extended family members  had many financial successes. Sy Maltzer built two large apartment house in Redwood City. Sol Friedman made a  succession of real estate investments, culminating in development of the Mervyn’s shopping center in Redwood City.          

They were very involved in Judaism in the U.S. They belonged to Synagogues, and supported Israel. Sol and Faye Friedman, and Betty and Phil Bibel were very active in the Yiddush Theatre. Sol Friedman liked to study Torah and Talmud. He belonged to several Jewish study groups: B’nai Breakfast Group, S.F. Bible Breakfast Club, and Rabbi Schranz’s weekly Talmud class. Sol Friedman had a Bar Mitzvah at age 83. Sy Maltzer was very religiously observant at Temple Beth Jacob, in the later years of his life, until he died in his 90’s. He was one of a group of men who participated in the Saturday morning Services, know as the “magnificent minion, who read the Torah on Saturday mornings.