Menken
MENKEN
MENKEN , U.S. family. solomon menken (1787–1853), who was born in Westphalia, Prussia, arrived in the U.S. from Holland in 1820 and soon established a wholesale drygoods business in Cincinnati, where he was one of the first Jewish settlers. His eldest son, jules menken (1836–1890), was a lieutenant in the Cincinnati Home Guards during the Civil War. nathan davis menken (1837–1878), his second son, was a merchant and soldier. During the Civil War, he held the rank of cavalry captain and was cited for bravery. He later joined his younger brother's Memphis business. He died assisting victims of yellow fever during an 1878 epidemic. jacob stanwood menken (1838–c. 1900), Solomon's third son, was born in Cincinnati. A merchant and philanthropist, he founded the large Menken and Co. department store in Memphis in 1863, and was active in organizing the Children's Christmas Club and the first Southern kindergarten for blacks. s. stanwood menken (1870–1954), Nathan's son and great-great-grandson of Haym *Solomon, was born in Memphis, Tenn. A lawyer and publicist, he was educated at Cornell and Columbia Law School and admitted to the New York bar in 1894. Active in New York City politics, he organized the Hall of Records Association in 1896, the Democratic League (1908), and the National Security League of America (1915).