M. Jarecky

Merchant
c.1880-1918


St. Matthews, SC

FAMILIES: Jarecky

In 1866, Morris Jarecky (1848-1918) immigrated from Prussia to the United States. First arriving in New York City, Jarecky immediately made his way south to Charleston. There, he worked as retail clerk through at least 1870. By 1880, however, he was living in St. Matthews, South Carolina, where he developed a “sizable business trading in plantation supplies, hardware, furniture, hats, and groceries.” That same year, he married Annie Wetherhorn (1862-1913). Together, they had four children. By the 1910s, Jarecky became the most prominent cotton factor in St. Matthews, purchasing an incredible 650 bales for over $45,000 on a single day in 1911 (over $1.3 million when adjusted for inflation). Jarecky continued his mercantile pursuits until his death in 1918.  

The Jewish Merchant Project is supported by the generosity of the Henry & Sylvia Yaschik Foundation and the Stanley B. Farbstein Endowment at the Coastal Community Foundation.

JHSSC Office
Sylvia Vlosky Yaschik Jewish Studies Center
96 Wentworth Street
Charleston, SC 29424
Phone: 843 953 3918