Edward Titche was born August 6, 1866 to Lazarus Titche (1829-1894) and Babette Haas Titche (1829-1914) in Winnsboro, Louisiana. Both of his parents had been born in Germany and emigrated to the United States. Lazarus was a merchant and Edward was the sixth of seven children born to the couple.
Edward was living in Louisiana in 1892 when he received word that his uncle Aaron Titche (sometimes spelled Aron Teutsch) of Oak Cliff had been found shot dead in the woods of the town. According to a contemporary newspaper article, Aaron had gone for a walk and become the victim of foul play, having been shot twice in the chest. The motive was thought to be robbery, as Aaron was known to carry $150 to $200 in cash and wear a nice gold watch and chain. Aaron, a single man, was described as having a genial nature and was one who had many friends. He had been a well liked merchant in the Oak Cliff community. A suspect named George F. Bouton was named. Bouton was known to the decedent’s extended family and had previously operated a restaurant next door to the dry goods store. A trial was held in Dallas that same year and Bouton was convicted of murder for which he received a life sentence. Edward Titche, nephew of the deceased, came to Dallas to wind up the affairs of his late uncle. After residing in Dallas a while, he decided to stay.
In 1893, Edward opened his own store under the name of Edward Titche Company in the Deep Ellum area just south of downtown Dallas. He became acquainted with Max Goettinger at a local bicycle club. Max’s parents had also emigrated to the United States from Germany and had settled in Galveston. Max had come to Dallas to open a branch store for another firm and stayed in the area working for his former superior Adolph Harris when Harris decided to open his own store. Edward and Max became friends and around 1902, they formed Titche Goettinger and Company. They operated in several different locations including the Wilson Building before relocating into their more familiar location at Elm and St. Paul streets.(1)
Unlike Edward Titche, Max had been born in 1862 in Germany, to Moses L. Goettinger (1824-1863) and Julia Jonas Goettinger (1827-1892). Max was married a short time to the former Mamie Uhlman, the couuple having wed in Galveston in 1887. Shortly afterward, they had two children, Eric and Sarah. Sarah died in infancy in 1888 followed by Mamie in 1891 and finally by Eric in 1903. Max never remarried. Edward had been engaged to be married but one month before the wedding, suffered the illness and death of his fiance, Ruth Barnum Beekman of Natches, Mississippi. He never married after that experience. Max and Edward built their business and enjoyed success for over twenty-five years before selling out to Hahn Department Stores in 1929, shortly before the Great Depression. Although they remained active in the community and were well known for their philanthropy, they had no other businesses, at least approaching the scale of Titche-Goettinger.
Edward died in 1944 at the age of 83. Max died in 1959 at the age of 96. Both are buried in Emanu-El Cemetery in Dallas. Their former business became known as Titche’s, later as Joske’s and more recently as Dillard’s.
(1) Rose G. Biderman, “They Came to Stay – The Story of the Jews of Dallas, 1870-1997,” Eakin Press, 2002.
