Levi Strauss emigrated to the United States in the 19th century.
Strauss, born Löb Strauß in Buttenheim, Bavaria, traveled to the United States in 1847, when he was 18. He went with his mother and two sisters to join his brothers Jonas and Louis, who had established a wholesale dry-goods business in New York City. That year falls within the 19th century, which runs from 1801 through 1900.
His first American work was not making jeans. Strauss sold goods such as kettles, blankets and sewing supplies as an itinerant peddler connected with his brothers' store. He later moved west during the era shaped by the California Gold Rush and established the San Francisco branch of the family business.
In 1853, Strauss became an American citizen and helped build Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco. His partnership with tailor Jacob W. Davis eventually led to the 1873 patent for copper-riveted work pants. Thus, the 19th-century immigration date predates both the famous riveted jeans patent and the later 501 model designation.