Esther Busel Felson

1880-1941

Born in 1880 in Lyakhovichi, Russia, now Belarus. Spent her early years in Lykhovichi. Moved to Warsaw as a teenager. Met Solomon Felson at a political rally, whom she married in 1901. Had two children in Russia and them emigrated with them to the USA—Newport, Kentucky. There she had 7 more children. Nathan, her fifth, died at 3 years of complications from diphtheria. Her last child was stillborn. During the depression in the 1930s several of her children (and their spouses) lived with her on Glenwood Avenue, Cincinnati. She died of heart failure in 1941.

Biography

Esther was born in 1880 and raised in Leyachovichi, a shtetl town in Lithuania (now Belarus). Here is a street scene from Leyachovichi, Esther’s childhood village.

Esther’s grandparents on her father’s side were Feivel (b. 1807) and Rochla (b. 1809). Her parents were Benis (b 1834 d 1913?) and Hannah Sarah Busel. Benis had two brothers, Itzak and Meier. Benis was a rabbi.

Esther was one of three children. Her two siblings were Nevach Benzion (b. 1866), and Rivel (Eva) (b. 1880, d. Feb 28, 1934). Eva was her twin, judging from the fact that they both have 1880 birthdates.

Esther first met Sol at a rally in Warsaw, where he was giving a political speech. She fell in love and married him. Their first two children, Sophie and Irv, were born in Warsaw. Irv’s Hebrew name was Itzak Meier, named after Esther’s two uncles.

Sol feared he was about to be arrested for his political activities, so he decided to emigrate to the United States. He and Esther traveled back from Warsaw to Esther’s mother in Leyachovichi and she stayed there until Sol was settled in the US and had enough money and a place for her and their two children to live.

In 1904 Esther emigrated to the US to be with Sol. Her mother tried to talk her into leaving Irv, her one year-old son, in Russia. Esther refused to do this and was always angry with her mother for even suggesting such a thing. Alan Travis, drawing from his family’s stories, remembers hearing that Esther’s mother told Esther that Sol had found a new wife in America and would not be sending for her! How could she do such a thing!

Over the next 13 years, Esther and Sol had 8 more children, totaling ten. Eight of them lived to adulthood, one died at three, and one was stillborn:

Sonia (Sophie) was born in Warsaw (1901-1974)
Irvin (Irv), ws born in Minsk, Russia (1902-1989)
Louise (1905-1988), was born in Newport, Kentucky
Henry (Chippy) (1907-1998), was born in Newport, Kentucky
Walter (1908-1980), was born in Newport, Kentucky
Nathan, who died of a mishandled tracheostomy (1910-1913), was born and died in Newport, Kentucky
Benjamin, who was named after Esther’s father, Benis. (1913-1988), was born in Newport, Kentucky
Edith (1915-2003), was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her death certificate says she was born in Gallia, Ohio. What is that about?
Leon (Leo) (1918-1979) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio

A grown Alan Travis, Esther’s grandchild, remembers hearing that that his mother Sophie and grandmother Esther were pregnant at the same time in 1924. Esther’s child was stillborn.

Here is what Esther and Solomon’s eight children look like as adults: