Sophie Felson Travis

(1901-1974)

Related documents:

• Letter to Ros
• Sophie’s War Letters
• Biography of Phil

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Biography

Sonia (Sophie) Felson was born in Warsaw, Poland on September 25, 1901. In 1903, her father Solomon Felson left for America and Sophie stayed with her mother Esther and grandparents in a small town, Lyachovichi, in Belarus (Russia then). A year later, in 1904, Esther took Sophie and her infant brother Irv (Isador) to America to join Sol.

They were headed for Newport, Kentucky where Sol had been working as a tailor. Sophie lived with her family in Newport for the next ten years, from ages 3 to 13. During that time the Felson family grew exponentially. Added were: Louise (March 1905); Henry (Chip) (March 1907); Walter (September 1908); Nathan, (October, 1910) and Benjamin (October, 1913).

Newport wasn’t easy on the family. They were poor, and lived near the Ohio and Licking Rivers, in an area of the city highly susceptible to floods. While in Newport, the family experienced regular floods among which was the historic Newport Flood of 1913.

Associated in time with this 1913 flood was the death of Sophie’s three year old brother Nathan. He contracted diphtheria (perhaps from the unsanitary conditions arising from the flood). The upper respiratory problems associated with diphtheria led to his having to be intubated. He was given a tracheotomy by Dr. Iglauer, an ear, nose and throat specialist. The family lore (conveyed by children of Walter, Chippy, and Ben) is that the tracheotomy was successful but later when the tube was reinserted it was not replaced properly, and Nathan was asphyxiated.

After the Newport flood and Nathan’s death, the Felson family moved to Carthage, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. Chippy remembers living in Carthage, and mentions it in a letter he wrote to Amy Travis. There Solomon set up shop and the family lived nearby at 233 Dillward Avenue. Here is a listing of his shop and their residence in Carthage in the 1913 Cincinnati City Directory:

They didn’t stay in Carthage long. In 1915 they moved to Addyston, Ohio. In Addyston the family went through another tragedy, a devastating fire. Late in 1915 Solomon’s tailor shop burned as well as the apartment the family lived in, just above his shop. Most of the children in the family (including Sophie) were in school at the time. Those at home included three year old Bennie and five month old Edie. Both almost died in the fire, had it not been for the village blacksmith Frank Jonas who rushed upstairs through the smoke to save the children. Here is a description of the fire appearing in the Cincinnati Post of November 24, 1915.

After the fire the family moved to Cincinnati proper. They were unsettled at this time, moving around as Sol tried to eke out a living. (Chippy pointed out several houses to Steve years later that the family lived in during this period.) The Felsons ended up on the West Side of Cincinnati at 410 Hopkins Street. Throughout this period Sophie attended Woodward High School. She graduated from Woodward in 1918.

Throughout her teenage life Sophie helped care for her younger siblings. Her son Alan comments: My mother, being the oldest, helped raise her siblings because my grandmother was not a well woman; she had had heart problems for some time. Here is Sophie with her siblings—after everyone had grown up and were on their own.

On September 3, 1922, Sophie married Phillip Travis. The picture shows them at their wedding with Louise Felson, the bridesmaid, and Charles Travis, Phil’s youngest brother serving as best man.

Phil was Orthodox and Sophie was not religious, but very Jewish identified. She kept a kosher kitchen so that her in-laws would to be able to eat at her house. Sophie learned how to keep kosher from her mother whose father was a rabbi and whose own mother must have kept a kosher home. Sophie continued keeping kosher until Phil’s parents died.

Shortly after they were married, Sophie and Phil bought a house in Price Hill at 4205 West 8th Street with Sophie’s sister Louise and Leo Pritz, Louise’s husband at the time. Their first son Robert, was born in 1924. Alan Travis recalls that Sophie and her mother Esther were pregnant at the same time. Esther’s baby was stillborn.

Sometime in the late 1920s Lil Travis, the wife of Phil’s brother Morris, died of tuberculosis. Sophie took in Morris’s son Paul and served as his surrogate mother until Morris remarried, several years later. While Paul lived with Sophie and Phil, Sophie gave birth to Alan. Alan was born in 1930.

Sophie and Phil had a third child, Helen in 1934, who lived for only a year before she died in 1935 of bronchial pneumonia. Alan was 4 years old at the time and barely remembers his sister: I remember seeing her walk between my aunt and my mother when she was first learning to walk. Alan’s named his first child Helen in memory of his sister.

In 1935 the Travis family moved from Price Hill to Avondale. They bought a large house on 826 Glenwood Avenue together with other members of the family. Their decision to move had to do with Sol’s death the previous year and with Esther’s fragile health. Sophie and Phil stepped up to help Felson family members out financially and provide needed physical care for Esther. Besides the Travis family, others living in the Glenwood Avenue home included Chippy, Walter, Ros, Louise (divorced in 1934) Ben, Edith, and Leo. Leo, the youngest, was 17 at the time.

Most of the Felson residents of 826 Glenwood were earning wages at that point. Phil worked at Zussman’s, a wholesale and dry goods business, Sophie worked as a secretary at the American Israelite, Walter worked at Travis pharmacy as a pharmacist, Roslyn worked at Jewish Family Services, Chippy had a private medical practice, Edie was an office secretary, and Louise worked at the Jewish Center, which she helped found. Ben and Leo were students.

In 1937, from mid January to the first week in February, Cincinnati experienced a great flood. This time the family was not living in the flooded area, but they were affected by the lack of electricity, running water, and transportation caused by the flood.

Sophie left her family and job for a short time in October of 1941, when Steve Felson was born. Ben and Ginny were living in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the time when Ben took over the practice of an elderly radiologist. Sophie went to Tulsa to help Ginny out with the new infant. In 1938 the Glenwood Avenue house was dismantled and Sophie and Phil moved to 733 Dale Road, the house where they spent the rest of their married lives together.

Other Details of Sophie’s Life Worthy of Remembering

Sophie’s children as well as other members of the second generation Felson family, remember Sophie’s talents, quirks, and impact. Here are some that came to our combined minds:

Knitting

Knitting was a big passion of Sophie’s, throughout her life. Walter Felson used to brag about his sister’s knitting to his patients. Ros described Sophie’s talking and knitting as being almost equally fast paced, with knitting being faster. Their daughter, Elaine Felson Vanzant, also a knitter, remembers Sophie’s knitting—and crocheting: We have been reminiscing about Sophie’s knitting. I wish she were alive today so we could compare notes. I don’t recall many specifics. It was just who Sophie was. I don’t think she taught me how to knit. However, there was a beautiful afghan pattern she crocheted for many family members and she inspired me to learn how to make that afghan. I still have it, use it, and love it.

Judy has a vivid recollection of wearing Sophie’s knitted snow suits, (turtle neck sweaters, and leggings and a hat) that she made for us. They were also precious to Ros, her mother, who writes a war letter to Walter on May 14, 1945, four years after receiving the suits from Sophie: I was busy all morning washing all the woolen sweaters, snowsuits, caps and mittens so that I can put them away for the summer. They certainly have had their wear out of the snowsuits that Soph made them. I’ll never forget how adorable Judy looked in that outfit when we first put it on her, and how much attention she attracted.

Here is a pattern for sweaters and leggings that is still in the family (thanks to Elaine) and Judy, modeling the final product. The directions are typed by Sophie.

Liz Travis remembers Sophie showing them her latest knitting or crocheting project. All three of Sophie’s St. Louis grandchildren knit or crochet really well—no coincidence, since they are Sophie’s offspring.

Elaine Felson Vanzant remembers a wonderful sweater Sophie showed her how to crochet. It was made of multiple bright colored squares crocheted together with designs embroidered on each square. Sophie made one for Jo Anne and she and Elaine would wear them at Turkey Run State Park. Sophie lives on!

Work history

Just out of high school, in 1918 Sophie worked for the Big 4 Railroad (later called the B & O Railroad). In 1924 she quit her job and stayed home to care for Bob, the first born of her children. She continued doing full time full time child care until Alan went to school at which time she became circulation manager for the Jewish newspaper, The Israelite (later named The American Israelite). After the war, from 1951 to 1973, Sophie worked as a secretary and administrative assistant for her brother Ben at Cincinnati General Hospital in the Radiology Department.

When Dr. Jerry Wiot succeeded Ben as head of radiology in 1973, Sophie worked for Wiot. She was the one who kept all the residents’ information and their history. If they called up they talked to her. Alan: She really loved that job.

Steve comments: I heard my dad say many times that Sophie was the fastest and most accurate typist ever. I saw her type on an electric typewriter and remember being very impressed. But even more noteworthy was the fact that she called my dad “Dr. Felson” instead of “Ben.” I asked my dad about it and he said that while he didn’t care, Aunt Sophie thought it was improper to call him Ben in the office.

Cooking

Sophie was known far and wide for her cooking abilities. Whenever there was a gathering at her or anyone else’s house or for picnic or party, Sophie prepared and provided the food. She was especially known for her blintzes, that she made by the hundreds for family dinner parties held at Ben and Ginny’s. Amy provided a copy of Sophie’s blintz recipe that were in her files from long ago. The picture is of blintzes Judy ate at Sophie’s house in 1952.

Here is Jo Anne Travis commenting on Sophie’s cooking:

Sophie taught me how to be a Jewish cook, which was wonderful, because I didn’t know how to make anything! She even knew what Alan wanted, when he asked for “stringy meat”. Of course what he wanted was brisket! I still have many of her recipes, and some from her friends’ recipes also, full of things which we would never eat now! All that schmaltz was wonderful!

Judy remembers Sophie being the hostess with the mostess. We, the Walter Felsons, would travel regularly to Cincinnati to visit our relatives on both the Marcus and Felson sides of the family. We would always find ourselves at some point at Sophie and Phil’s, either for lunch or dinner. She would cook regularly for her freezer, supplying it with blintzes, kugel, and other wonderful things. She would bring these goodies forth when we visited, creating a feast in as long as it took to thaw things out.

Jo Anne Travis comments that Sophie even cooked for Jo Anne’s freezer with Jo Anne when she visited them in St. Louis.

Amy Travis: Also, I remember that Sophie always had many types of cookies available when we visited — she must have baked for hours before we came over.

Sophie was even a cooking teacher as is indicated by this recollection on the occasion of her 50th wedding anniversary by her friend Evelyn Frankel:

Sophia, do you remember when you were our cooking teacher at the Beth Jacob Synagogue? I will never forget the time we prepared potato latkes. We made them for all the kids meeting at schul that night. Grate, mix, fry! Grate, mix, fry! Grate, mix, fry? My finger nails have never grown long, but I sure make delicious potato pancakes thanks to you.

One of the ironies of Sophie’s life as a cook was that Phil liked his food burned.

Sophie’s African violets

Among Sophie’s many talents was her ability to raise African Violets. Elaine remembers a plant nursery in Sophie’s basement where she had ultraviolet lights to nurture her plants throughout the year. And Jo Anne Travis remembers Sophie visiting her in St. Louis and them “fussing together” over Jo Anne’s African violets.

Sophie’s Bridge Group

Sophie loved playing bridge and was very serious about it. Here is Amy Travis on the topic: She was a really good bridge player. When my mother-in-law asked my dad if he sometimes took her hand when she played (e.g., to fill in for her while she got coffee, etc), he said — not a chance! They were only playing for pennies and nickels, but it was deadly serious!

Alan remembers Sophie’s regular bridge partners being Molly Spatz, Helen Bloom, Ann Michaelson, Lil Rindsberg, and Emma Sheingold (Alan Travis, November 28, 2002)

Besides bridge, Sophie played other games with her friends. She had a regular mahjong group…And she and Phil would join other couples on Saturday nights for gin rummy and bridge.

Sophie’s Jewish identity

While they had a Kosher home, Sophie and Phil’s children were not brought up to be Orthodox. Nonetheless, Sophie promoted a strong Jewish identity for her own nuclear family as well as for her sibling’s children. Alan: My mother used to say: “If you don’t date a non-Jewish girl, you won’t marry a non-Jewish girl.” So I didn’t date non-Jewish girls.

Several nieces have strong recollections of “talks” that Sophie had with them when they announced their intents to marry “out of the faith.”

Transport in Cincy

Alan on Sophie and Phil’s walking Cincy: I might mention that my parents did a lot of walking. They would think nothing of taking Bob and myself—I was probably in a stroller, and they would walk from Price Hill to Avondale and back in the same day. They liked to walk!

My mother did not learn to drive a car until she was fifty. My Dad never learned to drive. They went everywhere by the streetcar or the bus. My Dad always said: “The bus doesn’t wait for you, you wait for the bus.”

Judy remembers Phil walking way ahead of Sophie, allowing her to catch up on occasion. Alan Travis on Sophie’s driving:

Around 1948 the family got a car. It was when I was in college, around 1948. Sophie took driving lessons. I took her out to Sharonville to get her license. We went out there and the officer said: “Back up and turn around.” She backed up and backed right into the police car! So obviously she was too shaken up to even take the test that time.

The next time she was doing fine, and they told her to parallel park, and she said: “I can’t” and they said “How are you going to park?” She said. “I have walked all my life, and if I drive to the next block where I can pull in forward, that’s where I’ll park and walk back.” He passed her.

Sophie’s exuberance and quirks

We all remember Sophie as enthusiastic, vehement, opinionated, and even quirky.

Jo Anne Travis: When we were in our first house, early in our marriage, we had a freestanding metal cupboard in the kitchen. With true exuberance she would throw open the door to it, and all the spices would come flying out!

Amy Travis remembers Sophie’s shoe-buying strategy: She had an unusual shoe size — 5D. So whenever she found a pair of shoes that fit, she always bought 2 pair — in two colors, if possible.

Power relationships in the Felson and Travis family

Alan on Sophie’s siblings: Bennie was the only one who wouldn’t kowtow to her, and it’s interesting because she later went to work for him as his secretary, and there she called him Dr. Felson. She was his employee at that point, and she’d say “Whatever you want, Dr. Felson.”

Alan:

My cousins said that they were afraid of her; she would say what was on her mind and then it was gone. If she disapproved of something you were doing, she’d let you know it. But she didn’t bear any grudges.

Mark Felson comments on Sophie’s overstepping her bounds with regard to her nephews:

She gave me micro instructions in a bossy tone on obvious things to do, and did so in my house, not hers. I found her highly offensive at the time. Today I would say what my Dad said to her, “Stop being so bossy, Sophie” or “Give the orders in your house, not here.” But I was a kid and couldn’t say that. So I gave her a cold shoulder for several months every time she came over, and she got nicer to me thereafter.

Alan Travis, again:

It was easy for me, but hard for a lot of people. I was a favorite, but even so, if she thought I was doing something wrong, she’d tell me. She’d tell my cousins that they shouldn’t marry non-Jews. They didn’t’ necessarily listen to her, but she let them know what she thought. She obviously told my niece, Diane, if you marry a non-Jew it will kill your grandfather. It didn’t affect Diane; she married a non-Jew anyway and it didn’t kill anyone.

Alan:

All my connections to the family was through my mother. She was the matriarch. Seldom did I talk to my Dad on the phone; he was hard of hearing. My mother was the core of everything. It was her doing that kept Bob and me close. I remember when we were coming to visit, she made sure that Bob and Dottie would come over for dinner.

The War Years

In 1943 four of Sophie’s brothers (Chip, Walter, Ben, and Leo) entered the military. Walter, Ben, and Leo went overseas, Chip stayed stateside. Sophie was active throughout the next several years, keeping the family in touch with one another. She typed war letters from Ben, Water and Leo and distributed them to everyone, adding a few of her own. Here is a sample of one of her own.

Sophie also visited Ros during these war years, who was in Greenfield with her preschool kids, Judy and Elaine. Ros recounts one of Sophie’s visits to Walter in August 12, 1944:

I’m looking forward to Soph’s visit on Wednesday or Thursday — she is always good company with her tendency towards gossip, her cheerful attitude, and her helpfulness. I know I won’t have to wait on her hand and foot like I do Edie.

Here’s another snippet from that same time:

Soph and Alan arrived this a.m. at 11 o’clock and we’ve had a nice visit today. Soph brought her knitting and talks just about as fast as she knits.

Besides the war letters, Sophie spent time during these war years sending packages of food to her brothers overseas. Here’s Ros: I had Soph send some things from Cincy, since we are only allowed to send one package per week at the post office (October 4, 1944)

Sophie and her grandchildren

Sophie had four grandchildren. Her son Bob and his wife Dotty had one daughter, Diane and Alan and his wife Jo Anne had three daughters, Helen, Elisabeth and Amy. Here is a picture of Sophie at her sister Edie’s wedding in 1966, surrounded by her children and grandchildren—and Phil.

Sophie comments to her relatives on her grandchildren after her visit to St. Louis in 1964 to see them.

It’s been so long since I wrote to you out of town folks I thought this would be a good time to do it because Phil and I have just gotten back from a weekend in St. Louis visiting our grandchildren.

The new baby is simply darling, pretty like Helen, the older one, but built like Elizabeth, the middle one. Jo Anne makes a wonderful mother. I wonder if I took the time to play with my children like she does. And wonder of wonders, she nurses the baby entirely and has done so with the others, also.

Just think, her oldest child is 6, the middle one 4, and now another little girl. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried once more, for a boy. Alan is really surrounded by women, just like I used to be the only woman in my family.

Her travels from Cincinnati to St. Louis to visit her grandchildren were frequent and memorable. Here is a sampling of what Sophie’s second oldest granddaughter Helen remembers from Sophie and Phil’s visits:

When Sophie and Phil came to visit us in St. Louis, Amy would move out of her room into Liz’s and my room so that Sophie and Phil could have a room. We shared a bathroom with them. I remember being in my room (studying maybe) – they went to bed fairly early. I can remember Sophie saying “Now Phil, take out your teeth so that I can soakthem overnight”. We thought that was the funniest thing, and just sat in our room and giggled (what else would small girls do!).

I also remember sitting down to eat with them one night – we were in the dining room, because it had more room. There was a swinging door between the dining room and the kitchen, and Mom (Jo Anne) would go back and forth through the swinging door to bring out dishes from the kitchen. At the time, we had a least one cat, who was locked up in the kitchen. We were having fish for dinner, and when Mom brought out one of the dishes, the cat escaped from the kitchen, and jumped up on the table to follow the fish. It was being passed at the time, and the cat jumped over the fish dish, hit the tablecloth, turned around, and kept looking for some goodies to eat. Sophie and Phil were so shocked that I think they were speechless. We caught the cat and locked her back up, and thought it was quite amusing. I think that they just weren’t sure what to say!

And Liz Travis remembers Sophie always played cards with them when they come came over and that was so special! She also remembers cleaning up after dinner at Sophie’s house and loving it because Sophie didn’t have a dishwasher, and so she got to put her hands in all that soapy water. Another vivid memory for Liz is that Sophie used to chew gum all the time, probably Chicklets. Liz liked Sophie’s gum-chewing because they weren’t allowed to chew gum and Sophie always did!

Sophie and Phil in their later years

Sophie and Phil were together for 52 years. They were well networked in Cincinnati, with friends associated with the old neighborhood, their work, and Phil’s synagogue. They socialized often, with the events typically involving card games: Phil’s gin rummy gatherings every Saturday, Sophie’s weekly bridge games and her mahjong group.

On their 50th wedding anniversary they were celebrated by this vast network of people. Here are some excerpts of what people wrote about Sophie at that event on September 3, 1972.

Belma:

Bam! Crack! Dot! that’s it, I may! No that’s not feuding, that’s just the four of us Sophie, Lil, Myra, and I playing May Jong together for the past 25 years of so.

From Em and Ernie Schaengold, using a playing card theme to pay tribute to Sophie and Phil:

To Phil: Ace high is what you are to us. When in our store our help didn’t show, Either sick or miss a bus No matter where you had to go you were always ready in time of need. Truly a very good friend indeed.

Sophie, dear what can we say you excel in every way. At bridge you are a whiz, crossword puzzles are every quiz. Knitting, cooking is your meat as typing you can’t be beat.

Jack of all trades is what you are. May good health follow your wherever you are. Sam and Rhea Spitz: Remember all our Saturday night games. Gin for the men; Bridge for the dames. Our stock club we brought to a close. We had some highs and many lows.

Phil’s illness and Soph’s heart condition

Jo Anne Travis remembers: When Phil was sick with myasthenia gravis, he was sent to Mayo Clinic. He he ended up there for a month. Sophie stayed there for the whole month, living in someone’s house. I remember she became friendly with a nun while Phil was in the hospital, because the nun took an interest in her knitting. How wonderful! I went to stay with her for a week, to keep her company.

Alan Travis also remembers that month: My Dad had been quite sick and spent a month at Mayo Clinic. This was very hard on my mother, and he always blamed her death on what that had taken out of her. She had a heart attack before their 50th anniversary. They were married in 1922 and their fiftieth was in 1972. I remember at the 50th party they had a throne for her to sit on so she didn’t have to move around that much.

Sophie’s death

Sophie died of a heart attack in October 1974. She was 73.

Alan:

When my mother died, I went to United Hebrew which was down the street from us, which was one of the few that had morning services which were manned by volunteers. It didn’t’ always have a minion but that was okay. We had services every morning and I was able to go five mornings a week, which felt good to me. I knew it wasn’t necessary that I do this, but my father was going. Out of respect for him I went. He told me that I wouldn‘t have to for him, because he had paid the Shamus to do the mourning for him.

My father knew that he could not live alone, and went to the Orthodox Jewish Home after she died. He had been on the Board there and he just went there. It was like a hotel for him. Someone would pick him up and go to shul together; then someone would pick him up and have breakfast, and he’d go downtown to go to work.

It feels good and right to pay tribute to Sonia (her legal name) Felson Travis, known to all as Sophie. She was a dynamo,—loved, feared, and much appreciated by those who experienced her over the years.