Ida

Ida was the second child born to Morris and Esther Feldman.  At the time of her birth, they had moved to Chicago, IL, from Milwaukee, WI, and were living at 227 13^th Place. Ida was born at home on July 24, 1895.  Her mother, Esther, was 23 years old. Ida’s daughter, Estelle, however, always celebrated her mother’s birthday on Aug. 1^st

Here are a few photos showing what Chicago looked like and how people dressed in 1895, the year Ida was born.

While Ida was growing up, the family moved around a lot.

• In 1900, her family lived at 122 McKibbon Street in Brooklyn
• In 1905, they lived at 306 Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn, NY
• In 1910, they lived at 1887 Beaver Street in Brooklyn
• In 1911, her mother, Esther died.  Being the oldest girl, Ida helped her father raise the others.  Her father always kept the family together.
• In 1915, they are living at 1855 Prospect Street. It reports that Ida was doing Feather Work.  Esther, her mother, is still listed on this census report even though she died in 1911

• In 1917, they lived at 743 Georgia Ave.  We learn this from brother Ben’s WWI Draft Card and from sister Anna’s 1917 wedding license.
• While she lived on Georgia Ave.  She must have met her future husband, Izzy Rosenberg since he sent her postcards while in the Army.
• During WWI, Ida helped out working with the Red Cross at home in the New York area.
  
  

On October 21, 1919, Ida applied for a marriage license to Isadore C. Rosenberg. He had just returned from fighting in WWI. Note that they were married by the same Reverend who married her sister, Anna.

Izzy was born to Becky and Max Rosenberg in Brooklyn, NY on March 30, 1894.

By the 1920 Census report, Ida is living in her father’s home on Vermont Street with her husband, Isadore Rosenberg.  Isadore was working in the cement industry at the Rainboat Co.  Most of Ida’s siblings were still living at home, too.  Only Anna and Birdie were married and on their own.

Ida helped raise her siblings and remained close to them her entire life.

Since Ida was the oldest girl, she took care of her father’s house after her mother died.  She kept a kosher kitchen for him and even cooked for all of the cousins when they came for Friday dinner. Ida often made boiled fish, potatoes, onions and beet borscht, her father’s favorites.  She also made gefilte fish for her father. These foods were typical of foods cooked in Eastern Europe when he was a boy.

In 1925, Morris was living at 1925 Rockaway Parkway in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. Rose, Sam, Peter, and Rudy were still at home, and Ida and her husband and 2 daughters, Estelle and Shirley, were all living there, too. Ida’s husband was working at an ice cream parlor.

By 1930, Ida and Isadore had moved out and were on their own. They lived at 645 Lefferts Avenue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, around the corner from the store. The apartment building was built in 1925 and had 4 stories and 22 units.

Ida and Izzy had 3 girls:

• Essie (Estelle) Rosenberg Eisler  b. 1922
• Shirley Rosenberg Sklar (1924 – 2012)
• Maxine Rosenberg Muscato (1928 – 2009)

Ida’s husband now had owned a stationary store. Their daughters were now 8, 6, and 1. Ida’s brother, Sam, lived with them. Isadore is listed as a merchant with a candy store.  Sam, is listed as a clerk at the store. During the depression, he lost the store.  That is when they moved back in with Morris, Ida’s father.

Several tragic events occurred in the 1930’s in Ida’s life.

On June 1, 1935, Ida’s youngest brother, Rudy, died suddenly from a weakened heart brought on by Scarlet Fever as a child.

In 1936, Ida’s husband, Isadore died. He was only 40 years old.  He died in the Veteran’s Hospital in the Bronx.  His heart gave out.   He received a Purple Heart in WWI since he had been wounded twice. He also received other medals. His daughter, Estelle, was 12 years old and she would take the subway by herself from Brooklyn to the Bronx to visit her father in the hospital.  When he died in the middle of the night, his youngest brother, Joe Rosenberg, came to tell Ida and had to wake up family to impart the sad news.  Estelle still has vivid memories of being woken up that day.

In 1937, Ida’s father, Morris, died. 

In 1940, Ida was living at 302 Albany Avenue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. This was an older building and was built in 1910. She was 44 years old and a widow.  Her daughters were now 18, 15, and 11.  Peter Feldman was now living with them. Her oldest daughter, Estelle, had studied fashion design and was working for a garment company.

On Mar 1, 1943, Ida’s oldest daughter, Estelle, applied for a marriage license to Jack Eisler.

In 1944, Ida decided to move to CA. Ida’s youngest daughter, Maxine, suffered from severe Asthma. Estelle’s husband always wanted to live in CA so Ida decided to venture out there thinking the CA air would be better for her daughter. Ida wrote to a cousin of her husband.  Jenny Singer was born in CO but now lived in CA. Jenny invited Ida to stay with them while she looked for a place Estelle and her husband followed her to CA.

When Ida’s youngest daughter did not get any better, her mother moved with her child to Tujunga, an area adjacent to LA that was known for its cleaner air.

When they moved to CA, the kosher butchers were far away and little by little Ida gave up keeping a kosher home but always kept kosher style in her home.

Ida was always close to her younger siblings especially since she helped raise them.  Over the years, they would come out to visit her in CA. Her sister, Birdie, would also come to visit since her son, Eddie, had also moved to the LA area.  Esther Kessler, one of Ida’s nieces, also lived in CA for a short time with her second husband.

In 1959, Ida flew on one of the first commercial jets from LA to NY. She went to NY to visit her brother, Pete, and other family. The flight probably cost about $238.80 which is equivalent to $1743 in 2019. Could she have been on this flight? https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/nyregion/26american.html?_r=2&ref=nyregion

She liked to go to Las Vegas with her daughter, Maxine. On one occassion, her oldest daughter, Estelle Eisler, got a phone call from Las Vegas from Maxine. Estelle asked, “where is momma?” Maxine replied ” She is crying. Can you pick us up at the bus station? We Lost all our money and don’t have fare to get home.”

Ida died at age 86 on November 11, 1981, in Los Angeles, CA.  ALthough she was not a smoker, she had a slow-growing lung cancer. Her husband, Izzy, had been a heavy smoker, though. She died from the lung cancer and from other natural causes. Her doctor, a family friend, never told her family about her condition. In October of 1981, she fell in her apartment. Her daugther, Shirley, came for a visit and found her. She died a few weeks later in a nursing home. Her daughter, Estelle, said that she died as she had lived – never a problem for others in life or in death.

She is buried at Eden Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

From her daughter, Estelle Eisler:

After her father, Morris, died Ida was the heart and center of the family.  The youngest boys were devoted to her.  She worked hard all her life. She met adversity with courage and fortitude and went on to the new tasks on hand.  She was self-effacing and resourceful and open to new ideas and recipes. Estelle could not have survived without her help in raising her children. Ida frequently helped in Estelle’s dress factory, learning to sew on labels. She also worked in an upscale drug store where she once sold perfume to Yves St. Laurent.

From her grand-daughter, Nancy Eisler Thorner:

My best memories of Ida revolve around visiting her at her little apartment on Barrington in West LA.  She loved tending to her many African violet plants , a hobby that I now enjoy.  We would also make her awesome cheese blintzes and apple strudel.  She was a very sweet, kind, gentle lady of very diminutive stature.  She was very close to her daughters and grandchildren.

Outstanding Questions:

— Why did her family move to Chicago?
— why did they leave Chicago for NY?

Sources:

Chicago Tribune sells for one cent – still in publication today

Saloon and boarding house

Postal Station

Google Maps 2019