Ancestors of Leora Troper

Katie (Block) Alexander (great grandmother)
(b. 1870, Odessa (possibly)
d. 1954, in London))

Occupations: Homemaker, Mother

A Jewish wedding in London, probably circa 1892 to 1895. Photo from Martin and Sons Studio, 245 Commercial Road, London.

Daughter of "a widower, who later remarried to his wife's sister", Judith Miller was told that he was "a forward thinking man who insisted that Katie Block be educated and learn to write Russian and Yiddish." Clare Alexander (granddaughter of Lewis Alexander) reports that the 1901 census says Katie's maiden name was Bloom. Sister of one full brother, and many 3/4 siblings by her aunt and father. Wife of Harris Alexander (on right in picture) Mother of Bess (b. 1896- d. circa late 1970s), Lewis (b. 1902), Norman (b. after 1902) (all 3 seen below) and Janet Miller (b. January 1, 1906 and not yet born at time of picture).

Katie Block's family escaped from Czarist Russia at least prior to 1898, the year when Judith Troper's aunt Bess was born. We can say this because Judith knows that Bess was born in the UK. In all likelihood, as evidenced by the London wedding photo on this page, she escaped by 1895 or earlier. Katie Block was about 15 at the time of her immigration to England, says Judith. During their escape they were held hostage for additional money by their "guides." The robbers demanded Katie's mother's earrings. Katie's mother had given them to Katie when she died. And when Katie surrendered them they were taken across the border. "I never asked how they got from the border to the port, which was presumably Hamburg. I was told that most refugees left from Hamburg" said Judith (Miller) Troper, her granddaughter. Judith was quite forthright concerning Katie. "Katie was a very dictatorial and domineering woman. She was always telling people what they ought to be doing... When I got old enough to take a stand, I resisted her" says Judith.

Above: Photo from 1902 - Katie (Block) Alexander, Harris Alexander, and children Bess, Lewis and Norman in photo taken before the birth of Leora Troper's direct ancestor, Janet, the youngest child in the family

When left a widow in 1938 after the death of her husband Harris, she moved in first with her daughter Bess and son-in-law David, and lived there many years, driving Judith's uncle David crazy, as Judith recalls. In the end he demanded that she be gotten rid of. There was much shouting and many problems. "This (tension) was very bad for my cousin Barbara [the daughter of Bess and David]" recalls Judith.They next found her a home with a not very well off family who needed a lodger.

As Judith recalls it she was no easier to get along with for this family, but "they needed the money." Judith thought it a shame that Katie hadn't simply run a boarding house after Harris' death, which she would have been quite good at. But "in those days it just wasn't done... you moved in with relatives." Either Katie, or her family, just weren't prepared for her to be that independent.

Judith recalled still more examples of Katie's extreme emotionalism. During WW1 when the Zeppelins bombed London, Katie used to go into hysterics and cry and screech and beat her breast. "My mother (Janet, Katie's youngest) described it as being very frightening..." said Judith.

Judith also recalled that "...when my mother (Janet) got married Katie didn't approve of the marriage because he [Henry Miller] wasn't rich enough, so my mother had to plan her own wedding. As for Katie, she simply took to her bed and refused to cooperate."

But reflecting the complexity of their relationship, Judith also recalled other feelings. "I loved her very much" says Judith, "but you might say it was a love hate relationship. I don't really remember hating her. When I would go to visit her, I used to think about events in the newspaper, and the things about which she would take the opposite side from me, and I got this curious satisfaction from it, bringing them up when I visited her and I rather suspect that she did too because it enlivened her mind."

Judith also recalled the famous paraffin incident. "Because she had no sense of smell (she either was born with this or had a childhood injury) the whole family was nearly poisoned. One day she made a meat stew for dinner. When the kids tasted their stew they didn't dare say anything, but grandfather said 'this stew smells of paraffin.' They went into the kitchen and discovered that she had used the paraffin rag instead of a dish rag to prepre the pot. They all might have been badly poisoned."

Curiously, Leora Troper's brother Michael Troper, Katie's great grandson also has a limited sense of smell, but no one else in the family is known to have this condition.

Judith recalls that Katie was also very decisive when she wanted to do things. "She saved my mother (Janet Miller) many times. My mother was picked for the unpleasant part of games because she was the smallest of the children. Once she was picked to be the maypole... the ropes got twisted around her shoulder and then around neck. Grandmother looked out and saw my mother turning blue in the face. She grabbed the kitchen knife and rushed out to save my mother from being strangled by the kids who were dancing around her still laughing. Another time the kids put my mother on the roof of the shed and she couldn't get down.

So recalled Judith Miler, in an interview conducted in January, 2002.

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October 2004 - Judith recalls that as an adult Norman was a bit chilly with his sisters and did not like Lewis and Lewis did not like him.

 

 

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