Fifth Generation

29. Rose FLEISCHER^14,23 was born in 1890 in Russia. She emigrated on 8 March 1891 from Friedrichstadt, Latvia.¹⁷ She died in 1964 at the age of 74 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Rose Fleischer has always been a bit of a mystery to me. She was my grandmother’s oldest sister, and I am the oldest sister in my family. When I was a child, she seemed ancient, and serious, and like the classic maiden aunt.She died when I was 14. I was given a small, heart shaped brass box that belonged to her as a memory of her. My mother always said that Aunt Rose had nice things, but my father expressed surprise when he helped clean out her apartment. She was living on very little income.

We told stories about Aunt Rose–she always gave us the old fashioned silver dollars for Chanuka. She taught my mother how to make gefilte fish. Aunt Rose taught her how to buy the fish, clean and bone it, and grind it in the hand cranked meat grinder. Then they formed it into balls and boiled it with carrots and celery. When my mother made her first batch on her own, she looked at all those bones and wondered why you needed to remove them if you were going to grind the fish anyway. So she skipped that step. When Aunt Rose came into the kitchen to taste my mother’s first batch of gefilte fish, she took a small bite, then looked at my mother and asked, “It tastes like there is sand in the fish, did you clean them?” Mom had to reply that she had ground the fish withthe bones still in the fish. I don’t know if anyone else ate the gefilte fish at that meal!

Once, Mom drove Aunt Rose and the mother of a friend to a funeral. The two women did not know each other, but as they drove through the cemetery, they discussed many of the deceased that both women and known. When I got older, I learned more about Aunt Rose. Her life was not easy. She was born in Friedrichstadt, Latvia bout 1890 and came to the USA with her family in 1891. She married Herman Gottlieb in1911 (more on that later!) and they had one son, Jerome. But Jerome was not right in the head, and spent his life in an institution. I assumed that he was born with a defect, and as a young married woman anticipating having children, I asked my grandmother what kind of birth defect he had. My grandmother was indignant – Jerome was born healthy, but a drunk baby nurse had dropped him and he had brain damage. He could not care for himself, and spent his life at an institution called Beverly Farms in Godfrey, Illinois. After Rose’s first husband died, she remarried I. W. Miller. But they were divorced before my parents married in 1948. And more recently, searching for information about family members in old newspapers, I found all kinds of surprising things! Aunt Rose–my staid and conservative great aunt!–planned to elope with her first husband. Her mother found out and rushed to the court house, bringing Rose and Herman Gottliebback to the family home. The rabbi was located, and brought to the house where he performed a traditional wedding ceremony.
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</DIV><DIV style="margin-left: 24px">Note: Do I want to include information about Herman Gottlieb’s death and possible embezzlement?
Need to check old newspapers for details. Also need to check references. There are two couples named Herman and Rose Gottlieb - have I mixed them up? Were they related?</DIV>

Rose FLEISCHER and I. W. MILLER were married after 1939. They were divorced. I. W. MILLER was born (date unknown).

Rose FLEISCHER and Herman Bernard GOTTLIEB were married in 1911.²³ The 1930 Census says that Rose was 20 years old when she married. Herman Bernard GOTTLIEB^23,24,25,26, son of Israel GOTTLIEB and Amalia ?, was born on 9 September 1887 in Warsaw, Poland.^23,24 He was born in 1894 in Russia. He immigrated on 22 December 1906 to New York City, New York, USA.^23,24 Herman was naturalized before 1930.²³ He died of coronary occlusion at 6643 Kingsbury on 2 January 1938 at the age of 44 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was also known as Hersz Ber Chaikes. He is buried next to Simon and Jacob Gottlieb and is probably their brother. Judy Ogilvie copied extensive files regarding their tragic deaths, one a victim of murder, the other of shock at learning of his brother's death.

Rose FLEISCHER and Herman Bernard GOTTLIEB had the following children: