An American Family History

Dora Swentoslawski Morrison Zagel was born on December 15, 1876 in Klodawa, Poland. She was the daughter of Moishe Swentoslawski and Pearl Kolsky.

According to her nephew, Ray Morrison, Theodore was Dora’s favorite brother. Isidore was next. She did not much care for Simon. Simon’s position on this was, “Dora was born to lead. I was born not to be led.”

She married Jacob Zagel (Jake) in Poland about 1904. He was born on November 10, 1879 in Warsaw, Poland. Their four children were born in Poland: Goldie (Golica, Gail) Zagel Himmel, Samuel (Shmul) S. Zagel (1905), Joseph K. Zagel (Vuba) (1907), and Pauline (Paula) Zagel Feurstein.

Their residence before they emigrated was listed as Gustschow, Russia on the ship manifest. They immigrated to the United States in 1915 on the ship Noordam. The ship departed from Rotterdam and arrived at Ellis Island on July 29, 1915.

At the time of the 1920 census, they were living in Chicago. The household consisted of Jacob age 40 who manufactured neckware, Dora age 39, Goldie age 15, Sam age 14, Joseph age 13, and Pauline age 8.

Ray Morrison wrote

When I was about 15, I spent part of one summer with Aunt Dora and the family. I came into Chicago by train from Tucson, Arizona, where I was going to boarding school.  I didn’t know who would pick me up.  As I walked up the station platform, Sam passed me. I had never seen him before and he had never seen me.  We looked at each other briefly in passing. He looked imposing. He had an important way of walking. I think I was wearing a cowboy hat;  fifteen-year-old Jewish boy in a cowboy hat. Sam did not consider me likely to be the person he was looking for, but there must have been no better candidate on the platform so he turned around, caught up with me, asked me if my name was Morrison, and then told me he was my cousin Sam.

In 1930 they were still living in Chicago. Ray Morrison said that Jake made some poor business decisions. Dora told him not to make any decisions without consulting her, but. he went to investigate a factory business and bought it. After he bought it, Dora discovered that the goods drawers were empty and that the "notes" (money due) could not be collected. She divorced him. By 1930 the household consisted of Dorothy Zachel (sic) age 52, Samuel age 26, Joseph age 22, and Pauline age 19. Both boys were salesmen at a furniture store and Pauline was a hosiery saleslady.

Dora came to live in Los Angeles with her children after the divorce. Dora died on December 20, 1958 in Los Angeles, California.