Morris Ephraim Alexander
17 July 1922
Born 1 June 1891
Unless there are family stories passed down or family trees prepared in the past, we do not know who was the real first generation that lived in Shchedrin. I have reconstructed what is known by checking with available documents and other genealogists. A search for Shchedrin records was done using variations of the shtetl's name. Where possible, photographs, family trees, correspondence, and other sources, are included or linked.
One of the sources for Shchedrin as the birthplace of Ephraim's children is the Passport application of his son, Morris Ephraim. In that document, I believe, Morris took his father's name for his middle name, after his father died in Waterbury, Connecticut on 8 September 1921; he was about 63-years-old, Morris was about 30-years-old. It may be that Ephraim was not born in Shchedrin, but elsewhere, and his marriage was a matched marriage to his wife, who was from Shchedrin, Bobruisk uyezd, Minsk gubernia, Russian Empire. We know from a careful examination of all records that all of Ephraim's children were born in Shchedrin.
The first to immigrate was Ephraim's nephew Morris Alexander, who may have been born in Minsk or in another city or village, rather than in Shchedrin. The nephew's ship manifest entry has not yet been found (as of April 2022). (Ephraim had a son named Morris, also known as Moses.) Following next was Chaim, who was 20-years-old. Chaim's ship manifest entry states that he was going to his cousin "Morris" in New York City. It is cousin Morris, it's believed, that sent the money to bring over the next two brothers: Samuel and Nochem. Within eight months of their arrival, the three brothers were able to bring over their parents and three younger siblings. These were Ephroim, his wife, Mina, and their remaining children, Edel, Sol, and Moses. The following table summarizes the arrivals of the Alexander family.
| Given Name |
Age on Arrival |
Date of Birth |
Ship | Arrived |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaim (Hyman Herman) |
20 | 6/17/1882 | Barcelona | 11/25/1902 |
| Samuel* | 21 | 3/12/1883 | Patricia | 4/2/1904 |
| Nochem* (Nathan) |
18 | 8/8/1885 | ||
| Ephroim (Ephraim) |
50 | 1854 | Philadelphia | 1/1/1905 |
| Mina (Minnie) |
42 | 1862 | ||
| Edel (Julius) |
18 | 8/12/1886 | ||
| Zalman (Solomon) |
15 | 7/30/1889 | ||
| Moses (Morris) |
11 | 6/1/1893 | ||
| *Surname: Aleksandrov | ||||
(Click on the individual photos to see full size.)