Williamsburg Regional Library

The almost legendary Morris sisters, a true story of family fiction, Julie Klam

eng

collective biography

photographsillustrationsgenealogical tables

no index present

non fiction

The almost legendary Morris sisters

1227976166

Julie Klam

a true story of family fiction

"Ever since she was young, Julie Klam has been fascinated by the Morris sisters, cousins of her grandmother. According to family lore, early in the 20th century the sisters' parents decided to move the family from Eastern Europe to Los Angeles so their father could become a movie director. On the way, their pregnant mother went into labor in St. Louis, where the baby was born and where their mother died. The father left the children in an orphanage and promised to send for them when he settled in California - a promise he never kept. One of the Morris sisters later became a successful Wall Street trader and advised Franklin Roosevelt. The sisters lived together in New York City, none of them married or had children, and one even had an affair with J.P. Morgan. The stories of these independent women intrigued Klam, but as she delved into them to learn more, she realized that the tales were almost completely untrue. The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters is the revealing account of what Klam discovered about her family - and herself - as she dug into the past. The deeper she went into the lives of the Morris sisters, the slipperier their stories became. And the more questions she had about what actually happened to them, the more her opinion of them evolved. Part memoir and part confessional and told with the wit and honesty that are hallmarks of Klam's books, The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters is the fascinating and funny true story of one writer's journey into her family's past, the truths she brings to light, and what she learned about herself along the way"--, Provided by publisher

A guide to the Morris sisters -- I'd like to introduce my family -- What I don't know could fill a book -- The Morris Family Foundation, Inc. -- Step one: Index cards -- Remembering Mama -- Start at the very beginning, a very good place to start -- Small medium at large -- Meet me in St. Louis, Louis -- Needle in a graveyard -- Show-me state of mind -- Clara doesn't live here anymore -- Reclaiming my Romanian roots -- Bucureşti, România -- Focşani -- Cousins and commodities -- The Berkowitzes of Maplewood -- The Harvard of Jews -- FDR and NYC -- Last wills and testaments -- Saying goodbye

adult