Genealogist

    This page is yours as much as mine. I believe that we owe it to our children and future generations to record our family’s history before it is all lost.

    I’m hoping that you will help determine where to begin such a project and what to include in this newsletter. How many pages and how often each issue is published will depend upon the response that I receive from you.

    As an introduction, let me give you some background on this project. It all began with a chart that IRVING and MYRA WALDINGER (#118) of New York put together many years ago, drawing on their personal knowledge of the Waldinger family. (Notice the number #118 at the end of their names. I have assigned a number to each family member so that you can see where these individuals fit in our family tree chart. This process will be explained in greater detail later on.) The information on Irving’s chart was handed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next. Old letters, documents and photographs provided additional details. I received a copy of this chart in the 1960s, and even then was fascinated with its contents.

    As far back as I can remember, I had an interest in tracing family history. In 1947 when I was nineteen, my family (see ALBERT Waldinger #122) drove cross-country from California to New York in our 1939 Plymouth. We stopped in Des Moines, Iowa and met, for the first time, family members who lived there. They included the families of MOSE (#403), DAVE (#405), JOESPH (#404), and ETTA (#406). I cannot tell you what a positive impression this visit had on me. As I was already interested in photography, I naturally had to take a group photo of this wonderful Iowa clan with our family. Since that time I have maintained a file of letters, photos, news clippings and various memorabilia relating to our family.