Who is not coming to the Radding Reunion?

Who is not coming to the Radding Family Reunion?

The first week in August promises to be a momentous time for the Radding family. Of course, we have planned a major family reunion—the first of its kind as far as we can tell. But two other terrific events are happening for Raddings at about the same time.

First, a young man, David Samuel Mann, is becoming a Bar Mitzvah in Fresno, California on Saturday, the 4th of August. Mazel tov, David! He is the son on Jennifer Radding Mann. So, we do not expect David and his family to be at the reunion, as much as we’d love to have them.

Second, the other great event for the Radding family will be the launch of the next space shuttle in early August. On board is expected to be astronaut Barbara Radding Morgan. Needless to say, we all wish her the best and safest of trips and don’t expect her to attend the reunion either. Not many families, however, can point to an astronaut on their family tree. The Raddings have come a long way from the shtetl in Latvia.

We expect to do Havdallah on Sat. night after three stars have come out to mark the end of Shabbat. When we look up at the stars and marvel at God’s creation maybe we will catch a glimpse (or imagine catching a glimpse) of the space shuttle with one of our own aboard passing by. So, David Mann and his family and Barbara Radding Morgan will not be at the Radding Family Reunion. For the rest of you, what’s your excuse? It had better be good.

Where in the world is...

Where in the world is...

It looks like there will be a surprisingly large turnout at the Radding Family Reunion. [See posts below for details]. There is still time to make reservations. In the meantime, Pearl and Cathy are busy tracking down Radding descendents as fast as they can, but they can use your help.

For instance, Jerome (Rakishki) Radding had ten children. They have found the descendants of six of those children. Three of those ten children were females, so the Radding name did not carry forward. As a result they haven’t started to trace the names that were not Radding, although you can bet they will (especially with your help). The only male child whose descendants they have NOT found is Moses Radding, our ancestor who had the foresight to make a written family tree of the entire Radding family. His wife, Daisy Deitz Radding, was the widow of Edward Radding in the Joseph (Rakishki) Radding line. There were two children, Eleanor and David.

So, here is our where in the world is question for this posting: Does anyone know where the descendants of the Moses Radding family are today? If you have any information let Pearl (pearl@omsoft.com) or Cathy (cbm12345_2000@yahoo.com) know.

If you have anything to add or questions or whatever, feel welcome to post comments below.

Then, watch this blog for more Radding genealogy tidbits and questions.

Radding ancestors

Ida and Joseph Radding were the parents of the siblings in the picture on the left. Here they are with three of their children. That’s Florence in the middle, of course. Which brothers are these? When and where was this picture taken? If you have more information about this picture, please let us know.

Who are the Raddings?

The name Radding was given to a large set of cousins who came to the United States in the 1890s and early 1900s from the area around Riga, Latvia. (A few may have arrived earlier than that.) The name was created here in the US, probably at Ellis Island, when the first of the cousins arrived. Most likely the Anglicized name derived from the name of village they left.

The cousins probably didn’t think they were from Latvia. If you asked any of them they might have said they came from Russia, the Czarist power that dominated the area. As these young cousins grew up, the story goes, and approached the age when they would be conscripted into the Czar’s army, their families sent them off to the United States.

The various cousins settled around Hartford, CT and Springfield, MA. If you are descended from one of these cousins (or married to one who is), you are a Radding. The photo on this blog portrays one set of Radding siblings that initially settled in the Springfield area. Among the cousins who settled in Harford, Louis Radding appears to have played the patriarch role.

My grandfather was Morris Radding, and I grew up in Springfield. The Raddings, however, didn’t stay put. Within a generation they had spread across the country.

The cousins were Jewish when they arrived in this country. But like other immigrants, some assimilated and intermarried. Today you will find non-Jewish as well as Jewish Raddings. Hey, that’s America.

Pearl Carpenter, the daughter of Morris Radding, with the help of Cathy Radding McElligott, is compiling as much genealogical information as she can. They will present the results at the reunion. Genealogy is like a giant jigsaw puzzle; each piece of information makes the picture that much clearer. Come to the reunion, see what Pearl and Cathy have found, add what you know (whether a little or a lot) and help fill out the family picture. This is your legacy too.

Hope to see you in August.