Radding Family Reunion

Radding Family Reunion, Jul 14-17, 2011

2011-01-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

We have a date for the next Radding Family Reunion, this summer, July 14-17 2011 at the Enfield CT Holiday Inn, a completely refurbished hotel on 13 acres of land. Lots of outdoor space for activities--tennis, volleyball, swimming, basketball, shuffleboard. Already a barbecue is being planned. It is located between Hartford and Springfield. Near airports in Hartford, Boston, and New York. Easy to get to, very reasonably priced, good food, and plenty to do for children, families, and the older folks too. An hour from the Berkshires, less than 2 hours from Boston--build your entire vacation around what will be the third Radding Family Reunion. For current details, visit the Radding Family page at Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=103497098646

A Successful Radding Family Reunion

2009-10-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

[DOUBLE CLICK PHOTO TO SEE LARGE]

Over 60 Raddings gathered at Lake Tahoe and had a great time. People renewed old friendships, started new friendships, shared old stories, and started new ones. Best of all we made a commitment to do it again in a couple of years [to be announced].

Jenny Radding Mann and Jerry Mann came up a big winner at Reunion 2.0 [see picture above—Jerry proudly holding his Hyatt Lake Tahoe casino payout of a whopping 40 cents]. The Raddings must be the last of the big spenders judging from the photo of Linda Radding spending her last dollar at the Hyatt casino. I'd be surprised if the casino ever lets the Raddings in again.

The third photo shows Eugene Radding, the oldest Radding at the reunion, with his daughter Jenny Radding Mann along the late. This spry 85-year old hiked 300’ down and back to this point. We should all be in his shape when we get that age.

The Moses Radding paintings [shown below in an earlier blog posting] are now in the possession of Herb Radding, thanks to the help of Peter Radding. Herb brought them to the reunion where they were displayed. They look much better for real than the skewed photos previously posted here

Eva and Pearl gave a genealogy update. They found more Raddings and are hot on the trail of confirming the missing branch of the family, the Racusin line. They also provided more details further confirming the connection between the Jerome and Joseph lines of the family. Without a doubt, we are ONE family.

Fay Radding volunteered to head up the next reunion committee. She will need lots of help with the research, planning, and preparation. So, if you can help out, please contact Fay on Facebood at the Radding family group.

Danny Radding, a high school student from Alameda CA, set up a Radding Family group on Facebook. Every Radding is encouraged to join. It is free. You will need a Facebook account (go to www.facebook.com), which also is free. Everyone who is part of the Radding Family group will be able to post photos for all to see and put up messages for the group. Details will follow. I will continue this blog for now but more of the interesting stuff should move to Facebook, where it is easier for everyone to participate. I already joined the Radding Family Group.

Hopefully Raddings who attended the reunion will post their thoughts in the comments that follow this blog. Just click the comment link and follow the prompts. (You'll have to identify yourself; we don't allow anonymous comments.) I hope Raddings will also post comments and photos on the Radding Facebook page. And it doesn’t all have to be about the reunion. Our FacebookFacebook page. group should become an ongoing Radding discussion and family celebration. Every Radding is welcome to put comments and photos on the Radding Family

In addition, I will put up more photos from the reunion in the next blog posting. Eva will put a selection on Facebook too.

Radding Reunion June Update

2009-06-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

This is a view of Lake Tahoe. Pretty nice, huh? Hope you are going to join a bunch of other Raddings there in just a few weeks.

The Radding Reunion, 2.0 is almost upon us, Thurs.-Sun., July 9-12. As of the end of June, 69 people have signed up. Many of these are newly identified Raddings since last reunion. More will likely show up as late-comers and day-trippers.

Attendees are coming from across the country, Maine to California. As for age, they range from 2 to 83.

Scheduled activities include a poolside welcome on Thursday evening. Friday and Saturday evenings will feature group dinners. A Lake Tahoe brunch cruise is scheduled for Saturday and a group breakfast on Sunday.

The highlight of the reunion will be the presentation of the latest findings by the genealogy team. They have been busy since the last reunion tracking down more Raddings and clarifying relationships. Bring any additional information you have: names, dates, ages, locations—genealogy is an ongoing process of building the Radding family database.

Eva and I are flying out on Thurs., 7/9. See you at Lake Tahoe.

The artwork of Moses B. Radding

2009-04-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

Moses B. Radding, 1889-1980, a doctor, also was an artist. Two of his paintings are for sale in an antique store in Easton, PA. Cathy McElligott recently spoke with the owner. The owner said the paintings had been in her private home, and that she and her husband own the shop. The photos are priced at $595 each. Cathy convinced the woman to send a photo of each picture, which I scanned. The pictures are above. Sorry for the skewed angles but the photos of the pictures were skewed to begin with. If you click the photo you should see a larger view.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Tahoe reunion.

Alan

Earl Radding, 1912-2009

2009-02-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

Earl was the oldest Radding at the first reunion and, as far as the genealogy team could determine, possibly the oldest living Radding. Earl (standing in the photo) was gregarious and delightful at the reunion. We will miss him at the Lake Tahoe reunion.

Radding, Earl C.

Engineer-Musician-Senior Olympian-Family Man

Passed away after a short illness on February 1, 2009 at 96 years of age. Born April 26, 1912 in Albany, N.Y., son of Hattie Simons Radding and Aaron Radding, Earl received his Mechanical Engineering Degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1933 and his Professional Engineering Certification subsequently.

In 1938, he joined the US Naval ship building efforts in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, NYC. After the war, Earl accepted a position in the DuPont Engineering Department, Seaford location, from which he retired in 1977. Earl was perennially active in the National Society of Professional Engineers, Delaware Chapter, of which he served as President. In 1983, he was awarded Outstanding Engineer of the Year. The National organization bestowed “Distinguished Member” in 1991, “Fellow Member” in 2001 and in 2007, “Life Member.” Earl’s dedication to exemplary engineering professionalism led to the institution of rigorous PE requirements and high standards of excellence across the nation.

Music was a talent recognized in his youth when Earl, age 12, gave a piano recital under the tutelage of Helen Radding Maxwell, Albany, NY. Banjo playing with pick-up bands helped him with expenses through his college years. In the Seaford area, over a period of 40 years, frequent jam sessions were held with Gordon and Alice McCormick, and professional banjo artists, Buddy Wachter and Al Smith. In 1989, Earl formed the GrandpaJammers who performed on the Delmarva Penninsula. The group of 11 were eventually joined by Helen Lind, vocalist. More recently, the Grandpa Jammers had become a quintet of Earl, Helen, Dave Sterrett, Bob Corwin and Jim Smith. Often Earl and Helen would perform as a duo and did cut a CD of Oldies but Goodies in 2005.

Senior Olympics were another facet of Earl’s vibrant life. Throughout his 70’s and 80’s he continually won medals in Tennis and Bowling at National Competitions. Tennis fell by the way side in his 90’s, however he was a Bowling medalist in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Singles and Mixed-Doubles with his partner, Christine Morrow, in the Delaware State competitions and a medalist in the Singles and Mixed-Doubles Nationals in 2005.

A special hobby, Amateur Radio, was of interest to Earl from his teens, The Marconi days. He was licensed for 57 years and participated in the QCWA and Nanticoke Amateur Radio Clubs locally.

Family was Earl’s highest priority with emphasis on education, high ethics and social commitment. He was a Scout Master, a mentor for remedial programs, an involved father with his wife, Edna, and children. Earl and Edna, who predeceased Earl in 2002, were married 64 years with two sons, Peter (sr) and Wilson, two grandchildren, Peter (jr) and Nicole Radding Havert, two great grandsons, Trent and Grant Radding, a great granddaughter, Jordan Havert and a fourth due in May. Earl is also survived by three nieces, Lois Collins, Doris Turlo, and Arlene Vrooman, a nephew, David Maxwell, and a niece by marriage, Karen Scheie. A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 7, 2009, 2 PM at the Watson-Yates funeral home, Front and King Streets, Seaford, DE. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Seaford Senior Center or the Milford Senior Center.

Preliminary Reunion Program

2009-01-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

The snow is piling up (see photo). That means it is time to start thinking about the next Radding family reunion. Here is the preliminary program.

When: July 9th through July 12th, 2009

Where: Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino
Incline Village, Nevada
http://laketahoe.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

Preliminary Program
Thursday, 7/9 3:00 pm
Hotel check in available
4:00 to 9:00 pm Hospitality Suite* open
Dinner on your own
7:30 to 9:00 pm Poolside Welcoming

Friday, 7/10
All Day Enjoy the Resort and Area
8:00 am - 9:00 pm Hospitality Suite* open
Organized AM Radding Golf
Outings TBD Radding Spa Treatments
5:30 to 6:30 pm Cocktail Gathering
7:00 pm Shuttle or Drive to Offsite Restaurant
7:30 pm to ? Group Dinner at Offsite Restaurant

Saturday, 7/11
AM Enjoy the Resort and Area
8:00 am - 9:00 pm Hospitality Suite* open
Organized 9:30 to 11:30 am Brunch Cruise on Lake Tahoe
Outing (30 min drive to boat dock)
2:00 to 4:00 pm Radding Genealogy Session
4:00 pm Family Photo
6:30 pm to ? Group Dinner at Hyatt Regency

Eva and I have put down our deposit so we're intending to be there. Eva and the rest of the genealogy team are still chasing down Raddings to complete the genealogy, which, of course, is never really complete. If you have any new information, please pass it along to Eva, Pearl, or Cathy.

Pearl promises more info on the reunion in Feb.

Otherwise, hope lots and lots of you will attend.

Until then, it is cold and there is a ton of snow covering my lawn. I'll be ready for Tahoe by July (if not sooner).

Alan

Reunion Fall Update

2008-10-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

It’s more than official: the next Radding reunion is happening July 9-12, 2009 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, at the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village. How do I know it’s real? The Hyatt has taken my credit card deposit. Now I hope the rest of you will join Eva and me.

Pearl Radding Carpenter, Auntie Pearl to me, sent out more details on the reunion: Incline Village is just 45 minutes from the Reno, Nevada airport, 2 hours and 15 minutes from Sacramento, CA, and 3.5 hours from the San Francisco Airport.

Pearl reports that the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village is an incredible resort is located right on the lake complete with a private beach, pool complex, spa, and casino. (details here--http://laketahoe.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp). The hotel is holding a limited number of rooms for the three reunion days at a group discount rate of $238/night. For those who may want to stay longer the hotel will honor the discounted rate for up to 2 nights before and 2 nights after the reunion. Raddings can book rooms by calling 775 832 1234. Make sure that you tell them that you are with the Radding Reunion to get the discounted rate. You will need to place a one night deposit to hold your reservation

Quite a bit has been happening among Raddings since the last blog posting. Probably more has been happening than is recounted here but I only know what’s happening if people fire off an email to me, alan@radding.net, and let me know.

To start, Eva, Amy, and I attended Lisa’s graduation from Syracuse University in May. David Nappi and Kathy Cragin joined us for dinner one night.. Lisa actually landed a job in her field, linguistics, within one month of graduating. She is working at Ethnic Technologies, South Hackensack NJ, as an Ethnologist/Linguist, according to her business card. Lisa is now living in Hoboken, NJ, right across the Hudson River from midtown Manhattan. Great views of the NYC skyline.

David Nappi writes that Kathy's son Doug and his wife Kim are now parents of a healthy baby boy. Donald Jeffery Cragin was born 10/7/08. He’s not officially a Radding but close enough. David and Kathy also have set a date to get married, Oct. 3, 2009. And he became a grandfather yet again in July when his youngest daughter, Amanda, had a daughter, Cheyenne Leigh Nappi, on July 2. Mazel Tov all around!

Wendy Cumpston writes with an update from the Washington, DC area about a feature in the Washington Post on the Teachers In Space program, featuring Barbara Radding Morgan, the NASA astronaut, space shuttle crew member, and surely the most traveled Radding in terms of total miles.

Jerome Radding also checked in with news of his daughter, the same Barbara Radding Morgan. He wrote: “Our daughter, who went on shuttle flight ST-118 on August 8th, 2007, was a guest speaker at her old Hoover High School in Fresno on Wednesday April 9th. She spoke at two assemblies and in addition to the school officials and teachers, there were representatives from the City of Fresno and from Cal State University, Fresno, announcing the formation of a new educational program at the high school in conjunction with the University to promote careers in Technology, Electronics and Architecture. The mayor gave her a key to the City and declared April 9th ‘Barbara Morgan Day’. It was a great day.” Jerome Radding M.D. is the son of Edward E. Radding and grandson of the original Jerome Radding..

Mark Radding invited me to join his network on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). LinkedIn is a business-focused social networking site, sort of a Facebook for business and professional people. It is free. There are more than a few Raddings on LinkedIn. Would be nice to identify their connections to the rest of us and get them to the reunion. At the least, we should invite each other to join our various networks. Maybe we can set up a Radding group?

Andrew Radding of Baltimore reports the arrival on Oct 5, 2008, of the newest Radding, Alexandra Jane Collins. Alexandra is the daughter of Andrew’s daughter Judy and her husband Chris in NYC.

Herbert Radding reported a visit to his brother Irving Radding. Irv is a much decorated WWII and Korean War vet. Retired, he now resides now in Hemet, California with his wife Joyce.

Lastly, Eva and I celebrated Rosh Hashonah, the Jewish New Year, in Longmeadow, MA, at the home of my brother Edward and Linda Radding. Joining us for a lovely holiday dinner was my brother Robert and Rina Radding, cousins Jerry and Susan Radding, cousins Cathy and John McElligott, and a last minute treat for us, the arrival of my daughter Amy Radding, who dashed up after an organic chem. test at Yale in New Haven, an hour away

Upcoming blog postings will include more details of the Lake Tahoe reunion and more genealogy findings from the genealogy team that continues uncovering and tracking down any Raddings they can find. If you know of any, pass the information along to Pearl, Eva, or Cathy. If there is more news to report, just let me know or blast it out in an email to the entire family mailing list, which all of you can take from earlier mailings.

Feel welcome to add your own comments to this posting by clicking the comments section at the bottom and following the prompts.

In terms of the economy the Jewish New Year (Sept. 30/Oct. 1) has gotten off to a rough start to say the least. Still, Eva and I wish all Raddings, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, a healthy, happy, and peaceful New Year, and (in the traditional Hebrew New Year greeting) Shana Tova.

Alan

April update

2008-04-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

Although we don’t have another reunion in the works until the summer of 2009, connections that were initially made at the last reunion are still playing themselves out.

Cathy McElligott reports that Herb Radding is recovering from another back surgery, and will be returning to the hospital in April for surgery on his shoulder.

David Nappi and Kathy Cragin just returned from a cruise to San Juan, including Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten and St. Thomas. If you live in Syracuse, New York as they do, just one cruise doesn’t seem like nearly enough compensation for the cold and snow. Lisa Radding also spent the winter in Syracuse, much of it on crutches no less, but escaped to Savannah, Georgia for an Ultimate Frisbee tournament during spring break.

More Raddings on the move: Earl Radding is planning a trip to Costa Rica in July, and his band played a couple of gigs in Delaware during the month of March. By the way, Earl, the oldest Radding at the reunion, will turn 96 years old on April 26. The Torah tells us that a person will likely live 70 years, 80 years if they are fortunate. Earl is well into bonus time. Happy Birthday and let’s hope for many more.

Raddings in Israel: Ellen Rowles traveled to Israel and joined a Hadassah nursing mission for two weeks in March. Marsha Radding and her daughters Adrienne and Carolyn went to Israel planning to meet a cousin on Marsha's (non-Radding) side of the family whom they've never met. Two other cousins from New York and Brazil have also joined them on their mini reunion.

On the genealogy front, Eva Radding discovered some long lost cousins of Andrew Radding. She has also been hot on the trail of some Racusin cousins, apparently the descendents of Berre Racusin’s daughter Lotti Lashman. Lotti’s 90 year-old grandson, Shelley Lashman, is a retired naval officer and judge in the Atlantic City, NJ, area. Does the name Lashman ring a bell with anyone?

Also at the end of April, Ron Bland and his wife Kay will be in Sacramento visiting their son Todd. Pearl Carpenter writes that the three Radding-related Davis (California) families have invited everyone in Northern California within driving distance of Davis for a barbecue on April 27. They are hoping to meet even more Raddings. Ron says he last saw Pearl at a family wedding in 1950 in Springfield. It quite likely happened in the backyard of my parents’ (Joseph and Eunice Radding) home, which probably was the largest backyard among the Springfield Raddings. Pearl doesn’t remember the details and I wasn’t even born yet.

Finally, Fay Radding needs your help for her work. She wants to hear stories about how retirement was discussed by prior generations. Did your parents or grandparents share their feelings about retirement? If so what were they? You can share your stories with Fay at FAYSPLACE@aol.com. Fay—here is your first retirement story. I remember when, late in my father’s life, he threatened to retire. My mother’s reply: “If he thinks he is going to retire and stay home all day, then I am going to get a job.” As it turns out, he didn’t actually retire until he broke his hip while downhill skiing at the age of 77.

The California Radding Reunion 2009 planning team is ramping up and needs volunteers. You don’t have to be in California to help out. Most of the work gets done by email and phone. If you want to help, please contact Steve Greenfield, stgreen@omsoft.com.

Send me any news you have, alan@radding.net, and it will be in the next posting of the Radding Reunion blog.

Reunion Update

2007-11-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

[photo above, l-r: Alan, Robert, Edward Radding and Dave Nappi]

If you think nothing has happened since the August reunion, you are mistaken. Various Raddings have been expanding the connections they made at the reunion on their own. For example:

David Nappi learned at the reunion that his mother had a half-sister. The daughter of this half sister, Judie Pearson, flew to Massachusetts, where a number of visits to family took place. Edward and Linda Radding hosted a visit from David Nappi, Kathy Cragin, Judie Pearson and Cathy McGilligott.

A week later, Joe Radding and his wife Marilee from Ann Arbor, Michigan came out to San Francisco. They contacted Herb and Bonnie Radding and met for dinner. Circumstances kept other West Coast Raddings from joining them.

Also, Andrew and Bonnie Radding visited Andrew’s daughter Judith in New York City in late August. It happened that Ed and Linda Radding were visiting their daughter Jennifer in New York at the same time. The two families got together. It turns out the daughters live only four blocks from each other.

More recently, Steve and Teri Greenfield attended the UC Davis Aggies football game. There they bumped into Emily Ault, the great niece of Bernhard Radding, who Pearl found living in Davis. Her brother, Scott Radding Bland from Sacramento, was there with Emily. He and Steve had never met. Both families headed off to The Graduate for dinner together after the game. There now are rumblings of an early mini-reunion in Northern California.

More than rumblings, the direction coming out of the August reunion was that the next major family gathering will be held in California, probably in 2009. Stay tuned for more details. A survey to ascertain everyone’s various preferences is in the works.

Steve reports that he is putting on the finishing touches on that survey. He apologizes for the delay, which was due to a crashed computer and a very busy schedule. It will be on its way shortly—he promises. Keep the faith.

On another note, Pearl has recovered nicely from her knee replacement and is now bopping around Davis, no cane in hand. She is grateful for this second chance to be mobile again. We’re expecting her here to run the Boston Marathon in April. Herb Radding, in the meantime, is recovering from recent back surgery. We wish him well.

Meanwhile, Eva Radding continues to pursue Raddings around the country and back in time, pouring over various online database records, directories, and historical archives. She is hot on the trail of some descendents of the third patriarchal brother, Berre Racusin. She just needs a couple of pieces of corroborating data.

If you have Radding family news, fire it off to me in an email message (alan@radding.net) and I will add it to the next blog update, which hopefully won’t be another four months in coming.

Radding Reuinion attendees

2007-08-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here is the photo of the Radding Reunion attendees from Saturday afternoon. A small handful of people did not make it into this photo. I don't know how this happened; I thought Steve flogged everybody to get into this photo. Maybe they were in the bathroom. If you want to get the IDs of everybody in the photo, contact Steve or Pearl for the ID set of 2 files (a b&w photo and list of names), stgreen@omsoft.com or pearl@omsoft.com. DOUBLE CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE IT LARGE

It happened!

2007-08-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

The first Radding Family Reunion actually did happen Aug. 2-5 at the Interlaken Inn in Lakeville, CT, and it was great. Thanks to everybody who made it happen, including Pearl Radding Carpenter, Fay Radding, Cathy Radding McElligott, Eva Radding, Steve Greenfield, and Edward Radding. My apologies in advance to anyone else I should have named but inadvertently forgot.

We initially thought 50-60 people might show up. A week before the event, it looked like 75-80 people would come. By Saturday afternoon, 95 people had arrived! The sudden rush did cause a few logistical complications, but everything was resolved.

Mark your calendar for the summer of 2009, the likely date of the second Radding Family Reunion. A survey will be circulating to determine preferred dates and locations. Judging from the preferences expressed at the breakfast on Sunday morning, it looks like it will be held on the west coast. Those who want to volunteer to help organize the event—and help definitely will be needed—please contact Steve Greenfield (stgreen@omsoft.com).

For those who couldn’t attend, here is a brief and highly subjective recap. Feel welcome to add your own impressions of the reunion in the comment section directly following this posting. To post a comment you will be prompted for your name (your email address) and your password (give yourself a password and remember it).

The children liked the ice cream social on Thursday evening while many adults avoided the extra calories. But it kept the children busy while the adults talked and mingled. Jacob Knop, Julia Radding Knop’s son, took on the much appreciated task of assembling name cards and badges; at that time there were about 85.

Friday was an unusually hot and humid day for the Berkshires, even in August—a perfect day for relaxing in the shade, at the pool, on the lakefront, or in the water. In the evening we switched ice cream for alcohol and had a cocktail party which flowed right into a buffet dinner. We all shook so many hands we must have looked like a pack of presidential candidates campaigning in New Hampshire. The cocktail party also provided an opportunity for those who wanted to gather and welcome Shabbat (the Sabbath) with candle lighting, wine, Scotch, and challah.

The hot and humid weather moderated a bit by Saturday. It turned out to be a great morning at the lakefront. By mid afternoon everyone had gathered for the genealogy session led by Pearl and Cathy. With the arrival of the day trippers our numbers may have climbed past 95. Earl Radding, the oldest Radding present at 95, drove up from Delaware with his son Peter from South Carolina. As it turns out, every family there was descended either from Joseph or Jerome Radding, both of whom arrived in this country around the turn of the 20th century. Eva Radding had tracked down an earlier common ancestor to them—Wolf Rakishki, from Zagare, a small town in what is now Lithuania. We can refer to future reunions as the gathering of the Wolf pack.

The centerpiece of the genealogy session was the Radding family tree produced by Edward Radding on two long strips of vinyl, one representing the line of Joseph and the other of Jerome. The strips were spread, side by side, across five tables, allowing people to view each tree. A PDF file of the family tree will be sent to everybody on the mailing list once Eva makes the corrections collected at the reunion.

After the genealogy session people gathered for a group photo and later assembled in a tent for a cookout. This was followed later still by a bonfire at the lake. Fire toasted marshmallows and Smores (toasted marshmallow, chocolate, and graham crackers) were the fare for that event. The sky over the lake was crammed with stars, which provided the opportunity for those who wanted to end Shabbat with a brief Havdallah program including more candles, the sweet smell of spices, and wine.

The next morning those who weren’t dashing off to catch an early flight enjoyed breakfast together followed by the family meeting that recommended the summer of 2009 and the west coast for the next gathering of the Wolf pack.

Check out some photos from the reunion in the following blog posting.

Photos from the reunion

2007-08-12T06:52:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from the reunion. More will be coming. Stay tuned.

Click on the photo to view it in a larger size.

Top left--Earl Radding, the oldest Radding at 95 (Edward and Peter Radding behind, l-r)

Top right--two beautiful women, each named Lisa Radding

Lower right--Yes, those are assorted Radding cousins on the float on the lake

Lower left--Dustin Peters, Sue Peters, Melanie Greenfield, Josh Greenfield view the family tree

The Latest Numbers

2007-07-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

Pearl Carpenter sent over the latest tally and it looks like quite a crowd of Raddings will be converging on Lakeville CT and the Interlaken Inn the first weekend in August. Here is Pearl's latest count:

Thursday 20 adults, 9 children
Friday 48 adults, 11 children
Saturday 68 adults, 13 children

On top of that, I expect (hope) to see some unannounced daytrippers showing up, probably on Saturday. For people living in New England and New York, Lakeville is within range of a reasonable day trip. You are most welcome even if you are showing up with little or no notice.

Eva and I will be arriving on Thursday evening after hiking to the summit of Mt. Greylock during the day. Our children, Lisa (21) and Amy (18), will be arriving on Friday evening.

Watch this blog (bookmark it in your browser as a favorite place) for the latest news or interesting tidbits received up until I leave for Mt. Greylock. After the reunion I plan to keep the blog up and running with a recap for those who didn't make it to the event. And maybe it will evolve into an on-going discussion among what appears to be a far flung family--something to discuss Sunday morning at the reunion.

Feel welcome to add your own comments to any post. Just click the comments link at the end of each post. (You will be asked for your email address and password--whichever password you choose to give yourself. This is a family reunion blog; it doesn't accept anonymous postings.)

Looking forward to seeing and, in some cases, meeting for the first time all of you.

Alan

Updated Radding reunion schedule

2007-07-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Radding Reunion Agenda

August 2nd – August 5th, 2007

Thurs. 8/2 , 7 pm , Ice Cream Social (A relaxed social evening of meeting and greeting)

Fri. 8/3, before 6 pm, Enjoy the Resort/Area on your own to explore, swim, relax, visit town, etc.

6 pm, Cocktail Hour (cocktails not included, purchase individually from the Inn or bring your own)--mix, mingle, and meet additional family arrivals

7 pm, Buffet Dinner--Eat and be merry

Sat. 8/4, before 2 pm, Enjoy the Resort/Area, swim, hike, enjoy, etc.

2–4 pm, Genealogy

Introduction – Tracing the Two Family Lines

Genealogy Book

Visual Family Tree & Interactive Activities

Where We Grew Up & Live

Trivia Game

5 pm, Group Pictures (Bring on the Cameras)

6 pm, Family Barbecue (Chew the Food, Chew the Fat)

9 pm, Lakeside Bonfire, Dessert Around The Fire

Sun. 8/5, 9 am , Breakfast Wrap Up, discuss future reunions/goodbyes

The above is the official schedule. In addition some unofficial, optional events are being planned. In fact, you are welcome to plan something of your own. For example, Eva and I are planning to host a Shabbat kiddush (challah, wine, candle lighting) on Friday evening. On Saturday evening, we are planning to host a Shabbat havdallah under the stars. These are both brief and will not interfere with scheduled activities. Anyone is welcome to join us.

Pearl and her planning crew have put together a great reunion program. I'm looking forward to meeting so many of you there.

Alan

How Many Raddings are There?

2007-07-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

Many of you have been very helpful in forwarding information about your families to Pearl Carpenter, Cathy McElligott, or me. I have compiled an extensive family tree that will be available to all at the reunion, and by email for those who can’t come. In the meantime, just how many of us are there?

The earliest known ancestor that we share is Wulf (Zev) Rakishki, who lived near Riga, Latvia. As far as we know he had three sons and probably two daughters. The children of his sons Joseph and Jerome—seventeen cousins in all—emigrated to the U.S. in the early years of the 20th century, taking the name Radding, and eventually brought their parents (Joseph died before he could come, but his wife Ida, and Jerome and his wife Dora, came). There was a third brother who came to the U.S. and took the name Racusin, and we don’t know what became of the sisters.

From the information we have been able to gather so far, here’s the count of Wulf’s descendents, through Joseph and Jerome:

Original immigrant generation: 17 Radding cousins
Their children: 54
Their grandchildren: 104
Their great-grandchildren: 128
Great-great grandchildren: 58
Great-great-great grandchildren: 2

Grand total, from Wulf, Joseph and Jerome through the latest generation: 366!

That count, which includes only descendents (not spouses) will surely grow as more and more cousins are identified. We know there are more out there!

See you in August,

Eva Radding

What to do at the Radding reunion

2007-06-24T17:09:00.001-07:00

Down toward to bottom of this blog is a preliminary schedule for the Radding reunion. Most of the action, it appears, is happening on Friday and Saturday afternoon and evening. The inn also is a mini-resort in itself, so it has stuff to do. What else is there to do? Lots.

If you are not familiar with the area, there is much in the Berkshires generally near where our inn is located. We live in the Boston area and like to hike in the Berkshires. So, here are a couple of short hikes we like (although climbing is sometimes involved).

My all time favorite in this area is Monument Mountain in Great Barrington. You will probably drive past it if you come via the Mass Pike. The hike to the summit is about 1.6 miles and involves a 1600’ elevation gain. The hike up takes Eva and me about 1.5 hours (coming down is always faster). The reward, besides beautiful views, is wild blueberries. Early August is peak blueberry season and the wild blueberries are ripe and easy picking. They grow among the rocks on the summit and high ledges. Enjoy! Just make sure to leave some for the animals too.

Another favorite is Bash-Bish Falls (that's right, not bish-bash as you might expect). There is an easy path to the base of the falls, a great place for sitting out on the rocks or wading. The water is cold. I like to follow the trail up the gorge to the top of the falls. This isn’t a terribly long trail, less than one mile, but it can get pretty steep.

These two trails are reasonably near to the Inn. Somewhat farther afield is Mt. Greylock, the tallest mountain in Massachusetts, which, at 3110’, admittedly isn’t saying much. There are many trails in the Greylock reservation. The Roaring Brook Trail is the shortest route to the summit and is moderately steep. Between the drive from the inn and the hike itself, this pretty much constitutes a full day trip.

If you just want great views of Mt. Greylock without the work of a climb try the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, which starts right off Rt. 8 at the Berkshire Mall in Lanesboro. This trail is wide, generally flat, and paved. An easy stroll. Walk as far as you like until you get tired of the view and then double back. The trail runs along water so the views across the water with Greylock in the background really are beautiful.

Between what’s available at the inn and the Radding reunion events—don’t miss the genealogy stuff on Saturday, 2pm—this should keep you pretty busy. If you want to stroll around cute towns filled with the typical Yuppie candle and sandal shops you can also visit Stockbridge, Lenox, and Great Barrington.

My choice: Monument Mt. on Fri. or Sat. morning, which will get me back in time for the genealogy stuff. If you have other suggestions, please add them as comments.

Raddings near and far

2007-06-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

Reunion is attracting Raddings from near and far

Here is the latest list of locations where Raddings are coming from for the reunion:

Davis, CA
New York, NY
Saratoga, CA
Hamden, CT
Seattle, WA
Maplewood, NJ
Newton Highlands, MA
Louisville, KY
Grass Valley, CA
Baltimore, MD
Sharon, MA
Longmeadow, MA
Carmel, Indiana
West Springfield, MA
Williston, VT
Portland, ME
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Keego Harbor, Michigan
Los Gatos, CA
Syracuse, NY
Woodbridge VA

And remember how we were looking for living descendents of Moses Radding? Well, Cathy and Pearl tracked one down—Alan Kaliski, step-grandson of Moses Radding. He lives in Charlotte, NC.

Who is not coming to the Radding Reunion?

2007-05-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-05-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-05-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

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.

Preliminary Schedule of Events

2007-04-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Preliminary Schedule of Events

Thursday, 8/2 Arrival (3:00 pm check in)
Evening informal gathering and
Ice cream Social

Friday, 8/3 AM On your own to enjoy the resort!
6:00 pm Family Gathering
Genealogy and Connection
Group Buffet Dinner

Saturday, 8/4 AM On your own to enjoy the resort!
2:00 PM Geneology and Connection
6:00 PM Family Backyard Barbeque
9:00 PM Evening Lakeside Campfire

Sunday, 8/5 AM Breakfast Together Wrap Up
Plans for Future Reunions

Room Reservations: Rooms must be reserved by
May 1, 2007, after which rooms will be available
on a first-come, first served basis.
Rooms with 2 queen beds starting at $179.00/night
$15.00/day additional to add a cot
Upgrades, Two Connecting Rooms also Available

To make reservations, call 1-800-222-2909
Remember to specify ‘Radding Family Reunion’

Nearest Airport: Bradley International, Hartford/Springfield
Driving distance from airport is 51.4 miles, time 1 hour, 27 mins.

Other Incidentals
A nominal fee per family will be requested to cover
reunion materials, packets, copying, etc.

In addition there are all the attractions and pleasures of the Berkshires.

Please plan to join us.

Welcome

2007-04-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Radding Family Reunion Blog

The Radding family reunion--the descendents of a large set of cousins who arrived from the area around Riga about the turn of the 20th century (1900)-- is currently being planned for Thurs., Aug. 2 through Sun., Aug. 5, 2007 in Lakeville, CT.

In subsequent posts, you will find more details on the event and more comments from those planning to attend and those who are still thinking about it.

For now, if you have any questions or want more information, contact Fay, faysplace@aol.com or Pearl at pearl@omsoft.com

Looking forward to seeing as many Radding as possible in August.

Alan