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.