Yippee! Mishkan Israel Cemetery!

Yay!  This idea seemed very far fetched when I started but, according to Mishkan Israel, it's going to work.  The old section of Mishkan Israel cemetery in New Haven CT.  Where the 19th century German families are buried.  My parents and my mother's family all there.  With all of my work, I felt like I know all those folks.  When I visit New Haven, we always ALWAYS go to the cemetery and visit everybody, make sure they're still there.

My guy is Maier Zunder, my great great grandmother, he has a monument at the center.  Then there's Paul Weil, another great grandfather.  Friend and associate of Maier Zunder.  Maier's daughter Delia (my greant grandmother) married Paul Weil's son Charles.  My grandmother was an only child.  I don't think Delia was happy in the marriage and she died young, in her forties.  She's the Delia of my Delia Wall, in my mother's (and now my) living room.  In 1898, Charles and his brother Louis bought 4 plots in front of their parents for themselves and their wives.  But Charles remarried and he's buried down the way with his second wife.  Mary Ann had the original deed, which she gave to me.  There's an extra spot.

Mary Ann (my cousin) and I hatched the idea that maybe I should try to get that extra spot for myself and my husband.  Several years, bunches of family trees and research, gathering of releases and following up ensued.   Much stalling.  But they called today and said that my name has been put on that extra spot originally intended for Charles Weil.  Just 10-20 yards from Maier Zunder's spot.

Oh yeah, now I've got to make sure it all happens.  Mary Ann says she knows the person who does the stone work.

Dennis is happy about it too.  We will be in front of the big Weil marker and right next to Delia.

Final destination?

Mary Ann points to the spot in the Mishkan Israel Cemetery in New Haven that I am trying to score for myself and Dennis. To the left and in front of the plot Mary Ann is pointing to, is the grave of my great grandmother Delia Zunder Weil (of The Delia Wall fame).  1866-1910.  My mother's grandmother but she died well before my mother's birth.  I'm still working on this with the cemetery person who is none too motivated to move this forward.  That place was my great grandfather Charles Weil but he remarried and is buried with his second wife's family.

But that's the spot.  My parents, grandparents, great grandparents and great great grandparents are all buried here.  Along with a lot of 19th century Jewish New Haven.

Paul Weil's watch

During our lunch at the country club, Judy W showed me a gold watch belonging to Paul Weil.  She is the widow of Paul's great grandson.

There was a round picture in the watch; Judy insisted we take it.  Our initial reaction was that it should stay with the watch.  But, she pointed out that whoever ended up with the watch, by gifting or sale, would not know who the person was.

My guess was that it was Paul's wife Johanna (sister of Regina and Mina and maybe more).  I don't have any pictures of either Paul or Johanna.

So it's a guess.

I'm including the best version of the small picture I could come up with as well as the inscription on the watch clearly given him in appreciation of his service as president in 1887.  He was President from 1884-1891.

Charles Weil

A picture of my great grandfather Charles L. Weil, with his first grandchild Ruth.  dated 2/11/1920

Ninety four years ago.  Ruth was my aunt, born in 1918.  My mother was not born until 1924.  You know how it is, I just have pictures of Charles with my aunt, not my later mother.  His wife Delia had died in 1910, he would have remarried by now.

Does he look like anybody in the family?  I can't see it.

It's his grave spot that I'm after.  He and his borther Louis bought a plot in front of their parents in 1898.  But he's not there, he's down the way with his second wife Mollie.

I think he was happier in his second marriage....

Now, I'm going after Louis' descendants to see if there's anybody left and if they are interested in that plot.  I'm assuming not.

I have the widow of Louis' grandson.  I've tried calling but no response.  I do have an address.  Maybe I will try writing.  Still no breakthrough on Elizabeth Reich.  Probably married in NYC, sheesh.

I'm suspicious, a stranger.

I'm making a run for it

So we're pretty sure that we're going for cemetery plots in the iconic Mishkan Israel Cemetery.  What?  You haven't heard of it?  It's where all my 19th century New Haven Jewish buddies hang out.

Turns out that my parents bought two plots but only used one.  So, with a letter from my sibs, we can use it.  My sister said she wanted to be close to them.  So Dennis and I would buy a plot somewhere nearby.  The Mishkan Israel lady points out that the old part of the cemetery is 'full'.  Hey, says my cousin Mary Ann, what about right next to Delia?

Yeah.  Yeah.  OK here goes the explanation.  My great grandmother Delia married her first cousin Charles Weil.  But I don't think she liked him much.  She wanted to marry somebody else.  She only had one child (my grandmother) and she died in her forties in 1910.  A broken heart, my cousin says.  Charles remarries to Mollie Steinert Ullman, probably much happier.  He's buried with his second wife's family not too far away.

Now you got the Weils and the Zunders and all those Bavarian Jews in 19th Century New Haven and they all intermarried like crazy (probably similar to the Seattle Sephardic Jews).  Everybody is related to everybody else three ways till Tuesday.

Charles Weil's parents, Paul and Johanna, bought a nice looking monument in Mishkan Israel (first picture).  In 1874, Charles and his brother Louis bought four plots in front of their parents for themselves and their wives, Flora Rosenthal Weil and Delia Zunder Weil.  I have lots of postcards from Aunt Flora.  She and Delia are step sisters, cousins, sister in laws and cousin in laws.  All at the same time.  Do not attempt to figure this out, take my word for it.

But only three of the graves are full (as far as we know)  Louis, Flora, and Delia are there.  But, remember, Charles is buried with his second wife Molly.

Knock, knock, is anybody buried there?  If not, how about *me*?  Mary Ann called me today and said she found the original deed for the four graves bought in 1874.  She's got the deed!  We are going to make some trouble, we agree.  I'm going to make a run for it.

But Mary Ann is going to France and the High Holidays are upon us so probably will have to deal with this further in October.