This month I have been working on finding a family connection to Avron Wahl.

It all started out a few months ago finding a old newspaper article in The Westfield (N.J.) Leader newspaper dated December 29, 1951 with the article caption which read " Corp. Kenneth Condit Weds Joan Karaffa In Cranford Ceremony".  This is my dad, Wilbur Condit's, brother.  I learned a few things from the article, like when Ken and Joan got married, where my uncle was stationed in the Air Force, what the bride wore. And the thing that caught my eye was the mention of Ken's best man,  Avron Wahl.  My great grandmother's maiden name was Wahl and her and my grandfather, George Maile,  also lived in New Jersey. Emma Wahl was born in Germany.  I wonder if we are related some way.

I set out to see if I could find Avron Wahl (born about 1932) via the internet.  I found his yearbook photo 1948 (he graduated from Dayton High School, Springfield, NJ, so did Ken but in a different year) , Avron with his family in the 1940's census (Queens, New York), and several Public Records showing him living in Florida.  I found the most recent address and wrote him a letter stating who I was , how I was related to Ken Condit and wondered if he was the same Wahl that was mentioned in the newspaper article.  And did he know of a Emma Wahl Maile.  I included my email address.  A week or so later I got an email from Avron (goes by Ron) answering my letter.

Avron (Ron) stated he was best friends with Ken. Remembered how well he played the piano. After graduating high school the two of them went their own ways.  He became an lawyer and practiced in New Jersey then retired to Florida.  Uncle Ken was in the Air Force and relocated to California. Aaron did not know the name Emma Wahl.  He stated that his father, Richard, arrived in the US in 1927 for a visit and never returned to Germany.  His grandfather, Heinrich,  arrived in the US in 1939 also from Germany.

So my search began - is Avron Wahl and my grandmother Emma Wahl related any way????

Before I continue with what I know I wanted to mention here is that the last time down to Southern California to visit my family I stopped in to see Uncle Ken and Aunt Betty and showed him the email from Avron Wahl.  He was very surprised to hear that name.  He took a copy of the email with Avron's email address and has since contacted him. It's been over 60 years since they've last communicated.

Now this is what I know about my great grandmother, Emma Wahl.

* Born  May 1871, Germany. (1900 Census)
  -or 1870 German Births/Baptisms record - Emma Marie Christiane Wahl, born 28 Dec 1870,
      Stuttgart, Wurttemberg, Germany - fathers name is Michael Wahl,
      mothers name is Christane Straub
* Immigrated from German to US in 1888 or 1887 (have not found her passenger list yet)
* Married Gottfried (George) Maile (1865-?) in 1888. Gottfried also born in Germany.
* together they had 4 children - Kathryn(1894-?), Elsie(1897-1972)(my grandmother), Lillian
      (1901-1976) and Caroline (1902-?)
* they lived their whole lives in Newark, Essex, New Jersey

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What I know of the Wahl Family.


                                                - Heinrich Wahl(1850-1960)
                    - Richard Wahl (1903-1959)
                                                - Cecelia Regina Baer (1870-1936)
Aaron Wahl
                                                -Morris Hoffman
                  - Fay Hoffman(1910-1989)
                                                Goldie Malzberg

Aaron Wahl (1932 - living) born in Brooklyn, New York - has a sister named Cecelia Wahl (1938- ?)
Father:  Richard Wahl (1903-1959) born Heidelberg, Baden, Württemberg, Germany -
                   *Sailed from Germany to US in 1927 on the Munchen (going to visit uncle, Max
                          Mannheim) father: Heinrich Wahl living in Heidelberg, Baden , Germany
                    *Naturalized in 1939 in New York still looking for the papers
                    *Died 1959 in Garwood, Union, New Jersey
Mother: Fay Hoffman (1910-1989) born Manhattan, New York - died Cranford, Union, New Jersey

Richard's parents were: Heinrich Wahl (1850-1960) and Cecelia Regina Baer (1870-1936) this information I took from a Family Tree in Geni World.com managed by Michael Trittelvits which has not been verified with another document yet.

Heinrich Wahl and Cecelia Regina Baer Wahl had 4  children;
     -Walter Joseph Wall (1903 - ?) who married a Sophia Flora ? (1906-?)      
         *Naturalized 1944 in Brooklyn, New York( Index only) living in Jamaica, NY need to see if I
                 can find his papers
    -Richard Wahl - see above
    -Waltrud Sofie Fanny Wahl who married  ? Trittelvitz  same name as Geni World. com tree above
    - Grete Wahl - married Weise living 1927 in Heidelberg, Baden, Germany

I've found a few more Wahl's that were living in Brooklyn, New York but have not found a connection to Emma.  Seems I know more about Avron Wahl's family then I do with Emma. But doesn't it seem strange that Ken Condit's best friend in high school has the same last name as his grandmothers? The search continues.

NOTE:  Heinrich Wahl's wife, Ceclia last name is Baer, we have a name in our family tree listed as Baeyer. Louisa Baeyer born 1838, Wurttemberg, died 1900 was married to George Oertel (1927-?) also born Wurttemberg.

I haven't found the connection there but I feel it in my gut there is one so I will continue the hunt and report back what I find.

If you would like to leave a comment or two I would love hearing your thoughts.

1966 Road Trip Across the United States

Just the other day I decided to go through an old box of receipts (1960’s) that belonged to my parents, Bill and Helen Condit.  My brother, Tom, had found it in the garage.  His wife, Vicki, went through it first and took out any kind of document that pertained to the house, which at one time belonged to our parents and now them. In amongst the papers were gas receipts from a trip we took across the US in 

1966 in our 64 Mercury wagon.

I really don’t remember much of this trip or even why we drove.  I could only find a few photos of when we visited family in New Jersey and Chicago at that time, not any of the trip itself.  But I thought it would be fun to see the states we drove through according to the gas receipts.

This is how I think it went….

Day 1 – June 11, 1966 – Saturday -  Bill (47), Helen (41), Crystal (11) and Tom Condit (10) left Torrance(A) California and drove down HWY 15 to HWY 40 for 405.7 miles. Stopped in Seligman, Arizona and bought 17.2 gal gas @ .45 gal plus 2 shock absorbers. The next stop was Gallup, New Mexico (262.61 miles) and bought 12.3 gal.gas @ .39 gal.

Day 2 – June 12, 1966 – Sunday – Still on Hwy 40 - Gallup New Mexico to Santa Rosa, New Mexico (253 miles) and bought 17 gal gas @ 39.9 gal plus 1 qtr. oil.  Next stop was Groom, Texas (212 miles) for 15.7 gal gas at 35.5 per gal then onto Clinton Oklahoma where we stayed at a Holiday Inn costing $12.75.

I found a receipt with no date stamped on it from the Oklahoma Turner Turnpike.  I’m pretty sure it was from this trip. Now Hwy 40 turns into Hwy 44 out of Oklahoma City. 

Day 3 – June 13, 1966 – Monday – From Clinton to Tulsa, Oklahoma (A))(190 miles) stopped for 13.9 gal of gas @ .36. From here we left Hwy 44 onto Hwy 70 heading NE.

Day 4 – June 14, 1966 – Tuesday – filled up in Brighten, Indiana (807 miles – there must have been a few other stops in-between Oklahoma and Indiana but the gas receipts weren’t here). Gas in Brighton was 15.6 gal @ 36.9 gal plus 1 quart of oil.  On to Cambridge, Ohio (305 miles) and stopping for 14.8 gal of gas @ .37 gal. I think we must have stopped to visit my mothers brother, Stanley Motyka and family, in Chicago at this time. Why else would we have gone this far north?

 

Day 5 – June 15, 1966 – Wednesday – From Cambridge, Ohio (A) to Colonia, New Jersey (B) (457 miles) where we got 16.4 gal gas at .37 gal.

                                                                           

We must have spent a few days in New Jersey visiting family.  Bill and Helen are both from New Jersey and most of the family lives here. I'm wondering if we came for a wedding or something.

Day 9 – June 19 , 1966  -Sunday- This day we got gas in Irvington, New Jersey as 12 gal @ 35.7 gal.  This is where my mom’s parents, Valentine and Mary Motyka, live.

               

Crystal & Rosemary Bush               unknown & Mary Motyka

Day 11 – June 22, 1966 - Wednesday - Gas in Garwood, New Jersey 14 gal @.37 plus a oil filter. Herbert and Elsie Condit , my dad’s parents’, live in Garwood.

Diana Zink, Bill, Helen, Tom 

  Bill & Herbert

Day 12 – June 23, 1966 – Thursday - gas in Union (A), New Jersey. 

Day 13 – June 24, 1966 – Friday - heading home on Hwy 80 from Garwood to Elyria (B)(468 miles) where we stayed at a Travel Lodge for $16.48.

I don’t have any gas receipts until …

Day 16 – June 27, 1966 – Monday -We stopped in Clinton, IA (461) for 16.9 gal. of gas @.38 gal. , still on Hwy 80.  You have to go through Chicago on Hwy 80 from Elyria, Ohio to Clinton, Iowa (B) so I think we stopped to visit Uncle Stanley again and stayed a few days. 

From Clinton, IA we traveled to Des Moines, IA (198) for 16.9 gals of gas @ .38 plus a qt. of oil.

Day 17 – June 28, 1966 -Tuesday -Still on Hwy 80 the next stop was North Platte, NE (412 miles) getting 7.12 gal. of gas @ 39.9 gal then onto Cheyenne, WY(221 miles) where we got 16 gal of gas @ 37.9 gal plus 2 quarts of oil.  Here we stayed at a New Motel in Evanston, Wyoming (B) (357 miles) for $14.42 for a party of 4

Day 18 – June 29, 1966 – Wednesday -From Evanston we left Hwy 80 and headed south on Hwy 15, the next stop was Fillmore, Utah (201 miles) getting 12.6 gal of gas @ 38.9 plus 1 quart of oil and a T-29N F costing $28.90 (I don’t know what that is, something to do with the car). Then on into St. George, UT (158) for 11.2 gal of gas @ .41 and continued into Las Vegas (120 miles).

Day 19 – June 30, 1966 – Thursday - Starting in Las Vegas with a fill up of 14.3 gal of gas @ .34 we continued on for 225 miles till we got to Fontana, CA where we got 18 gal of gas @ .36 gal and the last 66.5 miles back to Torrance, CA.

We drove across the country by car in 19 days.  I don’t think I would want to do that again in 19 days.  But I would love to do it with unlimited days! To see our country by auto would be such a memorable trip. I’m sure during this cross-country trip I was sleeping, reading, fighting with my brother in the back seat the whole time, as kids normally do on a road trip, missing the scenery and the beautiful countryside.  Hence I don’t remember this trip hardly at all.  What a shame! I wonder if my brother does?

Thank you Tom and Vicki for saving these receipts for me.  

Please leave a comment if you wish. Let me know you enjoyed the trip!