Friday, January 21, 2011

Illustrated Wohlgemuth history

You may remember Eli Wohlgemuth, one of the fellow travelers we have met during our genealogical journey into our parents' roots. Eli checked in by email the other day to update us on his progress with his labor of love, an exhaustive history of the family of Yeshayah Wohlgemuth, the famous rabbi of Memel.

"I will soon be ready to publish my book, 'And that you shall relate into your son's ears and your son's son's......' This unique timeline, history on the Wohlgemuth family and much more will be a three volume book, 2400 pages, with color illustrations," he writes.

Eli wonders if some of the readers of this blog might be interested in purchasing a copy. I warned him that our overall readership is low, but there are a few Wohlgemuth researchers among them. Rather than publish Eli's email address, you can contact me and I will pass along your information to Eli.

I have not seen Eli's manuscript as yet, but I am not expecting it to yield a breakthrough, because I believe it is focused on the children of Rabbi Wohlgemuth and their descendants, while my mother's family's Wohlgemuth branch may come through a sibling or cousin relationship. I will be especially interested in any biographical details about Yeshaya's boyhood and family relationships from the time before he settled in Memel.

Other Wohlgemuth researchers who are directly descended from the rabbi can expect a treasure trove of information.