Our Story

Wilson is the family name after arriving in Canada
Wallenstein is the name used by the Cousins arriving in the USA
Name references are from The National Historical Research center.
 

Family Name History
“Name could have been derived from the Middle High German. The name ‘WAHLE’ meaning a person of a southern country. Example, from Italy or France, thus referring to the nationality of the bearer”.

 

Wallenstein, Wallenstein, or Wolersztein, is a Prussian surname being derived from a place where a man once lived or a wooded place, “stein” denoting stone.
 

Enclosed Genealogical charts (two separate charts and sources) show the earliest recorded record of the family in Padua, Italy.
1542 Pope Paul III established the Inquisition in Italy. These Italian “WALHE” subsequently left for Central Europe.

The Family History that follows includes two separately researched Genealogy Charts. One, a synopsis of the work by the Rubinstein family and Max Newman. The other, a synopsis of the information from Jewish Genealogy from pages 553 to 562 and 571 to 681.

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Family Genealogy

 

In the 1800’s Aaron Meyer (who I am named after) Wolersztein and Esther Miriam Rubinstein were born, married, and lived in the small town of Chorziele in Poland near the German Border. His family had come from Lithuania.

The both came from well known families. His father was a Rabbi. Other than that little is known. Her family was known. They were in the grain and baking business. Helena Rubinstein of the cosmetic company and Aurtur Rubinstein, records show, were descended from that family.

Aaron was also ordained a Rabbi, but chose not to practice. He died young leaving a widow and six children whose names should be familiar, Frank, Sarah, twins Simon and Jenny, Isaac and Yetty, and Sam.

Frank emigrated to Canada and settled in the Toronto area with his wife, Schprintza, just before 1900. He changed the name to Wilson, as did the brothers that followed him. Cousin Frank Wallenstein ( the Americanized version of the name) when he came settled in Syracuse N.Y.

From 1900 through 1915 Frank sent funds so his brothers and sisters could emigrate. First to arrive was the youngest, Sam. then came Simon with his new wife married Harry Swadron. Next to arrive was Sarah’s  husband, Morris Nessel. She came two years latter with their two children, Harry and Esther.

Esther reviewed the April 17, 1992 material in 1992 and said she found the information correct, including the Rubinstein connection. A letter from her is on file. She recommended talking to Mary (Adelman) Arrons who, when called at her home in West Hills, Ca. said she can confirm the same history of the family.
 

Isaac chose to remain as his wife was “sickly”. He and his family were believed to have been lost in the Holocaust as all track of them was lost.

Frank and his wife later moved to Chicago with their children, Murray and Evelyn. Evelyn later moved to Terre Haute, Indiana.

Sarah and Morris moved to Windosr with their children, Harry and Esther.

Jenny and Louis moved to Windsor with their children, Art, Mary, Eve, Doris, Frank, Jack and Helen.

Yet and Harry stayed in Toronto where they raised their children, Aurther, Mary, and Betty.
 

Simon and Sophie stayed in Toronto where they raised their children, Harry, Esther, Izzy, Lou, Frank, Lill, Morry Syd and Bertha.

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Sam, before Jenny and Yetty arrived, had a serious quarrel with Frank and left Toronto. In time he came to Chicago where he met and married Ida Minnie Merbach. From there they moved to Boone, Iowa. In 1918 a tornado devastated Boone. They decide to go to California where Minnie had a Great Aunt and Uncle. On the way they stopped in Salt Lake City, Ut. where the the remained, raising sons Ernest and Charles. Sam died February 22,1920, five months before he and Minnie had planned to visit Toronto and reconnect with the family.

Their son Charles married Betty Siegel and have two children, Minda and Tim.

Ernest married Inez Bernstein and have two children, Stephen and Reed.