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Louis (Alöis ) Waldner

My paternal grandparents were Adolph Schlatter and Emma Waldner; they came to the US in October 1910 and settled in Shaw, MS, where they raised three sons -- John, Joseph (my father), and Fred.  Adolph was a baker and the family operated a bakery in Shaw.

In 1930 (?) Adolph suffered a stroke; he died in November 1930.  Family legend says that Emma's brother, Louis, was a chef in the Mayflower Hotel, Washington, DC, and he came to Shaw to help run the family business after Adolph's stroke.  We know that Louis married a lady from Shaw -- Mary Danna, born 1906, died 1944. 

Here's a photo of Louis -- do not know the date of this photo.

Alöis (Louis) Waldner; date unknown

This table shows the facts we have about Louis.

My mother was our family historian.  In her collection of family "stuff" were photos that I believe show members of the Waldner family in Switzerland -- here's a link to the first of two Waldner family photo pages.

Here's another photo of Louis.  Louis is on the left.  On the right is my father's younger brother, Fred Schlatter (b. 1921, d. 2010).  The photo was taken in Coney Island, obviously staged at a souvenir photo booth, during or after WW II.  Fred enlisted in August 1942 and was discharged in February 1946 at Ft. Devens, MA.  Louis' wife in Shaw, MS, died in August 1944.  Thus, it's possible this photo was made sometime between Louis' wife's death and Fred's discharge.

Most of the information we have about the Waldner family comes from a letter written to my father after Louis' death in 1954.  Louis returned home to Switzerland sometime in the early 1950's; possibly the late 1940's.  He died in July 1954 and, when his estate was settled, an attorney in Switzerland sent a letter to all family members.  My father and his brothers, John and Fred, were Louis' nephews -- sons of Louis' sister Emma.  We lived in Knoxville, TN, when this letter arrived -- my father is the "Herrn Josef Schlatter" to whom the letter is addressed.  The following photos are of the letter; the letter lists:

•  Louis' date of birth;

•  His parents' names;

•  Names of Louis' sisters and brother; their dates of birth, and, names of their spouses.

The last page is Louis' will in which he leaves all his possessions to his brother Otto and Otto's wife, Pauly.

We have no details on Louis' marriage to Mary Danna.  The Danna family lived in Shaw, MS, and family members are still in the area.

Headstone in Shaw, MS, town cemetery.
Photo made October 2007

UPDATE:  9 July 2011

On 8 July 2011 I discovered a new document about Louis Waldner, my paternal grandmother's brother.  I discovered that Ancestry.com now has an index titled Swiss Overseas Emigration, 1910-1953.   The database is in German and is searchable. 

I found this document -- a registration of Louis Waldner's passage to the US in April 1911.

Most of this document is self-explanatory, even if you don't read German.  Alois Waldner departed Havre (France) in April 1911 on the vessel La Lorraine bound for New York.  His passage cost 333 francs.  He was born in Bozen, Tirol (Austria) and lives now in the town of Tablok (?) in St. Gallen (a Canton of Switzerland).  His marital status (Civilstand) is Single (Ledig). His occupation is listed as Bookbinder -- something that we did not know.  He was born in 1889.

My paternal grandparents -- Adolph Schlatter and Emma Waldner -- arrived in the US in October 1910.  I searched the database for them using their names and variations on their names but found no records, I assume because the records may not be complete, or, may start after October 1910.