July 25, 2008

Austrian Impressions

Preparation. A fair amount of time went into planning our trip to Austria, not only because I wanted everything to run smoothly, but also because I enjoyed the historical aspect of
researching our family heritage. I found it fascinating to be able to pinpoint the exact farms that the Walder and Waldner's lived on as far back as the 1490s. Understandably, I wasn't able to get as much official information as I had hoped, so despite my efforts there are still a few gaps. I sent several inquiries to various historical archives in the region, but of course obtaining records from the 16th and 17th centuries is not something that is easily done by email, particularly when not conversant in German. I do have some contacts though, and someday I would like to return and spend a few days digging through old archives and see if I can fill in the gaps in our family tree from 1490 to the 1655. The history behind the change of name from Walder to Waldner is also a mystery that would be interesting to find out more about.