Checking the Walton Vitals

Now that I have wrapped up the 1940 census project for my grandfather and his eight Walton siblings, I thought it would be a good idea to use the momentum to start gathering their vital records (Birth/Marriage/Death). I have been doing this for the English Waltons and since I took a break back in March , I thought it might be worthwhile to finish up this first American generation, before going back to my English research.

The first generation American Waltons and their Spouses in 1948

When I took my first genealogy course in 1991, there was no such thing as the internet, at least not in my household (and I was an engineer working for IBM at the time). My instructor carried cartons of books to the class that we could use to find information. That is, not information about our ancestors, but information to make contacts to get information...maybe...about our ancestors. Nothing was easy!

After conducting family interviews with my parents and discovering that my grandfather was probably born in Tarrytown, I mailed a letter to the town clerk and a couple of months later received a reply containing the birth certificate I had requested. This was the first step in a long, slow chain of discoveries that has led me to where I am today.  If you have ever been through this process, you know what I mean. What amazing changes have occurred in Genealogical studies. Today, with a few keystrokes, you might find your ancestors entire history. But knowing that it is the correct history takes some additional good old fashioned detective work. And If you want that birth certificate...you still need to send the town clerk a letter. You generally won't find it on the internet unless someone like me put it there.  It probably takes just as long to get a copy, and will be more expensive than it was in 1991!  

My first Genealogical record obtained manually in 1991

 
All these changes got me thinking...Have you ever thought about the world our grandparents lived in?  Imagine having to get through the day with no cell phone, no texting, no email, no laptops or tablets, no internet, no satellite TV...all the things we take for granted. Things that have now been integrated into our lives.  It would be more than inconvenient to lose them, we have come to depend on them.  And yet, twenty short years ago...in 1992, most of those things either didn't exist or were in their infancy.  And, 10 years before that in 1982 when all but one of the Walton siblings had died, all of those things were unheard of.

Harry's brother William and Mother Constance vising Dalton, Mass. in 1925

(Photo Courtesy of Claudia Shuttleworth)  

Ironically, we are instantly connected through email, texting and cell phones.  We have hundreds of "friends" on facebook, but we're more alone than ever. When is the last time you spent the afternoon with your extended family? Nowadays my favorite coffee shop is as quiet as a library. Although packed with customers, they are all siting alone hunched over a cell phone, thumbing messages into a tiny keyboard...maybe to a friend sitting across from them! 

Walton Brothers and sisters in the 1970's, Bob Walton is probably behind the Camera
(Photo courtesy of Alice Kearins)

We only need to look at our family photos and remember our own youth to recall how earlier generations connected with their families. Our grandparents still lived in the "real" world... unplugged.  When they weren't working, they spent time with their family and friends. Look at the photos, see the family gatherings. On a hot summer night, they didn't retreat into an air conditioned "media room" to be mesmerized by some mindless dribble on the boob tube. They sat on the patio with a cold beer and warm conversation.  Were our grandparents poorer than us because of their lack of technology?  They wouldn't think so. They probably thought they lived in an amazing world.  When they were born, the world traveled with horse drawn carriages, their father was a coachman and spent his life working with horses.  His children saw the introduction of the automobile, the airplane and by the time they were our age, man walking on the moon. 

Walton Siblings pay a visit to brother Fred's family in Mahopac, 1963
 (Photo Courtesy of Frederick Walton)

They witnessed jet aircraft breaking the sound barrier. (remember when you were outside playing and heard it? We knew we were living in the space age!)  They watched telephones and "wireless" radios find a place in every home.  They saw a grainy black and white image on a tiny cathode ray tube usurp radio and then watched it flourish into color on bigger and bigger screens, some as large as 25 inches!

They could take their own private automobile and drive several towns away to visit friends or family, a trip that may have previously taken hours on a train or bus.

Charles Walton and his Automobile
(Photo courtesy of Alice Kearins)  

None of them lived in the 21st century, but they lived in a truly modern age, these first generation American Waltons.  And, they would be completely baffled by the way we live today.  No, there are still no flying cars and we still grill our steaks on the back deck. The cell phone and texting wouldn't truly amaze them...after all Dick Tracey had this sort of technology strapped to his wrist for years! But our world is more complex, more intense, more hurried...and harried! We are more connected, but more alone.

In August, I will be traveling through New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey on a combination business trip and family visit. I will be carrying the Walton family Archives with me, and hopefully adding to them. 

Rick's parents, siblings, spouses and children in 2003 family reunion

 As I start gathering the first Generation American Waltons Vital records, I may call on you to see if you already have something I need so I don't waste time collecting information you can provide me. I may also have some existing records about your branch of the family that I would be happy to share. In some cases my travel schedule is limited, but If I am nearby, I would love to meet you even if it's just for a quick hello. 

I hope we can connect on my upcoming trip to NY and New England.  It would be nice to remember the old days... with a cold beer and a warm conversation. (OK... we can sit in the air conditioned room if you promise to turn the T. V. off!)