Remembering Eckhardt & Haug Ancestors from New York City

After 30 years of researching her family history, Louise Eckhardt has written a detailed and charming account of the lives of important people in her life: her four grandparents, Anna and William Eckhardt, Louise and Edward Haug, and her great-aunt, Eva Lenning. The book includes many photos and memorabilia, along with family trees for each branch, and documentation. Filled with stories of German immigrants' experiences in New York City from the late 1800s through the twentieth century, she gives us a vivid picture of her ancestors' lives.

About the Author :
Louise Eckhardt is originally from Staten Island, New York City. She completed her undergraduate degree at Wagner College and Masters Degrees at Vanderbilt University and the National War College. She retired from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel and then worked for a major defense contractor. She currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia, and enjoys reading, family history research, and ballroom dancing.

Review :
The German Genealogy Group Member Book Review by Eileen Swanberg (#3665) The author paints an extensive picture of the life of German immigrant born families in New York City, and later Lake Ronkonkoma on Long Island, New York, in the early to mid-20th century as a tribute to her grandparents. What is striking is the number of photographs evident on practically every page. She tells their stories not just in words, but in the family photographs and records. You cannot help but be drawn into their lives through this interwoven storytelling You may be wondering why you would want to read a book about someone else's family, because I know I did. However, after starting this book, I found myself imagining my German immigrant family living alongside the author's family in the New York City area, as well as when some of them moved to Lake Ronkonkoma, as did some of my family. If you want to be able to see what your German immigrant families saw in their day to day lives while living in the New York City area, this is the book for you. It intertwines personal stories with history and makes it all come alive for the reader. Louise A. Eckhardt received a gift from her mother in August of 1991 that led her down the path of researching her family. She was given a box of old photographs and documents that told her family stories. From there, she spent years researching her family. In 2010, she decided to put what she had learned into book form and 12 years later we can all share in her delight.Review by Bobbi King for Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, 3 Oct 2023: Right away, what's striking about this book is the abundance of pictures. Nearly every page has at least one type of illustration: sepia-toned family photographs, colorized postcard pictures, black and white snapshots, images of documents that are sharpened with contrast and easy to decipher, pictures of places and scenes; there is such a profusion of pictures that highlight the chronicle being told that the reader's interest is engaged even before the story gets looked at. In a well-produced book (which this is), having such crisp, readable text alongside the many expertly curated illustrations leaves the reader with a reading experience that is both pleasurable and meaningful. The story is about William and Anna Eckhardt, Edward and Louise Haug, and Eva (Haug) Lenning. These are the author's four grandparents and great-aunt Eva, whose family history writing served to preserve irreplaceable family history. A chapter is devoted to each of the five persons. Color-coded descendant charts help clarify the relationships; visual aids are always a welcome assist in keeping straight who belongs to whom. They were all longtime New Yorkers: the Eckhardts were in the garment industry and the Haugs were in business and active in community affairs. Their life stories reflect New York life in the twentieth century set amid mundane daily activities, political movements, epidemics, cultural changes, and the regular celebrations of marriages, births, and Sunday dinners. The family story envelops the times of New York City and the twentieth century. The author spent 12 years writing her book. Twelve years that leaves her family with a distinctively notable and rich family history that will occupy a special place on their family bookshelves for a long time to come. And the pictures are the best part of the book.