Special Relatives - Second Update
Thank you to all subscribers!
Let me describe the Wintelers of Aarau - the family that I’m writing about and where I fit in. Jost and Pauline Winteler were my great-great-grandparents. They raised their 7 children - 3 girls and 4 boys - in Aarau, Switzerland. Their names were (from oldest to youngest) Anna, Fritz, Rosa, Marie, Mathias, Julius, and Paul. Mathias was my great-grandfather (his arm is linked with Albert’s in the photo below). At about age 22, Mathias went to work in Shanghai, China, and stayed for 20 years. With his wife Gertrude, they had two kids - Violet and Henri (they were born there and became fluent in Chinese). Henri Winteler was my grandfather. He met my grandmother, Annie Findlay, in Toronto. They had 4 kids, of whom one is my mother, Marjorie.
I’ve been spending a good chunk of time in Florence, Italy. Even before the pandemic hit, I was here learning Italian, doing karate, art, and meeting people. The question I got a lot then and even now is ‘Why Florence?’ I’ll give you the second part of my two-part answer, which is that Florence holds relevant family history. Paul Winteler and Maja Einstein married in 1910 and moved to Florence in 1922. Their history here spans 30 years; hence, there is a lot to uncover.
It turns out that many Florentines are proudly aware there’s an Einstein connection to their city. I met two Italian authors who recently released books that centre around the Winteler-Einstein story. But even before those books, there were two significant discoveries I made shortly after I arrived here. The first was that the house that Paul and Maja bought here in 1922 remains, technically, still in the family. However, I was disappointed to find it shuttered and uninhabited with three vicious dogs guarding the grounds. The second discovery was the grand piano that Albert bought for Maja. Albert had it shipped from Germany in 1931. Paul and Maja entertained friends and family, inviting other pianists to play ‘fourhands’ of Schubert or Mozart sonatas.
But the parties came to a sudden stop in 1939. That’s when war returned to Europe, which - with Maja being Jewish - sadly separated Paul and Maja for the rest of their lives. There’s more to tell about them. But for now, I’ll give you a hint about the piano: it now plays under an ‘eye to the stars’ - those same stars in a universe that was completely reordered by Einstein’s infamous relativity theory. (In case you’re wondering, Albert did tour around Florence while visiting Paul and Maja.)
If you’ve ever conducted a deep dive into your family history, you probably came across a few surprises and maybe some disappointments. Maybe even a few frustrations. I know I have. I’ve made friendly attempts to reach out to extended family in Switzerland; I also had good reason to believe that they hold precious Winteler-Einstein family letters or photos. The response has been, how should I say, distasteful. That also goes for the person who holds the title to what was Paul Winteler’s house. However, I hope to have better luck yet.
While I’ve had bad luck with a couple of Swiss relatives, I have to say that I’ve had tremendous support from other Swiss family and individuals out of the goodness of their hearts. And when I consider the circumstances by which I met them, it makes me think that there’s some kind of cosmic interference on my behalf to write this book. That’s because the passion keeps burning just like those stars that are shining down on the Winteler-Einstein piano.
Till next time.
David
Photos
Top of page. L to R: Albert Einstein, Maja Winteler-Einstein, Paul Winteler.
Bottom of page. Standing L to R: Albert Einstein, Mathias Winteler, Julius Winteler, sitting L to R: Pauline Winteler, Marie Winteler, (woman unknown). Aarau, Switzerland 1896.
