Gene Wilder Passed Away - Can You Help Connect Him?

Question

Gene Wilder passed away early today. He was a tremendous actor, comedian, husband, and writer and deserves a great profile and a connection to the global tree. Can you help?

Answer 1

Here's the 1940 Census for Milwaukee, Ward 26.  He's listed as the son of William and Jeanne Silberman:

Name: Jerome Silberman
Titles and Terms: 
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1940
Event Place: Ward 26, Milwaukee, Milwaukee City, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 6
Marital Status: Single
Race (Original): White
Race: White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Son
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Birthplace: Wisconsin
Birth Year (Estimated): 1934
Last Place of Residence: Same Place
District: 72-598A
Family Number: 15
Sheet Number and Letter: 1B
Line Number: 66
Affiliate Publication Number: T627
Affiliate Film Number: 4566
Digital Folder Number: 005461275
Image Number: 00286

Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
William Silberman Head M 39 Russia
Jeanne Silberman Wife F 32 Illinois
Corinne Silberman Daughter F 10 Wisconsin
Jerome Silberman Son M 6 Wisconsin

Citing this Record:
"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K72C-V5W : accessed 30 August 2016), Jerome Silberman in household of William Silberman, Ward 26, Milwaukee, Milwaukee City, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 72-598A, sheet 1B, family 15, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627.  Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4566.

From his IMBd Bio:

"Gene Wilder was born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Jeanne (Baer) and William J. Silberman, who manufactured miniature whiskey and beer bottles. His father was a Russian Jewish immigrant, while his Illinois-born mother was of Russian Jewish descent."<ref>[[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000698/bio]]</ref>

His father and mother's 1930 Census Report:

Name: William Silberman
Titles and Terms: 
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: Milwaukee (Districts 251-337), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
District: ED 262
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Race (Original): White
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Head
Birth Year (Estimated): 1902
Birthplace: Russia
Immigration Year: 1914
Father's Birthplace: Russia
Mother's Birthplace: Russia
Sheet Letter: B
Sheet Number: 46
Sheet Number and Letter: 46B
Household ID: 27
Line Number: 87
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: T626
Affiliate Film Number: 2595
GS Film Number: 2342329
Digital Folder Number: 004955451
Image Number: 00878

Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
William Silberman Head M 28 Russia
Gean Silberman Wife F 22 Illinois
Corinne Silberman Daughter F 0 Wisconsin
Frances Obodal Servant F 18 Wisconsin

Citing this Record:
"United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X995-XX2 : 8 December 2015), William Silberman, 1930.

I was looking for more information on Jeanne (Baer) Silberman, but didn't find it yet.

 

 

Comments

Thanks, David. With this, I was able to add parents and sister to the profile. I've also found his sister's husband. PROGRESS.

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I've added quite a bit to his sister's husband's family. Hoping to find something to build off of there : )

Answer 2

Nice article about Gene from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/VeteransAffairs/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED&fref=nf

 

Taking a quote:  " ....drafted into the Army on September 10, 1956... Gene was assigned to the medical corps and trained at Fort Sam Houston. After training, he was assigned to the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at Valley Forge Army Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a paramedic. During those years he began taking acting classes at Herbert Berghof Studio in New York City. He was honorably discharged in 1958. In 1959, at the age of 26 he adopted the name Gene Wilder as his stage name."

Answer 3

OK - I've found another wife, but it's mostly a stub - maybe someone can find additional information on Mary Joan Schultz.

I've also entered his maternal grandparents - and the trail grows cold in Soviet Poland. I've also started entering his maternal Great-Uncles and Aunts - there might be a glimmer of hope there.

And I entered his paternal grandparents, great-uncles and aunts and didn't find much of anything to work with on the Silberman side. Maybe someone else can take a look to see if anything turns up.

Finally, I've also taken a brief look at Gilda Radner's information, and there's a bit more that can be done there, but I'm not hopeful.

Overall, the best bet might be through a spouse somewhere that branches out of the family and into a more well documented line, but in general, it hasn't jumped out and bit me just yet.

Answer 4

If needed I can connect him as we on Geni already found the path to the big tree.

Comments

Please do. :)

I've been hoping for a connection.

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It is not as easy as it sounds, but I working on it. On Geni is also not connected, but sure he has a very large family. So I will keep working to find a connection.

Answer 5

He will be missed, I hope that the connection is made quickly but I hate to say I am still in the process of reinstalling the software on my computer and I don't have time to help with this one. Sorry, I would have loved to help.