Use the drop-down to search within a specific collection. Grave Number Details (Gate - Cemetery - Row - Block)Īdditional information about the Societies and their associated towns and countries can be found here. NOTE: Images may be enlarged using your browser 'zoom' or 'enlarge' feature. View listings in a searchable database (select this link). View listings in PDF format (select this link).ģ. View listings in image format (select image below).Ģ. There are 3 methods to view Society names with Gate numbersġ. Waldheim Cemetery & Gate Society Listings Source: Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical SocietyĬurrently, most sexton duties, supervision of the cemetery sections, are being conducted by Waldheim Cemetery itself, except for those which fall under the supervision of Silverman & Weiss, phone: 70. Unfortunately with the demise of these groups and the lack of uniform cemetery standards Waldheim began to look tired, old and neglected. The effects of second and third generations assimilating into the landscape of America combined with the lack of new members and new funding all contributed to this. After being a force and foundation in the Jewish community of Chicago since their inception, these immigrant based organizations began to slowly dismantle. Although reconfigured over the years there is still an "L" train stop at Forest Park served by the CTA's Blue Line. This service operated for over two decades and was finally curtailed on July 13, 1934. Francis Addition, and the final area is the Bushnell Addition. The four original blocks and the first addition are what is called Ottawa Cemetery the second part is the Ford Addition, the third the St. To make it easier for the individuals coming to Waldheim and other nearby cemeteries daily, a special funeral route train service was begun in 1914 on the Metropolitan Elevated "L" tracks. Starting with four 'blocks' in 1847 four different additions have increased the cemetery size to what it is today. Waldheim's first Jewish interment was held in 1873 at that time, funeral processions and visitors faced a day-long excursion from the Maxwell Street neighborhood to the graves of their loved ones. These sections were at one time also rigidly divided by gated fences, and ornate entrances and dividers some of which still remain today. Waldheim was unique in that although it was one cemetery it was comprised of 250 separate cemeteries with different owners, prices, rules, regulations and individual caretakers. Beginning in 1870 over 250 cemetery sections representing various Chicago family groups, synagogues, vereins, landsmanshaften, and other organizations purchased sections of Waldheim Cemetery located in Forest Park, 9 miles west of the Loop. With immigrants insisting on their own Jewish cemeteries, these groups eagerly looked for a cemetery to sell its members plots in their own special created sections. Historically the first institutions newly arrived Jewish immigrants created in their new communities were religious, educational, and fraternal organizations. Jewish Waldheim was founded during the second wave of Jewish immigration to Chicago in the late-19th century.
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