From Generation to Generation: The Longs of Wilkes-Barre

by Bettijane Long Eisenpreis

When Mary McCarthy wrote Memories of a Catholic Girlhood, a friend told Bettijane Eisenpreis, only half in jest, that she should write “Memories of a German-American-Jewish-Pennsylvania Girlhood.” And she did.

From Generation to Generation: The Longs of Wilkes-Barre is a series of stories of a family – German Jews who migrated to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in the mid-19th Century, and in the words of the Bible, "were fruitful and multiplied." It traces the fortunes of Great-Grandpa Simon Long from his birthplace in Bavaria to his own tiny corner of the New World. There his family grew, prospered, and told stories of the old country and the new.

Author Bettijane Long Eisenpreis listened and has added a few tales of her own in this marvelous family history. Our fascination with genealogy is growing, as evidenced by the popularity of the TLC program “Who Do You Think You Are?” and the tremendous success of Ancestry.com. Into this moment in time, we introduce Bettijane’s tales, which will delight nostalgic readers of all ages.

82 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

Bettijane Long Eisenpreis, a native of Wilkes-Barre, PA, has lived in New York City for a half-century and in Gramercy Park for at least half that time. A closet poet and essayist, she worked professionally as a consumer-oriented health writer. Her two published books are Coping: A Young Woman’s Guide to Breast Cancer Prevention and Coping with Scoliosis, both published by the Rosen Publishing Group, New York. Most recently, she wrote articles for NewsLine, a chain of magazines for professionals in the allied health professions. But she has always been fascinated with genealogy, especially the origins and continuing development of her own family. From Generation to Generation: The Longs of Wilkes-Barre is a labor of love.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read.

The author, Bettijane Long Eisenpreis, is a Jewish woman who currently lives in New York City but grew up in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania. From Generation to Generation: The Longs of Wilkes-Barre is an account of her father's family history as well as her exploration of that history.

The author's sense of humor comes through, whether she is describing her trip to her great-grandfather's house in Bavaria (where her adult son at 5'8" had to avoid hitting his head on the ceilings) or explaining the names of her ancestors (one of her great-aunts was named Reada rather than Rita because her mother wanted her to "read a lot"; a great-uncle was either named for the governor of Indiana or named for the landlord in lieu of a rent payment "depending on which story you believe").

At times I had a hard time keeping track of who was being described and in which generation, but just when I was getting really frustrated the author mentioned how the family continually used the same names and how confusing this had been to historians. After that, I stopped flipping back to the family trees in the front of the book and just enjoyed the stories without trying to figure out where they fit in.

The book ends very abruptly. When I turned from page 81 to 82 I was expecting a continuation of the vignette about her parents' wedding, but instead the last page was the "About the Author" picture and description. I could easily have read more about the Longs (and possibly the Eisenpreises, if she wants to write an expanded version).

Originally reviewed 12/15/13.

In light of discussions in the Feedback Group about disclosure, editing to add that I received this book as a Hanukkah gift from the author, who is a friend of the family - 8/23/14.