Untold Stories: In Search of the Real Rudolf Wanderone

Historian Charlie Ursitti tracks Fats' first mention in the billiard press.

In his autobiography, Fats claims to have been born on Jan. 19, 1913, that he had three half-sisters - Rosie, Julie and Jerry - and that he had been playing serious pool since the 1920s. He said his parents' names were Rosa and Rudolf, and that Rosa emigrated from Switzerland with his half-sisters. For the most part, this checks out. For instance, there are two extremely early references to his family in The New York Times. One of the first was published on Nov. 16, 1937, and it's a listing of business records. Under "assignments," it lists: "Wanderone, Rosa and Rudolf Wanderone, costs … $110." I'm not sure what this means, other than to confirm the existence of Rosa and Rudolf - Fats' parents - in New York City in 1937.

More interesting, though, is an even earlier reference in the Times on Dec. 6, 1935. Under a section listing "wills for probate" it shows that someone named Albert Reinbert Wernli willed $800 to Rudolf Wanderon. (I've seen the last name spelled both with the "e" and without it in various records.) The date was given as Jan. 9. What's cool about this reference is that it lists an address for Wanderon - the first address I've ever come across - at 403 W. 148th St. That's around the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, the neighborhood that Fats claims as his own in his autobiography. If there's any doubt that that was Fatty's address, one need only look to census data for 1930. I found a document at the New York Public Library that does indeed confirm that Rosa Wanderon (again, spelled without the "e" on the end) lived at the address with daughter Rosalie Wanderon, daughter Julie Mills, and son-in-law John Mills. Remember, Fats, in his autobiography, identifies his mother as Rosa and names half-sisters Rosalie and Julie.

The census data gives Julia's approximate birth year as 1909, and it says she was born in Switzerland. Rosalie's birth date was given as 1907; and the birth date of Rosa (Fats' mom) was given as 1882. It says Fats' mom was born in Switzerland, and describes her as the "head of the household."

Oddly, the census data makes no reference at all to Rudolf Wanderone - either junior or senior - living at 403 W. 148th St. This leads me to conclude two things: Fats already was out of the house in 1930, when he was probably 17 years old; and that his father might have been separated from this mother. Another oddity: The census makes no reference to Fats' other half-sister "Jerry." Rather, it mentions that Rosa had another daughter whose name was "Bertha" and whose approximate year of birth was 1918. Perhaps "Jerry" was "Bertha's" middle name. I don't know. The census data also references seven lodgers at 403 W. 148th St., beyond the five Wanderone family members.

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