Tuesday night, Wrangell welcomed 14 descendants of Baron Ferdinand von Wrangel, the 19th century Russian explorer whom the island is named after. They discussed the diaspora of the family, the fashionable transition to one L in the name, and the history of Ferdinand and his wife Elizabeth’s travels. But matriarch Cornelia von Wrangel also gave her first impression of the island town today.
The Friends of the Museum hosted the event. The family gave booklets to the museum to add to its collection. One describes the family’s past and more recent history, in both English and German. The other has love letters from Ferdinand and Elizabeth and old maps and drawings, though it’s entirely in German. The museum may look into translating that publication.
