Walter Romig

Walter Romig (1903-1977) was an American author and publisher.

Though Romig's date of birth is often officially listed as 1905, he was in fact born in 1903. His parents met while they were performers in the side show of a traveling circus (his mother was a mesmerist and his father had hooks for hands - his hands had frozen off in a blizzard in 1880). Walter Romig's father's last name is not confirmed (possibly Murphy). Because of his parents' constant travel with the circus, Romig was raised in an orphanage in New York. He later had a benefactor with the last name "Romig," so he took that name in appreciation.

Romig attended Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. He was not ordained as a Roman Catholic priest because it was discovered that he was of illegitimate birth. Today, the Roman Catholic seminary awards an annual Walter Romig Award, which recognizes an outstanding lay alumnus.

Written works

Walter Romig's best-known work is "Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities." Romig also edited the six-part series "The Book of Catholic Authors: Informal Self-Portraits of Famous Modern Catholic Writers" and compiled the annual "The American Catholic Who's Who".