Credits
This
project would not have been possible without the knowledge and
assistance of:
Bob
Roesler · Bob is with the
Greenfield Historical Society. He spent countless hours
researching records at the historical society's archives room at the
Greenfield Public Library. Bob located, scanned, and sent numerous
land plats and other items of historical data. He also advised on
how to acquire other research documents. His love of preserving local
history is
abundant,
and his support of this project has been an immeasurable help.
Bill Gutknecht ·
Bill not only
lived on the Kerler farm, but possessed many vivid and fond memories of
his
life on the farm, his ancestors, and this house. Bill supplied an
abundance of information, photos, and documents, and contact
information for other Kerler descendants.
The Moes: Eileen
Schroeder, Marion Curzan,
and Art Moe · Their
detailed recollections of the house,
property, and neighborhood painted a picture what
life was like living in the house in the 1950's and 60's. Their
enthusiasm and willingness to assist in this project is greatly
appreciated.
Frank Baldwin - It takes a lot of time to locate, scan,
and email documents, and Frank took his valuable time to produce and
supply
high-quality scans of photos from his family's collection. Between
Frank Baldwin, Bill Gutknecht, and Bob Roesler, their cumulative time
was, without a doubt, the single most significant contribution to this
project.
The Bruskys - Even though they are the last family to
occupy the Kerler House, their memoiries and photographs accounted for
an astonishing 47 years of the house's history, extending well into the
new millennium.
Special thanks also to Barb Issacson, Sonsheree Kroening, Paula Kroening, Holly Melloch, and Jeff Roemer for their
generosity and assistance.
Additional Reading
In 1911, Dr. Louis Frank, son of Veronica Kerler, published a
collection of over five-hundred letters written by the Kerler and Frank
families between 1849 and 1864. The book was translated from German in
1971 and published as German-American Pioneers
in Wisconsin and Michigan: The Frank-Kerler Letters 1849-1864.
It was reprinted in 1989. The book is an astonishingly detailed account
of the lives of these people — how they felt, what they ate, the cost
of goods
bought and sold, etc. Some members of these families wrote often,
and wrote a lot.
The Historical Society of Greenfield, Wisconsin printed a book in 1976
called A Brief History of the City
of Greenfield, 1841-1976. The book can be found online, but the
least expensive way to acquire it is directly from the GHS.
Veronica
Kerler Frank Pined for Germany, but Made Milwaukee Her Home, by
Kathy Warnes.
Copyrights
This project and its contents are protected by copyright, and may not
be copied, distributed, or republished without permission. All public
domain
images are digitally restored scans from materials published prior to
1923, and are
protected by copyright. All other photos and documents are protected by
applicable family or commercial copyrights and used by permission of
the Greenfield
Historical Society, Kerler descendant families, the
Moe family, and the Brusky family. If you would be interested in using
any of the material in this project for any reason, please send an email.
Feedback
Public genealogical and
historical
records are fragmented and often rife with errors. Weeks
were spent cross-referencing all kinds of documents (ancestral records,
census
records, obituaries, books, gravesite markers, Social Security indexes,
etc.) to provide information that is as accurate as possible,
regardless, some of the information in this project may be erroneous.
If
you are privy to any of the historical facts regarding
the Kerler House or its inhabitants, and would be able to amend or
correct
any of
the information presented in this project, please send an email.
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