The History of the Kerler House


 
 
The Kerler Farm - 1800's

The Kerler family worked the farm for the next one hundred years. As the family grew, so did the farm. The following land plats through the late 1800's show Louis Kerler's expansion of the bustling farm and the changes in property ownership within the family.


Plat courtesy of the Greenfield Historical Society


. Misspellings were common on old land plats. "Franz" shown on the Kerler Farm property should be "Frank".
Plat courtesy of the Greenfield Historical Society.



Exceprt from the Town of Greenfield 1876 Directory
EMMANUEL CHURCH, HALES CORNERS, WI
 
The Kerler family was attending St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 68th & Forest Home Ave., in the 1800's — a time when some felt there was a need for reformation. After John Kerler died in 1885, their pastor declared that John, because he had allowed his housemaid to reside with him, had been living in sin and was therefore condemned to hell. This put Louis over the edge and prompted him and a few other dissenters to leave St. John's to start a new church. They purchased 4 1/2 acres of land in Hales Corners from William Cobb on which they built Emmanuel Church. Over the years and through today, the church has grown and has remained a place of worship for Louis' descendants.



Plat courtesy of the Greenfield Historical Society.


    

© 2016