One last thing I want to mention is that on the last page, A Voice from the Past, the writer is unknown. Hope you enjoy this newsletter.

Transcription

1 August 2014 Ancestral Newsletter # 31 Hello Relatives, I took a little break over the summer so there were no newsletters for June or July, but I'm back now and ready to get to work. This issue is a continuation of Anna Brechtl Rieder's brothers and sisters, specifically Cecilia, Alois and Grace. Not long ago I had breakfast at a restaurant where they served eggs with German style potato pancakes. Suddenly I was transported back in time to my grandmother's dining room where I ate her delicious homemade potato pancakes. Then I started to think about our German roots. In the early days, the population of Plain, WI was largely made up of German speaking people. Baptiste Brechtl and Anna Hutter were born in Germany so German was their first language. It makes me wonder; How do you raise your children to speak English as their first language if all you know is German? I don't actually know the answer to that but somehow the next generation, (Anna and her siblings), made the transition, became Americanized and spoke English. Becoming Americanized gave them more of an option to move beyond their small farming community, to seek greater opportunity elsewhere, if they so chose. Still, enough of the German influence has survived, deep within me, that eating German potato pancakes can give me a warm, fuzzy feeling that I would never get from eating a taco, an egg roll, or lasagne. I love our German heritage! One last thing I want to mention is that on the last page, A Voice from the Past, the writer is unknown. Hope you enjoy this newsletter. Debby Debra Klug (262) S. Wind Lake Rd. Wind lake, WI debby524@netzero.com

2 Cecilia Celia Brechtl and John Weitzer Celia Brechtl was the 7th child born to Anna and Baptiste Brechtl. She was born in Plain on September 19,1889. She married John Weitzer on October 12,1910. Celia & John Weitzer Dolores, Louise, Clete, Gene Collins, Marie & Annie Celia Brechtl W. They had 8 children: Cletus, Marie, John Jr., Cecelia, Jerome, Gene, Dolores and Anna Mae. They moved to West Allis and John began the Weitzer Brothers Hardware Store. (See Newsletter # 19). John died July 21, Celia died December 21, Weitzer Bros. Hardware advertisement in an old phone book. Notice the phone number: W.A.828 Photo on right: Dolorus, Lorraine, June, Anna Mae (Weitzer cousins) with little Mark Collins Anna Weitzer Haas, Celia Brechtl Weitzer and Laura Rieder Weitzer 3 on left: Clara B., Berniece Hatas, Laura W. Frieda & Ron Klaus, Celia W., little Curt Klug

3 Aloysius J. Brechtl and Clara Koser Aloysius Alois or Al Brechtl was the 8th child of Anna and Baptiste. He was born in Plain on August 12, Al & dog Baptiste and Anna Brechtl Family Aloysius graduated from St. Luke's School in Toward the end of the ceremony, Al stood up to recite Lets Try To Do Right Boys which is a curious topic considering that out of the eight graduates only two were boys. His sister, Clara, took part in the ceremony. This article from A History of Plain, Wisconsin gives more details:

4 Al married Clara Koser on April 15, Clara T. Koser was born to Frank and Katherine (Spangler) Koser on November 8, 1892 in Watertown, WI. Al and Clara had two children: Robert Lee (July 7, 1915 to ) married Eunice E. Pfeifer on May 30, 1938 Harvey James (Oct. 7, 1920 to ) married Bernadine M. Carroll on July 7, 1948 Robert was the chief accountant at Allis Chalmers and Harvey was a doctor. For awhile he worked as a medic for the Notre Dame team in South Bend, Indiana. Al Brechtl (abt. 1940) Clara Koser Brechtl and Al Brechtl Al and Clara lived in New Berlin, WI. Al died on December 30, Clara died at the age of 94 on April 6, Below (back) Harold Weitzer, Rob Klug, Clara Brechtl, Laura Weitzer Front: Paul Weitzer, priest, Berniece Brickl (in 1959)

5 Grace Brechtl and Herman D. Brickl Grace was the ninth child of Anna and Baptiste Brechtl. She was born on December 9, Brechtl family: John, Al, Herman, Baptiste, Anna, Grace, Clara Grace Brechtl Grace, her sister Clara Hillenbrand, her brother John and her soon to be husband, Herman Brickl all appear in this 1914 article in the Weekly Home News: Grace worked as a telephone switchboard operator. Around 1903, the town of Plain could boast having two telephones: one at Reuschlein Bros. Store, the other at Beck and Nachreiner's. The lines connected Plain with Spring Green. One line was for the farmers, the other was to be used for business.

6 Herman Brickl was born in This excerpt is from A History of Plain: Grace Brechtl married Herman Brickl in January of 1916, however there are two dates: Jan. 2 or Jan.12. Their marriage did not last, but before they separated they had six children: Harold ( to ) Bernard ( to Sept. 1974) Berniece ( to ) married Emil Hatas on June 5, 1943 Mary Margaret ( to ) married Edward Kulinski on July 26,1941 Francis ( to ) married Lynn Miller on July 5,1948 Barbara Ann ( to ) married Lawrence Busalacchi on Oct.27, 1945 Bernard and Berniece were twins. This note was written by Berniece in 1978: Marge, Bernard and Berniece In 1921, the post office was located in the Reuschlein and Nachreiner store on Wachter Avenue. In June of that year, a fire destroyed the building, the merchandise, the P.O. fixtures and the mail. The restaurant that Herman owned was originally the Henry Reuschlein Confectionery Store. Herman purchased the ice-cream parlor, sometime after September of In the fall of 1920, he bought a house on Cedar St. in Plain. He only kept the house for a couple of years. In 1922, it was acquired by a man named George Grauvogl. George may also have been part owner of the ice-cream parlor. Herman eventually traded the ice-cream parlor for land near Neillsville, Wisconsin. He was in his early 20's when all of this took place. Plus, by 1922, Herman and Grace already had five children. Herman Brickl died in Grace Brechtl Brickl died on December 21, 1975.

7 A Voice from the Past Clara Brechtl, Celia Weitzer, Ron Klaus & Grace Brickl Betty Hatas and her Grandma Grace Brechtl Brickl