FROM THE OLD COUNTRY

Most people living in the Coulee Region can trace theirancestry back to Germany or Switzerland. At any rate, the first settlers to this beautiful area were chiefly fromthese two countries. I have ancestorsfrom both of these countries. Myfather’s grandparents were from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, and mymother's grandparents were from Germany and Switzerland.

My maternal grandmother'sparents were born in Switzerland, my great-grandfather in Canton Brienz, and mygreat-grandmother in Canton Grindelwald. [Both Brienz and Grindelwald are towns in Canton Bern.] My Swiss great-grandfather's name was PeterEggler. He was born June 23, 1840. He lived in the mountains, and every springwould go down to the village to bring the villagers’ cows up the mountains overthe summer months. Each villager ownedseveral cows which supplied them with milk, cheese, butter, and meat. Peter milked them over the summer, and, withthe help of his father, a cabinet-maker, made the milk into cheese. He kept some cheese from each cow as paymentfor keeping the cows. When he took thecows back to the village in the fall, he sold his share to townspeople whodidn't own any cows.

When Peter grew into a youngman, he became tired of herding cows and decided to come to America to seek hisfortune. Ile was at the age when a mangets a yearning for adventure in his blood. Before leaving, he met Anna Kaufmann, who was born January 3, 1843. She fell in love with him and traveled toAmerica with him. On reaching New Yorkin 1869, they were married. [Churchrecords of Brienz show clearly that they were married in Switzerland.] They moved to Wisconsin to a coulee severalmiles east of LaCrosse. It must havebeen hard work clearing the farm, and later raising crops with the crudemachinery of that era. It was here thatmy Grandmother, Amelia Eggler, was born March 12, 1884 in a family of 12children. When she had finished school,she went to LaCrosse, where she did housecleaning for a dollar and a half aweek. The cloth for her wedding dresscost a dollar a yard. It was made ofCrepe de Chine, and because it came in a narrow width, she needed eighteenyards. It was sewed by hand, with thehelp of her sister.

My maternal grandfather'sparents were Germans. Mygreat-grandfather William Meyer was born in Hesse-Nassau. As a boy, he traveled to Brazil with hisfather. They lived there four years andthen to America. The boat trip tooksixty days. He reached New York severalyears before the Civil War. From therehe traveled to Illinois where he met Anna Striegel, a young girl fromBavaria. When they were married, theymoved to Wisconsin, and settled in Mormon Coulee. There my grandfather, Edward Meyer, was born January 5,1877. He walked several miles toschool. When the weather was warm, heoften walked barefooted. One fall day,it snowed during school, forcing him to walk barefooted several miles throughsnow. He remembers bands of Indiansliving in the coulee near their home. He married Amelia Eggler on June 4, 1907. They had a large family like most people in those days, threeboys and six girls. My mother was theyoungest. She grew up on the farm,attending the Town of Greenfield School, and later Central High School inLaCrosse.

Written by Lloyd Lorenz, May 10, 1965