Contributors
Acknowledgments
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Recording: Recording coming soon.
Spreadsheet: Name, birth/death dates, family number; and US Census details for each person (1790 to 1950 U.S. Census).
We need your help! Contribute content, identify mistakes, and share narrative based on your memories.
There are many volunteers who serve or have served as Kessler family genealogical custodians. They include Karen Kessler Cottrill (kesslerwv@aol.com), Judi Spencer (judispencr@aol.com) and Conrad Riffle (24 Feb 1941-6 Jul 2024; Clinton, OH 44216). These individuals published a Kessler Family Newsletter in the 1990s. There is also a group that holds annual “family reunions” in western Pennsylvania.
The content contained herein is not fictional. The facts and information were created by those who lived the lives described in these pages.
But several people worked very hard over many years doing genealogical research and much of their efforts are reflected in this family history. Therefore, they are cited below.
In deciding how to write this document initial consideration was given to including a lot of citations but using that approach resulted in a somewhat “choppy” and difficult to read narrative. So, it was necessary to backtrack and develop a more fluid and cohesive narrative rather than present specific excerpts from different sources. So, you will find that the content is not cited in a manner that might be used by a scholarly article. For those interested in original source content they must consult the associated hard copy documentation available along with this manuscript.
The following individuals made significant contributions based on years of effort and research:
- Edgar Franklin Kessler III
- Karen Lynne Kessler
- Judi Spencer
- Conrad Riffle
- Edna Kanely
- Dennis Kastens
- Vance Keslar
- Rich Kesler
Please enjoy the content of this document. You can be proud of coming from an interesting heritage. I always believed that if we don’t occasionally revisit the lives of our ancestors then their lives are without meaning. We can honor and respect them by appreciating what they experienced, how they lived, and the events that led to our being here. Our history is in the past, but those of you who represent future generations of our family are in the process of creating history for those who follow.
Dedication
Edgar (Ed) Franklin Kessler III (1947-2009) was my brother. Starting in the 1970s he spent many years conducting genealogical research and compiled a vast amount of interesting family information and documentation, some of which he shared with his siblings and some which he never had an opportunity to do so before his untimely death at the age of 62 in 2009. I feel the pain of his loss every day as he was our family leader and the source of inspiration for all of his younger siblings and family, and those with whom he came in contact.
In his honor I have prepared this family history narrative as well as a detailed Ancestry.com “family-tree.” The tree is also maintained/synchronized in my personal copy of Family Tree Maker software. Our family history is interesting and spans all of the major events in U.S. history. Our European history is more difficult to reconstruct, but some work has been done in that regard. The U.S. history is easier, except for the earliest years, because of various data sources such as births, marriages, deaths, and census records.
If not for Ed, this site and the contents would likely not exist. I am eternally grateful for his support, constant enthusiasm for new things, and his spirit of adventure.
