Louis Kiehl History

I posted an overview of the information available on Louis Kiehl which I'll add here for reference. There are some interesting points worth discussing after looking this over:

Birth: 8 Nov 1859, Prussia

Arrived in New York May 1870, probably at the same time as his father. Was naturalized while living in Milwaukee, WI on 8 Nov 1896.

Age 10 (born Prussia) in 1870 census living in Detroit, Wayne Co, MI with parents & 3 siblings.

Age 20 (parents b West Prussia) in 1880 census living in Eureka, Greenwood Co, KS as a harness maker living with the Gustav & Mathilda Lindan family and listed as a step brother.

In 1898, in partnership with F O Kiehl, both of Reedsville, Manitowoc Co, WI, applied for patent for a harness-buckle.

Age 45 (parents b GER) in 1905 census living in Kenosha, Kenosha Co, WI as a harness maker with wife & 6 children.

Age 49 (parents b GER) in 1910 census living at 619 Fleet St in Kenosha, Kenosha Co, WI as a cottonmill stock keeper with wife & 4 children.

Age 59 (parents b GER) in 1920 census living in Pleasant Prairie, Kenosha Co, WA as motor works foreman with wife & son.

Age 70 (parents b GER) in 1930 census living in Reedsville, Manitowoc Co, WI with wife.

It was interesting to see that both Louis and Fredrick Otto applied together for the buckle patent in 1898. You'll also note that by 1910 he was a cotton mill stock keeper (a management position). This is a change of career that he appears to have been forced to respond to as the rise of automobile in 1905. By 1920 he was now working as a foreman, possibly for the Nash Motor Company since that was the big one in Kenosha at that time.

I'm sure there must have been some discussions over the loss of business as a harness-maker, and what direction to go in when he was now 50 years of age. He was very fortunate to have been living in Kenosha which is where it had one of the top automobile manufacturers in the country at the time. From horses, to horseless carriages...

Finally, he moves back up to Reedsville and lived next door to his brother Fredrick, seen in photos posted here.