Selma Cornelia Aschbrenner, known as Sally, grew up in Marathon County, Wisconsin. As an adult she spent a short time working in Washington D.C. before returning to Wausau to marry and raise a family. This series of posts takes us page by page through the photo album of her teen years and young adulthood. She was an active and vibrant gal. These photos show her doing things she could no long do when her mobility became limited in the following decades.

She collected photographs. Lots and lots of photographs. She took most of them and posed in many. This series gives us a glimpse of Sally’s young life, through her own pictures.

Hollywood and Family

The 24th page of Sally’s photo album featured photos that were sent to her from Hollywood, California. Sally wasn’t in California and did not take the photos, but she put them in her album. The remainder of photos were taken closer to home and feature Sally and her family.

Marion in California

This series of photos was addressed to Selma from Marion.

Who was Marion?

A relative?

A friend?

That was a question that stumped this researcher for months. Off and on through this album, Marion shows up. Each time, hour after hour was spent trying to figure out her last name. Finally, when pictures of her showed up again on pages 35 and 36 of this album, the puzzle pieces fell into place and led to Marian (not Marion) Eleanor Twomey Lehr. Those pages included photos of friends of Marian who lived in San Pedro and a boyfriend named Ray. Searches for Marians in San Pedro who were born in Wisconsin led to Marian Lehr. That led to her entry in the social security application and claims index. That entry led to her maiden name and parents. Finally, an identify for Marian! Those reading this probably will not understand the difficulty of finding her identity. That’s okay. Just know that there were heavy sighs of relief and a few whoops of joy when it all came together.

Marian Eleanor Twomey was a first cousin once removed of Sally. Marian and Sally’s mom were maternal first cousins. Marian was born 24 May 1902 in Wausau, Marathon County, Wisconsin, so was only a couple years older than Sally.

Beyond all the investigative work and family history, Marian shared some glimpses of 1920s Hollywood.

Warner Brothers Studio

This photo shows the front entrance to the Warner Brothers Studio on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Location: Warner Brothers Studio, Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

Date: 20 December 1925.

Paramount Studio

This photo shows the front entrance to the one-block long Paramount Studio. It was located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

Location: Paramount Studio, Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

Date: 20 December 1925.

First National and United Studio, combined

It seems that First National and United Studios were combined at this time. A few years later, First National was acquired by Warner Brothers, and a decade later, the First Nation Pictures, Inc. was dissolved.

The second picture shows an “animal” from the 1925 film “The Lost World.” The film, produced and distributed by First National Pictures, was a silent fantasy monster adventure.

Location: First National and United Studios, Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

Date: 20 December 1925.

Marian at home

The last photo from Marian featured Marion in a car parked in front of her home in California.

Pictured: Marian Eleanor Twomey Lehr.

Location: California.

Date: 1925.

Alice and Sally

Sally and her mother pose outside their Town of Berlin farmhouse. Alice was probably glad to be home. Home, sweet, home. She and her husband had spent the previous couple years living in Wausau while renting out their farm.

Pictured: Alice Rosalie Fehlhaber Aschbrenner and Selma Cornelia Aschbrenner.

Location: Highway A, Town of Berlin, Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Date: 1926.

Elizabeth, Alice, and Sally

Sally and her friend Elizabeth Lemke pose with Sally’s mom, Alice at the Aschbrenner farm.

Pictured: Elizabeth Louise Lemke, Alice Rosalie Fehlhaber Aschbrenner, and Selma Cornelia Aschbrenner.

Location: Highway A, Town of Berlin, Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Date: 1926.

Ladies by the dam

Two unidentified ladies are walking near a dam.

Pictured: Unidentified.

Location: Unknown.

Date: Unknown.

Diving

A man poses before his dive.

Pictured: Unidentified.

Location: Unknown.

Date: circa 1926.

Picnicking

Family and friends picnic near the river. On the far side of the bench are Freddy, Alice, and Laura. Possibly. On the near side are Elizabeth Lemke, an unidentified lady, and Ed Aschbrenner. Possibly.

Pictured: Possibly, from left, Frederick Carl Aschbrenner, Alice Rosalie Fehlhaber Aschbrenner, Laura Fehlhaber Aschbrenner, Elizabeth Louise Lemke, unidentified, and Edward Albert Reinhart Aschbrenner.

Location: Wisconsin.

Date: circa 1926.

Little Girls

A guess is that the taller girl is Evelyn Ruth Aschbrenner. The smaller is likely a cousin, perhaps Norma Grace Aschbrenner, daughter of Henry.

Pictured: Possibly Evelyn Ruth Aschbrenner and unidentified.

Location: Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Date: circa 1926.

Many thanks to Uncle Chuck Krueger for gifting Sally’s photo albums to me. I suppose I’m the only one who is obsessed enough with family history to spend hours and hours doing something with them. Of course, I thought I should find a way to share.

I didn’t join the Krueger family soon enough to meet Sally. She died 15 May 1983, just two weeks after I started dating her grandson (now my husband). I’m sad that I missed getting to know her. I’m glad that she left a legacy of photos that help me see a side of her that maybe even her own family didn’t get to see.

Many of the faces and places in the photographs are not labeled. If you can help identify someone or someplace, correct any mistake I may have made, or otherwise add to the story, please contact me, for example by submitting a comment. Thanks.

Who is Who?

Fred and Alice Aschbrenner family

Sally Aschbrenner, the subject of this series of posts, was the daughter of Alice Rosalie Fehlhaber and Frederick A. Helmut Aschbrenner. She had one brother named Freddy.

Three-generation pedigree chart

Marian Eleanor Twomey

Marian Eleanor Twomey was a first cousin once removed of Sally. Their mothers were maternal first cousins. She married Raymond Adams Lehr on 15 October 1925 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. They had three sons and settled at Long Beach, Los Angeles, California.

Elizabeth Louise Lemke

Elizabeth Louise Lemke was born on 12 Dec 1904 in Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin, to Anna Kasten and August W. Lemke. She was a graduate of Wausau High School and worked at the American National Bank before marrying.

When she was 25, she married Harold John Reinhart, son of John Reinhart and Bertha Graade, on 30 Jul 1930, in Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin.

Harold and Elizabeth had one daughter named Mary.

In 1940, she and her husband lived in Atlanta, De Kalb, Georgia. He worked for the West Bend Aluminum Company in West Bend, Washington, Wisconsin, but it seems he was on assignment in Atlanta.

They lived most of their married life in Wisconsin.

Elizabeth died on 10 Oct 1975 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Evelyn Ruth Aschbrenner

Sally and Evelyn were double 1st cousins. Their mothers were sisters and their fathers were brothers.

Selected Sources:

“Top names of the 1900s,” Social Security (https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1900s.html : accessed 15 Aug 2020).

“First National Pictures,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_National_Pictures : accessed 15 Aug 2020).

“The Lost World (1925 film),” Wikipedia, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_World_(1925_film) : accessed 15 Aug 2020).

File:The Lost World (1925).webm, Directed by Harry Hoyt, special effects by Willis O’Brien / Public domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Lost_World_(1925).webm : accessed 15 Aug 2020).

The Aschbrenner Family