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.

Gals and Farm and Family

The 34th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos taken in and around 1929. It shows Sally having fun with friends, some time on a farm, and a photo of extended family.

Fun with the gals

The first few photos on this page show Sally having fun with her friends. Thesee ladies could have been friends from the Live Y’ers or perhaps from Sally’s bridge club. The Wausau Daily Record-Herald mentioned Sally being involved with both in 1929.

“Miss Selma Aschbrenner, 922 S. Fourth avenue, was hostess last evening to her card club. Bridge was played and prizes were awarded…”

Wausau Daily Record-Herald, February 13, 1929.

“A bowling tournament between teams of the Live Y’ers and the Blue Triangle clubs of the Y.W.C.A. will be held at the Wausau club, the opening games to be rolled on Thursday evening of next week. At a meeting held at the Wausau club last evening teams were chosen as follows: Live Y’ers: Team No. 1, Irma Callies, Isabelle Berglent, Selma Aschbrenner…”

Wausau Daily Record-Herald, April 5, 1929.

“Thirty-three members of the Live Y’ers met at the Y.M.C.A. for a 6:30 o’clock supper Monday evening, served by Miss Gladys Johnson, Miss Olga Schoenfeld and Miss Selma Aschbrenner. A lively debate on “Resolved: that married women should not be employed,” proved exciting and very interesting. The negative was taken by Margaret Lemke and Florence Johnson and the affirmative by Elizabeth Lemke and Gladys Johnson. As a result of a vote of the members taken after the debate the affirmative was given the decision…”

Wausau Daily Record-Herald, April 24, 1929.

“Miss Olga Schoenfeld entertained her bridge club last evening at her home on South Fifth avenue. Prizes were won by Miss Selma Aschbrenner…”

Wausau Daily Record-Herald, April 30, 1929.

“Miss Selma Aschbrenner entertained her bridge club at her home, 922 South Fourth avenue Saturday evening…”

Wausau Daily Record-Herald, December 2, 1929.

Pajama party

Sally and her friends appear to be in the midst of a pajama party when they took this photo outside.

Pictured: Back row, far left, Elizabeth Louise Lemke. Back row, third from left, Selma Cornelia Aschbrenner. others Unidentified.

Location: Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Date: circa 1929.

Dressed for the day

This next photo features the same seven women. This time, however, they are all dressed up.

Pictured: Back row, center, Selma Cornelia Aschbrenner. Front row, right, Elizabeth Louise Lemke.

Location: Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Date: circa 1929.

On a bench

Sally, center, poses with two ladies on a bench.

Pictured: Selma Cornelia Aschbrenner, center. Others are unidentified.

Location: Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Date: circa 1929.

Three girls, a bench, and a boy

This is another shot of the same ladies. A little boy joined them for this picture. That might indicate that these gals were family, perhaps attending a wedding or other special occasion. That is just speculation though. There may have been more, but the only relatives’ marriages around this time were:

• Margaret Bertha Anklam and Bernhard August Buttke married 28 September 1928. Sally and Margaret were maternal first cousins.
• Irmagard Fehlhaber and Marvin D. Walcholz married 07 August 1929. Sally and Irmagard were maternal second cousins.
• Herbert Fred Charles Raduechel and Mary M. King married 04 May 1930. Sally and Herbert were paternal half first cousins.
• Mable M. Zamzow and Neil Beier married 14 June 1930. Sally and Mable were paternal first cousins once removed. Mable was a first cousin to Sally’s dad, Frederick A. Helmet Aschbrenner.
• Marvin Gottlieb Henry Aschbrenner married Esther Marie Erickson on 19 July 1930. Sally and Marvin were paternal first cousins.

Of course, we don’t know the marriage dates of everyone in the family. And, if it was a wedding, it may have been a wedding of a friend rather than a family member. And again, calling it a wedding is just a wild guess.

Pictured: Selma Cornelia Aschbrenner, seated far left on bench. Others unidentified.

Location: Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Date: circa 1929.

Half cousins

Sally didn’t take this photo. Someone named Grace took it on August 24, 1929. Written on the back was a long unsigned message.

Aug 24 – 1929

Grace, my Sis-in-law, took this of us, in Dale’s backyard. Your Mother met Grace. That’s Walter Meyer’s wife, we took her along with us when we came home. Dale’s baby is just too cute for anything, wish you folks could see him. He has such pretty curls, all rings around his head. This is not a nice picture of him though he talks as cute.

Why couldn’t the writer have signed her note? Who had a sister-in-law named Grace who was married to Walter Meyer? Well, probably Mrs. Philip Meyer, in other words, Mable Raduechel Meyer. Research does confirm that Philip had a brother named Walter who had a wife named Grace.

But who is Dale? Philip and Walter did not have a brother named Dale. Mable had a sister named Adelia and a brother named Herbert. But wait, maybe Adelia was nicknamed Dale? She had a son named Dale Clarence Nietzel born on 27 June 1928, in Cook County, Illinois. Could Adelia be the Dale that Mable wrote about? Is this Adelia’s backyard in Chicago?

Pictured: Possibly, from left, Adelia A. S. Raduechel Neitzel, Leslie Philip Meyer, Dale Clarence Neitzel (sitting and clearly identified), Robert Herbert Nietzel, Unknown, and Mable Raduechel Meyer.

Location: Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

Date: 24 August 1929.

Feeding the chickens

It appears that Sally is teaching her friends how to feed the chickens. Such fun to visit the farm!

Pictured: Selma Cornelia Aschbrenner, far left.

Location: Town of Berlin, Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Date: circa 1929.

Sally

Sally is on the farm armed with a picnic basket.

Pictured: Selma Cornelia Aschbrenner.

Location: Town of Berlin Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Date: circa 1929.

Little girl

An unidentified little girl. Wish more photos were labeled!

Pictured: Unknown.

Location: Unknown.

Date: circa 1929.

Winter scene

This photo fast forwards us to winter. The people photographed have not yet been identified. Do you know who they might be?

Pictured: Unidentified.

Location: Likely Marathon County, Wisconsin.

Date: circa 1929.

Evelyn and friend

Evelyn Ruth Aschbrenner, Sally’s cousin and housemate, poses in the snow with a friend.

Pictured: Evelyn Ruth Aschbrenner, left, and unidentified girl.

Location: 922 South Fourth Avenue, Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin.

Date: circa 1929.

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

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.

Mabel Adeline Augusta Raduechel and Philip Conrad Richard Meyer

Mabel and Sally were half first cousins.

Adelia A. S. Raduechel and August William Neitzel

Adelia was one of Sally’s half first cousins.

The Aschbrenner Family