Geneva Kebler Wiskemann has kept her family history alive and vibrant for more than 80 years by maintaining family records and artifacts. Her great-grandfather Johanes Kubler immigrated to America in 1854 from Wurtemberg, Germany, with his son Christian and his family. After a short stop in Ann Arbor the family bought a plot of farmland near East Lansing. In 1854, Christian filed his intent to become a citizen and “renounce for ever allegiance and fidelity to each and every foreign prince, potentate or sovereignty.”

The original passport for the passage to the United States has no photographs and lists all family members which is nothing like today’s modern passports. In their place was a short description of Johanes.

After the stay in East Lansing, the family purchased a farm in Eagle Township, just off of what was known as Grand River Rd. (U.S. 16).

In 1899, Christian Kebler (spelling was changed) and Elizabeth Schlee celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary at home in Clinton County. Tradition runs deep in the Kebler family: Geneva has maintained and preserved a glorious family “crazy quilt” that generations of Kebler women have contributed to and six generations of family members still bake Lubkuchen, German cookies.

Geneva worked as an archivist for many years at the State of Michigan and was on site at the State Office Building when an arsonist lit a fire that devastated the building in 1951. Geneva is also a charter member of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing from 1955.