Immigrant Family

<p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>The story of the Kelker family begins with a tragic 1743 transatlantic voyage from Switzerland to America and continues through ten generations to the 21</span><sup style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>st</sup><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> century. </span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>It is told from biographies of family members whose lives are in some manner distinguished some by accomplishment and a few others by failure or misdeeds. </span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>The immigrants settled in Pennsylvania Dutch country where they farmed the land and set about establishing a new life. Their Swiss-born son Anthony who arrived at age ten lived a distinguished life as a soldier in the revolutionary war a county sheriff and a Pennsylvania state legislator. His descendants over the centuries include an innkeeper an iron worker a saddler businessmen a politician (Governor Mayor U.S. Senator and Secretary of War) historians and a traffic engineer who built the first subway in Chicago. </span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Recent generations are represented by NASA space scientists and a soap opera star. The narrative follows the sweep of American history as the family grows in number and spreads throughout the country.</span></p>