THE CLISHAY PROJECT

CHAPTER 2

The genesis of the story goes back to the middle 1800’s. Europe was in turmoil and opportunities were scarce. More than one million Germans left home. Early emigrants wrote home of the opportunities and readily available land. The trip would take from one to several weeks depending upon the type of ship. At this time, the population of the US was just 24 million.

The Brehms came to the US during this time as did my ancestors. The Brehms entered through New Orleans and settled in the Cincinnati area. They would become an important part of the CliShay Project.

The Brehms stayed in Cincinnati until 1909. While having lunch in Pratt Kansas, the great grandson of Jacob Brehm told us his great grandfather boarded a train in Cincinnati bound for Pratt Kansas in 1909. Other family members remained in the Cincinnati area.

As a side note, it was lunchtime and the great grandson gave us directions to several nice restaurants in Pratt . We opted for the local McDonalds. After we received our order, the great grandson was spotted in McDonalds! We were invited to join him and had a nice conversation.