Honoring our Immigrant Herritage Survey

Full Name
Biehler, Wayne Eugene

What are your ties to Collyer?
Born there.

Where did you live?
3-1/2 miles North of Collyer.

Which School did you attend?
Blue Ridge #17, Collyer Grade (Grammar) School - Collyer High School, Fort Hays Kansas State.

What was your religious affiliation?

Methodist

 


Do you have any stories to tell about family hardships resulting from building and oranizing a Collyer Church or Church Structure?
No

Were your friends and neighbors all of the same religious affiliation?
No (our Neighbors were "Wiegels," "Schecks," and "Price???."

Your ethnic background/which country did your ancesters call home?
Grandpa Biehler - Alsace,  France

What language was spoken in the home?
English

Did you experience any problems or barriers caused by speaking a different language?
No

What ethnic and/or religiuos traditions do you specifically remember growing up with? Does your family still practice the same traditions?
Methodist church.  Yes.

When did you and/or your family move to Collyer?
1918

Do you know how "Collyer" was chosen as a home designation? (Why did your family move here?) Did they operate a farm on homesteaded property?
Family purchased farm North of Collyer.  (No Homestead - bought 1/2 section, rented 1/2 section "Lacerte Property.)

Did you/and or your family operate a business in Collyer?
Farmed.

Did you or your parents serve in the military?
Yes, WWII.  3 years active, 20 years Reserve.  Retired LCDR U.S. Navy.

Were there problems caused by your ethnic background?

Was your family name changed after you arrived in the United States?
No

What year were you born?
1921  (June 2, 1921)

Where was you place of birth?
Collyer, Kansas

Why did your family leave their homeland?
Family retired.

What form of travel did your ancestors use to get to their destination?
No knowledge.

What hardships did they encounter on their journey?
No knowledge.

What Ports of Call did they travel through to get to America?
No knowledge.

Which Port of Entry did they come through when they arrived in America?
No Knowledge.

What possessions did they bring along with them on their journey? Did they have to sell most of their possessions to be able to obtain money for the journey?
No Knowledge.

How long did their journey take them from their homeland?
No knowledge.

What was the occupation of your ancestors?
Farmers.

Did they change occupations once they settled?
No

Did they face discrimination once they settled in Collyer?
No

How did they acquire their homestead land or business?
John Baptist Biehler homesteaded.

Did there seem to be different social classes among the settlers?
No

How did the war affect you or your family?
No family loss.

Do you have ties or are you in communication with anyone in your ancestor's country?
One letter to my Aunt stating that there were German Biehlers in German Army and French  Biehlers in French Army, and wondered if there were American Biehlers in USA Army.

Have you ever been back to your ancestor's country?
Yes

How did your ancestors integrate into a community? In other words, what was the common thread that brought them together?
Friends of all the people of Collyer.

Additional Notes:
(At the bottom of his survey, Wayne asks "Why? all the "ethnic" related questions - Collyer should not have a problem.  I thought that was putting everything into proper perspective.- DMM)

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