When my grandpa died, I inherited all his family history stuff. My last name: originally: "Töllner" was an occupational name for a collector of tolls or customs levies in the Northern Germanic dialects. Records I have seen place us a a poor noble family operating the ferry system across the Rhine. We eventually became part of Prussia and like our entire family history is littered with Prussian Military Officers.

We came to the US after the civil war and took land in Nebraska as part of the homestead act. An argument in the late 1800's resulted in the entire family moving to Oklahoma except one of the sons named "Peter", who went on his own to Wisconsin.