Naperville's Genevieve

            As much as she treasured doing research on Naperville’s earliest families, homes and businesses, it was her interviews with old timers that gave her the most joy and put “life” into her articles. I remember how animated she would be at the supper table after her interviews with amazing folks such as Truman Myers, former livery driver, postmaster and talented bass singer, as well as pioneering photographer and merchant, Eli Stark. Another great source for her historic stories was Mae Ballou Beckman, local benefactor and philanthropist, whose father made his fortune during the Gold Rush.

 Of all the stories she shared, my husband’s favorite is the one Mother gleaned from Augie Germann, the talented Naperville businessman who was born in the “Brew House.”  The Kroehler Company was at one time the world’s largest furniture manufacturer. Its first plant was established in Naperville. Peter Kroehler arranged to bring in many German artisans to get the factory started. Many Naperville families with German names relate to that endeavor. An observant German entrepreneur by the name of Peter Stenger felt such a collection of countrymen needed a good beer. He immigrated bringing with him a master brewer and set up the Stenger Brewery. The old limestone building still existed when Dick and I were growing up. Using Naperville’s great spring water, the beer was a great success and was becoming popular in the Chicago area, much to the benefit of Herr Stenger. He suggested to his master brewer that if he would marry his daughter that he would inherit the thriving business. The brewer was apparently not attracted to the offer because he fled a thousand miles away to Golden, Colorado and started his own business.

            Genevieve, always the professional journalist, called the incumbent president of the brewery to confirm the facts.  He did confirm that she had “Grandpa’s story.” The brewer’s name was Adolf Coors.

            As she became a writer of increasing note, several local businesses asked her to write their company’s history. Naperville National Bank was one of these. There was a separate section of The Sun about the bank on its 25th anniversary that was attractively printed with a glossy finish. As she was preparing that story, I’m sure she had some grateful memories. That was the bank, newly opened in 1934, which lent Mother and Dad money to build their Julian Street home. Both of the town’s other banks had closed during the Depression and never reopened.

            When another local business, Beidelman-Kunsch Funeral Home, thought their family had been in business in Naperville for 120 years, John Kunsch asked Mother to write their history in 1983. The funeral home, along with Oswald’s Pharmacy, is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in Naperville. Because the funeral home’s beginnings were based on hearsay, they asked a secretary, Elizabeth Schmitt, to see what she could find in old newspapers at Nichols Library. She found two articles that stated that the business was started in 1861, not 1863, as they had believed and advertised. They were rather sheepish to admit this mistake, but Mother told them it made little difference at that point and assured them she would still write their story. Following that article, she was supplied with high quality Beidelman-Kunsch ballpoint pens for her writing, which she enjoyed for many years.

            When Cock Robin, originally Prince Castle, was 40 years old, she wrote that company’s story in 1971, which carried many memories for her. While working in the offices of the Naperville Creamery company, the forerunner of Prince Castle, she met Dad.

            Of course it was a given that she would write the history of The Naperville Sun in 1965 when the paper was 30 years old. There was an addendum to that story in 1975 to highlight its amazing development through the ye