Jacob Eifler Sheboygan Press December 21, 1928

Jacob Eifler, former resident of Franklin and vicinity in the county, died at the home of his daughter, 181 Tenth Street, Milwaukee, at noon Thursday. He was nearly 94 years old. Mr. Eifler was born in Effenheim, Darmsteadt, Germany, on February 21, 1835, and came to America with his parents when he was 9 years old, the family settling at Germantown. They located on a farm a mile and a half from Franklin in the 1850's.
He was married to Miss Louisa Schwartz on May 13, 1860, and his wife is still in good health. She is suffering a severe strain following the death of her husband and companion for sixty-eight years. For a long time Mr. Eifler operated a blacksmith shop in Franklin, retiring from that business in 1889. He then acquired a small farm of fifteen acres, which he operated until ten years ago, when he and Mrs. Eifler went to Milwaukee to live with their daughter, Miss Carrie.
Besides the widow, Mr. Eifler is survived by the following children; Miss Carrie Eifler, Milwaukee; Mrs. Augusta Vornholdt, wife of the Rev. Edwin Vornholdt of Neilsville; Mrs. Bertha Lutzenberger of Milwaukee; Mrs. Carl (Olga) Denker, of Milwaukee; Mrs. Ella Schultz, wife of the Rev. Herman F. W. Schultz of Ebenezer, N. Y.; Mrs. Zilla Knatz, wife of the Rev. Fred W. Knatz, of Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Mrs. Minnie Hill,(sic)(Hitt) of Los Angeles. He is also survived by twenty-four grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at the O. E. Lindow funeral parlor in Milwaukee this morning. The remains were taken to Franklin from there, and services will be held at Immanuel Reformed Church, Town Herman, with Rev. Mr. Gaterman and the Rev. F. Grether, officiating.

Eifler Story Sheboygan Press June 1, 1976

What was it like for a young boy hearing his father talk of leaving their home in Germany and venturing forth to this new land – called America? Fear? Wonder? Excitement? Apprehension? These all were probably thoughts which ran through the mind of the boy who had never heard of this new land.
It was in 1843 that Jacob Eifler's father decided that the family should leave their German home and come to America, looking for that new start in life. Eifler described the scene as the family prepared to board the ship that would take them to America: "My grandfather took us one by one in his arms and kissed us, crying hard and loud. We children did not know what it all meant – to leave our loved ones. Now it was farewell to Germany."
The family landed at New York and came to Milwaukee by barge. They moved a little north to what is now Germantown and built a block house – one room. He later found work at another blacksmith shop –this time in Plymouth, His wife and children, however, still lived in Franklin and he had to leave then during the week to go to work.
Eifler later bought a shop in Franklin and lived and worked there until he too was a grandfather. When he wrote his memoirs in 1922, at the age of 87, he could surely understand the feelings of his grandfather who had watched his son and family leave for the New World.