Update 2025:
Based on my research and the many webinars I have attended, Samuel and Bertha do not appear to have lived in Vienna. Rather, it seems that Samuel did not want to appear poor and embellished his life in the Old Country when he came to the New World. This was a common practice among the newly immigrated.
Like his wife, Bertha, Samuel’s family was from Brody and his original family name was Kessel. Bertha did have siblings who lived in Vienna, though. I will discuss them further in other sections.
There is new information on every page of the Kessler section so do check out each page. There is a lot of new information about the origins of the name Charipper, Bertha’s siblings and half-siblings. There is also new information about Bertha’s children and grandchildren (the children of Abe Kessler).
Enjoy!
Tara, 04/2025
Original:
My mother’s paternal birth family are the Kesslers’ from Austria / Poland.
Because Kessler is such a common name, and because we do not know the names of any of her grandfather’s siblings, we have not been able to trace the family.
Note: see above for what we learned since writing this. Stories are told about her birth grandfather, Samuel, working for the Emperor in Vienna, so we will assume he lived there at some point in his life.
My mother’s birth grandfather, Samuel Kessler, was married to Bertha Charipper from Brody in Galicia. Her family is fairly well-documented and you will be able to read about them.
In the Kessler section, you can explore and learn about:
- The Kessler Origins and what life was life in Vienna and Brody
- The origin of the name Charipper
- Samuel – my mother’s birth grandfather
- Samuel’s Siblings – right now we do not know anything about them
- Bertha – my mother’s birth grandfather
- Bertha’s Siblings – her half siblings and her full siblings
- Abe – my mother’s birth father
- Abe’s Siblings: Edith, Morris, and the others
- Abe Kessler Video Clips – you can see and hear Abe towards the end of his life.
I would like to thank the following people for sharing stories and photos of the Kessler and Charipper families:
- Gail Corrado
- Arthur Cronson
- Steven Cronson
- George Kessler
- Stuart Kessler
- Susan Paperny