Wilhelm Kietzmann was born north of Berlin, Germany near the town
of Templin. In 1867, he immigrated to the U.S. with his wife, Sophia
nee Blanc, and all but one of their children. It is believed that
Wilhelm's half brother, Ludwig Hoepfner, had travelled ahead of them.
Within a few years, the family had made their way to the southwestern
part of Wabaunsee County, Kansas. Wilhelm settled on a farm about
6 miles east of the present day town of Alta Vista.
Wilhelm farmed and when he died, his son August took over the farming
operation. Son Charlie, also a farmer, worked land nearby before
buying a nice sized farm several miles north of Alta Vista.
In addition to the Kietzmann family, at least one of Sophie's siblings,
brother Franz (Frank) Blanc, settled near Alta Vista too.
Despite hundreds of descandants, the surname Kietzman (which by
the early 20th century had dropped the last n) is becoming rare within
the family. The number of people with that surname has dwindled
to around dozen, but we are holding out hope that it will not go
extinct.
