Clara and George Birkel - Family History Discovered at the Thresheree
Family History Discovered at the Thresheree
By Linda Derrick and Clara Birkel
Clara and George Birkel have always had an interest in local history and antique tractors, and this is what drew their family to attend one of the very first Thresherees over 20 years ago. What they didn't realize back then was that they were going to learn that their connection to the Park was more than just a love of history...
Clara recalls, "I remember we signed up to bring our restored 1941 John Deere Model G Tractor to the Thresheree that first year. Once we got there, we started walking around the park. That was when I realized that the Mill and the Mill House had been built by the Messer family. My grandmother was a Messer, and I wondered if we were related to these Messers."
"This got us started researching our genealogy, and I soon learned that we were, in fact, related. Johann and Katharina Messer came from Germany in 1848 and bought this land that is today the Richfield Historical Park. I was excited to learn that they were my Great-Great Grandparents. They built the saw mill and later sold it and the property to my Great Uncle Andrew Messer who built the Mill and the Mill House. My Great-Grandfather George Philip Messer was Andrew Messer' s brother."
Clara Birkel's Genealogy
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Johann Messer
Katharina MesserGreat-Great Grandparents
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Great Grandparents
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Grandparents
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Parents
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Clara adds, "I also learned that the Log Barn that was donated to the .JPG)
Richfield Historical Park was the same log barn that once belonged to my Great Aunt (Tanta) Emma Messer. This barn was disassembled at the site that was once her farm in Richfield and reassembled, log by log, where it stands today on the park grounds as part of the Pioneer Village."
Since those early days of attending the Thresheree, Clara and her husband George have stayed active members of the Richfield Historical Society (RHS). The whole family is still very much involved in participating in the Thresheree. Their son Todd restores antique tractors and you can find him plowing the fields at the Thresheree. Their daughter Tiffany and son-in-law Jeff are into antique garden tractors.
Clara is on the RHS Board and an active volunteer. She is the co-chair of the Mill House with Cindy Schmechel. When you tour the Mill House, you will see her dressed in her period clothing telling about the families who 
lived here. Each December the house is decorated for the Holidays, and Clara can be found playing Christmas Carols on the piano in the parlor during "Christmas at Richfield Historical Park" which is part of Christmas in Richfield.
"I love being a tour guide," Clara explains. "We are so fortunate that RHS had the foresight and dedication to restore and preserve this house. For me, it comes alive as people walk through, and I enjoy being part of it and 
talking about what it was like to live here 100 years ago. I love seeing the expressions on the kids' faces as they realize what it might have been like to live without today's technology and how hard everyone had to work. For many adults, it is a walk back in time. They see items they remember from visiting their grandparents on the farm, and they share stories about their family history. I learn something new each time I give tours."
Clara and George never thought when they signed up to attend that first Thresheree all those years ago, that it would take them back to their roots or that they would become so involved. But, Clara is quick to add, "We're so glad we found the Richfield Historical Society and that we became part of preserving such a neat, almost hidden, historical treasure."
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