Penning a farm family story - Geiger writes two historical non-fiction books

By Stacey Smart | stacey.s@dairystar.com

REEDSVILLE, Wis. — Corey Geiger grew up hearing stories about his family and ancestors on the dairy farm he called home — a farm with family ties dating to 1867.

Geiger listened attentively when his elders spoke, storing the details in his memory, not realizing then that this information of his family’s past would one day fill the pages of two books.

“We were a farm family that had victories and struggles and moments you might want to redo,” Geiger said. “These were tough days of life, and there are a lot of themes I like to feed people in my books.”

Geiger, an international agricultural journalist, spent 28 years on the editorial team at Hoard’s Dairyman magazine, including 13 years as lead editor. Currently, he works at CoBank where he serves as the lead dairy economist.

 Geiger’s first book, “On a Wisconsin Family Farm: Historic Tales of Character, Community and Culture,” was released in 2021 and is a National Indie Book Awards winner. 

His second book, “The Wisconsin Farm They Built: Tales of Family and Fortitude,” came out last year and contains a foreword written by Jerry Apps, a Wisconsin author.

“They’re a good read,” Geiger said. “These people would be good characters in a fictional book, except this is a non-fiction book, and they’re real. Their stories help you dig back and understand history.”

Geiger transports his readers back in time through storytelling containing vivid details of the past. The books feature a series of short stories in which Geiger captures the history of his family’s farm. The stories are complemented by numerous historic photographs saved by his grandmother.

“Busy, hardworking farm folk or retired people were the audience I had in mind when writing, and this is why I did it in short sections,” Geiger said. “You can pick it up and read in short spurts, put it back down and pick it up again 10 days later. There are people who told me they haven’t read a book in 10 years, but they read mine.”

Geiger’s books can be found in 215 stores throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. In addition, the books are sold on Amazon and on Geiger’s website. Geiger’s first book has been sold to all 50 states.

“My books are doing well at ‘mom and pop’ bookstores,” Geiger said. “Many authors enjoy the writing part, but I equally enjoy getting out and talking about my book and interacting with readers. When my first book was published, I drove all over the state and introduced myself.”

The farm in Reedsville where Geiger and his sister, Angie, grew up is the setting of both books. Geiger and his family milked 65 cows in a tiestall barn and farmed 375 acres.

“We had a nice herd of registered Holsteins,” Geiger said. “Our farm was our life. We didn’t go on vacations when I was a child. As an adult, I worked up there  almost every weekend, even when I was working at Hoard’s. I took my vacations there too.”

Geiger’s parents, Randy and Rosalie, bought the farm in 1981.

“My grandma’s heart was at the farm,” Geiger said. “She and my grandpa visited often, and there would always be a story. I was very close to my grandparents.”

Geiger’s six-generation family farm turned 150 years old in 2017. Geiger wanted to have a party to celebrate but could not convince his parents. Instead, he decided to have a party in the local paper, The Brillion News, by writing a series of stories known as the Homesteaders’ Hope.

“I told the newspaper I would like to write about 20 stories, but it turned into 99 stories,” Geiger said. “Using our farm as characters, I also talked about local history.”

The series was a success, as the paper picked up subscribers from 37 states who had heard about Geiger’s column.

“I began receiving emails from readers, and I thought maybe this should become a book,” Geiger said. “Many of the stories in these books were told through the eyes of women because the farm went through the women in my family. They were meticulous notetakers.”

 John and Anna Burich, Geiger’s great-grandparents, are the main characters in his first book. Anna, who was born in 1877, became owner of her family’s homestead in 1905. She married John Burich in 1906. Geiger’s grandparents, Elmer and Julia Pritzl, are the stars of the second book. The Pritzls purchased the farm in 1939.

The books’ beginnings contrast — one enveloped in happiness, the other in sadness.

The first book opens with a marriage proposal of Geiger to Krista Knigge, which took place on his family’s farm in 2006. The second book opens with a tragic story describing the death of Geiger’s great-grandmother, Anna Pritzl, who was killed by a train in 1932 while on her daily outing to pick up milk.

Elmer Pritzl was only 16 when his mother died. Forced to become an adult before his time, he got a job at the foundry and was promoted to foreman by 18. Five years later, he fell in love with a farmer’s daughter, Geiger’s grandmother. Elmer had no farm background, but his mother-in-law entrusted him and his wife with the farm.

Geiger tells not only of his family’s history but also weaves in historical happenings of the times. From lime to cheese, the first book describes how these two industries took off in Wisconsin. In the second book, Geiger details the rise and fall of the Allis Chalmers company in West Allis. The books also describe Geiger’s Bohemian heritage with ancestors who came from the Czech Republic.

Geiger was in the middle of writing his first book when his father passed away in 2019. Work on the book came to a screeching halt. Geiger negotiated a new deadline with his publisher and completed the manuscript one year later.

The cows were sold in the spring before his father’s passing. Geiger continues to crop half of the land and rent the other half and works with neighbors doing custom work. His mother lives in the original farmhouse — the same house built in 1916 that is mentioned many times in the books.

Geiger is not done writing and has ideas for two more books.

Geiger hopes his journey encourages others to record their family’s past, sharing the history and stories that make their farm unique.

“One reader told me my books are a family conversation starter,” Geiger said. “That is the best compliment I ever received. It gets children and grandchildren talking to their parents and grandparents and inspires other people to capture their farm history.”