The Story
Twenty chapters, from a Black Forest town in 1825 to the family today. Each one is also a 90-second episode of the documentary Kiefer: Do Right and Fear No One.
The Book in the Attic
A grandson writes everything down — and leaves blank pages for us.
The Legend
A Dutch knight, a Margrave's daughter, and Napoleon's gold snuff box.
The Mystery of 1825
Two records, two mothers — and a student dare with chloroform.
1848
A medical student helps lead a revolution for a free press and trial by jury.
Rats in a Trap
Battle, excommunication, exile — and a new life in Detroit.
The Stubborn Wife
She refused to sign — and built the family a fortune.
Lincoln's Man
Founding the Republican Party, campaigning for Lincoln, and the Civil War.
The Doctor
A window sash, a barrel hoop and a beaver hat full of money.
Consul and Regent
A U.S. consul in Germany, and the builder of a medical school.
Nine Children
Named for revolutionaries, poets and a president.
Alfred
A mining engineer with eleven duels behind him.
Arthur, Keeper of the Papers
Napoleon's dueling pistols, a professor's ashes, and the family archive.
The Artist
A prize at the Paris Salon — and a marriage to the woman in the painting.
The Tanner
The world's largest pigskin tannery — and a family's grief.
Hermina
The daughter who married her father's successor.
The Name on the Hospital
Guy built a hospital — and refused to let them name it after him.
A Broken Heart
Two years, three funerals, and a hospital that bears his name.
The Twins
One lost in Kansas City at 26; one who carried the line forward.
Marybeth
A wedding in 1942, and a name passed down to the present.
Volume Two
The blank pages are yours. Come and fill them.