Wilhelm Kuhner

Who Knows Why the Geese Go Barefoot? Wilhelm Kuhner

E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. This unique family history and genealogy also speaks to the current partisan divisions in America and serves as a timely reminder of our collective capacity for both tyranny and compassion, as well as our ability to resist the baser instincts in ourselves and others - to "stake everything on a formidable gamble: that words are more powerful than munitions" (Albert Camus). The German Kühner (Knörr, Köener) surname is a derivative of Kühn and has been anglicized in a variety of ways including Keener, Kenner, and Keiner. Like the related English word keen (keener, keenest), the German kühn is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European ?en?- or ?n?- ("to know"). In this second-edition narrative with extensive references and supplemental online content, Wilhelm Kühner continues to prune the "tangled thicket" of Kühner (Keener) Genealogie in Amerika. While his own Keener roots are in the Catawba River Valley of North Carolina, this updated narrative incorporates the stories of notable Keener family members in Baltimore and New Orleans, with aew appendicies on the Kuhner Packing Company in Muncie, Indiana and Keener Seedling "Rusty Coat" apples. Amidst interesting American history and family genealogy, the reader is encouraged to reflect on our common humanity and embrace our rich diversity. In just under 20,000 words (a two hour read), the author uncovers a quarter millennium of genealogy and local history associated with his family while embracing an expansive vision of religious tolerance that "should motivate readers to examine their own values and better prepare them for the challenges facing their family, nation, and planet" (William Gay, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at UNC Charlotte).