The family relationships extend from two sisters, Emma and Louisa Hellberg, who were
identical twins and born April 11, 1852. Emma and Louisa married Peter A. Barth and Gustave
A. Gruettner, respectively. Emma and Peter Barth, who operated a liquor wholesale dealership
at 251 Reed Avenue in Milwaukee, apparently had one child, George. George Barth became a
doctor, and the first Director of Health for the City of Milwaukee in 1909. Gustave
Gruettner was a dairy farmer and died in 1899. Louisa and Gustave had six children of their
own: Louise (a.k.a. Lulu), Hilda, Elsa, Lorraine, Adolph and Rudolph. Elsa was a dental
assistant, Hilda a school teacher and Louise married Edwin Flancher, who was a dentist.
Adolph's profession is unknown.
Rudolph, who was born on January 3, 1876, graduated from South Division High School and
entered Milwaukee Medical College (which later merged with Marquette University) and
graduated with a degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1900. He later opened up practice at
420 11th Avenue. Rudolph and Alice Eaton were married on November 24, 1903, and they three
children: Catherine, Rudolph Edwin and Lorraine Madeline Gruettner.
Alice Eaton was the daughter of Barney A. and Kathryn Eaton and the sister of May, Nellie,
and Ann Eaton. Barney apparently owned a fruit farm and vinegar factory on the south side of
Milwaukee, near Cudahy. This establishment was also not in the city directory.
The exact kinship or family ties to other people included in the photographs has not been
determined. It is not known if they are actually family or friends. It could not be
determined how the Collins family and Jack Urban, for instance, fit into all of this merely
from the information provided on the back of the pictures. They could be other relatives,
friends of the family, or business associates. In addition, the age of the siblings in
relation to each other could also not be determined.
