darrenpetrie.com A House on a Truck
Book cover: a small wooden house loaded on the bed of a 1930s truck, sepia-toned

A Family Story

A House on a Truck

by Darren Petrie · August 2026

Four generations, sixteen interconnected families — from villages in Württemberg, Bohemia, Yorkshire, Luxembourg, and Sweden to the frontier towns of America, and at last to the Inland Northwest, where every line comes together in one family.

Petrie · Daubel · Cooper · Strong · Helbig · Bartosh · Rudolph · Spence · Riel · Metzelt · Lanphere · Riha · Streib · Raisch · Newman · Anderson · Crandall · Lane

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Front matter

  1. Preface
  2. Introduction

Chapters

  1. 01 Hopewell to a New World Strong Beginnings Strong · Lane
  2. 02 Fields of Freedom A Century In Cattaraugus Strong · Newman · Crandall · Easton
  3. 03 A Boxcar and a Dream The Strongs Move West Strong · Newman
  4. 04 The McKean Frontier Cooper · Lanphere · Grow · Fitch
  5. 05 The Bohemian Prairie From Czech Villages to Iowa Farms Bartosh · Riha · Stará · Krejčová
  6. 06 Württemberg Roots Blacksmiths and Farmers of Bonfeld Daubel · Streib · Deck · Haueisen
  7. 07 German Spätzle Country Swabian Kin in Württemberg Rudolph · Stiebler · Raisch · Hahn
  8. 08 Family Feuds and Timber From Kansas to the Washington Woods Daubel
  9. 09 Dresden to Santa Fe A Baker in the Adobe Oven Helbig · Bergman · Metzelt · Erbse
  10. 10 Walking the Trail to Bemidji From Luxembourg to Minnesota Petrie · Riel · Mattheus
  11. 11 Mail Order Marriage Petrie · Helbig
  12. 12 Prairie Crossroads Dakotas and the Merging Lines Cooper · Lanphere · Bartosh · Riha
  13. 13 A House On a Truck Petrie · Cooper
  14. 14 Following the Sun From Yorkshire to the Pacific Spence · Swallow · Anderson
  15. 15 Wild Rose Prairie Strong · Spence
  16. 16 Merging of Lines at Elk Herman and Thressa Daubel · Strong
  17. 17 One Family at Last Vern and Charlotte Petrie · Daubel