It started during the famine in Ireland. My great-great-great-great grandfather Culbert sent his wife and son to America to live while he tried to save enough money for him to follow. This part is a little unclear to me. I hope he was able to follow eventually and I wonder especially about this part. But anyways...
They lived in Pennsylvania. The Culbert who came to America as a young boy got older, married, and had a son named Thomas Jefferson Culbert born in 1888. He then had an only child Louis Culbert. Thomas, his wife, and son Louis moved to northeast Iowa outside of Mason City. Thomas owned a general electric store and him, his brother, and Louis installed electricity in farm houses.
Louis graduated from high school the year the stock market crashed. He traveled looking for work. He ended up in California during this time working on farms picking rocks in fields. He would later marry Edna. Louis moved back to Iowa and Charles City where he would become the postmaster. Louis had a son and only child Alan Culbert.
Al grew up around the family electric store as well. He became a technology teacher at the high school, but for only a year. He married Mary Walsh, who was the daughter of a wealthy farm equipment engineer. They had 5 children, the oldest being James. Their sons grew up around the tractor factory and worked there. I believe Al worked there, too.
James married Jeanette Kay Henricksen of Rockwell, Iowa. James went into the army during the 1980's recession and was in Germany while Jeanette stayed and worked while going to college for ophthalmology and worked in a nursing home. When James came back, he worked on semi-trailers. Jeanette worked as an eye technician and later with laser surgery. Their children are Thomas born in 1988 and Jacquelyn born in 1992.

And so here I am.