It just doesn't get much Patchier than this.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from Rebecca Whitnall, yes, as in Charles B. Whitnall, whose name is everywhere on the west side of Greenfield.

Turns out Rebecca is the great-great granddaughter of Charles, and just happens to be a Patch editor out in Moorpark, Calif.

So, naturally, I asked her a few questions.

Greenfield Patch: Have you ever spent any time in Wisconsin? More specifically, have you ever been to Whitnall Park, which is named after your great-great grandfather?

Rebecca Whitnall: I’ve never been to Wisconsin, let alone Whitnall Park. I have friends nearby who I’m hoping to visit eventually and I’m sure, when I do, I’ll stop in at the park. It’s on my bucket list.

Greenfield Patch: Does your family have any remaining ties to Wisconsin, or the southwest corner of Milwaukee County that has the family's name all over it?

Whitnall: As far as I know, we don’t have family there any more—or at least nobody we keep in touch with, but my father isn’t one to keep in touch with distant relatives.

Greenfield Patch: How familiar are you with your great grandfather's legacy back here in Wisconsin? Is there any one thing that the family is most proud of when it comes to grandfather's accomplishments?

Whitnall: We don’t talk a lot about Charles Whitnall in the family much, but I’ve done some research so I know a bit about my great-great grandfather. I know he was a socialist and a huge proponent of public open space. He was an environmentalist and especially into flowers; in fact, he was a founder of FTD, the flower delivery service. He served the city of Milwaukee as park commissioner and treasurer and passed that legacy of serving down to his son, who became the original city planner of Los Angeles; his grandson, who worked for the California Transportation Department and his great grandson (my dad), who worked as a civilian engineer for the Navy.

I’m afraid I’ve broken the tradition by working in the private sector, but hope I’m serving the public in some good way through journalism. I think the legacy of serving others is what I’m most proud of – but there is a bit of family lore that, if true, I’m pretty impressed with, both because of the resourcefulness as well as the hint of maverick in him.

The story goes that during the Great Depression, Milwaukee fared better than some cities because it found a way to keep money in the local economy in a highly questionable but effective way.

The city couldn’t print its own currency, of course, because that would be illegal. But, as the story goes, my great-great grandfather was behind Milwaukee’s floating of bonds that happened to be the shape, size and worth of a $1 bill. The bonds were traded like currency within city limits, but couldn’t be used outside the city, of course, because people in other municipalities wouldn’t accept them; thus, the money had to stay and circulate inside the city. For Charles Whitnall, according to family stories, the bonds also were significant because the federal government was making money by printing money and he saw no reason the city shouldn’t benefit instead. I haven’t been able to find much information about this, but my dad swears it’s true. If it is, I think it’s kind of cool.

Greenfield Patch: How did the descendant of Charles B. Whitnall become a Patch editor in California?

Whitnall: I came to Patch with a background as a community reporter at a mid-sized daily paper. Before I left the paper, I was editor of its citizen journalism website and six weekly tab-sized sections of the paper. The ideas behind Patch—serving small communities that are under represented in the existing media—attracted me for a few reasons. For a long time I thought that, other than very large media, the media organizations that will survive will be those covering very local areas, sharing news that residents can’t find anywhere else, so the model made sense to me.

Beyond that, there’s nothing like writing about the interesting people, places and happenings in a city to really make you feel a part of a community in a way few people get to. You get to share the greatest triumphs and most tragic lows with the people you see at the grocery store, schools and restaurants you visit daily.

Reports I’ve read about my great-great grandfather say he started one of the first successful trade publications, so maybe I inherited some sort of talent after all?