John Valentine Christophel 1800 - 1865 Weekly Ancestor Challenge - Week 2 - 11, January 2014

Johanne Valentine Christophel
Weekly Ancestor Challenge - Week 2 - 2014
January 11, 2014 at 4:19am

Johanne Valentine Christophel
1850 Bavaria, Germany
18 February, 1864 Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio

Val Christophel, age 52, traveled with his family on the ship Helvetia to America.  The family traveled from Bavaria to Le Havre, France.  They departed from Le Havre, France on September 29, 1854 and arrived in New York on October 28, 1852.  Their destination was Cincinnati, Ohio and they traveled in steerage.  Val traveled with his wife Maugaurite, age 45, and their daughters Eva, age 12; Anna, age 10; and Catherine/Katherine, age 7.

Their journey on the ship took almost a month. They also had to travel from Bavaria to Le Havre and then from New York to Cincinnati.  What brought them here?  Why undertake such a journey at age 52 with a household of women?

Christophel, Valent.
Age: 52 Gender: Male
Occupation: Farmer
Country: Bavaria
Final Destination: United States
Manifest ID Number: 00007516
Ship's Name: Helvetia
Port of Embarkation: Havre
Date of Arrival: Oct 28, 1852
Captain's Name: B. F. Marsh
Purpose for Travel: Staying in the USA
Mode of Travel: Steerage


New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 about Valent Christophel
Name: Valent Christophel Arrival
Date: 28 Oct 1852
Birth Date: abt 1800
Age: 52
Gender: Male Ethnicity/
Nationality: Bavarian (German)
Place of Origin: Bavaria
Port of Departure: Le Havre, France
Destination: United States of America
Port of Arrival: New York, New York Ship
Name: Helvetia
Search Ship Database: Search the Helvetia in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database

1860 United States Federal Census
about Val Christophel
Name:Val Christophel      
Age in 1860:60      
Birth Year:abt 1800      
Birthplace:Bavaria      
Home in 1860:Cincinnati Ward 12, Hamilton, Ohio      
Gender:Male      
Post Office:Cincinnati      
Value of real estate:View Image       
Household Members:NameAge          
John Huntz 23          
Margret Huntz 20          
John Huntz 2          
Val Christophel 60          
Margret Christophel 54          
Catharine Christophel 15          

John Huntz, age 23 = John Kuntz, Margaret Eve Christophel's husband
Margret = Margaret Eva Christophel Kuntz, daughter of Val and Maggie Christophel
John = son of John Kuntz and Margaret Eva Christophel Kuntz
Val Christophel = aka Johanne Valentin Christophel
Margret = Eva Margaret "Maggie" Lutz
Catherine = Katherine "Katie" Christophel

There is a listing for the obit of Valentin Christophel in The Daily Gazette listing Margaretha Lutz as his wife,  DOD was 2/18/1864 and he was 64 yrs and 2 months.

Researchers for the Christophel family stongly believe that that all three Christophel lines in Cincinnati are connected.  In the case of Val Christophel and his family, his destination  was specifically Cincinnati.  He traveled with a wife and 3 daughters at age 52 to a new country.  I have to believe he had family here.  Possibly older children, siblings or cousins.  Because Val died only a few years after arriving in this country, he's been very difficult to trace.

Val Christophel's Declaration of Intent gives the name John Valentine Christophel.  It's also interesting to note that the form is from Cincinnati, OH and it was notarized on October 7, 1854.