Michaelis History
 
Henri John Michaëlis was born on January 29, 1823 in the small village of Dahlem, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The second son of Henri Nickels Michaëlis and Marguerite Neyen, he grew up on the family farm in the house his father had built, along with six brothers and two sisters. In 1847 Henri began to dream of coming to America. So in July of that year he packed what few belongings he would take on his trip and headed for La Havre, France. He boarded his ship and sailed from La Havre on July 19, 1847. Henri arrived in America aboard the Argo on August 26, 1847, after a crossing of about 14 days. The 1847 census of Luxembourg listed Henri as "Missing in America". Upon his arrival Henri probably made his way by rail to PA, at least according to his obituary. Making his way to Indiana sometime after 1850, Henri marries Katharina Ruf(f) of Germany on June 16, 1851 in St. John the Evangelist Church, Indianapolis, IN. The couple settled down in Indianapolis with Henri working as a carpenter. The Michaelis family begins with the birth of the couple's first child John Henry Michaelis on November 28, 1852. That summer in, July of 1853, Henri's younger brother John arrives in America from Luxembourg. John Michaelis soon settles down in Indianapolis himself, marrying Magdalena Knartzer, and employing himself as a contractor. On Sept. 30, 1854 Henri & Catherine's second child Henry John Michaelis is born either in Indianapolis or South Bend. Then in the summer of 1855 Henri's older brother Peter arrives in America. But Peter succumbs to a fever and dies on August 23, 1855 in Logansport, IN. Henri and a few friends are there to comfort Peter in his last moments, and they take charge of the body and see to the burial. A year later on July 17, 1856, Henri and Catherine have their first daughter and third child, Margaret, followed by a third son Floribert on November 2, 1958. In the 1860 Census, Henri is listed as a carpenter with an estate valued at $1000.00. A second daughter, Elizabeth, was born on February 19, 1861. Henri became a citizen and took his oath in Common Pleas Court in Indianapolis on February 17, 1863. A new child, Nicolas, was born on October 19, 1865, and in 1868 Henri pulled up stakes and moved the family to Topeka, Kansas. Catherine was pregnant again now and she gave birth to another son, Rupert on March 27, 1869 in Topeka, KS. It wasn’t until a year later in early 1870 that Henri was able to obtain 80 acres of land for homesteading in an area about twenty miles west of Topeka. That same year on September 30 Joseph Martin was born. Joseph was the first child to be born on the new homestead, and more than likely was born in the newly or partially completed Michaelis home. Then on April 20, 1873 George Michael, the last of the Michaelis children was born.

My grandfather, Joseph Marten Michaelis was born Aug. 31, 1870 in Paxico, Kansas. In 1838 the Wabash and Mission Bands of the Potawatomi Indians were moved from northern Indiana, and southern Michigan. They were marched to a reservation in Kansas, which is now referred to as "The Death" march, to St. Mary's KS and 10 years later moved up to the area which included Rossville and Paxico. They then became known as the Prairie Band. The  town of Paxico was named for a Potawatomi chief. Over time, missionary schools were established by the Catholic and Baptist churches on the reservation. What makes this important to our story of Joseph is, he had the distinction of being the first white child born in the county and attended school on the Potawatomi Reservation.