Christina (Majer) Pfau (1804 - 1889)

Born 12 Jul 1804 in Peterzell, Kurfürstentum Württemberg

Ancestors

Wife of Friederich Pfau — married 25 May 1829 in Aistaig, Königreich Württemberg

Descendants

Died 7 Jan 1889 at age 84 in Ohio, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mary Kirtland [send private message]

Biography

Christina Majer was born 12 Jul 1804 in Peterzell, Kurfürstentum Württemberg to Matthias Majer and wife Anna Maria Heß. Her birth and baptism 13 Jul 1804 are recorded at the Evangelische Kirche in Peterzell.^[1]

On 2 Nov 1824 she married Johannes Nübel in Aistaig, Königreich Württemberg. The church record in Aistaig records her name as Anna Maria but with Christina's birth date/place and parents.^[2] The banns were also proclaimed in Peterzell, and there her name is given correctly.^[3]

The Aistaig church books record Johannes' death 13 Nov 1828 in Burgfeld, Königreich Württemberg, aged just 32y 9m 9d.^[4] No children of Johannes and Christina have been located.

A few months later, on 25 May 1829 in Aistaig, Christina married Friedrich Pfau, son of Johann Michael Pfau of Breitenau, Königreich Württemberg.^[5] Friedrich worked as a carpenter there, and they had 2 children baptised at the Aistaig Evangelische Kirche:^[6]

• Johannes, aka John, b. 22 Jan 1830^[7]
• Dorothea, aka Dorothy, b. 14 Jul 1831^[8]

The family register compiled in Aistaig indicates they emigrated to America in 1833.^[6]

The 1850 census indicates their next 2 children were born in Maryland:^[9]

• Catharine, b. abt 1833
• Jacob, b. abt 1834

Their remaining children were born in Ohio:^[9]

• Maria Christina, b. 26 Feb 1836
• Elizabeth, b. abt 1837
• Sophia, b. abt 1839
• Susan, b. abt 1841
• Lydia, b. abt 1844
• Solomon, b. abt 1846
• Caroline, b. abt 1848

On 17 Dec 1836, Frederick Pfau of Columbiana County, Ohio purchased 10 acres of land in Beaver Township, Columbiana County, Ohio (now in Mahoning County).^[10] As this is just a few months after Christina's birth and Frederick is already "of Columbiana County", that may be where she was born.

In the 1840 census, "Frederick Faugh" is still in Beaver Township^[11] and Lydia^[12] and Solomon's^[13] death records indicate they were born in Columbiana County, so possibly all the Ohio-born children were born in Columbiana County.

By 1850, Frederick, Christina, and their children were living on a farm in Lykens Township, Crawford County, Ohio.^[9] They seem to have lived there until Frederick's death.^[14][15]

Frederick died of consumption in Lykens Township 21 Aug 1874.^[16] His will, dated 14 Dec 1872, left the family farm, all money, and all goods to Christina. After her death, the children were to be heirs in equal parts. The 10 living children are named: John, Dortha, Catharine, Jacob, Christina, Elisabeth, Susannah, Sophia, Lydia and Caroline. The will was filed 6 Sep 1874 and proved and recorded 1 Oct 1874.^[17]

At some point after Frederick's death, perhaps after son-in-law William Fail's death, Christina moved to Galion, Ohio. The 1880 census lists her in the same household as single daughter "Liddie" and widowed daughter "Christine Fail" with 6 of her children.^[18]

Frederick and Christina's grave marker in Broken Sword Cemetery gives her date of death as Jan 7 1889, age 84y 6m.^[19] The Crawford County, Ohio Record of Deaths does not have an exact match for this. The closest record is for Caroline Pfow, 84y 5m 16d, d. 13 Jan 1889 in Lykens Township.^[20]

The German church records are not completely consistent in the spelling of Christina's surname. On her baptism record, it is Majer, but in other records it is Maier, Maÿer, Meier, etc. The baptisms of her father, grandfather, and great-grandfather use Majer.

Research Notes

• The region where Christina and her ancestors were from appears to have a very complicated history, being frequently caught up in the wars of the 1600s and 1700s. I think that the villages where they lived were part of Württemberg when they lived there, at least as far back as the church records go.
• application to emigrate from Württemburg, Mar 1833 (next 2 images also)
• The birth of 2 children in Maryland suggests they arrived at Baltimore, but no passenger list has been found yet.

Sources

1. ↑ Evangelische Kirche, Peterzell, Sulz, Württemberg. Church Books (Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart), Mischbuch 1696-1832 Band 2, page 270, Christina Majer.
2. ↑ Evangelische Kirche, Aistaig, Sulz, Württemberg. Church Books (Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart), Eheregister 1798-1831 Band 7, page 76, Johannes Nübel & Anna Maria Maÿerin.
3. ↑ Evangelische Kirche, Peterzell, Sulz, Württemberg. Church Books (Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart), Eheregister 1824-1876, 1824 marriage between #7 and #8, Johannes Nuebel & Christina Maier.
4. ↑ Evangelische Kirche, Aistaig, Sulz, Württemberg. Church Books (Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart), Totenregister1809-1853 Band 9, unnumbered page, Jg. Johannes Nübel Death 1828 #24.
5. ↑ Evangelische Kirche, Aistaig, Sulz, Württemberg. Church Books (Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart), Eheregister 1798-1831 Band 7, page 104, Friedrich Pfau & Christina Maier Marriage.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Evangelische Kirche, Aistaig, Sulz, Württemberg. Church Books (Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart), Familienregister 1808-1830 Band 13, F. 95, Friedrich Pfau Family Register.
7. ↑ Evangelische Kirche, Aistaig, Sulz, Württemberg. Church Books (Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart), Taufregister 1824-1853 Band 4, Page 53, Johannes Pfau.
8. ↑ Evangelische Kirche, Aistaig, Sulz, Württemberg. Church Books (Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart), Taufregister 1824-1853 Band 4, 63(? unnumbered), Dorothea Pfau.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} 1850 Federal Census, United States, population schedule, Ohio, Crawford County, Lykens Township, page 66B, dwelling 86, family 86, Frederick Pfau household; NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 671.
10. ↑ Columbiana County, Ohio, Deed Books, Vol. 25, Page 530-1, Jacob Dreizler to Frederick Pfau, recorded 15 May 1837; Columbiana County Recorder, Lisbon, Ohio.
11. ↑ 1840 Federal Census, United States, population schedule, Ohio, Columbiana County, Beaver Township, page 109, line 16, Frederick Faugh; NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 386.
12. ↑ Ohio, Department of Health, Division of Vital Statistics, certificate of death #51554 (filed 13 Aug 1928), Lydia Carson; Ohio History Connection, Columbus, Ohio.
13. ↑ Crawford County, Ohio, Record of Deaths, Vol. 1, Page 43-4, Lykins Township #5, Solomon Plow, reported 18 May 1871; Crawford County Probate Court, Bucyrus, Ohio.
14. ↑ 1860 Federal Census, United States, population schedule, Ohio, Crawford County, Lykens Township, page 245A-B, sheet 49-50, dwelling 349, household 339, Fredk Pfaw household; NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 951.
15. ↑ 1870 Federal Census, United States, population schedule, Ohio, Crawford County, Lykens Township, page 510B, sheet 10, dwelling 81, household 81, Frederick Fow household; NARA microfilm publication M593.
16. ↑ Crawford County, Ohio, Record of Deaths, Vol. 1, Page 129-30, Lykens Township #6, Frederick Pfau, reported 17 May 1875; Crawford County Probate Court, Bucyrus, Ohio.
17. ↑ Crawford County, Ohio, Probate Records, Wills Vol. 2, Page 449, Frederick Pfau estate.
18. ↑ 1880 Federal Census, United States, population schedule, Ohio, Crawford County, Galion, Enumeration District (ED) 107, page 531C-D, sheet 23-4, dwelling 219, family 233, Christine Fau and Christine Fail households; NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 1004.
19. ↑ Broken Sword Cemetery (Broken Sword, Ohio), Fredrick & Christina Pfau Grave Marker; photographed by Mary Kirtland, 2000.
20. ↑ Crawford County, Ohio, Record of Deaths, Vol. 2, Page 148, Lykens Township #3, Caroline Pfow, reported 17 May 1889; Crawford County Probate Court, Bucyrus, Ohio.