Cristoph Welle

Birth: Aug. 4, 1841 Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Death: Mar. 17, 1901 Meire Grove Stearns County Minnesota, USA

Christoph Welle was born on August 4, 1841 in Lippespringe, Westphalia, Germany to Christoph and Theresia (Kerkhoff) Welle.

Christoph, and his older brother Heinrich Welle, immigrated to America. Heinrich sailed in 1869 & settled on a farm near Freeport, Stearns County, MN. Christopher sailed to America 4 years earlier (1865). Around 1870, Christoph Welle settled on a farm north of Spring Hill, Stearns County, MN.

Christoph Welle married Elizabeth Primus on May 1, 1869 at St. John's Catholic Church in Meire Grove, Minnesota.

The couple homesteaded on a farm in Section 17 of Spring Hill township, 2 miles north of the village of Spring Hill, MN. The first 9 of the 10 Welle children were born in Spring Hill and the youngest child, George Welle, was born in Meire Grove, Grove Township, Stearns County, Minn.

Christopher & Elizabeth (Primus) Welle are the parents of the following children:

1. Anna Welle 6. Conrad Welle 2. John J Welle 7. Mary Mehr 3. Hubert S Welle 8. Elizabeth Fuchs 4. Henry Welle 9. Anton J Welle 5. Joseph J Welle 10. George Welle

Christoph Welle died March 18, 1901 in Meire Grove, MN and is buried in St. John's Cemetery in Meire Grove. His obituary appeared in the March 20, 1901 issue of the St. Cloud Times. The obituary is below:

Christ Welle

Meire Grove - March 18 Christ Welle died yesterday at the age of nearly 60 years, after a long sickness of cancer of the stomach.

The deceased leaves a wife and nine children, Hubert, John, Henry, Joseph, Conrad, Mary, Eliza, Tony and George to mourn his loss. The oldest, a girl, died some years ago. The funeral will take place Wednesday, and if the weather is favorable, as the number of friends and relatives here, and at Spring Hill, Melrose and Freeport are numerous.