Johann Friedrich Christoph Pöhls

Although I am not directly related, I have made it a special research

project because of the very interesting history of Christians father,

also Christian. Our family emmigrated to Canada in 1953 when both of my parents came here from Germany. I was born here and had always felt that we where the only Poehls family in Canada. I had no idea that

there where so many Poehls families outside of Germany until I started searching in earnest. I have found that there are about 200 Poehls families in the USA and I have also contacted Poehls in Argentina, Austarlia, Denmark,

and another family in Nova Scotia, Canada. Your Christian Poehls (actually Pöhls) was born and married in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. He had two sons that we know of, Christian H. and John. In order to avoid having to fight in the Prussian army during the Prussian-Danish war, he illegally fled to England and later to France. Learning about opportunities

in Quebec in the fur trade, he then sailed for Quebec City and then travelled up

to the Hudson Bay trading stations and worked for some time as a trapper. Later he travelled down the Red River to Georgetown where he stayed for a week, then he travelled by freight wagon to Ft. Abercrombie, Dakota Territory,

and later to Iowa. In 1883 he moved to Sabin Minn.

Somehow he had managed to bring his sons to the USA as well. His sons Chris and John farmed together but they had many disagreements over the land. Their father settled the disputes by buying out John's share of the land. John left the area for Clalifornia at the age of 21 and was never heard from again.

Christian H. and Elisabeth Krobbenhoft had the following children: Henry, Emma, John, Ernest, Laura, Hulda, Emil, Lena, Anna.