The Delfelder Family
Primary Ancestors:
Frederic Delfelder, Sr. (1829 - 1927) | click for personal facts and charts
Conrad Dellfelder (~1821 - ?) | click for personal facts and charts
George Delfelder (1835 - 1903) | click for personal facts and charts
Short Family History:

The family of Frederic Delfelder, Sr. has been the focus of most of the research. He immigrated from Germany as a young man, working his way west as a farm hand and laborer. He ended up in Atchison County, Kansas, near the town of Effingham where he was introduced to a young woman from a neighboring family. Little did he know that he and Anna Wagner would be married for 62 years.

I have spent a lot of time researching the category I call "The Lost Delfelders." That essentially includes all Delfelder family lines that don't begin with Frederic, Sr. As time goes by, I'll be posting additional information about "The Lost Delfelders."

The Lost Delfelders include:

  • Conrad Dellfelder - a baker who lived in NYC and uncle to Frederic Delfelder
  • George Delfelder - brother to Fred and a Civil War veteran (for the North!) who settled in Tipton, Missouri
  • George Dollfelder - another Civil War soldier (for the North) who died from disease near Springfield, MO and possible third brother
  • Mary Dollfelder - an unmarried housekeeper in Philadelphia whose relationship to Fred is unknown
  • Gottlieb Dollfelder (aka Godfrey) - a lithographer in Philadelphia who may also be known as Frederick and potential brother to Mary
  • Balthasar Doellfelder - a possible relative who immigrated from Germany in 1883
Research Notes:

I think it's safe to say that I will never be done researching this family. There will always be more avenues to explore, more records to research and more family to update and document.

There's currently a project underway by several of us cousins to produce a book on the "History of the Delfelder Family" We hope to have it done in time for the 2004 Delfelder Family reunion, held the first weekend of June in Effingham, Kansas. - MD 1Jul2004
Surname variations:
Delfelder, Dellfelder, Döllfelder, Dollfelder, Delfelter, Doelfelder, Doellfelder - The original German spelling of the name was Döllfelder. Through the first part of the 20th century, it wasn't uncommon to see any of the above spellings in official and unofficial documents. Conrad's last name was generally Dellfelder, while his sons dropped one of the double l's. Frederic and George settled Delfelder. However, George's widow (d. 1933) has Doelfelder on her headstone (George, buried in a different cemetery, uses Delfelder). All living descendants in the US today, use Delfelder.
Relevant Links: