First-Generation Daflers, Part 9: Christian Dafler
This is the ninth in a series of deep-dive studies into each of the eleven children of John Wolfgang and Catherine Dafler.
Christian Wolfgang Dafler was the third of the Dafler children. He was born on Sept. 17, 1847 - the first child to be born to John and Catherine after becoming U.S. citizens two years prior. Christian is unique as the only one of his siblings for which a baptism record has been found. According to the transcribed and translated records of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Manchester, Maryland, Christian Wolfgang was baptized on Dec. 4, 1847, with his parents as sponsors. Zion stemmed from the first Lutheran congregation in Carroll County, established in 1760. While the 1798 church building where Christian was baptized is no longer in use, the congregation (now under the name of Immanuel Lutheran Church) still worships in Manchester. Unfortunately, research in the records of these churches, as well as in other Carroll County German-speaking church records, has not revealed records of any other Daflers. Thus far, this entry is the sole connection I have found indicating how the Dafler family worshipped in Maryland.
Christian spent his childhood (and, presumably, attended school) in Maryland. While records indicate that Christian's older brothers John and David departed Maryland for Ohio sometime around 1863-1864, I believe that Christian remained in Maryland and traveled with the rest of his family in 1867. I haven't found any solid records on Christian between his appearances in the 1860 census (as a 12 year old living with his parents in Hampstead, Maryland) and the 1870 census (listed as a 22 year old hired farmhand in Montgomery County, Ohio). But I believe Christian's labor would have been indispensable. In 1863, Christian would have been 15, and the next oldest son, Lewis, would have been ten. With a family of eight to feed during the Civil War, Christian would have been critical labor to keep the family farm operating. The other evidence for Christian as the oldest remaining son in this period is circumstantial, but compelling. In the years following the Dafler migration to Ohio, Christian - rather than the eldest son, John - serves as the son that maintained the closest ties to his father.
After the move to Ohio in 1867, there was a definite shift in the Dafler family's economics. While John Sr. was the breadwinner in Maryland, Crist transitioned to a leadership role in Ohio. The last farm John Wolfgang owned in Maryland was 54 acres and sold for $1150; the new farm was just five acres and cost $1000. This acreage was not large enough to sustain a family of eight or nine. It's certainly possible that John and David played a role at this time, but Crist's income as farm labor at a Jefferson Township farm probably made the difference to keep the family going in the days immediately following the move.
As the remaining sons and daughters became adults, they generally moved away from the Dafler farm. Rosanna moved to Preble County after her 1870 marriage and Charles helped out on that farm by 1880. Elizabeth lived in Eaton as a single woman by 1880 as well. Lewis and Wesley left for Kansas with John in the 1880s. This left Crist as the oldest sibling that established himself near the family farm, along with Maggie (a schoolteacher in Johnsville).
In 1872, Crist married Elizabeth Deem. Her parents owned a hundred-acre farm just west of the Dafler farm, making Lizzie, literally, "the girl next door". Their marriage took place in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Miamisburg - now known as St. Jacob Lutheran Church, registered on the National Register of Historic Places. The Deems had been in Montgomery County since at least 1833 and were early residents of Germantown. Records show that Charles Deem was issued a license to operate a tavern on Market Street in Germantown, between Plum and Main Streets in 1834. By 1870, the Deems had moved to the farm north of Germantown.
After his marriage, Crist became a thresher operator and farmer in Jackson Township. At his father's death in 1887, Christian served as the executor of the estate. In 1893 he invested in a lot in Farmersville; by 1901 he had purchased additional farmland south of Johnsville. Other than visits from his family, Crist doesn't often show up in the news or records.
Lizzie and Crist had four children:
Flora Louise, born in 1873. We originally met Flora in the Christmas Weddings discussion. She was married four times, but had no children.
Pearl Viola, born in 1875. She married Elmer Weaver in 1899. By 1913 they had three kids of her own when she died of eclampsia after the birth of their final child. That child, Harry, died soon after birth as well.
Harry Webster, born in 1881, had a reputation as a whiz with numbers. Harry won awards as the best mathematician at the Johnsville school in 1901 and 1902, and worked as a bookkeeper in Richmond by 1903. He helped found the Farmers Tobacco Cooperative in Farmersville in 1912. Harry had six children with his wife Bertha.
Forrest Wesley, born in 1889. Forrest continued in farming and became a member of the Baptist church. He had three children.
Christian Dafler died on February 2, 1925, of heart disease; his doctor listed "twenty years of severe manual labor" as an additional cause of death. His wife Elizabeth had died four years previously on August 28, 1921. Her death certificate described six years of progressive nervous system degradation that had progressed to full paralysis by July. Both are buried at Holp Cemetery in Farmersville, Ohio.
When I look back at Crist's life - the little of it we get to see from the newspapers, property records, estates and maps - it's notable for its sparseness. There are no photographs of him. Crist didn't run for election, or represent a large business, or speculate in real estate. Instead, Crist made his mark at the family level. Crist's legacy, in my view, was centered not on achievements for himself but in unswerving support of his loved ones - his parents, his brothers and sisters, and his children - as they established themselves in Ohio. He was the glue that held the family together at some very difficult times. May we all be so blessed to have someone as supportive as Christian Dafler working in our families today.
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