Sebastian Burkel (1809 - 1882)

The patriarch of the "Burkel" family of Southeastern Michigan is (most likely) Sebastian Burkel. Sebastian entered the United States on 2 December 1847. The early movements of the patriarch of our family in the US are unknown.  It is even possible that he may have entered the US before this date. There is another record of a “Sebastien Berkle” who arrived in New York on 13 Oct 1834. “Sebastien” is listed as a 24 year old farmer from Wurtemberg in Germany. 

Detail from emigration ledger; 2 Dec 1847 - (You can just barely make out the name "Burkel" from the upper right - next to the number 2)

The first official recording of Sebastian other than the immigration ledger is the census of 1860. In June of that year Sebastian, together with his wife Catherine (41 years old) and their children Catherine (15), Antony (11) and Aloysius (7) lived on a farm in Hamtramck Michigan. The valuation of the farm at the time of the census was $1000.00 (about $28,000.00 in current money). It seemed like the farm was small, but respectable. Other estates valued on the census were anywhere between $400 – $ 31,000 with the average being about $1500.

Detail from Census of 1860

It is likely that a move may have taken place after 1860 because the historical borders of Hamtramck had not changed between 1860 and 1870; however, the 1870 census confirms that the family was now living in the township of Greenfield in Wayne County, Michigan. This time period is well documented. The census indicates that Sebastian (61) and Catherine (51) were both born in France. Sebastian was a farmer who employed two of his sons Antony (21) and “Aloies” (17) as farm hands. Joseph (10) and August (7) also appeared for the first time on this census. The record indicates that neither Joseph nor August was enrolled in school, but there are no marks on the page at all for school enrolment. (It could have been an accidental omission by the enumerator.) By this time the younger Catherine (who would have been 25 years old) was no longer living in the household.

Detail from Census of 1870

On a historical map (1876) of Wayne County the Burkel family farm is located in section 4 in the center of the northernmost area of Greenfield Township. (See separate map of Greenfield Township) The farm was about 30 acres and seems to have a small body of water (either a river or stream) that transects the southernmost area of the property. At the time of the census the farm and Sebastian’s personal estate were valued at about $1900.00 and $500.00 (about $34,000 and $8900 in current money). According to these numbers Sebastian almost doubled the value of his farm and quintupled the value of his personal estate in only ten years.

Historical Map of Wayne County, 1876

Historical Map of Greenfield Township, 1876 (The farm of Sebastian Burkel can be found in the third "row" of farms from the top, below "T.H. Hinchman" and next to "A.Gittre". Click on image or right click to open in a new window to see it better.)

It is important to note that the American Industrialist Henry Ford was also born in Greenfield Township during this period. Indeed, Henry was born (30 July 1863) about one month before August Burkel (28 August 1863).  

The Ford’s farm was located about 12 miles southwest of the Burkel family farm. Some of the Ford family farms are listed on the map of Greenfield Township under “S. Ford” and is split into two 40 acre properties. It can be found on the map in section 30. This farm may have belonged to Samuel Ford (1837-1889) and at some point it was shared with Henry Ford’s father – William. Additionally, Henry Ford’s future wife Clara Jane Bryant also lived in Greenfield Township with her parents Melvin and Martha Bryant. Their family farm can be found in section 20.
The farm that is listed as belonging to Henry Ford's father William Ford is actually located in Springwells Township according to these maps. I have created a composite map of Greenfield and Springwells Townships where the "W. Ford" and "S. Burkell" farms are outlined in red. 

Composite map of Greenfield and Springwells Township, 1876. Outlined in red - uppermost is farm of "S. Burkell" lowermost is farms of "Wm. Ford".

Little is known about Sebastian prior to his arrival in the USA on 2 December 1847. Even the absolute origin of Sebastian and his wife Catherine are uncertain. The passenger list from the ship Splendid lists 38 year old Sebastian as being a farmer from Bavaria, but census entries from 1860 to 1880 list Sebastian’s birthplace as France and finally, the death records for Sebastian indicate that he was born in Germany.

It is possible that the history of the Lorraine region is to blame for these discrepancies. Prior to 1766 the area had been settled by the Romans, Germans, and the French. In 1618 the Thirty Years War decimated the region and took almost half of the population with it. At the end of the war the region was considered French territory but was settled by people from Switzerland, Burgundy, Savoy, French-Comte, and Germany.  Lorraine became a French province in 1766. The population was mixed – and the northern regions were largely Germanic.

In 1871 the territory was overtaken by the German Empire and combined with Alsace to form the Imperial state Alsace-Lorraine. The region stayed part of Germany until the Treaty of Versailles (1919) which returned the territory to France. Lorraine has remained part of France except for a brief period of 4 years during the German annexation (occupation) during the Second World War. 

Even the spelling of the Burkel surname is inconsistent. The original immigration list spells the name as Buckel. The 1860, 1870, and 1880 US Census spells the name Birckell, Barkel, and Bikle respectively.

The origin of the name is German and is considered to be a “pet form of one of the various personal names beginning with the element Burg- or Burk- for example: Burkhard” (Ancestry.com) In some cases the name is spelled with an umlaut: Bürkel. It is possible that this is the correct spelling. When the Alsace-Lorrain territory was ceded to Germany under the Treaty of Frankfurt in May of 1871 people were allowed to petition to maintain French citizenship. A list of people from the Moselle region (north) of Lorraine includes 18 Burkels. Three of these spelled the surname with the umlaut.

 

The picture above is a fragment of the Siebmacher’s Coat of Arms book. This book is considered to be the definitive collection of German heraldry. The collection includes over 100 volumes which were published in a series spanning over 100 years beginning in 1855. “Each volume contains detailed illustrations of coats of arms with text descriptions of the coat of arms and the families and other entities that bore this coat of arms. Among the families who had the coat of arms included noble families, but also bourgeois (upper middle class). The information about these families may include biographical data and sometimes even family tree charts. Entities that had the coat of arms included principalities, cities, bishoprics, abbeys, etc.”

“This work includes the following areas: the German Empire, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and some other parts of Europe. The coat of arms shown in these volumes date from the 12th to the early 20th Century.”

The database also makes the following disclaimer: (Translated from German) “Note: As with all genealogical research needs to be here with care to associate certain records in this database with certain people in your family tree. In this database you can find family names that are identical or similar to those of your ancestors. Just because the names are the same, this does not necessarily mean that you are descended from noble or royal families, or that the family coat of arms also your family belongs. Please investigate carefully to check connections between individuals and the families who had the coat of arms.”

The description of the crest includes that the shield is divided with a birch tree sitting atop three mountains. The helmet is crowned and there are two horns divided with a black grouse in the center. The crest is traced back to Johann Burkel, 1614.

An inquiry into the possible meaning behind the symbols turned up some interesting details. For instance, the closed helmet indicates that the crest was not of noble origin; however the crown atop the helmet appears to be that of a Marquis. The Marquis title is typically associated with France and ranks below a duke and above an earl in the order of the peerage. In German heraldry the closed helmet indicates a rank of Burgher. The grouse most likely is a symbol for the name. A grouse is also referred to as a Moor-lock which has something to do with the root of the name Berks-. On the shield the tree symbolizes antiquity and strength and the type of tree (birch) symbolizes new beginnings.  The three mountains symbolize one who provides safety, refuge and protection.

Unfortunately, I have never been able to discover an exact date of birth for Sebastian. Most records indicate that he was born around 1809. There is a record of the birth of a child called "Sebastianus Birkle" at Altdorf, Freiburg, Baden on 17 May 1809. The child was born to Francisci Josephi Birkle and Mariae Rosae (Dietz) Birkle. This region is near the border between France and Germany - but it would have been closer to Alsace, not Lorraine. 
It is possible that this record matches Sebastian, but his death record lists his parents as Casper and Magdaline Berkle - both listed as being born in Germany. 
The only things I can be reasonable certain of is that Sebastian was born either in France or Germany in the first decade of the nineteenth century. He came to America before 1860, and built a farm in SE Michigan. He raised a daughter, Catherine and four sons, Antony, Aloysius, Joseph and August. He died 21 May 1882. 
I do have one photograph that I believe may be Sebastian. The photograph (Below)  is marked form the Studios of Frederick Lutge from 53 Monroe St. in Detroit. This means that the photo was taken between 1863 and 1893. I believe that the older man may be Sebastian, the woman may be Catherine. The young man standing to Left may even be August. I do not have an idea for the identities of the other two children, but I think they may be grand children. 

Possible photograph of Sebastian and Catherine Burkel.