Johann Christoph Engel (who was always known by his middle name Christoph) was born on May 15, 1832 in the village of Warnow in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (now part of present-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Germany). He was one of 6 surviving children of the shepherd Heinrich Engel and his wife Sophia Schindler. Sadly, his father Heinrich Engel passed away in 1839, when Christoph was only 7 years old. With no father, life was very tough for the Engel family - all of whom had to work hard to help them get by.

In his 1890 "Family History", Christoph describes how he worked as a shepherd to earn a living from the age of 14, until he emigrated to the US at age 22. His family had made the decision to make a fresh start in the United States, and Christoph accompanied his widowed mother and his siblings on the long journey - finally arriving in New York City on August 16, 1854 aboard the SS Henschel from Hamburg. The Engels continued further west to Detroit, Michigan where they decided to make their home.

2 years later, on October 27, 1856, Christoph enlisted in the US Army for 5 years. After his 5 years were up, in 1861, Christoph was honorably discharged and returned to Detroit.

In 1862, Christoph married Friederika Harning - the younger sister of his brother Henry's late wife Louise Harning. The Engels made their home in Springwells Township - on the rural west side of the city of Detroit. Doing well for himself, in 1883 Christoph was able to purchase 40 acres of farmland across from Woodmere Cemetery, and built a brick farmhouse (which still stands today on Woodmere Avenue). There were 13 children in all from their marriage - although only 9 survived to adulthood.

After 37 years of marriage, Christoph passed away in 1899 at the age of 66. His death certificate indicates that his death was due to Brights Disease (aka nephritis, or kidney failure) - a common ailment of that era. Christoph's widow Friederike lived another 28 years, passing away in 1927.