Christoph Welle was born on August 4, 1841 in Lippspringe, in the Paderborn District in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He is the youngest of the seven children born to Christoph and Theresia (Kerkhoff) Welle.

Christoph, and his older brother Heinrich Welle, immigrated to America. In 1869, at the age of 44 years, Heinrich sailed to America & settled on a farm near Freeport, Stearns County, Minn. Just four years earlier in 1865, at the age of 24 years, Christopher sailed to America. Around 1870, Christoph Welle settled on a farm north of Spring Hill, Stearns County, Minn.

On May 1, 1869, when Christoph Welle was 27, he married Elizabeth Primus, age 17, at St. John's Catholic Church in Meire Grove, Minnesota. The ceremony was witnessed by Casper Nathe and Anna Catherine Schulte.

Elizabeth Primus is the oldest child born to John J. and Catherine (Nathe) Primus - born May 9, 1852 in Germany.

The couple homesteaded on a farm in Section 17 of Spring Hill township, 2 miles north of the village of Spring Hill, Minn. The first nine of the 10 Welle children were born in Spring Hill and the youngest child, George Welle, was born in Meire Grove, Grove Township, Stearns County, Minn.

Christopher & Elizabeth (Primus) Welle are the parents of the following children:

1. Anna Welle
2. John J Welle
3. Hubert S Welle
4. Henry Welle
5. Joseph J Welle
6. Conrad Welle
7. Mary Mehr
8. Elizabeth Fuchs
9. Anton J Welle
10. George Welle

Christoph Welle died March 18, 1901 in Meire Grove, Minn and is buried in St. John's Cemetery in Meire Grove. Cause of death was stomach cancer. His obituary (below) appeared in the March 20, 1901 issue of the St. Cloud Times.

Christ Welle

Meire Grove - March 18
Christ Welle died yesterday at the age of nearly 60 years, after a long sickness of cancer of the stomach.

The deceased leaves a wife and nine children, Hubert, John, Henry, Joseph, Conrad, Mary, Eliza, Tony and George to mourn his loss. The oldest, a girl, died some years ago. The funeral will take place Wednesday, and if the weather is favorable, as the number of friends and relatives here, and at Spring Hill, Melrose and Freeport are numerous.

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