# The Daubel Family ## Origins in Europe The Daubel family originated in Bonfeld, a village nestled in the Neckar Valley of Württemberg, Germany. The region was known for its vineyards, orchards, and skilled trades. Ludwig Daubel, born October 21, 1839, worked as a blacksmith, a respected role in a society built on craftsmanship and guild traditions. In Bonfeld, Ludwig and his wife, Magdalena Christiane Streib (born November 6, 1839), raised their children amid growing pressures—compulsory military service and limited economic opportunity chief among them. ![[Genealogy Publish/Media/Daubel/bonfeld_map.png]] ## Emigration to America In early 1881, Ludwig Daubel applied for official permission to emigrate with his family. They left Germany aboard the steamship *Neckar* and arrived in New York on April 21, 1881. From there, they joined relatives in Hanover, Kansas—a small German-speaking agricultural community. While Ludwig resumed his blacksmith and masonry trades, his sons learned farming and construction. The family joined a network of Lutheran immigrants who preserved their German language and religious practices in the rural Midwest. In the early 1890s, Ludwig's sons—Henry, Phillip, August, Louie, and Charles—began scouting for land in the Pacific Northwest. ![[Genealogy Publish/Media/Daubel/daubel_emigration.png]] ## Life on the American Frontier By 1898, the five Daubel sons relocated to the Elk and Chattaroy area of northeastern Washington, lured by the affordability of timbered land—sold by the railroad for $2.50 an acre. Clearing the dense forest was arduous work. The brothers used hand tools, horses, and ingenuity to convert their acreage into productive farms. Ludwig and Magdalena joined their sons around 1900, shipping their household goods and farm equipment to Washington by train. Ludwig continued his work as a blacksmith and helped erect farm buildings. He died on April 26, 1924, and Magdalena passed away on March 10, 1923. Both are buried in Elk Cemetery. Among their sons, Charles Daubel (born September 24, 1873) became the best known. He married Marie “Mary” Rudolph in 1902 after she moved west from Philadelphia to visit family. They raised eleven children on their self-sufficient farm. Their neighbor, Mrs. Staley, served as midwife for all eleven births. The Daubel farm operated like a small estate. They grew vegetables, fruit, and grain, and kept livestock. A sawmill provided lumber for buildings, and they ground their own cornmeal and flour. In winter, they harvested ice from Elk Mill Pond, storing it in sawdust to use year-round for refrigeration and ice cream. Charles also took his threshing machine from farm to farm, assisting neighbors during harvest. Though remembered as a stern and stoic figure, Charles’s discipline instilled a strong work ethic in his children. One story recalled how he dragged his son Herman into the shade after he fainted from overwork—then resumed the job without pause. Yet the family remained close and proud of their self-sufficiency and heritage. Herman Carl Daubel was born in 1903 in Milan, Washington, the eldest of eleven children born to Charles and Marie Daubel. His early years reflected the rugged frontier lifestyle of northeastern Washington. He first attended the Muhle School, where recess was sometimes canceled due to nearby cougar sightings. He later walked three miles each way to Deer Creek School and became the area’s first school team driver—transporting younger children by horse-drawn wagon for $15 a month. Herman later worked for his uncle Philip in Thurston County before returning home after Philip’s death. His work life began in the woods, first with the Spokane Lumber Company in Milan and then with Edwards and Bradford in Elk. In 1930, Herman moved to the coast to work on farms but returned to marry Thressa Strong in 1937. Together they raised six children. Verla, Charlotte, Harold “Bud”, Dorothy, Larry and Delbert. He continued farming and logging before transitioning to work at the Aluminum Plant of America in Mead and eventually at Kaiser Aluminum, where he worked for 15 years. Even in retirement, Herman remained active—raising pigs and calves and frequently attending the Deer Park Auction. He passed away in 1977 from a heart attack, remembered by all as a quiet, steady, hardworking man. ## Key Individuals * [[Genealogy Publish/Petrie/Biographies/Daubel, Ludwig (1839-1924)]] – blacksmith, patriarch, immigrant pioneer * [[Streib, Magdalene (1840-1923)]] – wife and mother * [[Daubel, Charles (1873–1950)]] – farmer, sawmiller, father of eleven * [[Rudolph, Marie (1878–1939)]] – homemaker, midwife-assisted mother of eleven * [[Daubel, Herman (1903–1977)]] – eldest son, logger, farmer, Kaiser Aluminum worker, school team driver * Verla, Charlotte, Harold “Bud”, Dorothy, Larry and Delbert - Children of Herman and Thressa ## Family Tree and Photos * Insert Daubel family tree * Insert photos of Bonfeld, Hanover, and Elk farmstead * Include image of Charles Daubel against the barn