Person:Ignatius Apel (1)

Ignatius Joseph Apel was born in 1828 in East Prussia, Germany. He married Julia (or Julianna) Hockhaus, born in 1830, also in East Prussia, Germany. Ignatius Apel was a professional musician (organ, piano) who graduated from "the teachers' normal college" at Hellegenstadt and taught music at Berberstadt for 52 years. In 1889 he was decorated by the Kaiser for his work and in 1894 retired to Worbis, Germany, where he remained physically and mentally fit and died of natural causes at age 95.

Ignatuis and Julia had at least seven children: Franz and Charles, both of whom immigrated to the U.S.; Heinrich, who came to the U.S. a bit later; Theodore, who stayed in Germany and had a large family; August, who had one child; and daughters Amelia and Dorothy who went to America but didn't stay long and returned to Germany.

1.   Newspaper clipping.

   Newspaper article, "Father of Dr. Apel Dies." The Dr. Apel in the headline is Franz Apel. The article is apparently from a newspaper published in Detroit, Michigan, where Franz lived. It had been passed down in the family of Franz' brother Heinrich.

2.   Oral history.

   The author interviewed the daughter of John Apel, who was Ignatius' grandson by his son Heinrich Apel.

3.   Letter and family tree by John Apel.

   These are in the possession of the daughter of John Apel.

4.   Close, Mubine, and Brummel Family Trees, in Ancestry.com.
5.   Online sources report that the surname Apel, a variant of Appel, means "apple," perhaps designating a grower or seller of apples. Alternatively it could be a shortened form of Apprecht or Albrecht (Albert), from the Germanic "adal" (noble) and "berht" (bright, famous).
6.   The newspaper clipping states that Ignatius graduated college in 1936, but this date conflicts with other information I have. If he was born in 1828, he would have been 8 years old at graduation, which means one of these dates is in error. By subtracting his 52 years of teaching from his retirement year of 1894, I calculate he must have graduated about 1842, when he would have been 14, which is more plausible but still questionable.