My mother’s grandmother was a lady named Emma Marie, who she loved dearly. It is for this reason I began to look into the maternal side of my family tree.
This led me to Valentin Assel, the first member of his family line to come to America from Germany.
Valentin Assel was born on March 1, 1860 in Essen, Germany. Today it’s a huge city with a population of more than 500,000; making it the 9th largest city in Germany.
Valentin Assel came to America in 1887.
A few years after coming to America, at the age of 30, he met and married Arnstena Wilhelmina Good (Gote?). Together they had at least 7 children.
- William Paul
- Michael John
- Pauline
- Anna
- Hilda
- Emma Marie
- Emil
On October 01, 1910 Valentin Assel official became a US citizen.
Valentin Assel died on April 05, 1923 in Monessen, Pennsylvania. He was buried at Saint Paul’s Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (find a grave).