The Graf family from Rockenhausen Germany.

Above Rockenhausen Germany

The Graf family came to the United States from the Rockenhausen, Germany area. Rockenhausen is were the church is located and the records can be obtained. Rockenhausen is now in the state of Rhine-Pfaltz an area once controled by Bavaria. Most of the family immigrated in the 1850's with the exception of Heinrich [V generation] and Daniel [VI generation], they came over in 1840.

My GGGG grandfather Johann Peter was the only one of the seven brothers and sisters to settle in Illinois, the rest of the family stayed back East in Miami and Howard County, Indiana. It may have been a family feud that caused the family to split or it could be he followed his son Daniel that had already come to the United States 13 years earlier.

There are many variations of the spelling of the name Graf in the German church records. The names were spelled, I assume the way they were interpreted by the church.  they include the following spellings;  Grav, Graf and Graff.  When the family came to the United States the name was Spelled Graf.  The name Caspar is also spelled Kaspar in the church records.

The same names are also used over and over and can become very confusing.  If I can help to clarify anything on this site please send me an email.

The letters "V" and "F" were often interchanged, so some of the early records on the Graf family had the name spelled Grav.

Generation number [1]
* Nickel Grav¹ Born October 1655 in Imsweiler Germany. Married Anna Christina (?) Born 1666. Nickel died 14 November 1735, Anna Christina died 3 April 1736.

Generation number [II]
Children of Nickel Grav and Anna Christina

1. Valentin Grav born 1688
2. * Johann Caspar Grav Born in Imsweiler, Germany bapt. 23 December 1691 in Rockenhausen. Married Anna Cecilia Colter in 1716. Anna was bapt. 7 October 1696 and died in Gundersweiler December 1766. Caspar died 9 December 1770.
3. unknown Grav, bapt. 16 May 1694.
4. Dinges Grav, bapt. 14 October 1696.
5. Magdalena Catharine Grav, bapt. 2 January 1699.
6. Velten Graff, bapt. 7 March 1700.
7. Peter Bernhard Grav, bapt April 1701.
8. Johann Henrich Grav, bapt. 15 January 1704.
9. Anna Catharina Grav, bapt 15 January 1704.
10. Hans Velten Grav, bapt, 5 July 1705.
11. Anna Margaret Grav, bapt. 1 May 1708

Generation Number [III]
Children of Johann Caspar Grav and Anna Cecilia Colter.

1. Johann Henrich Graf, born in Imsweiler and bapt. 15 December 1717 in Rockenhausen.
2. Johann Nickolaus Graf, born in Gundersweiler and bapt. 5 January 1721 in Rockenhausen.
3. Maria Margaretha Graf, bapt. 16 December 1723 and died 29 October 1736.
4. Valentin Graf, bapt. 17 August 1726.
5. Maria Elisabetha Graf, bapt. 22 July 1729.
6. Dionisius Graf, bapt. 14 July 1732 br>
7. Andreas Graf, bapt. 18 February 1735.
8. Johannes Graf, bapt. 20 June 1738.
9. * Johann Philip Graf born in Gunderswiler, Germany bapt. 19 February 1740 in Rockenhausen., Germany. He married Maria Catharine Geffinger 1 February 1763. Maria was bapt. 7 May 1740 and died 28 August 1798. Philip died 25 May 1822.

Generation number [IV]
Children of Johann Philip Graf and Maria Catharine Geffinger

1. * Johann Caspar Graf born 11 December 1763 Baptised 14 December 1763 in Gunderswiler, Germany near Rockenhausen. Died 6 December 1828. Kasper's married his first wife Helena Fredericka Krauth 30 April 1788, she died 21 October 1789. His second wife Katharine Margaretha (Gretchen) Philip born 21 November 1773 married 15 November 1791 and died 9 November 1826.
2. Anna Walpurga Graf, b. 24 September 1765 Gundersweiler.
3. Johann Friedrich Graf, b. 23 March 1767 Gundersweiler.
4. Johann Michael Graf, b. 1 August 1769 Gundersweiler.
5. Anna Maria Graf, bapt. 7 June 1772.
6. Maria Catharine Graf, bapt. 7 June 1772.
7. Maria Elisabetha Graf, b. 4 August 1776 Gundersweiler.
8. Johann Peter Graf, b. 14 May 1779 Gundersweiler.
9. Johann Friedrich Graf, b. 26 September 1782 Gundersweiler.
10. Anna Maria Graf, b. 26 February 1785.

Unless otherwise noted the information contained on this web site was taken from "The Graf Family" book, written in 1921 by Emma Graf-Richer and Louise Graf-Froelich.

Please feel free to contact me if a correction needs to be made.