To help you navigate this site, the following list includes some notable persons on the Velten and related lines. It includes some of the emigrants from Germany who helped establish several branches of this Velten family in the United States.



Early Settlers of Glan-Münchweiler Parish after Thirty Years War.

Jacob Veldin -- Jacob and his wife, Anna, relocated in Nanzweiler after the Thirty Years War. He is the progenitor of the Velten line in the area.

Engelbert Becker -- The Becker surname in the area of Brücken goes back to before the War. Jakob, the son of Englebert Becker, married Maria Catharina, the daughter of Jacob Veldin.


Notable Ancestors in Germany.

Nikolaus Velten -- He remained in Nanzweiler, married and had seven children. The male children of Nikolaus are the foundation of the known Velten descendants of Jacob Veldin on the male line.

Johann Nikolaus Velten -- Johann Nikolaus moved to the Kübelberg area and married there, establishing the Velten line in that village. He and his family lived in a small community outside of Kübelberg called Sand.

Friedrich Velten -- He was the first Velten to move from Nanzweiler to Reifenberg, followed shortly by his nephew, Johann Nikolaus from Kübelberg. He married and had thirteen chidlren, whose descendants still live in the area. Many Veltens and related families from Reifenberg later emigrated to the United States, many settling in all parts of New York City.

Johann Nikolaus Velten -- Johann Nikolaus was born in Kübelberg but joined his uncle Friedrich in Reifenberg around 1780. The two of them married sisters, Anna Katharina and Maria Eva Hüther.


Velten Emigrants from Nanzweiler to USA.

Michael Velten -- Michael was my great-great-grandfather and the first of seven Veltens to emigrate from Nanzweiler in 1848. He was a farmer and settled in Seneca county, Ohio. Later, the lure of cheap railroad land in Missouri led him to move his family to southwest Missouri.

Daniel Velten -- Daniel and his brothers Ludwig and Jakob emigrated to the Cincinnati area. Family lore is that their mother saved her egg money and when a son reached draft age for the Prussian army, she purchased passage for them to the United States. Daniel immigrated in 1871 and settled first in Cincinnati, then moved across the river to Kentucky where he worked in the foundry of his father-in-law. Many of his descendants live in the Campbell county, Kentucky area.

Jakob Velten -- Jakob immigrated in 1868 and settled in Cincinnati. He joined a religious order and was known as Brother Andrew. He died in Cincinnati in 1939.

Louis Michael Velten -- Louis came to Cincinnati to join his brother but later relocated to New York state, where his uncle, William Backes/Bockis lived. He worked in the carpet mills in Cornwall-on-Hudson and became a prominent member of his community and a participant in town government. Many of his descendants still live in the New York area.

Jakob Velten -- Jakob immigrated in 1882 and settled in Lafayette, Indiana, where he was later joined by his brother Nick. He married and raised a family, whose descendants still live in the Indiana and Illinois area.

Nikolaus Velten -- Nikolaus was a barber in Lafayette, Indiana. He was born in Nanzweiler and immigrated in 1889, joining his brother Jacob in Lafayette.

William Bockis -- William Backes emigrated to the United States in 1845 and settled in Cornwall-on-Hudson in New York state. The spelling of the name was later anglicized to Bockis, and many Bockis descendants still live in the Cornwall area.


Velten Emigrants from Nanzdiezweiler and Schrollbach to USA.

Michael Velten -- Michael emigrated in 1889 at age 17, settling in Fort Recovery in Mercer County, Ohio. He started as a harness maker and eventually opened his own retail hardware store. He married Rose Anna Vogel and they had four children.

Nicholas Velten -- Nicholas, a younger brother of Michael, emigrated in 1892 and settled in Ashland, in Cass County, Illinois. He was also a harness maker and married Alvina Reiser in 1901.

Charles Nicholas Velten -- Carl immigrated to Cincinnati from Schrollbach in 1892. At the time of his passport application in 1901, he had changed his name to Nicholas. He returned to Germany to further his studies, planning to return to the US within two years.


Velten and Related Emigrants from Reifenberg to USA.

Adam Velten -- Adam emigrated to the US in 1869 and settled in Brooklyn, News York. He was a tailor and worked in the garment industry in Brooklyn. He married in the US and many of his descendants still live in the New York City area, including Brooklyn and Staten Island.

Peter Velten -- After the death of his father in Reifenberg, Peter came to the US in 1857 with his mother and siblings.

Johann Adam Eller -- Adam, his wife, and four children emigrated in 1854.

Johann Adam Velten -- Adam came to the US without his family in 1852. After establishing himself in his new country, he sent for them and they joined him in 1857. They lived in Manhattan, where Adam worked as a tailor.

Heinrich Jakob Ochs -- Heinrich Jakob's oldest sons, Jakob and Johann, emigrated first, in 1852 and 1854 respectively. Heinrch Jakob, his wife, and remaining children followed in 1857.