Among the numerous families that have settled in Montgomery county, New York, from the kingdom of Westphalia, empire of Germany, are the Dufels of Mohawk, whose ancestry dates back over three centuries. Henry Dufel, grandfather of Henry Dufel, of Mohawk, was born in the village of Hille, Christ Minden, Westphalia. He came from an ancient family of agriculturists, and was born in a stone house built by an ancestor in 1667. He met his death at the age of fifty trying to protect some children from the attack of a mad dog. He was himself bitten and died of hydrophobia. He literally died to save others. His wife, whose name was Whittemeyer, bore him two children:
- Henry Augustus, mentioned below.
- Frederick, grew to youthful manhood in his native town, then came to the United States, lived for a time in New York City, then settled permanently in Dalton, Massachusetts, where he was engaged with the Crane Paper Manufacturing Company for several years until his accidental death. He married Mary Schmidt, now deceased, who bore him John, William, Carrie and Louise, all prosperous residents of Massachusetts, and all married except the eldest daughter, Carrie.
(II) Henry Augustus, eldest son of Henry Dufel, was born in Hille, Christ Minden, Westphalia, in 1820, died in 1897, on the old homestead so long the home of his fathers. Like the former generation, he was a faithful member of the Lutheran church. He married Mary Whittemeyer, who died at the age of seventy-two, surviving her husband three years, their term of years on earth being the same. Children, all born in Christ Minden, Westphalia:
- Christopher, now a prosperous and wealthy resident of Black Hawk county, Ohio; married Minnie Droudhouse, and has Christopher (2), Henry, Fred, Sophia, Carrie and a twin to Fred, died in infancy.
- Louise, deceased; married Charles Book, a farmer near Schenectady, New York, and left children: John, Emma, William, Ella and Louise Book.
- Mary, married Augustus Schube, a retired resident of Amsterdam, New York, and has a daughter, Carrie, who married Fred Friday, a restaurateur of Amsterdam, and has two children.
- Henry, mentioned below.
- Fred, born October 23, 1860, was a farmer of the ancestral acres; in March, 1881, he sailed for the United States from Bremen on the steamship "Zalea," landing in New York City; he proceeded to Albany and later to Amsterdam, New York, where for six years he was a broom maker, then a farmer, owning a substantial farm near Amsterdam, which he conducts as a market garden, since being seriously injured by an accident to his harvesting machinery. He married Carrie Turner, born in Christ Minden, February 3, 1864; she came to the United States the same year as her husband, and was subsequently married in Amsterdam. Her father, Christopher Turner, is living in Westphalia; her mother is deceased. Children:
- Ella, born August 5, 1887, married Floyd Mosier, and has a daughter Catherine;
- William Fred, born October 16, 1889;
- Minnie, born July 8, 1891;
- Carrie, born January 5, 1893; v. Albert, born March 16, 1896.
(III) Henry, fourth child of Henry Augustus and Mary (Whittemeyer) Dufel, was born in Christ Minden, Westphalia, on the old homestead, February 6, 1858. At the age of sixteen he sailed for the United States on the steamship "Vazel," arriving in New York City, March 30, 1874. He was for a time resident of Schenectady, later settled in Amsterdam, where for several years he was a broom maker. He then began farming as a tenant farmer, later in 1887 purchased his present farm of two hundred and thirty-five acres located in the town of Mohawk, Montgomery county, where he is now successfully engaged in general and dairy farming. He. married, in Florida, Montgomery county, Minnie Cruzer, born in Christ Minden, December 1, 1857, came to the United States on the same vessel with her husband and became his wife after settling in Montgomery county. She is a devoted wife and mother, of great energy and determination. Children, all unmarried and all residing at home:
- Fred, born July 11, 1881;
- Charles, September 14, 1882;
- Henry, September 14, 1885;
- Louise, December 30, 1887;
- William, November 25, 1889;
- Louis, July 30, 1892;
- Arthur, January 9, 1894.
The family are attendants of the Lutheran church.