George Michel Hoeltzel

George Michel Hoeltzel (Michel) was born December 16, 1843 in Preuschdorf, Alsace, Germany. As a young man, he had served in both the French and German armies, as this small parcel of land was continually fought over and changing hands back and forth between Germany and France. He was serving in the German army in the Franco-German war of 1870 and was captured by the French. He was held prisoner on the island Corsica. After being released, he returned to Preuschdorf where in a few years his wife died. He did not want his boys to serve in the military because of the continual fighting that seemed to always take place in this area of rich mining and fertile farming. 

Michel had an aunt in America by the name of Mertz and made arrangements to bring his children and come to America. They sailed on the ship La Champagne and arrived in New York on May 17, 1888. He found work around Des Peres, Missouri as a laborer, breaking rock to surface roads and as a farm laborer. He became a US citizen on November 14, 1898. 

In 1901 he came to Oklahoma with his son George and helped him with his farming. He was very good at growing grapes and planted a vineyard east of the house. He helped others in the community start grape vineyards. 

The heavy rains would always wash out the flood gates and he would get in the water no matter how cold it was to fix them. He had a cold and did not change into dry clothes and was soon bed ridden. The tuberculosis he had contracted in the army flared and soon he was too weak to get out of bed. His lungs filled and he was not strong enough to raise his head. He was not to recover and died quietly at home.