Introduction to Charles and Margaret Dibble Myerhoff Family

Myerhoof, Meyerhoof, Myerhough, Mayerhoff, Mayerhofler, Maierhough, and Mirehoff. These are just a few spellings that I have come across while searching for the Charles and Margaret (Dibble) Myerhoff Family. The family name comes from Middle High German mei(g)er which means "higher, superior" and was used for landholder's stewards or great farmers. Hofer simply means farmer in German.  Needless to say the many variations of the surname have made the family difficult to track. Many Myerhoff descendants have dead-ended at Charles & Margaret because of this and other problems. Much is known about Charles and Margaret's lives in America, but not much is known about where they came from... Germany. To help readers understand Charles and Margaret more fully, I will include all the records and data I have uncovered so far. 

We will begin with Charles. Charles Myerhoff was born on 1 April 1826[1]  Family tradition states that he was from Mecklenburg, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany but the place of birth has not been verified.

Charles possibly served in the American Civil War with the 5^th Michigan Infantry.[2] However I have not been able to conclusively ascertain if this is the correct Charles Myerhoff. However,  the connection looks probable as the 1890 Census of Union Veterans was enumerated from Commerce, Oakland, Michigan and shows the post office address for Charles Myerhoff as Walled Lake, Michigan.  Click here to view the Find-a-Grave memorial.

1890 Veterans Schedule- Charles Myerhoff #22

#22 in lower section of document states Charles was shot in the left knee and lived in Walled Lake, Michigan.

Margaret is a little harder to track because her name changed so many times. Her maiden name according to her death certificate was Dibble, and she was born on 29 Jan 1836 in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany[3]. Also according to her death certificate, her parent’s names were John Diable and [blank] Schafer. 

According to the 1910 US Census, Margaret's immigration year was 1848 which would have made her 12 years old at the time of immigration.[4]

1910 US Federal Census for Margaret Anderson, Saginaw, Michigan

However, the place the Dibble family immigrated to is not known. Margaret was married to an unknown Mr. Requadt in approximately 1858-1859 as the 1870 census clearly shows Charles Requadt was born in 1860. [5]

1870 US Census Flint, Michigan Pg. 1

1870 US Census Flint, Michigan Pg. 2

 Further family ties are implied as Margaret is  buried next to Charles and  his wife Helen and Andrew Myerhoff's daughter Nettie in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan. Click here for link to Forest Lawn Cemetery Burials.
 Although I have confirmed that Caroline is a Requadt through her marriage record to Bernard Corrigan, I am uncertain about Mary.

  It is not clear if  Mary, who was born in 1865, was a Requadt or a Myerhoff because I have been unable to find Mary's birth certificate or Charles Myerhoff & Margaret (Dibble) Requadt's marrige certificate. However, since I know Andrew is a Myerhoff, I can ascertain that Margaret married Charles between 1865-1868 in Tuscola County, Michigan. However, their story does not end happily. According the the 1880 census, they were either divorced or separated and Charles was married to another woman named Helen and Andrew was living with him. 

By 1883 Margaret married Sylvester Anderson by 3 July 1883 under the name of Margaret Requadt. 

Margaret lived with Sylvester for 20 years before his death and then she moved in with her son George Ladd Myerhoff who was an engineer on the Southern Railroad. George was the informant on Margaret’s death certificate (See Death Certificate above). Click here to view the Find-a-Grave memorial.  

[1] Findagrave (Walled Lake Cemetery, Walled Lake, Oakland, Michigan, United States), Findagrave Memorial No. 10869406, Charles Meirhoff, headstone. Accessed 9/17/2014

[2] 1890 Veterans Schedules, Commerce, Oakland, Michigan; Charles Myerhoff.  Roll: 18; Page: 2; Enumeration District: 95

[3] Kentucky, Death Records, 1852-1953, Kentucky Birth, Marriage and Death Records – Microfilm (1852-1910). Microfilm rolls #994027-994058. Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky.
[4] 1910 US Census, Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan, population schedule, P. 0942 (penned), Saginaw Ward 7, dwelling 234, family 235, Margaret Anderson, Carrie Corrigan, and Debora Dibble, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://interactive.ancestry.com/8667/MIM123_18-0381/168201?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26db%3d1890veterans%26rank%3d1%26new%3d1%26MSAV%3d0%26msT%3d1%26gss%3dangs-d%26gsfn%3dCharles%26gsln%3dMyerhoff%26msrpn__ftp%3dCommerce%252c%2bOakland%252c%2bMichigan%252c%2bUSA%26msrpn%3d44836%26msrpn_PInfo%3d8-%257c0%257c1652393%257c0%257c2%257c3247%257c25%257c0%257c2205%257c44836%257c0%257c%26dbOnly%3d_F00027CB%257c_F00027CB_x%252c_F00027D8%257c_F00027D8_x%26uidh%3dr83%26pcat%3d35%26fh%3d0%26h%3d168201%26recoff%3d10%2b11%26ml_rpos%3d1&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord, accessed 9/11/2014; citing NARA microfilm publicationT624, 1, 178.
[5] 1870 US Census, Flint, Genesee, Michigan, population schedule, pgs. 9-10 (penned), Flint 1st Ward, dwelling 84, family 83, Charles Myerhough, Margaret Myerhough, Charles Requatd, digital image, FamilySearch.com, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11686-62093-76?cc=1438024, accessed 9/11/2014; citing NARA Microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls.