Michael's father was Jacob Stahl, but was not, in fact, born in Germany. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1780, the son of Michael Stahl. (As in most German families of the time, names were frequently re-used.) By 1818, as this patent shows, Jacob was already buying up land in the Midwest. He sold this tract in 1822. He later moved to Indiana and died in Blackford county in 1854.