In 1847 Henri began to dream of coming to America. Henri was now 24 and still single, and there was not much reason to stick around. Tradition dictated that the farm would be pass on to his older brother Pierre, so he would have to pull up roots anyway. Additionally, Luxembourg was at this time in turmoil and there weren’t many jobs available. William I of Holland had just gained rule of the country from France, and many of the Grand Duchy's citizens had previously suffered under Napoleon. So in July of 1847 he packed what few belongings he would take on his trip and headed for La Havre, France.

If he was like most unmarried immigrants to America his baggage was sparse, a few changes of clothes, and hopefully enough food to last through the voyage. He boarded his ship and sailed from La Havre on July 19, 1847. Chances are that this first ship took him to England rather than straight to America. If so, he would have landed at Hull as was the custom, and then traveled by rail to Liverpool. At Liverpool Henri would have joined the crowds of Germans, English, Irish, Italians, & Poles all headed for America, most of them very poor. At any rate, Henri arrived in America aboard the Argo on August 26, 1847, most likely at the port of New York, after a crossing of about 14 days. It would not have been a very pleasurable voyage to America for Henri or the other passengers. Most ship passengers in 1847 were expected to both provide and cook their own meals on one of the two small galleys located on the upper deck. Upon seeing the ship's steerage where the majority of the passengers lived during the voyage, Henri would have found it difficult believing that it was even intended for human beings. It was cold, dark, and foul smelling, and extended nearly the whole length of the vessel. Diseases ran rampant among the passengers with roughly a 20% death rate while enroute to America. The 1847 census of Luxembourg listed Henri as "Missing in America".

Upon his arrival Henri probably made his way by rail to PA, at least according to his obituary. WI seems more likely because of its large Luxembourgish population and the likelihood that he would have had contacts there from his home village. Making his way to Indiana sometime after 1850, Henri marries Katharina Ruf of Germany on June 16, 1851 in St. John the Evangelist Church, Indianapolis, IN. The couple settled down in Indianapolis with Henri working as a carpenter.

The Michaelis family begins with the birth of the couple's first child John Henry Michaelis on November 28, 1852. That summer in July of 1853, Henri's younger brother John arrives in America from Luxembourg. It is a joyous gathering and john brings with him news and letters from the 'old country'. John Michaelis soon settles down in Indianapolis himself, marrying Magdalena Knartzer, and employing himself as a contractor.

On Sept. 30, 1854 Henri & Catherine's second child Henry John Michaelis is born either in Indianapolis or South Bend. Then in the summer of 1855 Henri's older brother Peter arrives in America. Like John, he heads for Indiana where he knows family awaits him. But Peter succumbs to a fever and dies on August 23, 1855 in Logansport, IN. Henri and a few friends are there to comfort Peter in his last moments, and they take charge of the body and see to the burial. A year later on July 17, 1856, Henri and Catherine have their first daughter and third child, Margaret, followed by a third son Floribert on November 2, 1958. In the 1860 Census, Henri is listed as a carpenter with an estate valued at $1000.00.

The year 1861 was to bring changes to both the nation and the Michaelis family with the birth of a second daughter Elizabeth on February 19, and the start of the Civil War on April 12. Henri may have filled his obligation to the war effort by employing a conscript to serve in his place, which was a common practice at the time. In fact Henri's father had even employed a conscript to serve in his place back in Luxembourg!

As the fortunes of war began to swing towards the Union's way Henri finally decided to become an American citizen. His brother John had been naturalized way back on October 9, 1854 shortly after arriving in America. But for whatever reason Henri had waited until now, taking his oath in Common Pleas Court in Indianapolis on February 17, 1863.

With the ending of the Civil War in 1865 a new child was brought into the Michaelis household. Nicolas was born on October 19, 1865 into a country now made far different by the ravages of war. The nation was trying to put itself back together and the attention of the people was turning to the West. There were new lands starting to open up in the West with the beginning of the army's plans to pacify the Indians. Henri's fond remembrances of his youth spent on his father's farm came to him more and more often, and finally in 1868 he gave into them. He pulled up stakes and headed for Topeka, Kansas.

Due to the great railroad construction boom during the Civil War the trip to Kansas would go both smoothly and quickly by rail, at least as far as Kansas City, and maybe even Topeka itself. Catherine was pregnant again now and she gave birth to a son, Rupert on March 27, 1869 in Topeka, KS. It wasn’t until a year later in early 1870 that Henri was able to obtain 80 acres of land for homesteading in an area about twenty miles west of Topeka. Henri sent his oldest son John out to the homestead in advance to start on the house. As he walked the through the big bluestem grasses he must have thought how lucky the family had been in getting a piece of land in the eastern part of the state with its hills, woodlands, fertile soil, and higher rainfall. The farm his father longed for would do well. Not long after arriving at the homestead John was busy digging out a hole in the ground that was destined to become the basement or root cellar of the Michaelis house. Glancing over his shoulder he spotted a mounted Indian staring down at him. Startled, John became so frightened that he ran all the way back to Topeka to his parent’s house, swearing never to return to the place. Of course he did, along with the rest of the family, and the house was finished later in 1870. In April of 1870 the Newbury Town Company with the Santa Fe Railroad having half interest laid out the nearby town of Newbury. By June there were eleven houses, two stores, one hotel, and a blacksmith shop. A post office and a mission were also established. That same year on September 30 Joseph Martin was born, probably the result of too much celebration in having obtained the homestead earlier that year. Joseph was the first child to be born on the new homestead, and more than likely was born in the newly or partially completed Michaelis home.