Author: Kris Hocker

Genetic Genealogy Update

Kris Hocker on 24 Feb 2018

As the kits sold during the holidays have come online, my matches have continued to grow. As of 24 February 2018, I have 632 4th cousins or closer, 175 matches with Shared Ancestry Hints, and I’ve starred (favorited) 226 matches. I’ve gotten 558 new DNA matches over the last seven days, mostly 5th-8th cousins, but a handful of 4th-6th cousins, too.

All told I have 408 pages or 20,373 DNA matches.1 In contrast I have 292 matches on Family Tree DNA2 and 1,430 matches at MyHeritage. GEDmatch only shows you the closest 2,000 matches, but doesn’t tell you the total number of matches to you in their database.

Family Lines

With so many matches, it can be overwhelming. I’m trying to be strategic in what and who I research. I’m focusing on specific lines where I lack a paper trail, hoping the DNA will provide evidence of relationships.

Schneider-Nuss

I’m still working on the Jacob Schneider and Catharina [Nuss?] line, researching matches as they come up. The preponderance of evidence regarding Catharina’s maiden name being Nuss continues to grow.

One of my presumed Snyder cousins uploated to GEDmatch (yay!), so I believe our matching Snyder DNA can be found on chromosome 17. Just recently a new match at that location has cropped up, so another possible match to research.

Hoover-Thomas

In addition to working on my Schneider line, I’ve also been keeping track of the cousins who match me through Philip Hoover and Hannah Thomas.

Currently their DNA Circles have eight members. There have been a few additions as wells as some losses since I wrote A Beautiful Circle. They are all still descendants of either Christian Hoover, Margaret (Hoover) Pitt, or Sarah (Hoover) Blystone. There have been no matches from Jacob Hoover—the only other child who I’ve been able to trace.

To date, I’ve found 23 cousins who have tested, including two on Family Tree DNA, who I’ve traced back to Philip and Hannah Hoover. Twelve of these cousins are descendants of Christian, five descend from Margaret, and six from Sarah.

Based on the chromosome data from the FTDNA matches, the shared DNA from Philip and Hannah most likely comes from chromosome 16. Fortunately, one of these cousins also uploaded to GEDmatch and triangulates with five other people, giving me more cousins to research.

Force-Mulhollan

One of my most mysterious lines remains my 3G great grandfather Jefferson Force. I believe he was orphaned young and evidence of his parentage has not been forthcoming. However, I have a large number of matches who seem to match the Force-Mulhollan line.

Recently, I found one genetic cousin who descends from Jefferson’s presumed sister, Agnes (Force) Shope. I’m hoping to trace more of my matches to Centre County Force families.

Online Tools

I’ve also been looking for and working with other tools to try to aid my genetic genealogy.

MedBetterDNA

I’ve started using MedBetterDNA. It’s an extension for the Chrome internet browser. It allows me to set parameters on what will be displayed on an AncestryDNA page, including making the notes field always visible. This is very useful. I use the notes field to store things like known or presumed family line for the match, the size of the shared segment, location or relationship. Having it visible makes it easier to find what I’m looking for, especially if I can’t remember a match’s username.

I can also use tags (i.e. #Hocker) to showing only those matches for a particular family line. It’s not perfect—it only works on a page-by-page basis—but it does make it easier to find what I’m looking for.

GEDmatch

GEDmatch has been an awesome tool. Using the Tier 1 tools bumps it up a level. I’ve been able to find matches who tested at 23 and Me, Family Tree DNA, and Ancestry, widening the pool of matches. The overlap with Ancestry adds segment information that AncestryDNA doesn’t provide.

GEDmatch also has phasing tools. Because both my mother and I have tested, I’ve been able to phase my DNA. GEDmatch compared our DNA and gave me two files—each identifies exactly what I inherited from each parent. So, I can quickly run a “One to Many” tool to see who matches my mother’s DNA and who matches my father’s DNA. The only thing better would be having my father’s actual test results. That would provide genetic cousins who match the 50% of his DNA that I didn’t inherit.

The Tier 1 tools add triangulation of my matches. How does this help? It allows me to see which people not only match me on the same chromosome segment, but also match each other on that very same segment. This significantly increases the likelihood that we all inherited the DNA from the same common ancestor.

How is this different that Ancestry’s Shared Matches? I’ve indentified a number of cousins who descend from Conrad Nuss and his wife Margaretha Roeder. This points to Conrad and Margaretha as our most recent common genetic ancestors, right?

But if cousin A matches me on chromosome 2 and cousin B matches on chromosome 3 and they match each other on chromsome 4, we all share DNA with each other. However, our shared DNA must not come from this couple, even if we all descend from them. Therefore, while we apparently have a genealogical relationship—via the paper trail (assuming we’ve found it)—we do not have a genetic relationship and thus can’t use the AncestryDNA match as evidence of our relationship to Conrad and Margaretha Nuss.3 If we only relied on information provided by Ancestry’s Shared Matches, we might assume that our DNA match is to Conrad and Margaretha and we’d never know otherwise.

I’m also working with Genome Mate Pro and looking at DNA Painter. Hopefully, I can write more on these another time.

So, the genetic genealogy is ongoing and, I believe, yielding some new information. It’s not only supporting my existing genealogy research, but also helping to make connections where previously I only had theories—two prime examples: the relationships of  Christian Hoover to Philip and Hannah (Thomas) Hoover and Henry Schneider to Jacob and Catharina (Nuss) Schneider. Not bad for a $69 investment.

George Hocker’s Verbal LWT

Kris Hocker on 9 Feb 2018

On Monday, October 20th, 1845, Elizabeth Shearer and Elizabeth Bodine went to the office of the Register of Wills for Philadelphia County and swore that they witnessed George Hocker’s verbal will.

George Hocker 1845 Will

“We the subscribers declare that George Hocker of the Northern Liberties who died on the 5th Inst. by a verbal will left to his mother Sarah Hocker thirty dollars in consideration of services rendered during his illness; and to Deborah Hocker his wife twenty dollars and that he appointed Joseph Fisher No. 58 Chestnut Street to take charge of his money and after paying all expenses and legacies he desired the said Joseph Fisher to invest or deposit in the Saving fund what sum remained together with the accruing interest for his children Jacob and Emma until they come of age. Philada Octr 11th 1845
Elizabeth her X mark Shearer
Elizabeth her X mark Bodine

City and County of Philadelphia ss Register’s Office October 20th 1845 Then personally appeared Elizabeth Shearer and Elizabeth Bodine who upon their solemn oaths did say that on the 5th day of October 1845 they were present in the room of George Hocker now deceased and they heard him declare the following words as his last will and Testament viz. “After my expenses are paid the money is to be placed in Mr. Fisher’s hands and to be placed at Interest by him until the children are of age. My wife is to have twenty dollars and my mother is to have thirty dollars for her trouble in taking care of me[“] and they did further say that at the time of the delivery of the above he was of sound disposing memory and understanding to the best of their knowledge and belief and that he was prevented from executing a written will in consequence of the extremity of his last illness.

Sworn and subscribed before me on the date above.

Robert F. Christy             |        Elizabeth her x mark Shearer
Deputy Register               |        Elizabeth her x mark Bodine”1

George Hocker

George Hocker, son of Jacob and Sarah (___) Hocker, was born 4 January 1805 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and baptized at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Germantown on 12 August 1805, sponsored by his grandfather Johann George Hocker. He married Deborah (___) sometime prior to 1825, probably in Philadelphia. George died 5 October 1845 of tuberculosis (phthisis pulmonalis).

George was, I believe, an innkeeper in Franklin Place, Philadelphia.

George and Deborah likely had children, as follows:

  1. Jacob Hocker, born 1825-1830 and died 12 June 1847 at his grandmother Sarah’s house on Market Street
  2. Emma Hocker, born October 1832 and died 12 December 1913 in Philadelphia
  3. Charles Lambert Hocker[?], born November 1833 and died 13 February 1834
  4. Daughter Hocker, born 1830-1835 and died prior to 1845

Jacob and Emma are the only two mentioned in his probate file.

Joseph Fisher

Joseph Fisher was born about 1796 in Philadelphia and died 19 February 1864. George’s mother, Sarah (___) Hocker, was Joseph’s aunt. Joseph made and sold mathematical and optical instruments in Philadelphia and inherited a considerable amount of money from his father.

When he wrote his last will and testament in 1862, Joseph made bequests to his cousins, including “Elizabeth Bodine daughter of my aunt Mrs. Sarah Hocker… and to Emma Hocker and Margaret Miller grand daughters of Mrs. Sarah Hocker.”2 He was also generous to the Philadelphia Library Company and the Pennsylvania Hospital for the insane, leaving them bequests in his will.

Elizabeth (Hocker) Bodine, wife of Daniel Bodine, was George’s youngest sister—and witness to his dying testament. Unfortunately, Sarah had two granddaughters named Emma—George’s daughter, of course, and his brother William’s daughter. I believe the money was eventually awarded to George’s daughter. Margaret Miller was the daughter of George’s sister Anna Maria (Hocker) Miller, wife of William Miller.

Elizabeth (Hocker) Bodine

Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob and Sarah, was born 26 November 1812 and baptized 27 September 1813 at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church.3 Her grandparents served as her sponsors. She died 17 November 1896 and was buried on the 21st at Laurel Hill Cemetery.4 She married Daniel S. Bodine by 1832 and had a daughter Sarah Ann Bodine in 1833. Daniel died young and Elizabeth spent most of her living living with family in Philadelphia.

Emma Hocker

Emma Hocker, daughter of George and Deborah, was born in October 1832 and died 12 December 1913 in Philadelphia.5 She remained single and worked as a tailor and housekeeper.

Margaret Miller

Maria Anna Hocker was born 25 July 1806 in Philadelphia and baptized at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Germantown on 27 September 1813, sponsored by her grandparents Johann George and Margaretha (Weidman) Hocker,6 and died 24 August 1850 in Philadelphia.7 She married William Miller and had a daughter Margaret, born 7 October 1835 in Philadelphia.8

Portrait: Clyde Hoover Children

Kris Hocker on 7 Feb 2018

Boots, Don, Clyde, Bob, Kate, and Peg Hoover

Boots, Don, Clyde, Bob, Kate, and Peg Hoover, circa early 1930s

Six of the twelve children of Clyde and Nora (Houdeshell) Hoover posing for a family photo, about 1930.

How Complete Is Your Tree?

Kris Hocker on 2 Feb 2018

This is certainly not a new question. But it was raised again in the context of genetic genealogy. How much of your family tree have you identified? If you and/or your DNA match haven’t built out your family trees, how confident can you be in determining your most recent common ancestor?

Since the majority of my most recent research has been with the goal of connecting my family tree with those of my AncestryDNA shared matches, I thought I’d try to answer this question. I started with a table based on one shared by The Genetic Genealogist.

Ancestor count chart

Ancestor count chart

As you can see, I’ve identified everyone in my pedigree from myself through my 3rd great grandparents. I’m missing two of my 4th great grandparents and 36—holy cow!—of my 5th great grandparents. Not surprisingly, the number rises even more the further back I go. All told, I know only 477 out of 2,046 direct ancestors going back 10 generations. Only 23%.

Why does this matter?

The majority of my AncestryDNA matches fall into the 4th through 6th cousin category. This means we are expected to share ancestors in the 3rd great grandparent to 5th great grandparent range. I’ve sometimes found a closer relationship and sometimes a more distant relationship, but generally that range is correct, give or take a generation or two for either myself or my match.

If I—or my match—haven’t identified those ancestors, then I’ve little chance of determining how our DNA matches. It also makes it much more of a challenge to break through brickwall ancestors if I can’t find commonalities—even if just by surname—in my shared matches’ family trees. I have been building out trees for some of those matches. But with more than 500 matches in the 4th cousin or closer category, I can’t do that for everyone.

Knowing these ancestors not only permits us to identify a common ancestor, but also allows us to say with confidence that we don’t share ancestors on another line.

Say What? Census Husband Swapping

Kris Hocker on 29 Jan 2018

Peter and Nancy (Weltmer) Hocker were married 29 March 1828 at Bindangle Church in Londonderry Township, Dauphin County. They ultimately settled in Upper Paxton Township and raised a family of nine children. Two of their sons—Peter Jr. And Martin—eventually left Pennsylvania, staying for a time in Wayne County, Ohio, before finally settling in Polk County, Missouri.

On 26 March 1854, Peter Jr. married Emeline Bogner in Dauphin County. 1 They had three children there before heading west. In June 1860, the family was living in Wooster Township, Wayne County.2

1860 Peter Hocker census record

1860 Peter Hocker census record

Martin Hocker married Julianna Best in Wayne County, Ohio on 20 December 1860.3 Like his brother, he was living in Wooster Township in 1860.4 Right next door to the Best family.5

1860 Martin Hocker census record

1860 Martin Hocker & Julia Best census record

By June 1870, after a brief stop back in Pennsylvania, both families were living in Greene Township, Polk County, Missouri.6 However, a funny thing happened during the census enumeration.

1870 Peter & Martin Hocker census record

1870 Peter & Martin Hocker census record

Did you catch it? The census enumerator put the wrong man as head of each household. If you ignore the given names of each, the facts are correct—age, wife’s name, children, etc.—but the brother’s names were attributed to the wrong household.

The 1880 census enumeration has each of the brothers attributed to the correct household. Martin7 and Peter8 were both living in Jefferson Township, Polk County, and were enumerated one household apart.

1880 Martin Hocker census record

1880 Martin Hocker census record

1880 Peter Hocker census record

1880 Peter Hocker census record

This sort of error is why we don’t rely on any one record to “prove” a fact, but instead locate, examine and assess as many records as we can for an individual over the course of their lifetime. Any one record may, in fact, be incorrect (or partially incorrect). When taken within context of the document record those errors can be easier to see.

Martin Hocker and Julianna Best had children:

  1. Henry D. Hocker was born 6 October 1862, Wayne County, Ohio and died 22 August 1922 in Bolivar, Polk County, Missouri. He married Jane L. Morris, Rosa A. Harris, and Lizzie Harris Lemmon.
  2. John Martin Hocker born September 1867 in Pennsylvania and died in California between 1916 and 1920. He married Mary Ella Russell 14 August 1898 in Polk County, Missouri.

Peter Hocker and Emeline Bogner had children:

  1. Sarah “Sadie” Matilda Hocker was born March 1855 and died between 1900-1910 in Bolivar. She married William Henry Shipley 5 February 1891 in Polk County, Missouri.
  2. Martin August Hocker was born 2 May 1856 and died 11 February 1902 in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. He married Mrs. Emma (__) Haguewood 15 July 1883 in Bolivar.
  3. Elizabeth Leona Hocker was born 6 September 1859 and died 10 November 1888. She married William Moses Vest on 11 May 1876.
  4. Steven Earnest Hocker was born 25 December 1861 and died 8 October 1962 in Los Angeles, California. He married Laura Belle Jump 12 October 1891.
  5. Clara Jane “Chad” Hocker was born 10 August 1867 and died 8 December 1932 in Chelsea, Oklahoma. She married Reuben Charles Goff 24 September 1885 in Nevada, Missouri.
  6. Emma Margaret Hocker was born 28 September 1868 in Huron, Missouri and died 11 July 1930 in Bolivar. She married James Thomas Henson 27 April 1886.
  7. Martha Nancy Hocker was born 9 June 1871 and died 6 April 1956 in Batesville, Arkansas. She married Frank Meachum (or Mitchum).
  8. Mary Catherine Hocker was born 25 June 1873 and died 12 August 1917. She married Samuel H. Wilson 19 August 1894.
  9. Lewis Peter Hocker was born 22 February 1876 and died 14 January 1917. He married Chloe Grace Tateum on 4 September 1897.
  10. Lily Ann Hocker was born 18 September 1878 and died 17 November 1899 in Bolivar.

Fox-Hocker Family Photo Album on Ebay

Kris Hocker on 25 Jan 2018

I did a search for “Hocker + photo” on Ebay the other day and found a photo album available for sale that once belonged to a descendant of Jonathan Fox (1837-1909) and Sarah Catharine Hocker (1839-1916).

Jonathan Fox and Sarah Catharina Hocker

Jonathan Fox and Sarah Catharina Hocker

The album includes photos of other family members, including their daughter Mary Emeline Fox and her husband Henry Jacob Fellabaum, son Irwin William Fox and his son Harry Alvin Fox, granddaughter Ruth Minsker, Ollie Hocker and Lizzie Hocker, among others.

Jonathan Fox, son of Peter and Mary (Felty) Fox, married Sarah Catharine Hocker, daughter of John Peter and Nancy (Welpmer) Hocker, about 1857.1

Jonathan and Catharine had children:

  1. Mary Emeline Fox (1859-1931) married Henry Jacob Fellabaum (1856-1919)
  2. Clara D. Fox (1862-1919) married Isaac Fellabaum (1825-1910)
  3. Simon Peter Fox (1864-1905) married Virginia Belle Frantz (1873-1906)
  4. Louisa Fox (1865-1867)
  5. Catherine Adelia Fox (1868-1933) married 1st Lewis G. Little, 2nd John Cassel, and 3rd John S. Wilson
  6. Ann “Nancy” Jane Fox (1871-1949) married 1st Joseph Horace Gland, 2nd Eli H. Fink (1866-1937)
  7. Elmira Fox (1875-1961) married John Minsker (1867-1954)
  8. Maurice Daniel Fox (1878-1941) married Alice May Hartgrove (1870-1940)
  9. Irwin William Fox (1879-1904) married Mary Alice Theal (1881-1967)

According to the 1900 census, Catharine had thirteen children, though only eight were living at the time. I’ve identified nine.

If you are a family member and interested in this album, you can find it here.

Here’s What I’ve Been Reading

Kris Hocker on 19 Jan 2018

I regularly share links to articles that I’ve been reading around the web through my social media accounts. They don’t, however, get shared here. I’ve been thinking I should change that. So, here are some of the posts that I’ve been reading and sharing.

The Legal Genealogist

http://www.legalgenealogist.com/2018/01/14/big-steps-forward-at-myheritagedna/

The DNA Geek

MyHeritage Overhauls Their Matching Algorithm

Kitty Cooper’s Blog

An Awesome Ancestry Add-on

Genealogy Tip of the Day

200B For the Cause of Death Does Not Mean Death by 200 Bees

The DNA Geek

What’s Coming Down the Pike: AncestryDNA

And also:

What’s your opinion? Should I keep sharing links like this?

Online Pennsylvania Deeds at FamilySearch

Kris Hocker on 15 Jan 2018

I’ve posted before regarding Pennsylvania deed records being digitized and added to the FamilySearch website. I’ve been using them recently and thought I’d post a list of all the counties with online deeds currently available.

It’s actually complete—meaning if there were microfilm rolls previously listed, there are now deeds online. There are two counties—Philadelphia and Wyoming—which can only be viewed at a Family History Center or associated library, and several with one or two films yet to be digitized.

Online Pennsylvania Deeds, by County

The years are dates for which deeds are available online. Deed indexes usually are inclusive into the 20th century. If the timeframe you’re looking for isn’t included online, you can still perform a look-up in the index and request a copy of the deed from the county Recorder of Deeds.

If you have questions, drop me a line or tell me what you think in a comment below.

Friday Find: Karl Greulich’s Birth Record

Kris Hocker on 12 Jan 2018

While putting together a picture book for my cousin’s daughter, I found records from the church book at Haag, Germany in the online collection of the State Archive of Baden-Württemberg. My Greulich ancestors were from this village.

1838 Karl Philip Greulich birth record from the Baden-Wuerttemberg Landesarchiv

1838 Haag church book entries from the Baden-Wuerttemberg Landesarchiv online records

Here’s a close-up of the actual entry for Karl Philip Greulich’s birth record from the Haag church book.

1838 Karl Philip Greulich birth record

Close-up of 1838 Karl Philip Greulich birth record

The handwriting is difficult, but I can clearly make out his parents—Georg Philipp Greulich and wife Anna Margaretha (née Würzel). The document also names his baptismal sponsors but I’m not sure of all the names. I believe I see “Johannes Philipp Würzel” and maybe Hans Georg Würzel, too.

Karl Philipp Greulich, my 2x great grandfather, was born 13 February 1838 in Haag, Mosbach, Baden. He was the son of Georg Philipp Greulich and Anna Margaretha Würzel. Johann Georg Würzel and Anna Elisabetha Zimmerman were his maternal grandparents and Johann Adam Greulich and Maria Katharina Wilhelm, his paternal grandparents.

1856 Passenger list for the barque Dorette

1856 Passenger list (partial) for the barque Dorette from Bremen to New York City

He immigrated to the United States in 1856 on board the barque Dorette with his sister Eva Catharina Greulich (aged 21) and half-brother Georg Jacob (aged 33). Karl was only 17 years-old. The ship arrived at New York harbor on 21 January 1856. Catharina remained in New York (state) and married. Georg continued his journey on to South America. At least that’s the family lore.

Karl anglicized his name to Charles Philip Greulich and settled in East Greenville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. On 30 November 1861, he married Susanna Krauss Wolf. After her death in 1863, he married her sister, Caroline Krauss Wolf, on 7 August 1864. In all he had fourteen children, twelve who survived to adulthood, including my great grandfather Elmer Calvin Greulich.

Charles died in East Greenville on 2 February 1904 and was buried at the New Goshenhoppen Reformed Church cemetery.

Sites like Ancestry are great, but more and more archives are putting their holdings online. They can be a goldmine for locating records on your family. If they don’t have what you need today, keep checking. You just might find a treasure.