Kirche Russheim ~ Facade
Copyright © Marcus Hebel
This is the outer facade of the church in Russheim where my Hacker/Hocker ancestors went to church. The photo is by Marcus Hebel and can be found in his photostream on Flickr.
Kirche Russheim ~ Inside
Check out this image of the church in Russheim. This is where my Hacker ancestors would most likely have gone to church.
Don’t you hate it when stuff disappears off the web? This image is no longer available on Flickr. [edit: 5 Feb 2020]
Wordless Wednesday: A Morning Cup of Joe
Bill, Isabella (Smith), and Mims Hocker, 1946.
Isabella Aitken (Smith) Hocker with her son William “Bill” Hocker, Jr. and daughter Meriam “Mims” Hocker in the yard circa 1946.Bill and his family lived across the yard from his parents.
Judge William Adam Hocker’s Obituary
Judge William Adam Hocker obituary in The Evening Independent of St. Petersburg, Florida from July 20, 1918.
“Judge Hocker Dies at Ocala
Distinguished Jurist Spent Last Winter Here and Made Many FriendsThe many St. Petersburg friends of Judge William Hocker will regret to learn that he died last Wednesday. Judge Hocker spent last winter at Sunnyside, with the family of Joseph E. Hamilton, 417 Fourth street north, and made many warm friends especially among the older people. He was a dignified and learned man of the old Southern school. The Ocala Star gives the following sketch of Judge Hocker’s career and family:
Judge William A. Hocker was born in Buckingham county, Virginia in 1844, and was a son of William Hocker and Susan Mildred Lewis.
He served in Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry during the civil war. In November 1868, he was married to Gertrude Venable, and settled near Leesburg, Flas., in 1874, and moved to Ocala in 1892. He became a circuit judge for the fifth circuit in 1893 and continued to hold such office until 1901 when he was elected by the supreme court as one of its commssioners, and shortly thereafter was elected a member of the supreme court of Florida, which position he occupied for 12 years and retired a few years ago on account of failing health.
In 1909 he was married the second time to Mattie N. Glover of Roanoke, Va., who survives him. He is also survived by three children, William Hocker, of Ocala; Mrs. T. P. Drake of Yalaha, and Frederick R. Hocker, of Ocala. His eldest daughter, Mrs. C. P. Lovell, died in 1914. Eight grandchildren also survive him namely: Lieut. Charles P. Lovell, Gertrude Lovell; Elizabeth, Margaret and Lucretia Hocker; William and Trusten P. Drake Jr., and Clifton Montgomery Hocker.”1
Friday Finds: Marriage Record of Sarah Craig Buchanan
It’s funny how a record that you dismissed as irrelevant—because it did not pertain to the person you were researching—can abruptly become relevant with additional research.
I viewed the following record on ScotlandsPeople because I was hoping to find information on my ancestress Sarah Craig, wife of James Buchanan. It didn’t pertain and I set it aside. More recently, I researched Alexander Buchanan as a possible brother to my ancestor James Buchanan. The marriage record of Sarah Craig Buchanan became relevant because she was the daughter of Alexander Buchanan and his wife Elizabeth Kelly… and likely niece to James Buchanan and his wife Sarah Craig, quite likely her namesake.
Marriage record for James Sands and Sarah Craig Buchanan of Cuilhill, Scotland on 12 July 1872.
Lesson learned? When there are similarities of name and place, don’t dismiss a record just because it’s obviously not the same person. Those similarities may point to a possible relationship. Niece, nephew, brother, sister—or even neighbor or best friend. Those relationships may provide clues that help you over a brick wall.
In this case, the records from the families of James and Alexander Buchanan seem to indicate that their family may have been amongst those Irish who left Ireland due to the famine in the 1840s. In their case, instead of immigrating to United States, they sought relief by going to Scotland where they became coal miners.
Jacob Huber’s Martic Township Tract
On 22 November 1717, Martin Kendig (Kendick, Kendrick, Cundigg) and John Herr (Heer) were warranted 5,000 acres in Lancaster County by the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania.1 They, in turn, transferred this land to their fellow immigrants.
Jacob Hoober 1733 survey
John Taylor surveyed 210 acres from this warrant for Jacob Huber on either 24 or 28th January 1733.2 The survey states: “Under a mistake John Taylor applied for a [Warrant] to the Secretary on the new terms wch was granted as aforesd But Jacob Hoober purchased the right of 210 as of Martin Kendrick & John Heer part of 5,000 as granted to them & it is accordingly Returned into the Secretary’s office the — day of December 1735.” You can see the warrant here on my site.
Jacob Huber patented this tract of 210 acres on 22 October 1736.3 He had, quite likely, been living on his father, Hans Huber’s property in Earl Township prior to this purchase. He patented several adjoining tracts as well: one directly to the south in 1745 [A3], containing 48 ½ acres,4 and one to the north in 1759 [A1], containing 167 ½ acres.5
Huber/Hoover/Hoober land patents
Jacob Hoover left 250 acres [A2 & A3] to his sons Jacob and Mathias. He also left about 150 acres in Contestoga (A1: the tract just north of this one) to his son Christian.6 A distribution from his estate was paid out to his heirs by 14 June 1765.7
Mathias Hoover quitclaimed ½ of the property left to him and his brother to Jacob on 20 November 1772.8 On 21 November 1772, Jacob and his wife Barbara sold 66 acres 40 perches from their piece of the tract to Mathias. By metes and bounds, this piece appears to be the top portion of the tract Jacob Huber patented in 1736, adjoining lands of Henry Huber, the tract willed to Christian Hoover, and Pequea Creek. Mathias took out a mortgage from Marcus Young of Martick on this 66 acres on 4 January 1773.9 Payment was acknowledged on 8 June 1776.
On 12 June 1776, Mathias and his wife Mary sold 10 acres of their land to Henry Resh/Rush.10 On 10 August 1776, Mathias and his wife Mary sold 19 acres from the 66 they’d purchased from Jacob Hoover to John Hart of Conestoga Township.11
I’m not sure about the division of the rest of the property. Jacob Huber Jr. purchased additional land, as did his son, Martin Hoover Sr. However, at least a portion of the land Jacob and Barbara Huber sold to Mathias Huber, eventually found its way back to Jacob’s descendants. In the settling of Jacob Huber’s granddaughter Elizabeth Hoover’s estate, a deed was issued for the sale of her property. This deed stated that the 113 acres being sold was part of the “same premises of which Martin Huber Sen. [her father], died seized testate” which he will to his children equally and that it was “also a part of the same premises which Jacob Hoover & wife by their Deed of Indenture bearing the date the 21st day of Nov A.D. 1772…[granted] unto Mathias Hoover.”12
Tombstone Tuesday: Albert C Hocker Sr.
Albert Curtin Hocker Sr., son of Levi and Anna (Frantz) Hocker, was born 9 September 1860 in Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. He died 24 July 1940 in Cumberland County and was buried 27 July 1940 in Paxtang Cemetery in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. He was a farmer and a carpenter. He married Lillian Ainsley Leedy, daughter of Samuel Krehl and Sarah (Parsons) Leedy in 1881. The couple lived in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania then later moved to a farm in Cumberland County near Newville.
Albert C. Hocker was my great-great grandfather.
George and Elizabeth (Hassler) Hocker
If you’re familiar with William O. Wingeard’s A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy, you might have read the chapter on George Hocker (Frederick4, Johan Adam3, Christoph2, Stephen1). In it Bill freely admits that he had trouble continuing the family line from George and his wife Elizabeth. I’m not afraid to admit that he’s causing me some consternation, too.
George Hocker, son of Frederick and Catharina (Fuchs) Hacker, was born in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania most likely sometime between 1785 and 1790. He was most likely one of the males under 16 years of age in Frederick Hocker’s 1790 census entry and the male 10-16 in Frederick’s 1800 census entry.1 When Frederick died intestate in 1812, his two eldest sons, John and George, were administrators of his estate. The eldest son John renounced his option to take his father’s real estate on 12 April 1812 and the Orphans Court awarded it to the next son George.2
George purchased 26 perches of additional land in Cocalico Township on 11 August 1812.3 On 1 April 1813, George and his wife Elizabeth sold this 26 perches to Jacob Studenroth.4 On 13 May 1813, George sold 150 acres of land formerly of his father’s estate to Michael & Jacob Stine.5 George of Cocalico Township, Lancaster County purchased 177 ¼ acres in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County from Andrew Fahnestock on 26 March 1814.6 George and his wife Elizabeth sold 16 acres of land in Lower Paxton Township, formerly of Andrew Fahnestock, on 4 July 1814 to George Firestone.7
So, a few years after his father’s death, George sold the family farm and moved his family to Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. George Hocker appears in the 1813 tax list for Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County.8 Susquehanna Township was formed in 1815 from part of Lower Paxton Township, and George is listed in tax records there from about 1816 through 1830.9
This provides a general location for the family during the years they would have had children. But who were their children?
Wingeard lists their children as Peter, George Jr. and Christina, but provides no sources for this information. I found several baptisms for children of George and Elizabeth Hocker in Zion Lutheran Church in Harrisburg and Shoop’s Reformed Church in Dauphin County. They included:
- Catharine, born 11 May 1814, baptized 10 July 181410
- Sara, born 10 October 1817, baptized 12 December 181711
- Andrew, born 18 September 1819, baptized 26 December 181912
- Daniel, born 10 April 1821, baptized 22 July 182113
- Eli, born 25 August 1823, baptized 29 February 182414
I believe I found George Hocker in Upper Swatara Township—which adjoins Susquehanna Township—in the 1830 census.15 The household included:
George Hocker, 1830 US Census, Upper Swatara Township
- 2 males 5 to 10 (Daniel, Eli)
- 1 male 10 to 15 (Andrew)
- 1 male 20 to 30 (George or Peter?)
- 1 male 30 to 40 (?)
- 1 male 40 to 50 (George Sr.)
- 1 female < 10 (?)
- 2 females 10 to 15 (Sarah, Catharina)
- 1 female 15 to 20 (?)
- 1 female 40 to 50 (Elizabeth)
Based on this census, it would appear that George and Elizabeth may have had a son, born ca 1800-1810, and a daughter, born circa 1810-1825, in addition to the children listed in the baptismal records. While there may have been older children who were married and no longer at home, the male aged 30-40 is too old to have been a child of this couple. I haven’t been able to find this family in the 1810 or 1820 census records and I think, but am not sure, that they may have been back in Lancaster County in 1840. After that, I have no clues—no census, tax, death or estate records.
I’ve traced the family of Daniel Hocker and have marriage information for his sister Sara and brother Andrew. This information will be included in A Hacker-Hocker Family. It was not in A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy. I also have information on George [Jr.] and Peter Hocker, but am in doubt about whether or not they belong to this family—they may belong to George’s uncle, Johan George Hacker and his wife Christina Miller.
I may also have to chase down the possibility that George had a son named John. The 1827-1830 tax lists for Susquehanna Township show, not only George Hocker, but also a single man named John Hocker. He would have been born circa 1806 (or maybe earlier), but would not have married prior to 1830. In 1830, both George and John’s names are crossed off the tax list, with a notation of “Pottsgrove” for George Hocker. Did they leave for Northumberland County? I’ve also noted entries for a single man George Jr. in 1828, 1832 and 1833 with the 1833 entry crossed off and “gone” written in. If these are all members of the same family—father and sons—then they all left Susquehanna Township by 1830 and 1833.
The consistency of entries for George Hocker in the Susquehanna tax records from 1816 through 1830, the 1813 Lower Paxton Township tax entry, and the 1814 land purchase in Lower Paxton—most likely in a portion that became part of Susquehanna Township in 1815—point to Frederick’s son George Hocker. What happened to him after 1830? And what was his relationship to the John and George Jr. in the Susquehanna Township tax records? These are questions I’ll be trying to answer. Stay tuned.
Follow-up: From Deed to Land Warrant and Back Again
John Hoover 1752 Conestoga twp land patent
In my last post, “From Deed to Land Warrant and Back Again,” I found that John Huber had patented 25 acres in Conestoga in right of Michael Hess and surveyed a 110-acre tract that he had purchased from Jacob Eshleman. My next step was to determine what happened to this tract. Did John sell it or perhaps leave it to his heirs?
I was unable to locate a deed of sale from John Hoover. However, I found two deeds documenting the later sale of these tracts. One deed was from Leonard May for a mortgage on the property from Joseph Cauffman.1 May had purchased the land from Daniel Keeports of Lampeter Township in 1765. The second was from Daniel Keenports, selling the land to David Hess.2 Leonard May and his wife Christina had sold the land back to Keeports/Keenports on 23 August 1768.
Jacob Eshleman Conestoga Twp tract
While there is no explicit mention of John Hoover in these documents, the description of the properties is a match to those previously owned by John Hoover. He had apparently either sold the tracts to Daniel Keeports—or someone who then sold it to Daniel Keeports—sometime before 10 January 1765 when Keeports sold it to Leonard May.
John—presumably this one—had inherited his father’s land up the Pequea in Conestoga Township in 1757.3 He, then, sold this property on 10 Oct 1767 to Melchoir and Anna (Good) Brenneman.4 It is believed he left the county soon after.