When the Genealogy Book is Wrong…

Kris Hocker on 14 Sep 2012

Have you ever had the experience of researching information you found in a family genealogy book and discovering that it was wrong? How did you feel—triumphant that you’d discovered something the author got incorrect or maybe slightly embarrassed for them?

I have very mixed feelings. You see the author was my great uncle, the man who got me interested in genealogy.

The family in question is that of Margaret Haushalter, daughter of Lorentz and Anna Margaretha (Hacker) Haushalter. Margaret was born 4 July 1754 in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and baptized on 28 July 1754 in Emanuel Lutheran Church.1 According to A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy, Margaret married circa 1774 Jacob Oberlin. He was born 15 July 1747, son of Johan Adam Oberlin, and baptized 26 July 1747 in Emanuel Lutheran Church.2 There is no source indicated for the marriage.

The records of Emanuel Lutheran Church include the following children of Jacob and Margaretta Oberlin/Oberle:

  1. Unnamed child, born ca 17823
  2. Barbara Oberlin, born 8 Aug 1783, baptized 7 Oct 1783, sponsors: Lorentz & Margaretha Haushalter4
  3. George Oberlin, born 25 Sep 1785, baptized 20 Nov 1785, sponsors: Lorentz & Margaretha Haushalter5
  4. Jacob Oberlin, born 10 Apr 1787, baptized 13 May 1787, sponsors: Rudulph & Barbara Schaefer6
  5. Catharine Oberlin, born 21 Jul 1789, baptized 23 Aug 1789, sponsors: George & Catharina Stober7
  6. Eva Oberlin, born 15 Sep 1791, baptized 16 Oct 1791, sponsors: Michael & Anne Marie Oberle8

You’ll notice that Margaretha’s parents were sponsors for both Barbara and George Oberlin in 1783 and 1785. Catharine’s sponsors in 1789 were likely George and Catharina (Haushalter) Stober, Margareth’s brother-in-law and sister.

Jacob and Margaret Oberlin were sponsors for:

  1. Jacob, son of Christoph & Catharine Oberly, born 30 Jul 1775, baptized 14 Aug 1775, as “Jacob Oberly & Margaretha Webern”9
  2. Christina, daughter of Peter & Christina Beinhauer, born 23 Aug 1777, baptized 30 Sep 177710
  3. Joseph, son of George & Agatha Hofmann, born 19 Mar 1788, baptized 4 May 178811

I found additional baptism records for children of Jacob and Margaret Oberlin/Oberly in Reiher’s Reformed Church, also in Brickerville:12

  1. Elizabeth, born 6 Jan 1777, baptized 28 Jan 1777, sponsors: Agatha Oberlin (Jacob’s mother)
  2. Christine, born 3 Apr 1778, baptized 3 May 1778, sponsors: John Peter & Christine Beinhauer
  3. Elizabeth, born 19 Sep 1788, baptized 21 Nov 1788, sponsors: the parents

Now, none of this seems to contradict Wingeard’s statement that Margaretha Haushalter married Jacob Oberlin/Oberle. The fact that her parents and brother-in-law and sister were sponsors seems to support that statement.

However, I also found the following in the Cocalico Reformed Church records:

  1. “Jacob Oberlin, Lutheran, son of Adam Oberlin, m. Margaret Weber, Ref., dau. of George Weber, on April 30, 1776.”13
  2. “Nicholas Vogelgesang, son of Philip Vogelgesang, single, Lutheran, m. Margaret Haushalter, Lutheran, dau. of Lorentz Haushalter, on February 25, 1777.”14

It doesn’t get much more explicit than that. According to these records Jacob Oberlin and Margaretha Haushalter married different people, not each other!

Emanuel Lutheran church records have baptisms for three children of Nicholas and Margaretha Fogelgesang/Vogelgesang:

  1. Christina, born 19 Jun 1779, baptized 4 Jul 1779, sponsors: Wilhelm Stober & Christina15
  2. Susanna, born 17 Nov 1782, baptized 18 Nov 1782, sponsors: Fridich Adam & Barbara16
  3. Catharine, born 10 Jun 1784, baptized 25 Jul 1784, sponsors: Catharine Haushalter17

They were also sponsors for:

  1. Susannah, daughter of Christian & Ann Wiland, born 31 Jul 1780, baptized 9 Sep 178018

Lorentz Haushalter’s will, written 19 Jul 1800, mentions “the heirs of my daughter Margaret, deceased.”19 So, Margaretha Haushalter died prior to 19 Jul 1800. However, Jacob Oberlin’s wife Margaret was still alive in 1801 when an account was apparently filed for his estate by his administratrix Margaretta Oberlin.20

But what about all those baptismal records? Why were Margaret’s parents and sister sponsors for Jacob and Margaret (Weber) Oberlin?

The simple answer is probably that they were neighbors and members of the same church. A petition of Jacob Lehman, husband of Jacob Oberlin’s eldest daughter, for the partitioning of Jacob’s land after his 1793 death names George Weidman, Lawrence Householder, and Christian Oberlin as the adjoining land owners.21 Additionally, George Stober was most likely related to Jacob Oberlin’s mother Catharine Agatha Stober, making George and Jacob cousins. The other sponsors of Jacob’s children were either his or his wife’s siblings.

All of Nicholas and Margaret Vogelgesang’s children baptized at Emanuel Lutheran were sponsored by Margaretha Haushalter’s relatives. Wilhelm and Christina Stober were her cousins through her mother and Christina’s mother—both Hackers. Friedrich and Barbara Adam were Margaretha’s sister and brother-in-law and Catharine Haushalter, possibly her sister.

Conclusions

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. A genealogy—published or not—is only as good as the research and analysis that had been done to date. There may have been resources that were not available. You, the reader, have no way of knowing how accurate the content is unless you can assess the research that went into it—and by extension, what didn’t go into it. That is the reason why source citations are necessary.

In this case, my uncle did not provide the source of his information or how he reached his conclusions. I don’t know if he had more information than he included in the book or not. I can only assess his conclusions based on the information he included and the additional data that my research found.

Based on what I know—right now—I can only conclude that the book is wrong.

Wordless Wednesday: John Hocker, Whitemarsh, 1785 Tax List

Kris Hocker on 12 Sep 2012

John Hocker in Whitemarsh Township Tax List

John Hocker in Whitemarsh Township Tax List

John Hocker’s entry in the 1785 tax list of Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He was a farmer with 4 horses and 2 cows. No land is explicitly included with his listing, however, you’ll notice Widow Mason’s entry is just after his with “And for” as part of the listing? John Hocker married Elizabeth Mason, daughter of Christopher and Ann (Baker) Mason of Whitemarsh Township. John was likely farming part of the Mason family property and was taxed on those 232 acres.

John Hocker, son of Johan George and Anna Margaretha (Weidman) Hacker, was born 11 Jan 1760 in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He died 26 Sep 1798 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

This image was taken from a microfilm projection.

When Did George Hocker Jr. Die? Evaluating Conflicting Information

Kris Hocker on 9 Sep 2012

In writing the Hacker-Hocker genealogy, I’ve come to George Hocker Jr., son of Johan Georg and Anna Margaretha (Weidman) Hacker. When Bill Wingeard researched George, he determined that there was a problem with establishing George’s date of death. In this post I will examine the conflicting data he found and what my subsequent research revealed.

According to Wingeard’s research, the article “The Erdenheim Stock Farm” in the History of Hatfield Township stated that George Hocker Jr. died in 1821 and he left no will.1 William Yeakle apparently reported that he saw a notice in the Norristown Herald [100 years later] stating George died on 30 January 1822.2 And Edward W. Hocker wrote that George’s gravestone in St. Michael’s Church cemetery indicates that he died in 1822.3

One might conclude that George Hocker Jr. died in 1822. However, Wingeard reported that he found a deed in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania in which George’s heirs sold a tract called “Denmark” on 7 Apr 1832. According to this deed, Bill wrote, George died on 30 January 1832.4

So, how do you resolve this conflict?

Of these documents, the only contemporary one—meaning it was written at the time of the events it recorded—was the Northumberland County deed. It was written 7 Apr 1832 and recorded 1 June 1832.5 Both the article “The Erdenheim Stock Farm” and the notice in the Norristown Herald were written significantly later. Edward W. Hocker’s Pennsylvania Cemeteries was written in the 1930s, so he was viewing a gravestone that was over 100 years old, and possibly difficult to read.

So, the three reports of an 1821/22 date of death are mistaken, right?

Not so fast.

Is there any other contemporary record that indicates whether George was alive in 1822? I did not find a burial record for George Hocker in St. Michael’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Volume 2. Nor did I find George Hocker Jr. in the Administrations Index for Montomery County, Pennsylvania.

George’s father died in 1821 in Montgomery County. Is there any mention of George in his estate record?

Even though George Hocker Sr. died intestate, his estate record is quite explicit regarding his children. In a request for partition of George Sr.’s land, the record states:

“…George Hocker died intestate on or about the 16th day of October last leaving no widow but issue five children, to wit Martin, Adam, Christopher, Elizabeth intermarried with Henry Scheetz and Margaret Hocker now living; and three deceased, to wit, George, John and Jacob Hocker…”6

Not only is George Jr. recorded as deceased before this record was made, but one of his heirs—Henry Daub, husband of his daughter Ann—is one of the petitioners on this and subsequent Orphans Court records. Based on George Sr.’s estate record, it is quite clear that George Hocker Jr. died before 16 October 1821.

But what about the 1832 deed? Wingeard stated that it recorded George’s death as 30 Jan 1832. If that’s true, then it can’t apply to this George Hocker Jr., right?

In reading the original document, it is obvious that Bill was correct. It does relate to George Hocker Jr., son of George and Anna Margaretha (Weidman) Hocker. The heirs listed in the deed—widow Mary Hacker, Henry Daub and Ann his wife, Philip Hink and Mary his wife, Jacob Cress and Elizabeth his wife, Jacob Mason and Margaret his wife and Susanna Hergesheimer—match those listed in George Hocker Sr.’s estate files as the heirs of his son George.

However, while the deed states that George is deceased, it does not provide a date of death. Furthermore, it also states that Martin Kindig granted the tract to George Hocker on “the first day of June in the year last aforesaid” [1797], not on 1 Jun 1831 as Bill noted.7 Perhaps he misread that line as “the first day of June in the year last” and concluded it meant 1831.

Based on the information compiled, I can only conclude that George Hocker Jr. died before 16 Oct 1821. I don’t have enough information to posit an exact date, but I do know that 1822 and 1832 are incorrect.

Mapping West Philadelphia

Kris Hocker on 7 Sep 2012

Mapping West Philadelphia 1777

I‘ve been working on the Philadelphia Hocker branch of the family for my book A Hacker/Hocker Family recently. (Lots of new information and lines!) Imagine how happy I was to find the “Mapping West Philadelphia: Landowners in October 1777” website.

Mapping West Philadelphia 1777

George Hocker’s tract in Whitemarsh and Springfield townships (green tract to center-left)

It’s a “web-based, geographic data application open to the public. It was developed by the University of Pennsylvania’s University Archives and Records Center from research provided by J.M. Duffin. The website is designed to assist scholarly research and the general public in efforts to analyze, interpret and understand the history of the growth of West Philadelphia and the greater Philadelphia area at the time of the American Revolution.”

It shows road and land owners from 1777 in situ. You can see the location of a tract of land in relationship to roads, other land owners, and the 1777 township borders. You can even turn on a modern street overlay so you can see where the tract is in relationship to modern roads—perfect for locating an ancestors’ tract! Select your choice of streets, terrain, even a Google satellite image as a background with the tracts as overlay.

I’ve had a good idea of where George Hocker’s tract sat, but finding this site verified the information I had. For some reason, I was surprised to see how close it was to Germantown.

For someone like me who loves to use land patents and deeds to track the ownership of parcels of land to help define relationships among people, this site is a fantastic find!

Samuel Hocker

Kris Hocker on 27 Aug 2012

Today, I found the second reference to a Samuel Hocker associated with my Hacker-Hocker family.

The first reference was in St. Michael’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Germantown, Pennsylvania. A Samuel Hocker, son of Christopher Hacker & wife, aged 16, was confirmed at St. Michael’s on 2 April 1809. A sister, Elizabeth, aged 17, was confirmed on the same day. They were both baptized on 31 March 1809.1

Today’s reference was located in the estate papers of John Hocker from August 1844. One of the debts listed in the petition to sell his real estate is to Samuel Hocker for $500.2 I believe this John Hocker was named the trustee of Catherine (Daub) Hocker on 16 August 1836 during her father’s estate proceedings. If I’m correct, then Catharine (Daub) Hocker would have been the mother of Samuel Hocker and wife of John’s uncle Christopher Hocker.

Another clue in the mystery of Christopher Hocker (ca 1776-?)!

—

John Hocker (1796-1844) was the son of Martin Hocker Sr. (1762-1830) and Ann Mason (1768-1826) of Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Amanuensis Monday — Partition of Thomas Kinnard’s Estate (Part 2)

Kris Hocker on 9 Jul 2012

Here’s part two of Thomas Kinnard’s estate records. (You can read part one here.)

Partition of Thomas Kinnard's estate diagram

Partition diagram

In pursuance of a writ of Partition or valuation on the Real Estate of Thomas Kinnard late of Burrel [sic] Township Deceased by the Orphan’s Court of the County of Armstrong granted and to R M Kiskaden Esq High Sheriff of the County aforesaid directed.

Surveyed on the 9th day of February AD 1866 In pursuance of the said writ of Partition and to the heirs and legal Representatives of the said Thomas Kinnard Decd the above described trace of land situate in Burrell Township Armstrong County and divided into three parts as above marked A. B. & C viz That part of the tract of land marked A contains fifty seven acres and eleven perches that part marked B contains seventy six acres and twenty nine perches that part of the diagram marked C Contains thirty six acres and twenty four perches making in the whole tract of land one hundred and sixty nine acres and sixty four perches strict measure.

Alexander Gordon Artist

 

And now to wit: 5th March AD 1866 Inquisition Confirmed and a Rule on the heirs and legal Representatives of said deceased to appear on the first day of next term (being the 4th day of June 1866) and accept or refuse the premises at the valuation thereof of show cause why the same should not be sold. Personal notice on all parties interested.

By the Court

Rule issued 21 March AD 1866

 

May 2nd 1866 Served on Robert Klingensmith and wife Benjamin F. Kinnard and wife William Mansfield and wife Henry George Kinnard. May 24th on Lebius Kunkle & wife by Reading and copies. so ans. W W Bony Dep Sheriff

April 27th 1866 Served on Henry Darbaker and his wife by reading and copy. so ans R M Kiskaden Sheriff

Served May 2rd 1866 the within notices on Christ Hoover and Caroline Hoover personally by reading so ans. Wm Dunlap Dep Sheriff of Jefferson Co. Pa

 

DECREE

And now to wit: 4th June AD 1866 this cause came on to be [heard?] on return of the Rule upon the heirs to accept of refuse the several allotments according to law and all the heirs being severally called according to law came as follows:  Benjamin F. Kinnard who accepts of allotment “B” William Mansfield who in right of his wife Christena and accepted allotment “A” and Lebuis Kunkle who in right of his wife Sarah accepted of Allotment “C” and the said several parties offered to the Court as sureties as follows: Benjamin F. Kinnard  Wm. Deshong, Wm Mansfield, Samuel Mansfield Senr, and Lebuis Kunkel and Daniel Kunkle . Whereupon the Court do now hear order adjudge and decree as follows to wit: That B.F. Kinnard take and hold to him and his heirs & assigns in fee simple the said allotment “B” and that the said Wm Mansfield in right of his said wife take and hold to them and his heirs & assigns in fee simple the said allotment “A” and that the said Lebius Kunkle in the right of his said wife take and hold to him and his heirs and assigns in fee simple the said allotment “C” And that said acceptants Severally pay to the other heirs their part of the said valuation money and that the costs be paid out of the said valuation money and the Court approve the Sureties as aforesaid

By the Court

Recognizance executed and file

Amanuensis Monday — Partition of Thomas Kinnard’s Estate (Part 1)

Kris Hocker on 2 Jul 2012

Petition of Benjamin F. Kinnard for Partition of the Estate of Thomas Kinnard late of Burrell Township, Deceased

To the Honorable the Judges of the Orphans Court in and for the county of Armstrong in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ~ The Petition of Benjamin F. Kinnard of the said County Respectfully Showeth that he is one of the heirs and legal representatives of Thomas Kinnard late of Burrell township in the said County deceased that that [sic] the said Thomas Kinnard died on or about the month of April 1858 intestate That the said deceased at the time of his death was lawfully seized in his demesne as of fee of an in a certain piece parcel or tract of land Situate partly in Burrell and partly in Plum Creek township in said County adjoining lands of Samuel Kepple and Jacob Young on the north John L Keir on the east Absalom Klingensmith on the south and William Ramally on the west containing about one hundred and fifty acres more or less. And your petitioner further showeth that the said Thomas Kinnard died leaving surviving a widow Mary Kinnard who is since dead and seven children who are still living to wit: Catharine now married to Henry Darbaker, Christianna married to William Mansfield, Caraline [sic] married to Christopher Hoober (in Jefferson County), Sarah married to Lebius Kunkle, Benjamin F. Kinnard (your petitioner) Henry George Kinnard and Sarah Jane married to Robert Klingensmith, all of the said heirs being of full age. Your petitioner further says that the tract of land has never been parted and divided between said heirs according to law. And your petitioner therefore prays your Honors to award an inquest to make Partition of the premises aforesaid to and among the said parties interest in such manner and in such proportions as by said laws, laws [sic] of this Commonwealth is directed if such partition can be made without prejudice to or spoiling the whole but if such partition cannot be made thereof then to value and appraise the same and make return of the proceedings according to law and as in duty bound he will pay &c

Benjamin F. Kinnard

Sworn & subscribed this 4th day of December 1865

P K Bowman, Clerk OC

 

And now to wit: 4th December 1865 Inquest award with personal notice on all parties interested

By the Court

 

5th December 1865 Writ issued

 

Served on Henry Darbaker and Catharine Darbaker his wife, Wm Mansfield and Christena Mansfield his wife Benjamin F Kinnard, Henry G Kinnard Robert Klingensmith, Susan J. Klingensmith his wife, Lebius Kunkle and Sarah Kunkle his wife by reading and copies, and to Christopher Hoober  and Caroline Hoober his wife by the Sheriff of Jefferson County see copy attached, and further Execution of this writ appears [from?] a certain schedule hereto annexed

So answers R M Kiskaden, Shff

 

Inquisition [executed?] and taken at the late dwelling house of Thomas Kinnard late of Burrell Township Deceased on the 9th day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty six before R M Kiskaden Esq High Sherill of the County of Armstrong in the state of Pennsylvania by virtue of a writ of Partition or Valuation to him directed and to this Inquisition annexed by virtue of the Oaths of Jonathan Myers, Abraham Klingensmith, Isaac Smith, Andrew Cover, Isaac Rupert, Absalom Klingensmith, James Wyatt, Andrew Rubbert, and Samuel Kepple twelve free honest and lawful men of his Bailiwick who on their Oaths as aforesaid respectively do say that on the day and year aforesaid they went to and upon the lands and tenements of which Thomas Kinnard in the said writ mentioned died seized and then and there in the presence of the parties therein named and by me warned and find that the same land and tenements with the appurtenances could not be parted and divided to and among all the children of of the deceased without prejudice to and spoiling the whole thereof. And therefore the inquest aforesaid on their solemn oaths aforesaid did then and there further find that the said lands and tenements with the appurtenances will divide into three parts with out prejudice and spoiling the whole viz That part of the said lands and tenements with the appurtenances included and bounded by the following courses and distances viz Beginning at a post thence by land of Absalom Klingensmith north eighty eight degrees west eighty four perches to a post thence by a part of said land in the diagram hereunto annexed marked as “B” north two degrees west one hundred perches to a post thence by land of Jacob Young South Seventy five degrees east one hundred and nineteen perches to a post thence by lands of John S Kier South forty seven degrees east twelve perches to a post thence by lands of Charles Rubbert South thirty degrees west Seventy three perches to the Beginning Containing fifty seven acres and eleven perches situate partly in Burrell & partly in Plum Creek Township and in the diagram hereunto annexed marked with “A” and therefore the inquest aforesaid on their Oaths have valued and appraised the same at fifteen dollars per acre amounting to the sum of $856.03 at and for which sum of money aforesaid upon their oaths aforesaid do value and appraise the same. And all that piece or parcel of Land with the appurtenances contained within the Boundaries following viz. Beginning at a post thence by land of Absalom Klingensmith thence north eighty eight degrees west one hundred and ten perches to a post thence by a part marked C on the diagram hereunto annexed north two degrees west one hundred and twenty four perches to a post thence by lands of Samuel Kepple  and Jacob Young South seventy five degrees east one hundred and fourteen perches to a post, thence by the part marked “A” on the diagram South two degrees east one hundred perches to the Beginning Containing seventy six acres and twenty nine perches (Situate in Burrell Township) and therefore the inquest aforesaid on their oaths aforesaid have valued and appraised the same at the sum of $18.00 per acres amounting to the sum of $1371.26 for which sum as aforesaid the inquest aforesaid upon their oaths aforesaid do value and appraise the same ~ And all that piece or parcel of land with appurtenances contained with the boundaries following viz Beginning at a post thence by lands of Absalom Klingensmith north two west eighty perches to a post, north sixty six west forty six perches to a white oak thence by land of Wm McKenna South Seventy one degrees west twenty one perches to a spruce pine thence by Andrew Rubbert and Wm Ramely north twenty two degrees east one hundred and twenty six perches to a post, thence by lot marked “B” South two degrees east one hundred and twenty four perches to the Beginning Containing thirty six acres and twenty four perches on the diagram marked “C.” And therefore the inquest aforesaid on their oaths aforesaid have valued and appraised the same at $15.00 per acre amounting to the sum of $542.25 the inquest aforesaid do value and appraise the same. In testimony whereof as well the said Sheriff as the inquest aforesaid have to this inquisition, interchangeably set their hands and seals Dated the day and year above written. R M Kiskaden, Sheriff  (seal)

Jonathan Myers (seal)      James Wyatt (seal)

Abraham Klingensmith (seal)  Wm Ramely (seal)

Isaac Smith (seal)     A. J. Remaly (seal)

Andrew Cover (seal)     Wm Deshong (seal)

Isaac Rubbert (seal)     Andrew Rubbert (seal)

Absalom Klingensmith (seal)     Samuel Kepple (seal)

Allotment A Contains 57 acres 11 perches appraised at $15.00 per acre  $856.03

” B ” 76 ” 29 ” ” $18.00 ” ” $1371.26

” C ” 36 ” 24 ” ” $15.00 ” ” $542.25

Amount $2769.54

Partition of Thomas Kinnard's estate diagram

Partition diagram

Read Amanuensis Monday — Partition of Thomas Kinnard’s Estate (Part 2).