Category: Research

Family research

What Can You Learn from a List?

Kris Hocker on 27 Dec 2016

what can you learn from a list?

If you’ve been doing genealogy for a while, I’m sure you’ve come across lists. You know those pesky records you thought would actually tell you something about your ancestor and instead you found were little more than a laundry list of names.

What help is that?! How can you even tell if that name refers to your ancestor when all you’ve got is a name on a list of names?

Just what can you learn from a list? Quite a lot, actually.

Working from communion lists, I was able to determine several facts about specific relatives. For instance, I was able to narrow down the marriage date of Anna Christina Lang, daughter of Johann Michael and Christina (Hacker) Lang.

Anna Christina (Lang) Stober

I have not been able to locate a marriage record for Christina and her husband Johann Wilhelm Stober. To the best of my knowledge, marriage records for the church they attended do not exist. However, they both attended communion at Emanuel Lutheran Church in 1775.

On August 27, the 11th Sunday after Trinity, Wilhelm is listed with his parents and siblings, Valentin, Friderich, Barbara, and Christina.1 “Christina Langen” is also included separately on the list. I know this isn’t her mother Christina (Hacker) Lang or her sister-in-law Christina (Stober) Lang because both are also included on the list—her mother with husband Michael and (future) sister-in-law alone and separate from her brother Michael Lang.

The very next communion list was recorded on 26 November, the 24th Sunday after Holy Trinity. This list includes “Wilhelm Stover and wife Christina.”2 This tells me that William and Christina were married—likely at Emanuel Lutheran sometime in the ten weeks between 27 August and 26 November.

Maria Elisabetha (Weidman) Hacker

I don’t have a death date for Maria Elisabetha (Weidman) Hacker and since she was most likely buried on the family farm, I don’t have a gravestone to check either. She was alive at the time her husband’s estate was settled in the Lancaster County Orphan’s Court in 1782. She was awarded £12 yearly out of her dower share of the Hacker farm, which amounted to approximately £200.3 I know she was alive as of 2 August 1790, because she was listed as “Widow Hocker” in the 1790 census enumeration of Cocalico Township.4

Elisabeth Hacker on Communion list 1806

Elisab. Hacker (#73) in 1806 Communion list

But when did she die?

By examining communion lists, I determined that she was still alive and attending communion at Emanuel Lutheran Church until sometime after 28 September 1806.5 At that time, both her daughter and granddaughter named Elisabeth had already married and so would not have been listed under their maiden names. The only other Elisabeth Hacker in the area and old enough to be included would have been her son Jacob’s wife and she was listed with her husband (#58 & 59, see below). Furthermore, Elizabeth (#73) was listed directly after “Jacob Weidman Witt.” This most likely referred to Elisabeth’s brother Jacob’s widow, Barbara (Huber) Weidman. Jacob died 20 December 1802.6 Barbara survived until 1828.7 I did not find Elisabeth listed on subsequent lists—the next being on Misericordia Sunday 1807, the 4th Sunday of Easter or, I believe, 19 April 1807.

Jacob Hacker & frau in 1806 communion list

Jacob Hacker & frau (#58 & 59)

The important thing to remember with lists is context. In addition to the standard questions of what type of list is it, who made it, why, where, and when, we should also ask questions specifically about the list based on what we know about lists of this type for that location. Who’s on the list? Who could or should be on the list? Who’s not on the list? How does the list change over time? The answers to these questions provide clues that help us to identify the people on the list and therefore draw conclusions about the people on the list.

While I couldn’t get exact dates for events from the lists, the information they provided helped me to narrow down the possible dates. Christina married between 27 August and 26 November 1775. Maria Elisabetha (Weidman) Hacker died sometime after 28 November 1806 and possibly before 19 April 1807.

1/1/17: Updated to include images and minor edits.

How Many Interfamily Marriages Are in Your Database?

Kris Hocker on 8 Dec 2016

How Many Interfamily Marriages Are in Your Database

How many interfamily marriages do you have in your genealogy database? I currently have 79 couples. Just an interesting fun fact, right?

Not so fast. Interfamily marriage is defined as marriage between people with common ancestors, aka cousin marriage, and this is how pedigree collapse occurs.

Pedigree Collapse

What is pedigree collapse, you ask. If you count your ancestors, you should theoretically double the number for each generation you go back. Two parents. Four grandparents. Eight great-grandparents. And so on.

However, if you actually look at your family tree, the deeper you go, the less likely this calculation is to be valid.

Why?

Before too many generations, your number of many-times great-grandparents would exceed the number of all people living at that time.

So, what actually happened? Interfamily marriages.

One expert estimates that nearly 80 percent of all marriages in the past occurred between first or second cousins.1 This means that the spouses’ ancestors appear in their descendants’ family trees multiple times. So, there are actually fewer ancestors than expected based on the simple calculation referenced above. Instead of an ever-expanding pedigree, you get points where the pedigree has collapsed.

I’ve seen this in action on both sides of my family tree. On my father’s side, I’m descended from Andrew Walker Sr. and his wife Catharine Margaret Fetzer three times through their children: John and his wife Mary Lucas, Catherine and her husband George Walker, and Mary Ann and her husband John Mayes. I am allegedly descended from Johann Michael Haudesheldt and his wife Maria Dorothea Seitel through two of their sons: Lawrence and Michael.

On my mother’s side of the family, I’m descended from Johann Michael Klein Sr. and his second wife Maria Catharina Kuntz twice through their daughter Maria Magdalena and her husband Conrad Brey, and their son Johann Jacob and his wife Eva Elisabetha Heilig. I’m descended from David Yeakel and his wife Susanna Heydrick through sons Johannes Henrich and his wife Susanna Heydrick,2 and Jeremias and his wife who was a Wolf. In fact, Jeremias serves as a point of collapse, too, because I descend through two of his daughters: Charlotte who married Andrew Schultz, and Catharine who married Conrad Wolf.

Pedigree Collapse Diagram

Maternal line pedigree points of collapse

Yeakel and Heydrick (Heidrig) appear elsewhere in my pedigree with Rosina Yeakel, daughter of Balthasar and Regina (John) Yeakel, wife of Rev. Christopher Schultz, and Anna Heidrig who was the wife of Melchior Krauss, whose grandson Balthasar Krauss married Susanna Yeakel, daughter of Johannes Henrich and his wife Susanna Heydrick. It’s likely that if I were to trace these families back through Germany, I’d find additional points of collapse.

These are just the families I’ve found in my direct ancestry. Collateral lines have additional cousin marriages. And then there are those relations who are yet unproven. For instance, I have “Hartzel” and “Hertzel” ancestors who were said to be brothers. How many more points of collapse will I find as I go further back?

Why is This Important?

That interesting fun fact is actually useful in your research. Related families often moved and settled together. Cousin marriages one or two generations on were not uncommon. From our perspective, working backward through our family lines, these marriages may not appear to be cousin marriages. Our ancestors may or may not have known they were cousins, but we don’t. It’s only after we get back another generation or two that we finally make the connection and see the relationships.

It may not even be your line that reveals the relationship. So, if you’re stuck, researching those around your brickwall—friends, siblings, neighbors, associates—may be more help than you think. Check out the in-laws, too. Who knows, they may just be family.

Update: When Did George Hocker Jr. Die?

Kris Hocker on 4 Dec 2016

When Did George Hocker Jr. Die?

In my last post regarding George3 Hocker Jr.’s (Johann George2, Christopher1) date of death, I had to evaluate conflicting information to determine George’s approximate date of death. Based on that information I could only conclude that George died sometime prior to 16 October 1821, the alleged death date of his father.1

Now, based on his administration account, I know that George3 Hocker Jr. died prior to 3 October 1800. On that date, his widow Mary Hocker filed an admin. bond with Henry Scheetz, paper maker of Montgomery County,2 Jacob Snyder, grocer of Philadelphia, and Jacob Lentz, storekeeper of Germantown.3 She and Henry were named administrators of George’s estate; Jacob Snyder and Jacob Lentz were the sureties. An inventory of his estate was taken on 24 October 1800. It included accoutrements appropriate for an innkeeper, including: “5 pine tables & 2 benches,” “2 doz. Windsor chairs,” “3 tin coffee Potts & 1 Kettle,” “6 pewter Quart & 6 pewter pint mugs,” “2 China Bowles & 3 servers,” “1 Barr top,” “1 [hogshead] Cherry Rum,” and approximately 10 feather beds and bedsteads.4 On 14 June 1806, Mary Hocker and Henry Scheetz sold a lot in the Northern Liberties for $500.5

Putting this information together with the prior information, I can say that George3 Hocker Jr. died sometime between 1 June 17976 and 3 October 1800, at most a couple months before 3 October and most likely in September.

Jacob Snyder of Upper Hanover Township In Search of Henry Snyder's (1792-1860) Family

Kris Hocker on 28 Nov 2016

Jacob Snyder of Upper Hanover Township

Way back in October of 2015, I wrote a post about the search for Henry Schneider of Upper Hanover Township’s parents. Based on census research, I hypothesized that Henry was possibly the son of Jacob and Catharine (___) Snyder of Upper Hanover Township and may have had a brother named Jacob and sisters named Catharine and Elizabeth.

There were entries with a Jacob Snyder as the head of household in the 1800 through 1820 United States Federal Census enumerations. In 1830, Catharine Snyder was the head of the household, indicating that Jacob likely died sometime in between 1820 and 1830.

Searching the Orphan’s Court records for this period yielded the petition of Catharine Snyder and Henry Snyder, administrators of Jacob Snyder of Upper Hanover Township.1 According to the petition, Jacob died intestate and left children, as follows: Henry, Jacob, Elizabeth, Catharine, Samuel, Daniel, Michael, John, Sarah, and Jonas. The youngest, Sarah and Jonas, were yet minors. The record states that Jacob’s personal estate was not enough to pay his debts and the family wanted to sell his 85 acres of land. Peter Gery and Jacob Griessemer were the sureties for the bond.

The widow Catharine went to Court to petition for a guardian for her son Jonas on 16 November 1829.2 The Court appointed Michael Gery of Hereford Township, Berks County. Her daughter Sarah Snyder, who was over the age of 14, petitioned the Court to allow her to choose her guardian. She chose Conrad Brey and the Court approved him.

On 21 November 1829, Henry sold Jacob’s land to Michael Gery of Berks County for $30 per acre, totaling $2,550. Catharine and Henry presented their administration of the estate to the Court on 13 April 1831.3

Thus, in these records we not only have Jacob and Catharine Snyder, Henry’s possible parents, as members of one family, but also Jacob, Elizabeth, and Catharine, Henry’s possible siblings as named in the New Goshenhoppen Church register.4 In this one family, we find all the hypothesized connections found previously in other records.

There are also clues to other possible relatives in the bond sureties and guardians appointed for her two youngest children: Peter Gery, Jacob Griessemer, Conrad Brey and Michael Gery. When you consider that there was an Elizabeth Snyder the correct age to be Henry’s sister living in the Joseph Gery household in Upper Hanover Township in 1850,5 it is not unreasonable to conclude that there may have been a connection between this Schneider family and the Gery family of Hereford Township, Berks County. Especially, when Joseph Gery and his wife Anna sponsored a daughter of Daniel Schneider at New Goshenhoppen Church in 1834.6 It’s entirely possible that this Daniel was the son of Jacob and Catharine Snyder.

Furthermore, Gertraut Griesemer of Hereford Township married Jacob Gery and had children, including sons named Jacob, Peter and Michael.7 So, there is a connection between the Gery and Griesemer families, as well.

So, does this prove that Jacob and Catherine were Henry’s parents? I think it shows that it is a workable hypothesis, but I’d want more information before calling it “proof.” What I need to know now: Who exactly were Peter Gery, Michael Gery, Jacob Griesemer, and Conrad Brey? How were they related—if they were—to Jacob and/or Catharine? To have these men appear in these records, certainly raises a flag, indicating more research on them and their families is required. Any additional connections I find or don’t find between the families will help to prove or disprove the possibility of a familial relationship.

Part III: Georg Huber and Anna Maria Hooß

Kris Hocker on 5 Oct 2016

I examined records from Lancaster County for Hans Georg and Anna Maria and  records in Blankenloch for Georg and his three marriages. Yet, I don’t have proof regarding the identity of the immigrant. Was he the father or the son?

Internet data shows it as the father—the man who married Anna Maria Hooß. The Blankenloch ortssippenbuch states it was the son, but has no birth, marriage or death information for the father’s family after 1736.

Can the immigrant’s associations with others from Baden-Durlach tell us anything?

Hans Adam Ulrich

Hans Adam Ulrich was born in Büchig 22 February 1717, son of Hans Georg Ulrich and Anna Catharina Nagel.1 He married Juliana Seeger, daughter of Martin Seeger and Maria Barbara (___), on 7 September 1734.2 They emigrated from Büchig, arriving in Philadelphia on 12 October 1738 aboard the snow Fox.3 In Pennsylvania they were sponsors for Georg and Anna Maria Huber and the Hubers sponsored a number of their children, as well.

Adam Ulrich’s mother was a Nagel, just like Georg Sr.’s first wife, Anna Barbara. Anna Barbara (Nagel) Huber’s mother was an Ulrich. You’d think there would be a connection between families. With the available information, however, I was not able to find one.

However, Juliana (Seeger) Ulrich’s sister, Maria Barbara, married Anna Barbara (Nagel) Huber’s brother Hans Noa Nagel in 1722. So, there was a connection there. Adam Ulrich’s brother-in-law was also Hans Georg Huber Sr.’s brother-in-law for a time. Anna Barbara (Nagel) Huber died in December 1722, twelve years before Adam married Juliana, but Juliana likely knew her sister’s in-laws, especially Georg Jr. who was only eight years her junior.

Sebastian Näss

Sebastian Näss (or Neeß) was a shoemaker from Rußheim, Baden-Durlach. He was born about 1683 and first married sometime before 1706 as his first child Johann Michael was born on 15 March 1706.4 He had seven children with his first wife before her death in 1726. He married Catharina Barbara Brecht on 29 October 1726 and had two more children.5 She died 5 February 1730. I found no connections between Sebastian and Georg based on the available records in the ortissippenbuchs from Rußheim and Blankenloch.

Sebastian’s eldest son Michael emigrated in 17376 and Sebastian, aged 55, followed the next year on the Friendship.7 Sebastian served as a sponsor for two of Georg’s children and Georg sponsored Sebastian’s youngest son, Sebastian, in 1745.

Philipp Jacob Hooß

Anna Maria Hooß’s brother, Philipp, also emigrated in 1738, arriving with Hans Adam Ulrich on the snow Fox on 12 October.8 Philipp’s signature appears next to Adam’s on both lists B and C.

All three men—Georg Huber, Adam Ulrich and Philipp Hooß—had children baptized at Muddy Creek and the Warwick congregation. And yet, Philipp did not sponsor any of Georg and Anna Maria’s children, not even Georg’s first child born in Pennsylvania, Johann Philipp. While it’s hardly proof of anything, I do find it hard to believe that Philipp wouldn’t sponsor any of his sister’s children.

On the other hand, there is a record for “George Hover” from an Orphan’s Court on 7 March 1748/9 which states:9

“JACOB HOVER an Orphan child of George Hover, chooses Philip Hofe his Guardian and he is appointed accordingly and also Guardian over all the younger children of the said George.”

The microfilm copy was a typed, “exact copy of the original” that was created in 1932, likely because the original was damaged. In old script “ss” was often written as “fs.” The typist may not have known that and interpreted as best they could. The name “Philip Hofe” may have actually been “Philip Hoss” or “Philip Hoß.”10

The person appointed as guardian was most often a relative. If Philip was actually Philip Hooß, then this would indicate to me that the estate pertains to Georg Huber, the husband of Anna Maria Hooß. Jacob would have been the couple’s eldest son Johan Jacob Huber, born 4 March 1734 in Blankenloch. At 15 years of age, he would have been old enough to choose his own guardian.

The index to Lancaster County wills indicates that Georg Huber left a last will & testament. However, it was not recorded because it was written in German. Nor does the original still exist. This unfortunate circumstance complicates research into this family.

Conclusions

In the end I didn’t find any clues regarding my ancestor Michael Huber. But since it was a long-shot, I’m not terribly surprised. It ended up being an interesting exercise anyway. I started out thinking I knew who I was researching. I found new and conflicting information that made me question that certainty. And ended up not far from where I began.

Here’s what I think.

The 1737 manumission for Hans Georg Huber, schuster, belongs to the son. I think that most likely the family emigrated in the spring of 1738. They likely travelled with Adam Ulrich’s family and Anna Maria’s brother Philipp and his wife Eva—as well as others who were leaving the Baden-Durlach area for Pennsylvania.

Georg Sr. either became friendly with Sebastian Näss on board ship—assuming they travelled on the same ship—or after arrival in Pennsylvania. They arrived about the same time, were of the same age, from the same area of Germany, had each been married several times,11 and were members of the same congregations.

The family settled in Lancaster County—most likely in Cocalico Township—and Georg died there in early 1749. Anna Maria’s brother served as guardian for her minor children. Any of Georg’s children from his first marriage who travelled with them were of legal age by that time, possibly with families of their own.

That’s my working hypothesis anyway. It’s too bad there are no tax records for the period between his arrival and Georg’s death, nor any land records I could locate, and no will. Those could have been illuminating.

It would be interesting to look at the church records to see who the witnesses were at the children’s baptisms in Blankenloch. I wish that information had been included in the ortssippenbuchs.

Part II: Georg Huber and Anna Maria Hooß

Kris Hocker on 4 Oct 2016

Yesterday I shared what I’ve learned about Hans Georg and Anna Maria (Hooß) Huber in baptismal records in Lancaster County and emigration records. Today I’ll cover what I learned about the pair from German records.

In Blankenloch

According to the Ortssippenbuch Blankenloch-Büchig und dem Studtensee, Georg Huber was a “fränkischer Artillerieschmied.”1 He  was the son of Thomas Huber of Balgheim and first married Anna Barbara Nagel, daughter of Georg Nagel and Anna Margaretha Ulrich, on 26 May 1711 in Blankenloch.2 Barbara was born 28 December 1684 in Blankenloch. They had children:

  1. Anna Margaretha (22 Nov 1711—26 Nov 1711)
  2. Hans Georg (8 Mar 1713—1 Feb 1714)
  3. Hans Adam (20 Aug 1715—)
  4. Georg Friedrich (4 Feb 1717—29 Dec 1773)
  5. Hans Georg (29 Dec 1718—)
  6. Catharina Barbara (25 Nov 1720—)
  7. Thomas (23 Dec 1722—17 Jul 1723)

According to the book, Hans Georg Huber, son of Hans Georg and Anna Barbara (Nagel) Huber, was the man who emigrated to America in 1738—Werner’s emigrant #4357.

Barbara died 20 December 1722 in Blankenloch and Georg married again on 28 June 1723 to Anna Barbara Boch, daughter of Antonius Boch.3 She was born in August 1676 in Blankenloch. She had been married previously to Isaac Heyl of Hagsfeld and had, it appears, one surviving child, Hans Wendel Heyl, born 8 March 1714.4 She died 10 January 1733 in Blankenloch.5

After Barbara’s death, Georg apparently married yet again, this time on 11 August 1733 to Anna Maria Hooß, daughter of Hans Jacob Hooß and Anna Maria Reinau.6 She was born 9 September 1710 in Blankenloch and she, too, had been married previously. She had been married to Hans Michael Hermann—a Soldat, “ein marggräflicher Musquetier.7 They had a son Hans Michel born 12 August 1731 and died 26 October 1731 in Blankenloch. Georg and Anna Maria apparently had two children in Blankenloch:

  1. Hans Jacob (4 Mar 1734—)
  2. Johann Friedrich (26 Jun 1736—)

Father or Son?

So, who was the Georg Huber who arrived in Pennsylvania by 1739? Was it the father born in Balgheim? Or the son born in Blankenloch? Which one married Anna Maria Hooß?

Werner’s entry for Hans Georg Huber provides little information. No age, no indication of whether or not he was traveling with a spouse or children, no occupation.8 The entry in the ortssippenbuch for Hans Georg Huber Jr. states “Bemerkung: Schuster, 1738 nach Amerika auswandert, Regesten Nr. 4357.”9 The son, it appears, was a shoemaker.

Although no birth date is provided for Hans Georg Huber Sr., his first wife was born in 1684 and his second in 1676. I think it’s highly likely that he was in the same age group, possibly born in the mid-1670s to early 1680s. This means he was significantly older than his third wife Anna Maria who was born in 1710.

So, can we tell if he was the man who married Anna Maria? Could it have been the son?

The records in the ortssippenbuch for Georg and his three wives list his occupation. In the first he was a schmied or Artillerieschmied—a blacksmith, one with knowledge of artillery. In the second he’s listed as a hufschmied or farrier. I would presume there’s more need for a farrier than an artillery smith in village life and the skillset is applicable.

The third record which includes Anna Maria also lists his occupation as hufschmied. This would seem to indicate that it was George Sr. who married Anna Maria, not George Jr. Given the practice of apprenticeship in Germany, switching occupations was not easily done, especially in just four years.

Furthermore, George was also a full citizen of Blankenloch at the time of this marriage. There are at least two ways I know to become a bürger. One was to be the child of a bürger and born in the village, the second was to purchase the status.10 The purchase price could be steep and it did not transfer from village to village.

So, for George, who was not born in Blankenloch, to be a bürger in 1733 speaks to both an acceptance by other Blankenloch residents and a certain level of financial success between 1723 and 1733. Would he have given that up in 1737 when, presumably he was in his mid-to-late 50s or early 60s? It’s not unheard of. My ancestor Christoph Hacker and his wife emigrated when they were in their 50s.

There are no death dates provided for George Sr., Anna Maria, and a number of his/their children in the Blankenloch ortssippenbuch. This would mean that there were no death records found for any of these family members in the town church books. In fact, the ortssippenbuch shows no records for this family group after 1736. Why not? If they didn’t leave for America in 1738, where did they go?

The only family member with further information was Georg Friedrich. He married 5 January 1753 and died 29 December 1773 in Gräben where he was a farmhand. Even he did not remain in Blankenloch. Furthermore, there is a note that he applied to emigrate to Denmark with his wife and five children in 1761, though he did not leave.11 None of the Huber families listed in Blankenloch in the early 1700s apparently stayed.

Based on this information, I believe Hans Georg Huber Sr. married Anna Maria Hooß. However, I still can’t tell who was the emigrant—father or son or both.

Check back tomorrow for more analysis. Maybe their ties to and relationships with others will help paint a clearer picture.

Part I: Georg Huber and Anna Maria Hooß

Kris Hocker on 3 Oct 2016

Recently, I’ve been looking into Hans George Huber and his wife Anna Maria Hooß. For no other reason than that he’s a Huber and his children share some of the same given names as my ancestor Michael Huber’s children. It’s a long shot, but I figured it was worth a little research. I like research.

Most of what I have is information I’ve pulled from around the internet. Since quite a bit of it is not sourced, I’ve been verifying information where possible. This couple was Lutheran and had a number of children baptized at Muddy Creek and Warwick in the 1740s:1

  1. Johann Philipp Huber was born 28 Dec 1740 and baptized 26 January 1741 at Muddy Creek. His sponsors were Adam Ulrich and his wife Julianna.
  2. Julianna Huber was born 8 May 1743 and baptized at Warwick on 14 May 1743. She was also sponsored Adam Ulrich and wife.
  3. Anna Maria Huber was born 3 October 1744 and baptized at Warwick on 4 November 1744, sponsored by Adam Ulrich and wife.
  4. Anna Margaretha Huber was born 20 March 1746 and baptized at Warwick on 23 March 1746. She was sponsored by Sebastian Näss and his wife.
  5. Johann Friederich Huber was born 9 January 1748 and baptized 17 January 1748 at Warwick, sponsored also by Sebastian Näss and his wife.

George and Anna Maria also sponsored children of Adam Ulrich and Sebastian Näss, as follows:2

  1. Johan Georg Ulrich, son of Adam and Julianna, was born 6 November 1739 and baptized 16 December 1739 at Muddy Creek.
  2. Anna Maria Ulrich, daughter of Adam and Julianna, was born 10 February 1742 and baptized 28 March 1742 at Muddy Creek.
  3. Julianna Ulrich, daughter of Adam and Julianna, was born 2 April 1744 and baptized 8 April 1744 at Warwick.
  4. Sebastian Näss, son of Sebastian, was born 31 May 1745 and baptized 30 June 1745 at Warwick.

Usually when you see baptismal patterns like this, it suggests a familial relationship between the parents. At a minimum, given the years involved, it suggests that they may have been from the same area in Germany.

Emigration from Germany

I know from my Hacker family research that Sebastian emigrated in 17383 and was from Rußheim, a village in Baden-Durlach.4 He arrived on the Friendship on 20 September 1738. A little research into George and Adam shows that they were from Blankenloch and Büchig, two other villages in Baden-Durlach, just north of Karlsruhe.5

Both George and Adam received permission to leave Germany in October 1737. Adam can be found on the ship’s list for the snow Fox which arrived in Philadelphia on 12 October 1738.6 Werner indicates that, like Sebastian, George arrived on the Friendship. However, the ship’s list contains only “Jacob Hoover” and “Michael Hooverich” as possible matches for George and both men’s age is shown as 25.7

I’m a little perplexed on how to rationalize “George” as “Jacob.”  Take a look at the signature from the ship’s list.

Hans Jacob Huber from ship's list

On both list B and C, Hans Jacob signed with his mark (H).8 List A is not included for this ship in Volume II of Pennsylvania German Pioneers, but his name is given as “Jacob Hoover” on the captain’s list as well, according to the list in Volume I. Since he didn’t actually sign his own name, I suppose it’s possible that the clerk got it wrong, but you would think the captain would have had the correct name for his passenger. Right?

Suffice it to say, that I don’t know for sure exactly when George arrived. It’s extremely likely that he arrived in the fall of 1738 with a number of other emigrants from Baden-Durlach, especially given his later connections to Adam and Sebastian. However, the ships’ lists do not provide evidence of his arrival. He was absolutely here by 9 November 1739 when he and his wife sponsored Adam’s son Georg, but beyond that is not yet determined.

In Blankenloch

Since Adam and George were from Büchig and Blankenloch, I consulted the ortssippenbuch for information on their families.9 While it provided valuable information, I can’t say it cleared much up for me.

Check back tomorrow for the continuation.

Update (10/4)
hans george huber signature

Hans George Huber’s signature

I remembered I had the signatures of the original members of the Warwick congregation in 1743. Hans Georg Huber signed as a member and representative of his family. This makes it even more unlikely, in my opinion, that he was the “Hans Jacob Hoover” on the Friendship’s passenger lists.

Friday Find: Christoph Hacker’s Manumission

Kris Hocker on 30 Sep 2016

I recently ordered Werner Hacker’s Auswanderungen aus Baden und dem Breisgau through Interlibrary Loan for some research I’m doing. I’ve wanted to check it out for a while, so I was really excited when my library notified me it was in. But that was nothing compared to the excitement to come.

I was idly flipping through the book, getting accustomed to it’s contents and organization. I don’t know German, so I was looking more than reading, but keeping an eye out for words and locations that I do know.

The book covers eighteenth century emigrations from Baden, now part of Baden-Württemberg, and Breisgau, then a kingdom ruled by Austria. One section of the book includes examples of manumissions from various locations.1  My eye caught on Baden-Durlach. My Hackers and Weidmans were from the Karlsruhe section of Baden-Durlach. So, I paused and skimmed the text and I saw “…Christoph Hackers von Rußheim Manumissions…”

HOLY SMOKES!

Searching the text I saw the date of 7 March 1752. My ancestor Christoph Hacker, his wife, two daughters and two sons-in-law, arrived in Philadelphia on 23 October 1752.2 They would have had to leave Rußheim in the spring of 1752, and, in fact, may have left on 16 March 1752.3

Name, location and date all seem to indicate that this could be the actual manumission for Christoph and Anna Margaretha (Jock) Hacker. Wow! Talk about a lucky find.

And if Professor Hacker could include it in his book, I could get a copy, too. I always presumed that those records likely didn’t exist anymore due to the destruction of WWI and WWII. Lesson: Don’t presume a record is lost. Always check.

I’m going to have to write to the Archives in Karlsruhe. Anybody know German?

Tombstone Tuesday: Christopher Hocker (1739-1819) Could This Be Adam and Elizabeth's Son?

Kris Hocker on 20 Sep 2016

I was kind of excited when I first found this entry for Christopher Hocker on Find A Grave. Uncle Bill determined through his research that our Christopher left Harrisburg, moved north, and his family settled in Lycoming County. Could this entry be for our Christopher and finally provide a death date and burial place?

Find A Grave Entry: Christopher Hocker

Find A Grave Entry: Christopher Hocker

But in looking at the data, the only things that match are the name and death location.1 The birth date and death date don’t fit. Not at all.

Son of Adam and Elisabetha (Weidman) Hacker

What do we know about our Christopher?

He was born 21 February 1760 in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, baptized at Emanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, and sponsored by his uncle Christopher Weidman.2 Stophel,3 as he was called, was the third son of Johann Adam Hacker and his wife Maria Elisabetha Weidman.

Like his older brothers Frederick and John, Christopher served in the Lancaster County militia under Captain Michael Oberly in 1781.4 And like his brothers John, and Adam, he moved to Harrisburg after his father’s death. The three of them are listed in Harrisburg tax records in 1791.5 He’s found in various land and tax records in Lower Paxton Township from about 1795 through 1807.

So, about that time he left the Harrisburg area and started moving north. According to the 1810 census for Mohantango Township, Northumberland County, he was an innkeeper with three males between 10 and 26 and four females between 0 and 26, along with himself (45+) and his wife (26-45).6 In 1820, he can be found in the census enumeration for Williamsport.7 His household included one male under 10, one male over 45, one female under 10, one female 10-16, one female 16-26, and one female 26-45. The 1830 census shows him aged 60-70, living in Chapman Township, Union County.8 His household also included a male 5-10, a male 10-15, a female 15-20, a female 20-30, and a female 40-50.

If these records pertain to our Christopher, then he was alive as of 1830 and obviously didn’t die in 1819. Since the record includes a photo of the gravestone, what can it tell us?

If you look at the photo—even enlarged—it’s hard to read. But even so, I’m not seeing a death date in March 1819. To me it looks more like May 183[?], possibly 1839? And his age at death? Seventy something years, maybe two[?] months and [?] days. Since the birth date is not on the stone, the date in the memorial entry is likely calculated from the death date and age at death. If one of those was interpreted incorrectly from the gravestone, then the birthday would be off.

If I’m correct about the gravestone not matching the record entry and if it reads 1830 or 1839 and if his age at death was 70 or 79 years, then it’s possible that it could be a match for our Christopher who would have been 70 years old as of 21 February 1830.

I’ve submitted a request for a new photo—one that I hope is easier to read. Until some kind soul helps, this record will just have to stay in the “I’m hopeful the record is wrong and I’m reading the stone correctly; it could be a match” category.