Family Research – Page 3 – A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy

52 Ancestors: Daniel Bobb Sr. (1747-1833)

Kris Hocker on 19 Aug 2014

Daniel Bobb Sr. Daniel Bobb of Hereford Township wrote his last will and testament on Saturday, 26 May 1827 and it was proven on Tuesday, 19 March 1833 in Berks County.¹

It read:

In the name of God, Amen—

I Daniel Bob Senior of Hereford Township in the County of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, Miller, being advanced in years though in perfect health of body, and of sound mind memory and understanding, but considering the uncertainty of this transitory life, do make and publish this my last will and testament, in manner & form following, to wit:

First, it is my will that all my just debts and funeral expence by duly paid and satisfied as soon as conveniently can be after my decease.

Item, it is my will and I do order and direct that my son Daniel his heirs Executors or administrators, shall, in pursuance of Articles of agreement between us now in the hands of Joseph M. Thompson, dated the 12th day of December AD 1826 — and of a special bond, or bond of maintenance given me by my said son Daniel dated in April 1827; give and render unto my beloved wife Catharine, as follows, that is to say — first, the full & absolute possession of the dwelling house wherein I now reside, and the garden thereto belonging, he shall deliver so much manure into said Garden, and at such times as my wife shall order and direct, and shall keep said garden fence in repair, he shall find my said wife so much fuel as she may request, cut small, suitable for the stove, and deliver the same to her door, or into her house, as she my order, and shall keep the fountain pump at said house in repair. He shall deliver my said wife yearly & every year, ten bushels of merchantable wheat, twelve bushels of Rye, ten bushels buckwheat & six bushels of Indian corn, to be ready ground & delivered into her house as such times and in such quantities as my said wife shall order. He shall also deliver to such place as my said wife shall direct, six bushels of good potatoes, six bushels of winter apples, of her choice, on the premises of my said son Daniel; also apples for drying & for her own summer use. Also to barrels of cider, one swine well fattened & to weigh two hundred pounds or upwards, killed & nicely cleaned, seventy five pounds weight of good beef, ten pounds & well hatcheled flax, eight pounds of good [?], six pounds of good clean wool, & two [?] bushels of salt; and shall keep number and provide for my said wife an half dozen hens, and an equal number & year, to kill if she sees proper. He shall feed in winter and pasture in summer for my said wife, one cow, in the same manner as his own are fed & pastured. All and singular the aforesaid provisions for my said wife , shall however, cease I determine so soon as she shall cease to be my widow, anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding, —

Item I do give & devise unto my said wife Catharine, further, all my household & kitchen furnature; bedding linnen &c. included, one cow of her choice, of my stock of cattle; twenty five pounds of lawfull money of Pennsylvania, to be paid to her by my executors soon after my decease;d and the interest of six hundred pounds (which sum I do hereby order & direct my executors hereinafter named to place, or let remain on interest for that purpose) yearly & every year during her lifetime. And further it is my will and I do order and direct, that in case my said wife should become helpless, or not able to do her own work; that then and in that case my Executors shall find, and, out of my estate, pay, a maid to do the work for & wait, on, my said wife. —

After the decease of my said wife it is my will, that, her movables, if there by any, shall be equally divided among my six children, hereinafter named. —

And as touching all the rest and residue of my estate, not otherwise disposed of, as also (after the decease of my said wife Catharine) the six hundred pounds, which I have ordered to be put on interest for my said wife, I do give and devise to same to my six children, viz. Elizabeth intermarried with Isaac Kummerer, John, Daniel, Mary intermarried with John Beitler, Catharine intermarried with Samuel Reidnower and Sarah intermarried with John Landis, share and share alike — The several sums of money or other things with which I have charged my children, or of which I have kept a memmorandum, shall be taken into account, in making distribution of my estate, among my said children; but no interest shall be charged to my said children, on my book account, or bonds, notes &c. that I may have against any of them. —

And whereas my son in law Samuel Reidnower has become an intemperate drinker, and does not treat my said daughter Catharine as an affectionate husband aught to do, therefore it is my will I do order and direct, that so much of my estate as would in pursuance of this my will fall to my daughter Catharine, shall be placed, or remain in the hands of my son Daniel, his executors or administrators, in trust for my said daughter Catharine, who shall if he or they can put the same to interest, and pay the said interest, yearly to my said daughter Catharine, and I do hereby further authorize my said son Daniel, his executors or administrators, as trustees of my said daughter Catharine to pay here from time to time such sum or sums, of the principle in his or their hands, as he or they shall in their discretion, think, she may stand in need of or her circumstances may require —

In case my said daughter should become a widow, the said trustee or trustees, shall forthwith, pay my said daughter Catharine, the ballance of her portion, in their hands, in full, but is she should no become a widow, the said trustee or trustees shall at her decease pay the ballance in their hands, to the legal heirs or representatives of my said daughter Catharine — The foregoing shall not be so construed as to make my son Daniel pay interest on my said daughters money, unless he can put it out to interest

And lastly I do nominate constitute and appoint my said son Daniel & my son in law Isaac Kummerer, to be executors of this my will, hereby revoking all others wills legacies & bequests by me heretofore made, and declaring this and no other, to be my last Will & Testament — In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 26 day of May in the year of Our Lord one thousand and eight hundred and twenty seven.
Daniel Bob {seal}
Signed Sealed & declared by the said testator as his last will & testament in the presence of us
Henry Eshbach
Elijah Eshbach

Berks County Ss —On the 19th day of March AD 1835 Then appeared Henry Eshbach and Elijah Eshbach and being duly sworn according to law, did depose and say that they were present and saw and heard the Testator sign, seal, publish, pronounce and de- this instrument of writing as and for his last Will and Testament and that at the time of the doing thereof he was of sound mind memory and understanding to the best of their knowledge, observation & belief.
Jer. Snyder Dept Reg’r

Letters Testamentary in Common form were granted to Daniel Bob & Isaac Kummerer

Daniel Bobb Sr.’s 1833 last will & testament

Daniel Bobb Sr. was buried in Hill Church Union Cemetery in Boyertown, Berks County, Pennsylvania.² Daniel named his wife Catharine and six children in his will.

Elizabeth Bobb was born 23 Mar 1776 and died 30 Jun 1850.³ She married Isaac Kummerer. He was born 27 October 1769 and died 16 April 1838.⁴
John Bobb was born about 1766-1784.
Daniel Bobb Jr. was born 26 July 1780 and died 27 June 1866.⁵ Daniel married Anna Margaret Herb, daughter of Abraham and Anna Sibilla (Fuchs) Herb, on 7 July 1805 in Oley Hills, Berks County.⁶ She was born 1 Jan 1783 and died 21 December 1865.⁷
Mary Bobb was born before 1790. She married John Beitler.
Catharina Bobb was born 6 Oct 1790 and died 9 July 1867. She married Samuel Reitenauer.
Sarah Bobb was born between 1795 and 1800. She married John Landis.⁸

This post is part of an ongoing, blogging challenge entitled 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, created by Amy Crow of No Story Too Small. Participants must write about one ancestor every week. This is my twentieth 52 Ancestors post and part of week thirty-three.

Friday Find: Christian Hoover’s Farm

Kris Hocker on 8 Aug 2014

Quehanna Hoover Road Trail

Thanks to the sleuthing of some family members on the ground in Pennsylvania, I believe we finally know where Christian Hoover’s farm was located.

If you remember from my previous post—Where Did My Christian Hoover Live?—I’d determined that his farm was originally part of the Dodge Lands, tract #5404. A map that I located seemed to indicate that this would have placed his farm near Twelvemile Run. Not too far from the stream, a road named “Hoover road” (previously Driftwood Pike) bears north off the Quehanna Highway toward Driftwood. I’ve been thinking that his farm was somewhere in this area off Hoover road.

However, my relatives discovered the Hoover Farm Wildlife Viewing area (seen in Google Map below).

Looking at it on the map. It’s just to the south of the Hoover road turnoff and near Twelvemile Run. It looks like I wasn’t too far off on my estimated location.

Quehanna Hoover Farm Blind

The farm is apparently now part of Pennsylvania’s Quehanna Wildlife Area. There is a viewing blind on the property, where visitors can watch wildlife feeding in the farm’s fields and feeding plots.

Christian L. Hoover died on 1 October 1887. His heirs—adult children Reuben, Samuel, Simon, George, and minor child Eva, and widow Mary Ann (Conaway) Hoover—sold his property to George Boak, in trust for the Wildwood Company, in 1889.¹ It eventually became part of the Curtiss-Wright property by the 1920s or 30s.² The state purchased the land from Curtiss-Wright in 1967.³

I obviously never knew my 3x great grandfather. But since his descendants have such a keen appreciation for the outdoors, I think he’d appreciate the use the state has found for what was once his land.

Now if I could only find his family in the 1870 and 1880 census!

Photo Credit:
Photo 1: “Quehanna Hoover Road Trail” by Ruhrfisch (talk) – photographed it myself. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Photo 2: “Quehanna Hoover Farm Blind” by Ruhrfisch (talk) – photographed, stitched, and cropped it myself, originally two horizontal photos.This panoramic image was created with Autostitch. Stitched images may differ from reality. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

52 Ancestors: Daniel Bobb Jr. (1781-1866)

Kris Hocker on 5 Aug 2014

52 Ancestors - Daniel Bobb Jr. (1780-1866) This week’s ancestor is Daniel Bobb Jr., father-in-law of #18 Henry Moyer Eshbach.

Daniel Bobb Jr. of Washington Township, Berks County was the son of Daniel Bobb of Hereford Township. He was born Wednesday, 26 July 1781 in Berks County and died Tuesday, 27 February 1866.¹ He was buried in Hill Union Church cemetery in Boyertown. Like his father, Daniel was a miller by trade.

Daniel married on Sunday, 7 July 1805 Anna Margaret Herb in Oley Hills, Berk County.² She was the daughter of Abraham and Anna Sybilla (Fuchs) Herb of Hereford Township.³ She was born on 1 January 1783⁴, died on 21 December 1865, and was buried in Hill Union Church cemetery.⁵

Daniel wrote his last will and testament on Friday, 16 February 1866 and it was proven on Thursday, 15 March that same year.⁶ It names his nine children:

I give and bequeath all my estate…in nine equal shares to my nine children…one ninth to my son Henry, one ninth to my son Daniel, one ninth to my son John, one ninth to my son Abraham, one ninth to the children of my deceased son William, one ninth to the children of my deceased daughter Lydia, one ninth to my daughter Mary the wife of Henry Reitnauer, one ninth to my daughter Sally the wife of Jacob Christman, and one ninth to my daughter Elizabeth.

Daniel and his wife Anna Margaret (Herb) Bobb had children:

Catherine Lydia Bobb Eshbach (1805—1859)
Anna Bobb (1807—1829)
Henry Bobb (1809—1891)
Daniel H. Bobb (1810—1891)
Johannes “John” H. Bobb (1813—1900)
Mary Bobb Reitnauer (ca 1815-1820—?)
Abraham H. Bobb (1816—1906)
William H. Bobb (1819—1865)
Sarah H. Bobb Christman (1821—1910)
Elizabeth Bobb (1826—aft 1870)

This post is part of an ongoing, blogging challenge entitled 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, created by Amy Crow of No Story Too Small. Participants must write about one ancestor every week. This is my nineteenth 52 Ancestors post and part of week thirty-one.

Will: John Frantz (Manor), 1787

Kris Hocker on 30 Jul 2014

John Frantz of Manor Township wrote his last will and testament on 3 March 1786 when he was “old but of sound understanding & memory.” It was proven on 10 February 1787 when letters testamentary were issued to his “friend” Jacob Brubaker and “son” Jacob Frantz, his executors.

John Frantz, Dec’d
In the Name of God Amen.
I John Frantz of Mannor Township in the County of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania Farmer being old but of sound understanding & memory (God by thanked) and calling to mind the mortality of my Body and Knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die I therefore do hereby make my last will and Testament
First I recommend my soul into the Hands of the Almighty God who gave it and my Body to be interred in hopes of a glorious resurrection through the merits of my Redeemer Jesus Christ and as to my Worldly Estate I give and bequeath the same in manner following
First It is my Will that all my just Debts shall be paid out of my Estate
Item I bequeath unto my four sons viz John Christian Jacob and Michael their Heirs & assigns to each of their Heirs & assigns the same of Five hundred Pounds of Good money which each of them has received already in the lands which they have got of me
Item I give and bequeath unto my Daughter Elizabeth her heirs and assigns the sum of five hundred and seventy Pounds in good money in gold or silver coin which my hereafter named Executors shall pay to her as soon as it can be made up out of my estate as her own property and that on account of my having given to my sons their lands something under price
Item I further order that if when my said Daughter Elizabeth has received her sum of money then the remainder of my estate shall be divided into equal shares to my children which I hereby name viz John Christian Jacob Michael and Elizabeth and each of them shall have as much as the other and none more than the other
Item I make constitute and appoint my Friend Jacob Brubacker and my son Jacob Frantz to be my whole & sole Executors of this my Last will and Testament making hereby null and void all my former wills & Testaments declaring this and no other to be my Last will and Testament In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand & seal the third day of March in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty six
sealed signed & pronounced by the said John Frantz as his last will
& testament in the presence of us Jacob Kilheffer John Kilheffer

John Frantz (seal)

Lancaster County to wit On the tenth Day of February Anno Domini 1787 Before me the subscriber Personally appeared Jacob Killhefer and John Killhefer the two subscribing witnesses to the within Instrument of writing and on their solemn affirmation according to Law did Declare affirm and say that they were present and saw and heard John Frantz the Testator within named sign seal Publish pronounce and Declare the within writing as and for his Last Will and Testament and that at the doing thereof he was of sound and well disposing mind memory and understanding to the best of their Knowledge observation and Belief James Jacks Regr.
Be it remembered that on the Tenth day of February Anno 1787 the Last will and Testament of John Frantz late of Mannor Township Yeoman Deceased was proved in Due form of Law and Letters Testamentary thereon were granted unto Jacob Brubaker and Jacob Frantz the Executors in the said will named they having first been duly qualified well and truly to administer the estate of the said deceased and especially to exhibit a true and perfect Inventory thereof into the Registers Office at Lancaster within one month from the Date and to to render a just and true account of their administration on said Estate within one year or when thereof Lawfully required given under the seal of said office P me James Jacks Regr.¹

Based on this last will & testament and the deeds mentioned in previous Frantz articles, Hans and Catharine Frantz of Manor Township had five surviving children (in order listed in will):

John Frantz (of Warwick), married Elizabeth Hostetter[?]
Christian Frantz (of Manheim), married Mary (___)
Jacob Frantz (of Manor & Lampeter), married Barbara Hostetter [?], married 2nd Maria (___)
Michael Frantz (of Londonderry and Lower Paxton), married Fannie Nissley
Elizabeth Frantz

Ahnentafel Roulette—#24 Karl Phillipp Greulich

Kris Hocker on 26 Jul 2014

Randy Seaver at Geneamusings posts a genealogy fun challenge every Saturday. Today is ahnentafel roulette. The rules are:

1) What year was one of your great-grandfathers born? Divide this number by 80 and round the number off to a whole number. This is your “roulette number.”
2) Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ancestral name list (some people call it an “ahnentafel” – your software will create this – use the “Ahnentafel List” option, or similar). Who is that person, and what are his/her vital information?
3) Tell us three facts about that person in your ancestral name list with the “roulette number.”
4) Write about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook status or a Google Stream post, or as a comment on this blog post.
5) NOTE: If you do not have a person’s name for your “roulette number” then “spin” the wheel again – pick a great-grandmother, a grandfather, a parent, a favorite aunt or cousin, yourself, or even your children! Or pick an ancestor!

So, I chose a great grandfather (in fact, I tried this will all four of them!), got his birth year (1880), and divided by 80. The number, rounded to a whole number, was 24 (all four times!).

Number 24 in my ahnentafel report was Karl “Charles” Phillipp Greulich.

Three facts about my great great grandfather are:

Charles was born 13 September 1838 in Haag, Mosbach, Baden-Wurtemberg (now Germany) to Georg Phillipp Greulich and Anna Margaretha Wurzel.
In 1755, when Charles was 17, his father died and his property went to his eldest (adopted) son Phillipp Peter, son of Georg’s first wife, Maria Katharina Lindenbach. Charles, his sister Eva, and their half-brother Georg Phillipp Jakob emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on 28 January 1856.
Charles was a shoemaker in East Greenville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, who had fourteen children with his two wives—one with his first wife Susanna Krauss Wolf, and thirteen with his second wife, Susanna’s sister, Caroline Krauss Wolf. They were daughters of Joel and Elizabeth (Krauss) Wolf.

featured image photo credit: Håkan Dahlström via photopin cc

Hans and Catharine Frantz of Manor Township

Kris Hocker on 18 Jul 2014

The Sons of Hans & Catharina Frantz

In my last post, I reported that based on deed research Michael Frantz of Londonderry and Lower Paxton townships was the son of Hans and Catharina Frantz of Manor Township. When Michael died two men—Jacob Frantz of Manor and Christian Frantz of Manheim—were the administrators of his estate and guardians of his underage children. Were they Michael’s brothers?

The last will and testament of John Frantz of Manor Township was proven 10 February 1787. It was a German will, recorded in Will Book Y2, so it is not available online at FamilySearch. Is there any other way to determine the names of Hans’ children?

On 18 April 1785, Hans and his wife sold 224 acres in Derry Township to his son Michael.¹ This could be part of a pattern I’ve seen fairly often in researching Lancaster County families and their land transactions—aged parents selling their land to their children in the years before their deaths. Land was wealth. So, selling to his children was a means for a father (most often) to disperse his estate exactly as he wanted while he was still alive. It also allowed him to generate an income to support himself, his wife, and possibly younger children who hadn’t yet moved out into the world.

It’s a pattern that I believe held true for Hans Frantz of Manor Township. In the years just prior to writing his will, Hans and Catharine sold several tracts of land to Christian, John, Michael and Jacob Frantz. At least three of the tracts were outside Manor Township, possibly indicating that they had been purchased specifically for their children.

Christian Frantz

On 27 December 1783, Hans and Catharine sold Christian Frantz 296 acres in Donegal Township, adjoining that of Ephraim Moore, Robert Allison, John Allison, Elizabeth Mitchell, William Bryan, and Samuel Fulton.² Hans had purchased this land from Simon Snyder on 23 August 1769.³ Christian and Mary Frantz, of Manheim Township, sold the land in Donegal on 14 May 1785 to Christian Nisle.⁴

John Frantz Jr.

On 12 March 1785, Hans and Catharina sold 175 acres in Donegal to John Frantz (the younger), of Donegal.⁵ They had purchased it from David and Grace Caldwell on 18 May 1761. This land had been patented to Patrick Allison, Grace’s father, on 20 May 1737.⁶ The following spring, on 3 May 1786, John and Elizabeth Frantz, of Warwick Township, sold this tract of land in Donegal to John Longenecker.⁷

Jacob Frantz

On 7 November 1785, Hans Frantz sold 166 acres of land in Manor Township to Jacob Frantz. This tract adjoined that of Rudy Herr, Henry Kilhover, and George Ziegler.⁸ Hans bought this land from Christian and Barbara Frantz in 1746/7.⁹ It was originally part of the Andrew Hamilton tract. It passed from Hamilton to Michael Baughman, then part of it to Christian Frantz. I believe this was likely the “mansion tract” or Manor land where Hans and Catharine resided.

While these land sales follow a pattern that seems to indicate a familial relationship between the parties, these deeds—unlike Michael’s land sale of 1790—do not specifically name Christian, John, or Jacob as the children of Hans Frantz.

However, when Jacob wrote his will on 16 April 1799, he directed that his “wife and children shall keep house together on my Plantation in Mannor township for the use of my Estate until my Eldest son John shall arrive to the age of twenty one years…”¹⁰ Furthermore, he nominated his brothers John and Christian to be his executors. On 22 January 1803, John Frantz and Christian Frantz, executors, and John Frantz, the eldest son of Jacob Frantz of Lampeter, appointed appraisers for the Manor Township property on Little Conestoga Creek, adjoining land of John Kilheffer and Rudy Herr.¹¹

In his will, Jacob left his Lampeter Township land, where he lived, to his sons Jacob and Christian. This land adjoined that of “Andrew Heller, Jacob Kreder, George Bards, Conestogo Creek and others.”¹² On 7 February 1807, Jacob Frantz of Lampeter received a mortgage on the Lampeter property from “John Frantz of Warwick Township and Christian Frantz of Manheim Township both of the county and state aforesaid,” executors of the last will and testament of Jacob Frantz, deceased.¹³

Jacob’s will and the related deeds indicate that his brothers John and Christian were of the same locations as the men who purchased land from Hans and Catharina Frantz. Additionally, Christian Frantz of Manheim was both the administrator of Michael Frantz’s estate and guardian of his daughters Mary and Elizabeth, and executor of Jacob Frantz’s will.

While there could have been multiple men of the same names in these locations, bit-by-bit I am building a case that Michael Frantz of Lower Paxton, Jacob Frantz of Manor and Lampeter, Christian Frantz of Manheim, and John Frantz of Warwick were the sons of Hans and Catharina Frantz of Manor Township.

A Father for Michael Frantz

Kris Hocker on 11 Jul 2014

I wrote about Michael Frantz of Lower Paxton Township in an earlier post, regarding his estate in 1797. Based on that research, I posited that Michael possibly had two brothers—Jacob Frantz of Manor Township and Christian Frantz of Manheim Township. They were the administrators of his estate and guardians of his minor children. So, I set out to learn more about Michael, Jacob and Christian to see if I could prove a family connection.

Michael Frantz

When he died, Michael was of Paxton Township. Working backward, I found a number of deed transactions for him. On 23 June 1793, Michael and Franey his wife sold seven acres and sixty-seven perches of land to Susanna Eaglea.¹ This was part of two tracts of land purchased by Michael Frantz and John Nissley on 15 April 1790 from Samuel and Joseph Hutchinson.² On 19 August 1790, Michael and John Nissley had divided the land they’d purchased from the Hutchinsons into two tracts of 187 acres.³ All of these deeds place Michael in Paxton Township.⁴

After Feronica’s father, John Nissly, died in 1789, the couple acknowledged the receipt of £300—£185 during his lifetime and £115 from his executor, Michael Nissley.⁵ At the time, the couple was recorded as being “of Londonderry in the County of dauphin.” Michael was taxed at Londonderry in 1787, 1786⁶, 1780⁷, and 1779.⁸

Deed records show that Michael Frantz purchased “Chestnut Hall,” a tract of 224 acres then located in Derry Township, on 18 April 1785 from Hans and Catharina Frantz of Manor Township.⁹ The deed does not specify any relationship between Michael and Hans and his wife.

However, when Michael and his wife Feronica sold this land on 6 May 1790 to George Myer, the deed named Michael as “one of his [Hans’] sons and one of the parties hereto belonging.”¹⁰ Hans had purchased this tract from John and Catharine Chestnut on 8 May 1775.¹¹ The fact that Michael was taxed in Londonderry in 1779 and 1780—before he bought it—may indicate that he was living and working this land by then, even though his father still owned it.

According to a biography of Michael A. Frantz, Michael’s grandson, Michael was “born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and in early manhood removed to Dauphin County, where he purchased a tract of land… He was highly esteemed in the community and spent the remainder of his life there.”¹² This is consistent with the deed research.

Based on this deed research, Michael Frantz was most likely the son of Hans Frantz of Manor Township. Did Hans have sons named Jacob and Christian? Check in next week as the research continues.

52 Ancestors: Jacob C. Walker (1833-1915)

Kris Hocker on 8 Jul 2014

Jacob Walker was born 3 November 1833 in Runville, Boggs Township, Centre County.¹ He died 24 July 1915 of “parenchymatous nephritis” in Centre Hall, aged 81 years, 8 months and 21 days. He was buried 27 Jul 1915 in the Reformed and Lutheran cemetery in Centre Hall. According to his obituary, he was the son of George and Ellen Walker.² However, I believe Jacob was the son of George and his first wife, Catharine.³

Jacob was a farmer and made his home in Pine Glen, Burnside Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. In 1854,⁴ he married Mary Eckley, daughter of John D. and Catharine (Walker) Eckley.⁵ Mary was born 8 July 1836, quite likely in Boggs Township, and died 18 July 1911 in Centre Hall of breast cancer. She was buried with her husband in the Reformed and Lutheran cemetery in Centre Hall.

Jacob and Mary had 10 children:

Susanna Walker (1856-1910) married Nicholas Vallimont
Victoria Walker (1858-1938) married Samuel T. Hoover
Henrietta Walker (1860-1862)
Benner Walker (1861-?) married Viola “Ollie” White
Jackson S. Walker (1863-1947) married Mary (___)
Simon C. Walker (1864-aft 1920) married Emma Bell (___)
Nancy Jane Walker (1867-1906) married Henry Lee Borger
Lucy Walker (1868-?) married John Eisele
William Walker (1872-aft 1930) married Hattie Malone
Ada Bell Walker (1874-1892)

Jacob and Mary (Eckley) Walker are my 3x great grandparents.

This post is part of an ongoing, blogging challenge entitled 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, created by Amy Crow of No Story Too Small. Participants must write about one ancestor every week. This is my seventeenth 52 Ancestors post and part of week twenty-seven.

1911 Hocker Family Reunion

Kris Hocker on 3 Jul 2014

I came across a newspaper article entitled “Hocker Family Meets in Reunion” from the Harrisburg Patriot about the first annual Hocker family reunion that was held 7 September 1911 in Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Nearly 200 local family members attended, most from around Penbrook.

The article read:

Hocker Family Meets In Reunion
Penbrook Furnishes Big Delegation to Reservoir Park Outing
Officers Are Elected

The first annual reunion of the Hocker family was held yesterday at Reservoir Park. It was attended by two hundred persons, for the most part from the vicinity of Penbrook. The meeting for the reports of the committees and election of officers started at noon and lasted until four o’clock. Members of the family began to assemble in the park at about ten o’clock in the morning and continual arrivals kept up all day.

The idea of having a family reunion originated over a month ago with several of the members of the family and they held a meeting on the evening of August 9 at the home of T.H. Hinely in Penbrook. At this meeting temporary officers were elected and at the reunion yesterday these officers were re-elected to serve one year.

The meeting yesterday was held in the pavilion on the hill above the reservoir and was opened by the Rev. C.F. Rupp, who also gave the address of welcome. Following this George E. Shaffer gave a brief historical account of the family. The minutes were read by the secretary, H. E. Hocker, after which the committee for deciding the date for the reunion next year was appointed.

Officers Elected

The following officers were elected: President, George B. Hocker, of Lower Paxton township; vice president, George L. Hocker of Penbrook; secretary, H. E. Hocker, of Penbrook; assistant secretary, G. Lester Hocker, Lower Paxton township; treasurer, Harry Holtzman, Susquehanna township; historian, George E. Shaffer, Harrisburg. These officers constitute a committee to decide the date of meeting next year. The place is Reservoir Park.

The following made up the committee that made the first annual reunion a success: George E. Shaffer, chairman; David Smith, F.J. Hinley and Joseph Hocker, all of Penbrook. Several of the oldes members of the family were present yesterday, and were able to be about with the younger ones. Among them were Joseph Hocker, aged seventy-three years, and Martin Hocker, aged seventy-one years, whose wives are still living, and Mrs. Lettie Smith, aged seventy-four years, all of Penbrook.

This article mentions a number of Hocker family members—most of whom I immediately recognized. But there were several names that I didn’t know, including some of those elected as officers of the reunion committee.

Here is a list of the elected officers:

George B. Hocker, Lower Paxton twp
George L. Hocker, Penbrook Borough
H. E. Hocker, Penbrook Borough
G. Lester Hocker, Lower Paxton twp
Harry Holtzman, Susquehanna twp
George E. Shaffer, Harrisburg

Other names mentioned in the article included:

T.H. Hinley, Penbrook
David Smith
F.J. Hinley
Joseph Hocker

My interest piqued, I decided to do a little research to see if I could connect the names I didn’t recognize to the family. Here’s what I found.

The three eldest members of the family that attended the reunion—Joseph Hocker (aged 73), Martin Hocker (aged 71), and Lettie Smith (aged 74)—were all children of George and Mary (Brubaker) Hocker, and grandchildren of George and Elizabeth (Hassler) Hocker.

George and Mary (Brubaker) Hocker had the following children:

Anna Maria Hocker (1835-1880), married Isaac Holtzman (1832-1892)
Lydia Hocker (1837-1923), married David Smith (1827-1899)
Joseph Hocker (1839-1928), married Lydia Keller (1844-1940)
Martin Hocker (1841-1915), married Rosa A. Smeltzer (1847-1921)
Emanuel Hocker (1842-1862)
Wilhelmina Jane Hocker (1845-1888), married Clinton Ezra Shaffer (1841-1911)
Mary Elizabeth Hocker (1847-1923), married Frank W. Miller (1849/50-1928)
Susanna Emma Hocker (1849-bef 1896)
George Benjamin Hocker (1851-1929), married Catharine Kelchner (1852-1894), married Elizabeth M. Balsbaugh (1859-1930)
Henry Harrison Hocker (1854-1930), married Anna Heisey (1853-1934)
Samuel Augustus Hocker (1856-1931), married Amanda Elizabeth Crum (1862-1947)
Elizabeth Ellen Hocker (1859-1922), married William Henry Jones (1864-1921)

So, I identified the officers as:

George B. Hocker -> son of George and Mary (Brubaker) Hocker
George L. Hocker -> son of Martin and Rosa A. (Smeltzer) Hocker
H. E. Hocker -> son of George B. and Catharine (Kelchner) Hocker
G. Lester Hocker -> son of George Albert and Jennie Elizabeth (Miller) Hocker, grandson of Joseph and Lydia (Keller) Hocker
Harry Holtzman -> son of Isaac and Anna Maria (Hocker) Holtzman
George E. Shaffer -> son of Clinton and Wilhelmina Jane (Hocker) Shaffer

These men had all been identified through previous research. So, too had Joseph Hocker, son of Joseph and Lydia (Keller) Hocker. I wondered about David Smith, because Lydia Hocker’s husband was deceased. A little census research turned up David and Lydia (Hocker) Smith’s son, David R. Smith. F.J. Hinely was Frank J. Heinly, the husband of Jennie Hocker (1873-1949), daughter of George B. and Catharine (Kelchner) Hocker. I’m not sure who T.H. Hinely was , possibly a relation of Frank’s?

This family is descended from the immigrant Adam Hacker through his eldest son Frederick, older brother to my ancestor Johan Adam Hocker Jr. After Frederick’s death, his son George sold his property in Lancaster County in 1813 and moved to the Harrisburg area with his wife Elizabeth (Hassler) Hocker, possibly to be near his uncles, four of whom—Johannes, Christopher, Adam, and Martin—had moved to Harrisburg in the late 1780s.

52 Ancestors: Mary Ann Hocker (1834—1903) Finding Relatives in Unusual Sources

Kris Hocker on 1 Jul 2014

I was scanning some gravestone photos the other day to add to Findagrave and became intrigued with a couple that I had photographed, but that didn’t ring any bells. I had included them in the plastic sleeve with those of Adam and Eve (Hamaker) Hocker. The two gravestones—for Mary Ann Hocker and Solomon Hocker—captured my attention because the markers were of the same style as Adam and Eve’s.

Gravestone for Mary Ann Hocker

I had to wonder if Mary Ann and Solomon were children of Adam and Eve. According to the information I have, Adam Hocker married Eve Hamaker, daughter of Adam Hamaker and Magdalena Snavely, on 22 February 1838 in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.¹ Calculating Mary Ann’s birth date from her age at the time of her death, as recorded on her gravestone, I got 30 November 1834—before Adam and Eve were married.

Could she have been the child of a previously unknown former marriage? In an 1870 probate petition Adam Hocker Jr., Adam’s son, reports that his father left a widow and nine children: “Jacob, John, Adam, Elizabeth Cumbler, wife of George Cumbler, Sarah, David, Melinda, Martin and Anne.”² Going by this, Adam did not have a daughter named Mary Ann.

However, I found a newspaper announcement from the Harrisburg Patriot of 2 June 1871 that named the heirs and legal representatives of Adam Hocker, late of Swatara Township as: “Mary Hocker, Jacob Hocker, John Hocker, Adam Hocker, Elizabeth Cumbler, wife of George Cumbler, Sarah Hocker, David Hocker, Melinda Hocker, Martin Hocker and Anna Hocker.”³ This indicates that Adam did have a daughter named Mary.

So, I had two conflicting pieces of information. Which was correct?

Reviewing census records (1840⁴, 1850⁵, 1870⁶, 1880⁷), I found Mary living in Adam and/or Eve’s household for each of the years. In the case of the 1840 census, there was a female in the appropriate age group to have been born in 1834 who presumably could have been Mary. Only the 1880 census enumeration provided the relationship to the head of household—Eve—as “daughter.”

However, the most illuminating source was a legal report from the 12th Judicial District, reporting on the estate of Mary Hocker of Steelton, Pennsylvania. Apparently, Mary lived with her sister Annie (Hocker) Longenecker, wife of William Longenecker, for the last ten years of her life.⁸ After Mary died, Annie applied for compensation for “$3,120 [from Mary’s estate] for boarding, washing, lodging and care for six years immediately preceding her death.” The report mentions by name the administrator (John Hocker) as well as siblings—Adam Hocker and Mrs. Cumbler [Elizabeth (Hocker) Cumbler]. Ultimately, the court ruled against Annie, but the case provides evidence that Mary Ann Hocker was the daughter of Adam Hocker.

Whether Adam was married previously or not, I don’t know. Eve (Hamaker) Hocker’s obituary states that she had 8 children survive her.⁹ My information shows that her children—Jacob, John, Adam, Elizabeth, Sarah, Malinda, Martin and Annie—all were still living in 1892. Only David had predeceased her, having died in 1887 at the age of 36.¹⁰ Mary Ann was still alive, not dieing until 1903, so it is possible that she was the child of Adam and an as yet unknown first wife.

In this case, two somewhat unusual sources—a newspaper announcement and a court report—provided the information required to connect Mary Ann Hocker to Adam and Eve Hocker, showing her to be a child of Adam Hocker.

Adam and Eve’s relationship to my Hacker-Hocker lines is currently unknown. William Wingeard incorrectly identified Adam as the son of Rev. John⁴ Hocker (Johan Adam³, Johan Adam², Christopher¹, Stephen^A) and Christianna Sterling. However, that Adam moved to Montgomery County, Ohio in the late 1830s with the rest of Rev. John Hocker’s family. Other possible fathers for Adam include: George Hocker, son of Frederick³; John Hocker, son of Frederick³; and George Hocker, son of Adam².

This post is part of an ongoing, blogging challenge entitled 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, created by Amy Crow of No Story Too Small. Participants must write about one ancestor every week. This is my sixteenth 52 Ancestors post and part of week twenty-six.

Tag: Family Research

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