Friday Find: Johan Adam Hacker’s signature
Johan Adam Hacker’s signature
Friday Find: Hocker—Drake Marriage Announcement
Newspapers are a wonderful resource for finding not only the genealogical date, but the also the details that make a person’s life colorful.
For instance, from the marriage announcement for T.P. Drake and Alice Hocker, we find they were married at her sister’s home on 1426 Hubbard Street, Jacksonville and that the decorations included palms and cut flowers, that the bride wore “a costume of white satin trimmed with pearls and point lace,” and that “her long bridal veil was caught up with a pearl and diamond ornament.”1 We also learn that they planned to live in Florida for most of the year, but spend their summers elsewhere.
Have you found any interesting details about the lives of your ancestors from newspapers?
Judge William Adam Hocker’s Obituary
Judge William Adam Hocker obituary in The Evening Independent of St. Petersburg, Florida from July 20, 1918.
“Judge Hocker Dies at Ocala
Distinguished Jurist Spent Last Winter Here and Made Many FriendsThe many St. Petersburg friends of Judge William Hocker will regret to learn that he died last Wednesday. Judge Hocker spent last winter at Sunnyside, with the family of Joseph E. Hamilton, 417 Fourth street north, and made many warm friends especially among the older people. He was a dignified and learned man of the old Southern school. The Ocala Star gives the following sketch of Judge Hocker’s career and family:
Judge William A. Hocker was born in Buckingham county, Virginia in 1844, and was a son of William Hocker and Susan Mildred Lewis.
He served in Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry during the civil war. In November 1868, he was married to Gertrude Venable, and settled near Leesburg, Flas., in 1874, and moved to Ocala in 1892. He became a circuit judge for the fifth circuit in 1893 and continued to hold such office until 1901 when he was elected by the supreme court as one of its commssioners, and shortly thereafter was elected a member of the supreme court of Florida, which position he occupied for 12 years and retired a few years ago on account of failing health.
In 1909 he was married the second time to Mattie N. Glover of Roanoke, Va., who survives him. He is also survived by three children, William Hocker, of Ocala; Mrs. T. P. Drake of Yalaha, and Frederick R. Hocker, of Ocala. His eldest daughter, Mrs. C. P. Lovell, died in 1914. Eight grandchildren also survive him namely: Lieut. Charles P. Lovell, Gertrude Lovell; Elizabeth, Margaret and Lucretia Hocker; William and Trusten P. Drake Jr., and Clifton Montgomery Hocker.”1
Friday Finds: Marriage Record of Sarah Craig Buchanan
It’s funny how a record that you dismissed as irrelevant—because it did not pertain to the person you were researching—can abruptly become relevant with additional research.
I viewed the following record on ScotlandsPeople because I was hoping to find information on my ancestress Sarah Craig, wife of James Buchanan. It didn’t pertain and I set it aside. More recently, I researched Alexander Buchanan as a possible brother to my ancestor James Buchanan. The marriage record of Sarah Craig Buchanan became relevant because she was the daughter of Alexander Buchanan and his wife Elizabeth Kelly… and likely niece to James Buchanan and his wife Sarah Craig, quite likely her namesake.
Marriage record for James Sands and Sarah Craig Buchanan of Cuilhill, Scotland on 12 July 1872.
Lesson learned? When there are similarities of name and place, don’t dismiss a record just because it’s obviously not the same person. Those similarities may point to a possible relationship. Niece, nephew, brother, sister—or even neighbor or best friend. Those relationships may provide clues that help you over a brick wall.
In this case, the records from the families of James and Alexander Buchanan seem to indicate that their family may have been amongst those Irish who left Ireland due to the famine in the 1840s. In their case, instead of immigrating to United States, they sought relief by going to Scotland where they became coal miners.
Friday Finds: Judge William Adam Hocker Portrait
It’s always great to find an photo or image of an ancestor or relative. This one was an unexpected find… and delight!
Judge William Adam Hocker (Florida Supreme Court)
William Adam Hocker, son of William and Susannah Mildred (Lewis) Hocker, was born 5 Dec 1844 in Buckingham County, Virginia. He married Gertrude Alice Venable, daughter of Thomas Frederick and Mary Priscilla (Venable) Venable, on 11 Nov 1868 in Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia and then Mattie Norvell Glover on 1 Dec 1909 in Roanoke, Virginia. He died in Jacksonville, Ocala County, Florida on 16 Jul 1918. Justice Hocker had five children with his first wife: Mary Venable (Hocker) Lovell, William Hocker, Lucy Lewis Hocker, Alice Walton (Hocker) Drake, and Frederick Roche Hocker.
He was educated at Hampden-Sidney College and the University of Virginia and admitted to the bar in Virginia in 1868. He moved to Florida in 1874 where he served as States Attorney from 1877 to his resignation in 1886. He was a judge in the 5th Judicial Circuit between 1893 and 1901, served on the Supreme Court Commission in 1901-1903 and was a Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida from 1903 to 1915.
Justice Hocker was my 3rd cousin 5 times removed. His great grandfather, Johan Georg Hacker, was the brother of my 6 times great grandfather, Johan “Hans” Adam Hacker.
Image Credit: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/34483
Friday Find: Adam Hocker (1828-1907) Family Bible
I was recently contacted by a reader who is in possession of Adam Hocker’s family bible. I’m hoping to put him in touch with a living descendant.
Adam Hocker was born 11 Sep 1828 in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania to Reverend John Hocker and his wife Catharine Sterling.1 He married Anna M. Engle, daughter of Jacob and Nancy (Moyer) Engle, on 19 Apr 1859 in Montgomery County, Ohio.2 Anna was born 21 Nov 1832 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.3
Adam Hocker family bible
Adam was a farmer in Randolph Township, Montgomery County, Ohio and deacon in the River Brethren Church. He died on 8 Sep 1907 and was buried in Fairview Cemetery, Randolph Township, Montgomery County, Ohio.4 Anna died 5 years later on 25 May 1912 of tuberculosis and was buried with her husband on 27 May 1912.5
Adam and Anna Hocker gravestone with family bible
Adam and Anna (Engle) Hocker had five children:
- Benjamin E. Hocker was born 23 Jan 1860 in Randolph Township, Montgomery County, Ohio and died 24 Jan 1933, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona.6 Benjamin married Mary Kinsel about 1887 in Ohio. The couple had at least four children:
- Jesse Albert Hocker was born 21 Oct 1884 in Ohio and died Aug 1972 in Durango, La Plata County, Colorado.7 He married Martha Jane Gribble on 24 Oct 1916. She was born 21 Oct 1892 and died Feb 1980 in Durango, La Plata County, Colorado. The couple had at least two children.
- Anna R. Hocker was born 5 Apr 18868 in Ohio and died Aug 1970 in Durango, La Plata County, Colorado.9
- Unknown Hocker was born sometime between 1886 and 1891 in Ohio and likely died before 1900 in Ohio.10
- Susan Goldie Hocker was born 2 Feb 1891 in Ohio and died Apr 1987 in Durango, La Plata County, Colorado. She married Emory Edward Smiley about 1918.
- Elizabeth E. Hocker was born 19 Nov 1861 and died 19 May 1879 in Randolph Township, Montgomery County, Ohio of consumption (tuberculosis).11
- Ellen Hocker was born about 1864, likely in Randolph Township, Montgomery County, Ohio and died sometime after the 1930 census enumeration. She married Franklin Etter about 1888. I believe Franklin and Ellen (Hocker) Etter had children:
- Maude E. Etter
- Elmer F. Etter
- Anna Mae Etter
- Charles Etter
- Clara Etter
- Anna M. Hocker was born 28 Jun 1865 and died 30 Jan 1918 in Randolph Township, Montgomery County, Ohio.12 She married Deacon Levi Seth Hoke on 18 Sep 1884. He was born 25 Dec 1862 or 1863 and died 24 Feb 1933.13 He was a farmer and member of the River Brethren Church. They are buried in Fairview Cemetery in Englewood, Ohio. I believe Levi and Anna (Hocker) Hoke had children:
- Ambrose Hoke
- Albert Hoke
- Mary Edna Hoke
- Letitia Hoke
- Mary Alice Hoke
- Catharine (Kathryn) Hocker was born 6 Mar 1867 and died 25 Nov 1952 in Randolph Township, Montgomery County, Ohio.14 She married John David Betz on 26 Dec 1886 in Montgomery County, Ohio. He was born 12 Jul 1861 and died 15 Oct 1924.15 They are buried in Fairview Cemetery in Englewood, Ohio. I believe John and Katie (Hocker) Betz had children:
- Herman (or Homer) Betz
- Audry Betz
Adam Hocker is my first cousin 5 times removed. My 4G grandfather was the younger brother of Adam’s father John Hocker.
Images © Harold Rothery
Mapping West Philadelphia
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.
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!
Friday Find: Smith-Aitken, 1841 Scottish Census
According to the marriage record I found for my ancestors James Smith and Isabella Aitken, they were married 25 Dec 1840 in Carnwath Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland.1 This couple has been very difficult to document. After much struggling, I managed to find them in Whitburn, Linlithgow, Scotland in the 1851 census, but hadn’t been able to locate them in the 1841 census.
I also had Isabella’s parent’s names—William Aitken and Marion Brown2—from her 1856 death certificate, but hadn’t been able to locate a birth record or any proof of her parentage. Her brother-in-law William Smith was the informant on her death certificate and I can’t be sure how much he actually knew about her ancestry.
A new search through the records on ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk netted me, not only James and Isabella in the 1841 census, but also her parents and two siblings!
James and Isabella (Aitken) Smith were living with her parents, William and Marion (Brown) Aitken in Auchengray, Carnwath Parish, Lanarkshire in 1841. The household included:
- William Aitken, 60, Wright, born in Lanark
- Marion Aitken, 60, born in Lanark
- John [Aitken], 25, Wright, born in Lanark
- George Tweedie, 25, Laborer, born in Lanark
- Helen Aitken, 20, born in Lanark
- William Tweedie, 2, born in Lanark
- James Smith, 25, Ironstone M., not born in Lanark
- Isabella Smith, 22, born in Lanark
This information allowed me to also find a birth record for Isabella by both widening the search—searching by surname only—and narrowing the search to only Carnwath parish. That got me one result: Isobel Aitken.
Isabella was born 27 Feb 1816 and baptized 24 Mar 1816 in Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland. So, her age in 1841 was 25, not the 22 as recorded, but age discrepancies like this are quite common in census records. John and Helen Aitken’s ages are incorrect, too. Records found on FamilySearch put John’s birth as 11 Mar 1814 and Helen’s baptism on 19 Aug 1819.
So, with some diligence and a little luck, I was finally able to document my difficult Smith line back one more generation in Scotland! Now to try my luck with Thomas Smith & Agnes Nimmo, James’ parents.
Friday Finds: Historic Pathways
I found Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Historic Pathways thanks to a post by Randy Seaver on Google+. Browsing her articles, I chose one almost randomly—“The Search for Margaret Ball”—and started reading. I was instantly engrossed. The search for Margaret Ball’s origins was quite the mystery, the research enlightening. Of course, I had to go on and read “In Search of ‘Mr. Ball’: An Exercise in Finding Fathers.” It, too, was eye-opening.
That’s the kind of genealogy I want to do—the kind I hope I am capable of. If you get a chance, stop by her website and read some of her articles. You won’t be disappointed.
Friday Finds: Trinity Lutheran Birth and Baptismal Records Online
I’ve been trying to get the Trinity Lutheran Church Records, volumes 1-4, through ILL for some time now with mixed results. So, imagine how pleased I was to find some of the records online in the Internet Archive. The Pennsylvania-German Society published their Proceedings and Addresses in the 1890s. Several volumes included records from Trinity Lutheran Church.
- The Pennsylvania-German Society, Proceedings and Addresses at Lebanon, October 12, 1892, Volume III
- The Pennsylvania-German Society, Proceedings and Addresses at York, October 11, 1893, Volume IV
- The Pennsylvania-German Society, Proceedings and Addresses at Reading, October 3, 1894, Volume V
- The Pennsylvania-German Society, Proceedings and Addresses at Bethlehem, October 16, 1785, Volume VI
These are just the volumes containing the Trinity Lutheran records. Other volumes that have been put online include records from St. Michael’s in Philadelphia and New Goshenhoppen in Upper Hanover, Montgomery County. View more examples of publications from the Pennsylvania-German Society to see if they might have records you’ve been looking for.