Hacker-Hocker Genealogy – A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy

Slow Down, Don’t Move Too Fast

Kris Hocker on 11 Oct 2018

Question for my Hocker readers, can you spot what’s wrong with this family group sheet? There are several errors, including two mistakes in assigning parentage.

Hocker Group Sheet

I’ve seen this family grouping in databases across the internet and it never fails to make me shake my head. I can understand why people make these mistakes, but still.¹ Even if you haven’t done the research and don’t know the Hocker family well, you should be able see why these errors are, in fact, errors.

Let’s start with the most obvious mistake: two sons named Adam?! Yes, families often used the same name more than once for their children, but—and this is important—it usually happened when an older child died and a younger child was given their name. Two Adams who both lived to adulthood? Nope. George Foreman is not the norm.

The first Adam Hocker in the list of children is not the son of John and Christiane (Sterling) Hocker. The second Adam in the list is their son. C’mon, people, just look at the dates! John got Christiane pregnant when she was ten years-old?! Nope.

Adam Hocker (1812-1870) married Eve Hamaker, daughter of Adam and Magdalena (Snavely) Hamaker III, on 22 February 1838. They were both from Derry Township. They remained in Dauphin County all their lives, raising nine children: Jacob H., John, Adam H., Elizabeth, Sarah, David R., Eve Malinda, Martin M. and Anna C. Adam’s tenth child, Mary Ann, was from an unknown first marriage.

I have a very good idea who Adam’s parents were. It’s still only a guess—without any proof, documentary or otherwise. But, I can tell you they are not John and Catharine (Sterling) Hocker.

John and Catharine’s son Adam travelled to Ohio with the family in the late 1830s. He married Anna Engle, daughter of Jacob and Nancy (Moyer) Engle, on 19 April 1859 and died in Randolph Township, Montgomery County on 8 September 1907.²

The second error? I bet my Colorado Hocker relatives saw it straight away.

John Hocker (1788-1868) was not the son of Martin and Christiana (Beinhauer) Hocker. Yes, they had a son named John, but he was born 6 May 1804 in Derry Township and died 28 Jun 1884 in Pennsylvania, likely in Cumberland County.

No, John Hocker (1788-1868) was the son of Adam and Sophia Maria (Hershey?) Hocker, also of Derry Township, my 5x great grandfather and Martin’s older brother. John was Adam’s eldest son, born while the family was still living in Harrisburg. I’ve written about my research tying the Montgomery County, Ohio Hockers to Adam and Mary, because it’s one of the families my Uncle Bill got wrong in his Hacker-Hocker genealogy.

But even without knowing the research or the family, you should be able to see there’s something wrong here. Martin and Christiana married 22 March 1799 at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church. He was 31 years-old and she was 22 years-old. Having a child 11 years earlier when Christiana was 11 years-old? It’s just not feasible—or reasonable—even if you didn’t know their marriage date.

Additionally, John and Catharine’s daughter Anna was born 15 October 1824, not in 1828. Their son John K. Hocker died 11 July 1914 in Ludlow Falls, Miami County, Ohio, not in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

So…

I didn’t write this post to shame the owner of this family tree. Everybody makes mistakes. Been there, done that, bought the damn t-shirt.

The point is that a little thought, a little analysis, can go a long way toward preventing mistakes like this. Do the dates make sense? Are the ages appropriate for the implied actions? Yes, our ancestors may have married young—though not as many as you might think. But how young?

I understand the drive to find a family for your ancestor. It can be almost compulsive, the need to connect a generation to a previous generation, to tie off all the lose ends, to fit everybody into a family. Especially when you’re eager to move on to the next person, the next discovery.

But taking the extra time to get it right is worth it. There’s a difference between making a convenient familial connection for an ancestor and making the correct one. Believe me; I’ve done both.

It’s like the difference between fitting two puzzle pieces together and finishing the puzzle. When it all comes together, when all those bits of information you’ve found work together, it all just makes sense.

So take my advice—I’m trying to follow it, too: slow down.

There’s no trophy for getting there first. But there is a reward for getting it right. It’s the feeling of satisfaction you get in knowing you did everything you could to get it right, and, as a result, can be reasonably certain that you did. And it feels pretty darn good.

Update: When Did George Hocker Jr. Die?

Kris Hocker on 4 Dec 2016

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.

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

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.

The Hocker Farm

Kris Hocker on 18 Sep 2016

In 1831 William L. Breton painted a water color, entitled “The Hocker Farm.”¹ Breton was an Englishman, a self-made artist of the nineteenth century who painted Philadelphian scenes.²

The question, I have, is whose farm was this?

Johann George Hocker, the immigrant, moved his family to Whitemarsh Township about 1763. He died in 1821 and his property was sold by his administrator, son Martin Hocker, to Casper Schlater. So George’s farm wouldn’t have been the “Hocker farm” by 1831.

By that time, to the best of my knowledge, his only surviving son lived in Virginia. Perhaps it was the farm of one of his grandsons—Martin or John, sons of Martin—who were, as far as I know, the only grandsons still living in Whitemarsh Township. Regardless of whose farm it actually was, the painting provides a glimpse into a nineteenth century farm yard. One which was owned by a member of our Hocker family.

The painting itself apparently descended through Clara Hocker Illman, wife of Henry A. Illman. Although the typed inscription that accompanies the painting states that she was “a daughter of a Civil War General Hocker,” Clara was the daughter of Edward Wellington and Mary Ann (Hocker) Williams of Germantown.³

Her grandparents were Christopher Mason and Mary Ann (Phillips) Hocker. Their son Christopher Mason Hocker Jr., I believe, did serve in the Civil War. However, to the best of my knowledge, not as a General. Christopher Sr. was a stonecutter and the family resided in Germantown. He died 25 June 1847.⁴ His wife survived him and ran a boarding house until her death 28 July 1893⁵ with the assistance of her daughter Martha.

Ruth Olive Hocker (22 Aug 1920—12 Feb 2016)

Kris Hocker on 19 Feb 2016

Ruth Olive (Hoover) Hocker passed away Friday morning, the 12^th of February, at her home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Born on 22 August 1920 in Lescontes Mills, Girard Township, Clearfield, County, she was one of the twelve children—seven sons and five daughters—of Clyde Leroy and Nora Melinda (Houdeshell) Hoover.

Hoover House, Pine Glen

When she was just a child, her family moved from Lescontes Mills where her father had been working as a lumberman, to Pine Glen, Centre County where her father was born. She grew-up there near her paternal grandparents and many other family members.

Ruth taking a photo

The house they lived in¹—while sizable enough for a family of 12 children—did not have electricity or running water. There was a well for water and an outhouse. Still is for that matter. When they needed water for cooking or washing, one of the children was sent either to the creek across the road or out back to the well. ²

When I asked about her favorite summer pastimes, she recalled that with chores there wasn’t a lot of free time. They baked their own bread, raised their own food—both animal and vegetable, harvested and preserved the food from the garden in the fall, and washed their clothes—and with 12 kids there was a lot of it—by hand. The girls worked in the house and gardens while the boys worked the farm and farm animals, hunted, and cut firewood.

When there was time, she liked to go on wood hikes with her father, picnics, reading books from the library her mother ran from their front room, and splashing in the creek. The boys, she remembered, sometimes played baseball.

At the age of 18 she moved to Harrisburg where she worked as a domestic for the Bogar family to earn money to go to college. That was where she met her future husband William H. Hocker. He accompanied his father to do some carpentry work at the Bogar house.

1941 Wedding photo

William and Kate—as she was known to close friends and family—were married 24 September 1921 at Olivet Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg. Bill’s sister Anna Louise and Ruth’s brother Don served as their attendants. The couple resided in Harrisburg, living in a home that had been owned by the Hocker family since the 1890s.

While Ruth worked outside the home at a flower shop after her children were grown, she was happiest tending to her home, family and friends. She enjoyed baking, sewing, and discovered a love of reading at a young age when her mother operated the Pine Glen library from their home.

Bill and Ruth Hocker in the kitchen at home

At home in the kitchen

She is survived by her children: Richard Hocker, William III Hocker, Virginia Davis, and JoAnn Hocker, four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Also surviving her are her sister Norma Jean (Hoover) Hoover, brother Marvin “Bud” Hoover, and various nieces, nephews and their children.

She was preceded in death by her parents and nine siblings, including: Harold L. Hoover, W. Russell Hoover, Helen F. Yingling, Sarah I. “Betz” Plubell, Willard C. “Boots” Hoover, Clyde L. Hoover, Donald V. Hoover, Gladys H. “Peg” Hoover, and Robert P. “Bob” Hoover.

She will be buried beside her husband at Paxtang Cemetery, in Paxtang, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

A Little Saturday Research Delight Were Barbara, Daniel and Mary Ann Smith Related?

Kris Hocker on 31 Jan 2016

I was doing some Beinhauer family research yesterday and noticed once again that two of Johann Peter and Christina (Weber) Beinhauer’s children married Smiths. I’ve always wondered if they were related to Martin Hocker’s second wife Barbara Smith—he was married first to Christiana Beinhauer. So, I decided to find out.

Background

Daniel Smith married Margaret Beinhauer 19 May 1812 at Salem Reformed Church in Harrisburg. Margaret was born 21 Oct 1784 and died 23 Dec 1870 in Hummelstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. I didn’t have any information on this couple beyond that.

John Peter Beinhauer married Mary Ann Smith sometime before 1812. He was born 30 Nov 1787 and died 25 November 1853.¹ She was born 8 April 1790 and died 4 April 1877.² They are both buried in the Churchville Cemetery, Oberlin, Swatara Township, Dauphin County.

Martin Hocker married Christiana Beinhauer 22 March 1799 in Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lebanon County.³ He was born 21 October 1768 in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County and died 25 April 1862 in Derry Township, Dauphin County.⁴ She was born 23 August 1777 in Cocalico Township and died 15 December 1808 in Derry Township.⁵

After Christiana’s death, Martin married again about 1809 to Barbara Smith. She was born 6 October 1787 and died 16 March 1878 in Derry Township.⁶ Martin and both his wives are buried in the Hummel Memorial Cemetery in Hummelstown.

Unlike the Beinhauer’s and Smith’s, I have significant information on Martin and his family. What more could I find on the Smiths who married into both the Beinhauer and Hocker families?

A Little Research Fun

I started with Daniel and Margaret (Beinhauer) Smith. A check of the census records turned up Margaret Smith living in Hummelstown by herself in 1860. Knowing she died in 1870, I went looking to see if she left a last will & testament.

She did. As expected, it indicates that her husband predeceased her. It also names various individuals, along with nieces and nephews as her heirs.⁷ Margaret and Daniel apparently did not have children—at least none that survived to leave heirs of their own.

Looking for deeds pertaining to Margaret’s estate, I didn’t find any that helped answer the research question. I found several deeds relating to Daniel’s estate—dated 1872?!

At first, I didn’t think they could be for Margaret’s husband. Going by Margaret’s census record, he’d most likely died prior to 1860, after all. But I decided to check them anyway. And, boy, am I glad I did.

From those deeds I discovered the following relationships:

Magdalena Smith, daughter & legatee⁸
Mary Beinhower, daughter & legatee⁹
Susanna Messimer, sister & legatee¹⁰
Barbara Hocker, sister & legatee¹¹
Elizabeth Smith, legatee¹²
John Smith, legatee¹³

I was a little confused by the deeds for Magdalena Smith and Mary Beinhower. If they were alive in 1872, shouldn’t they have been named in Margaret’s will? Perhaps they were Daniel’s daughters from a previous marriage?

But then something else caught my eye. All these deeds named David Roop and George Roop as Daniel’s administrators of the will. Daniel had left a will.

Daniel Smith of Upper Swatara Township wrote his last will and testament on 2 February 1845 and it was proven on 4 September 1845.¹⁴ He named his widow Margaret and bequeathed to her a house and lot in Hummelstown. He also directed his executors to sell any property not bequeathed to his wife after her death and divide the proceeds equally between his brother and sisters. He names them as:

John
Susanna
Elizabeth
Magdalena
Barbara
Mary

He makes absolutely no mention of children in his will. Additionally, all the legatees from the deeds are named specifically as his siblings in his will. So, I find it probable that Magdalena Smith and Mary Beinhauer weren’t his daughters, but his sisters.

Conclusion

Were Barbara (Smith) Hocker, Daniel Smith, and Mary Ann (Smith) Beinhauer related? Based on the information from the will and deeds, I find it highly likely that they were.

Was Johann Adam Hacker a Redemptioner?

Kris Hocker on 5 Jan 2016

Recently, I’ve been thinking about my ancestor Adam Hacker and his emigration from Germany to Pennsylvania. He was a very young man, just starting out in the world. What were the circumstances of his decision to leave? How prepared was he for the journey? Did the family, in fact, have enough money to pay for his voyage? These things led me to wonder whether or not he could have been a redemptioner.

What is a Redemptioner?

What is a redemptioner, you ask. Wikipedia defines them as “…European immigrants, generally in the 18th or early 19th century, who gained passage to American Colonies (most often Pennsylvania) by selling themselves into indentured servitude to pay back the shipping company which had advanced the cost of the transatlantic voyage.”¹

Unlike indentured servants who made their contract prior to coming to the New World, redemptioners paid for their transportation upfront with credit, then had to come up with payment once they arrived at their destination.

The German Emigrant

About 50% of German emigrants during peak emigration years could not afford to pay for their passage.² Since the price of passage, ranging from five to fourteen pounds sterling, often represented more than a year’s income for them, this is not surprising.

Nor was the ship’s fare their only expenditure. They had already paid—or become indebted for—the price of their passage down the Rhine to Rotterdam. This included the boat fare and fees at each custom house along the way. When they finally arrived at their destination, they also had to pay room and board while they were waiting for the ship to embark and purchase supplies for the voyage. One account states “many passengers have spent $176 from home to Philadelphia.”³ For many their options were limited.

Once they arrived in Philadelphia, the ship’s passengers were inspected by a physician before they were allowed to dock. Healthy immigrants were taken into town where they took the Oath of Allegiance to the King of England, then were returned to the ship. Those with the money to pay for their passage were allowed to leave. Those who did not were required to get it. How they did so was up to them. Some may have had friends or acquaintances who would give them a loan to pay the ship’s captain. Others might have had household goods that they could sell in Philadelphia to pay for their passage. Those not so lucky had to sell themselves into servitude to pay their debt to the ship’s captain within thirty days.

Redemptioners negotiated a contract based on their age, health, job skills or perceived productivity, education, and family circumstances.⁴ They indentured themselves for the shortest, fixed-term period that paid their debt based on the existing market conditions of the colony. These were usually three, five or seven year contracts.⁵

Johann Adam Hacker

When he was just 21 years-old, Johann Adam Hacker set out on his voyage to the New World. He left Rußheim in the spring of 1749⁶ with several other villagers—Maria Margaretha (Hager) Elser, her new husband Heinrich Mock, and her children, Maria Catharina (Hager) Zimmerman and her sons, and Maria Barbara (Spöck) Schmid and her new husband Joh. Wendell Keller.⁷ He arrived in Philadelphia on 28 September.⁸

We don’t know whether or not he had the money to pay for his passage. But it’s most likely he was a far from wealthy man. His grandfather had been a cow herder, one of the lowliest of occupations in the village.⁹ Although he had risen to become a tailor prior to his death, his occupation was still one of the lowest paid. Adam’s father Christopher most likely learned the shoemaking trade from his step-father Johan Georg Schmidt.¹⁰ But from what I’ve seen from the records, there were a number of shoemakers in Rußheim, thus it was likely not a well-earning profession. Class structure in a German village at the time was not particularly fluid, and allowed for little personal advancement.

The Weidman Family

Adam married Maria Elisabetha Weidman sometime prior to 16 Dec 1753 when they sponsored her nephew Christopher Weidman in the Warwick congregation as a married couple.¹¹ Elisabeth’s father Martin Weidman was a wealthy property owner in Cocalico Township. Unlike most German emigrants, the Weidmans had been well-to-do even before they immigrated.¹² Their wealth only increased after their 1733 arrival. Martin purchased 200 acres in 1734.¹³ Between 1745 and 1758, he acquired the rights to an additional 1,000 acres.¹⁴

Because of their extensive land holding, the Weidmans, no doubt, required additional labor to work their land. Because of their wealth, they would have been able to purchase the indentures of their fellow countrymen as a source of this labor. Perhaps this is how Adam came to know Martin Weidman’s daughter. Perhaps he was a servant to Weidman, or perhaps Weidman paid off the passage for a fellow Badener.

In 1756, the first available tax record, Adam was taxed on 50 acres of land.¹⁵ I have not been able to find a record of how he acquired this land.

However, “[it] was decreed that bond servants should receive at the expiration of their term of service fifty acres of land from the Proprietary Government at the exceedingly low annual quit rent of two shillings, or about one cent per acre.”¹⁶ So, it’s not unrealistic to believe that he received this land from Martin Weidman—either as part of a settlement after he finished his contract or perhaps subsequent to his marriage to Maria Elisabetha.

In Conclusion

Without further information, I can only conclude that he might have been a redemptioner. But it’s something I hadn’t even considered before. If he was a redemptioner, I think it would say quite a bit about the family’s economic status in Rußheim and the options for future advancement there.

Between his arrival in 1749 and late 1753, Adam demonstrated himself and his ability to provide for a wife and family sufficiently to convince Martin Weidman—a successful, wealthy man—that he was a wise choice as husband for his eldest daughter. Furthermore, his younger brother did the same after his arrival in 1751, marrying Weidman’s daughter Anna Margaretha sometime after 28 July 1754.¹⁷ I think this speaks well for Adam and George’s determination to make the most out of the opportunities they found in the new world.

The 2nd Wave 19th Century Hacker Emigrants from Rußheim to America

Kris Hocker on 22 May 2015

Although Adam Hacker was the first Hacker family member from Rußheim, Baden-Durlach (now Baden-Württemberg), Germany to immigrate to North America, he wasn’t the last. A little over a hundred years later, his first cousin three times removed, Johann Christoph Hacker, emigrated from Rußheim to the United States.

On 11 Jan 1854, Christoph¹ and his family—wife Christina (Siegel) Hacker, and children Friedrich, Friederike, August, Luise, Wilhelm, Philippine, and Ferdinand—arrived in New York City from Havre on the ship Zurich.² According the Rußheim records, they left the village in 1853.³

I was able to locate the family in the 1860 U.S. census, living in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio.⁴ At that time, the household included: Christoph, Christina (his wife), Frederick, August, William and Christine.

Ten years later, the family can be found in Margaretta Township, Erie County.⁵ The household included Christoph, his son August and August’s wife Helen. By this time, Christoph’s wife had apparently died and the other children—if still alive—moved out to start their own families. At this time, I haven’t located them in 1870 census records.

Christoph most likely died prior to 1 Jun 1880.⁶ Both Frederick and August were living in Margaretta Township in 1880. Frederick and his wife Christina were living in Cold Creek with their seven sons and one daughter.⁷ Frederick was a laborer. August was a widowed farmer with five children under the age of 10, including three sons and two daughters.⁸

Frederick and August remained in Margaretta Township. Both are found in the 1900 census enumeration of the township. Frederick, aged 67, was a carpet weaver living with his wife next door to their son William.⁹ His brother August was 72 (should be 63) and still enumerated as a farmer.¹⁰ He was living with his second wife Kate and their six children.

August died 20 Apr 1903 and was buried in Sandhill Cemetery; Frederick died in 1914 and was buried in Castalia Cemetery. Many of their descendants can be found in Erie County through the 1940 census.

Johann Christoph and Christina (Siegel) Hacker had the following children:¹¹

Christoph Friedrich Hacker was born 29 Sep 1832 in Rußheim. He died in 1914 in Erie County, Ohio and was buried in Castalia Cemetery. About 1860, he married Christina Callista Kahn, born about 1842 and died 1 May 1923, and had children:
1. August C. Hacker (1861-1933)
2. Philip Hacker (1862-1938)
3. George C. Hacker (1864-1951)
4. William Hacker (1867-1951)
5. Frederick Hacker (1869-1946)
6. Charles Hacker (1871-1907)
7. Peter Hacker (1874-1907)
8. Sarah Hacker (1874-1931)
9. Unknown Hacker (?-bef 1900)
10. Unknown Hacker (?-bef 1900)
Christine Friederike Hacker was born 2 Jan 1835 in Rußheim and arrived in New York city with her parents 11 Nov 1854. She may have been married or deceased by 1860. I have no additional information on her.
August Frederick Hacker was born 8 Sep 1837 in Rußheim and died 20 Apr 1903 in Margaretta Township. He was buried in Sandhill Cemetery. He married sometime prior to 1 Jun 1870 Helen Walter (or Ellen Walder). She was born about 1847 in Germany and died before 1 Jun 1880 in Erie County. August and Helen had children:
1. William Christopher Hacker (1871-?)
2. Christina Hacker (1872-?)
3. Henry Hacker (1874-1959)
4. John Hacker (1876-?)
5. Susan Hacker (1878-1943)
August married second Catharine Zahn before 1 Jun 1880. They had children:
1. August Charles Hacker (1881-?)
2. Elizabeth C. Hacker (1882-1953)
3. Fred J. Hacker (1885-1925)
4. David John Hacker (1887-1975)
5. Rose Hacker (1888-?)
6. Catharine Hacker (1890-?)
Luise Hacker was born 31 Oct 1839 in Rußheim. She may have married Peter Hermes in Erie County, Ohio.
Infant Hacker
Wilhelm Hacker was born 16 Aug 1843 in Rußheim. He was living with his parents in Perkins Township in 1860, but I haven’t located him in later census records.
Philippine Hacker was born 29 Mar 1846 in Rußheim. She was included as “Christine” in the 1860 census enumeration for her family. I’ve found no further information about her.
Christina Hacker was born 4 Apr 1848 and died 20 Apr 1851 in Rußheim.
Ferdinand Hacker was born 18 Oct 1850 in Rußheim. I’ve found no additional information on him after his arrival with his family in New York on 11 Nov 1854. He may have died prior to 1 Jun 1860.

The emigration from Rußheim didn’t end with Johann Christoph and family. Several of Christoph’s nieces and a nephew immigrated to America, presumably in the 1880s: Luise Friederike Hacker and Emilie Hacker (and her daughter Hanna), daughters of Daniel and Christina (Knoblach) Hacker; and Ferdinand, Hermina, and Sophia Siegel, children of Johann Friedrich and Margaretha (Hacker) Siegel.

What Was the Cause of Death?

Kris Hocker on 2 Jan 2015

I’ve been data mining the Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1963 on Ancestry.com for records for Hockers (and Hackers). So far, I’ve compiled a collection of 691 death certificates for Hockers (male and female) and their children.

Since genetic disease has been on my mind a lot lately, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to see what these family members died from. Here’s how the results tallied up:

Adherent pericardium: 1 death
Alcoholism: 2 deaths
Amytrophic lateral sclerosis: 1 death
Angina Pectoris: 3 deaths
Anoxia: 1 death
Apoplexy: 72 deaths
Appendicitis: 1 death
Arterio Thrombosis: 1 death
Arteriosclerosis: 31 deaths
Asphyxia: 3 deaths
Atelectasis: 2 deaths
Auricular fibrillation: 1 death
Bright’s Disease/Nephritis: 18 deaths
Bronchitis: 4 deaths
Cancer: 71 deaths
- Abdomen: 2 deaths
- Adenocarinoma: 1 death
- Bladder: 3 deaths
- Brain: 1 death
- Breast: 11 deaths
- Bone: 1 death
- Cervix: 1 death
- Colon: 9 deaths
- Intestines: 2 deaths
- Kidney: 2 deaths
- Liver: 8 deaths
- Mouth/Tongue: 1 death
- Ovarian: 5 deaths
- Peritoneus: 1 death
- Prostate: 4 deaths
- Rectum: 1 death
- Skin: 2 deaths
- Stomach: 10 deaths
- Throat: 1 death
- Unknown type: 2 deaths
- Uterine: 4 deaths
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: 1 death
Cardiovascular Disease: 5 deaths
Cardio-Renal Disease: 9 deaths
Cardio-Repiratory Failure: 1 death
Cerebral Arteriosclerosis: 2 deaths
Cerebral Embolism: 1 death
Cerebral Hemorrhage (not as apoplexy): 3 deaths
Cerebral Meningitis: 2 deaths
Cerebral Thrombosis: 7 deaths
Cerebral Vascular Occlusion: 1 death
Chicken Pox: 1 death
Cholera Infantum: 3 deaths
Cirrhosis: 1 death
Congestive Heart Failure: 6 deaths
Congenital Debility: 2 deaths
Convulsions: 2 deaths
Coronary Arteriosclerosis: 3 deaths
Coronary Embolism: 4 deaths
Coronary Infarction: 1 death
Coronary Occlusion: 26 deaths
Coronary Thrombosis: 14 deaths
Dementia: 3 deaths
Diabetes: 5 deaths
Diptheria: 1 death
Dropsy (Edema): 1 death
Dysentery: 3 deaths
Electrocution: 1 death (work accident)
Encephalitis Lethargica (Sleepy Sickness): 2 deaths
Endocarditis: 4 deaths
Dilation (Dilatation) of Heart: 13 deaths
Epiglotal Spasm: 1 death
Fractured Skull: 6 deaths (4 from auto accidents)
Gangrene: 2 deaths
Gastric Ulcers: 2 deaths
Gastritis: 1 death
Gastro Enteritis: 4 deaths
Gastro-Intestinal Rupture: 2 deaths
Gun Shot Wound: 4 deaths
Heart Arrhythmia: 1 death
Heart Disease: 10 deaths
Heart Failure: 14 deaths
Heat Exhaustion: 1 death
Hemorrhage: 3 deaths — not associated with vehicular accident
Hyperemesis Gravidarum: 1 death
Hypertension: 1 death
Hypostasis: 1 death
Illio Collitis: 2 deaths
Inanition: 3 deaths
Indigestion: 1 death
Intestinal Obstruction: 2 deaths
Left heart failure: 2 deaths
Liver Atrophy: 1 death
Lymphosarcoma: 1 death
Marasmus: 2 deaths
Meningitis: 2 deaths
Mesenteric Occlusion: 1 death
Mitral Disease (including Mitral Stenosis): 8 deaths
Multiplesclerosis: 1 death
Myelogeneous Luekemia: 1 death
Myocarditis: 37 deaths
Myocardial Infarction: 11 deaths
Nephritis (Acute): 1 death (see Bright’s Disease for Chronic Nephritis)
Old Age: 1 death
Paralysis: 3 deaths (Apoplexy?)
Paralyis Agitans (Parkinson’s Disease): 1 death
Paresis: 1 death (late state Neurosyphilus)
Patent Foramen Ovale: 2 deaths
Pelvic Abscess: 1 death
Peritonitis: 2 deaths
Pernicious Anaemia: 2 deaths
Phlegmonous Erysipelas (Abscesses): 1 death
Pneumonia:
- Bronchial pneumonia: 12 deaths
- Catarrhal pneumonia: 1 death
- Croupous pneumonia: 1 death
- Hypostatic pneumonia: 7 deaths
- Lobar pneumonia: 9 deaths
- Pneumonia: 14 deaths
Pneumonia & Influenza: 4 deaths
Premature Births: 11 deaths
Protracted Labor: 2 deaths
Pulmonary Edema: 5 deaths
Pulmonary Embolism: 5 deaths
Pulmonary Infarction: 1 death
Pulmonary Thrombosis: 3 deaths
Renal Embolism: 1 death
Renal Occlusion: 1 death
Rheumatic Heart Disease: 2 deaths
Septicemia: 5 deaths
Shock: 1 death (fell in ice cold lake)
Stillborn: 23 deaths
Strangulated Inguinal Hernia: 2 deaths
Strangulation: 1 death (accidental, due to Epilepsy)
Streptoccocal Meningitis: 1 death
Suffocation: 1 death
Surgical Complications:
- Caesarian: 1 death
- Hysterectomy: 1 death
- Prostate surgery: 1 death
- Shock: 1 death
Syphilus: 1 death
Tertiary Luetic Aortic Aneurysm: 1 death
Toxemia-Eclampsia: 1 death
Tuberculosis: 25 deaths
Typhoid Fever: 5 deaths
Unknown: 2 deaths
Unknown, pending inquest: 5 deaths
Uremia: 18 deaths
Valvular Disease: 11 deaths
Valvular Insufficiency: 1 death
Vehicular Accident (Auto, Motorcycle, etc): 6 deaths
Whooping Cough: 1 death

Some of the causes of death were sad and some of the causes were surprising in that I’d never heard of them.

For instance, one of my great great uncles died of Encephalitis Lethargica. Apparently, between 1915 and 1926 there was a worldwide epidemic of the disease which attacks the brain and leaves the person in a statue-like position, speechless and motionless.¹ In both instances the Hockers died in the 1930s after having the disease for four and eleven years, respectively.

My heart hurt seeing the number of premature and stillborn babies that were born to Hocker families, including one pair of Siamese twins. Some of these children would have likely survived in neonatal wards today though they had little chance of survival in the early 20^th century.

Heart disease, renal disease, cancer and strokes seem to be the top killers amongst this group of Hockers. And heart disease and stroke are still common causes of death today.

Tag: Hacker-Hocker Genealogy

So…