A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy
the genealogy & family research site of Kris Hocker
Thanks to Randy Seaver’s geneablog round-up, I read a great article that illustrates how to find your ancestor’s origins using deeds in conjunction with other records. If you’re stuck for ideas, deeds and other land records can be a great source of information.
Charles Waage (1827-1921)
My great great grandfather, Charles T. Waage, was born on 22 Oct 1827 in Milton, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. He was the eldest son of Rev. Frederick and Angelina (Garber) Waage.1 He died on 6 Mar 1921 of Uremic Porcine (renal failure) in Pennsburg, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and was buried 3 days later at the Pennsburg Reformed Cemetery.2
Charles studied medicine at Jefferson Medical college in Philadelphia and graduated in March 1849. He first practiced at East Rock Hill in Bucks County, then moved to Pennsburg, Montgomery County where he remained. “He has been a useful man in the community in which he has lived for most a half century in other ways that as a skilled practitioner of medicine. He has always had at heart the political, social, educational and material interests of the community. He is a devout member of the Lutheran church, is a Democrat in political texture, and has served twenty-three years continuously as a member of the school board in his borough, always taking an active and intelligent interest in the cause of popular education.”3
He married Mary Ann Heisler on 15 Sep 1857.4 She was born 4 Jan 1835 and died 8 Jan 1875 in Pennsburg. She was buried at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. After Mary Ann’s death, Charles married again to Lydia Eshbach on 29 Aug 1879. Lydia was born 3 Oct 1845 in Albertis, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, daughter of Henry Meyer and Catharine Lydia (Bobb) Eshbach. Lydia died of pneumonia and Bright’s disease on 7 May 1910 and was buried 4 days later in Pennsburg Reformed Church Cemetery.5
Charles and Mary Ann (Heisler) Waage had four children:
Charles and Lydia (Eshbach) Waage had one child:
Johan Adam Hacker’s signature
I‘ve finally finished formatting my newest publication, An Index to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Online Deeds for deed books A through D. Now I need to decide how to publish it.
It’s currently best formatted for distribution via book (aka print) or PDF. The names and deed information are laid out in a table for the starting letters of the surnames. Works great for these formats but won’t work for an ePub. Since the index is for the online deeds—meaning people can use them from home—I wonder if it makes sense to publish for ePub or not. Or even for print. PDF might be enough for when you’re working at your computer…
What do you think? Does anyone searching for deeds from Lancaster County have a preference? Post a comment and let me know.
I love history. A great deal of my enjoyment of genealogy is my fascination with history, imagining people’s lives in other times. So, I enjoyed watching this video from the National Genealogical Society, featuring Robert Charles Anderson, FASG, director of the Great Migration Project, talking about his experience bringing the two disciplines together. I really like the idea of genealogy as history on the individual level.
Take a look at the video and see if you agree.
George Hocker (1806-1886)
George Hocker, son of Martin and Christiana (Beinhauer) Hocker, was born 18 June 1806 in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. He died 31 October 1886, likely in South Hanover Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and was buried in Union Deposit Cemetery. On 15 March 1832, George married Barbara Martin in Salem Lutheran Church, Jonestown, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. She died in 1864 and George was married again to Eliza Kratzer.
Have an ancestor who was born before 1910 or died in Missouri? Check out the “Missouri Birth and Death Records” collection at Missouri Digital Heritage. I found death certificates for several of my Hockers.
George W. Houdeshell and 8 children
My great great grandfather George W. (Wesley or Westfall) Houdeshell was born 28 December 1868 in Snow Shoe, Centre County, Pennsylvania.1 He was the second son of James Benjamin and Phoebe (Mayes) Houdeshell. He was a farmer and lumberman, like many in that part of Centre County.
On 20 June 1890, he married Lovina Caroline Force.2 She was the born 28 January 1872, the daughter of Jefferson and Susan L. (Mulhollan) Force.3 The couple lived in Snow Shoe and/or Pine Glen until moving to Girard Township, Clearfield County before the 1910 census enumeration.4
George died on 29 November 1941 in Phillipsburg, Rush Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania due to a cerebral hemorrhage.5 He was 72 years old. He was buried in Advent Cemetery in Pine Glen on 2 December 1941.
His wife Lovina Caroline (Force) Houdeshell survived another 20 years. She died on 28 October 1964 in Pine Glen due to heart disease and hypertension.6 She was buried in Advent Cemetery on 31 October 1964.
George and Lovina (Force) Houdeshell had the following children:
After learning that Anthony Parsons might be Sarah (Parsons) Leedy’s father, I decided to see if I could find more information on him. From his tombstone, I know that he died in 1834. So, I decided to see if I could find any estate records for him on FamilySearch.org.
The Pennsylvania Probate records on FamilySearch include will books and Orphans Court books for Perry County. I didn’t find a will for Anthony Parsons, but I did find two references to him in the Orphans Court books.
January 1735 Petition for Guardians
The first is a petition on behalf of his minor children.1 In the January 1835 term a petition was made on behalf of George, Anthony, Sarah and William Parsons, the minor children of Anthony Parsons, late of Perry County by the mother Catharine Parsons. The petition states that they were all under the age of 14—therefore born after 1821—and requests the court to appoint a suitable guardian. George Parsons, quite possibly Anthony’s brother, was named as guardian.
The second reference was for the settling of Anthony’s estate. The Register of Perry County presented a copy of George Varns’ administration of Anthony’s estate to the court on 4 April 1836.2 There was a balance of $16.79 due to the administrator.
So far, the details are consistent with Anthony being the father of Sarah (Parsons) Leedy. What more can we find?
Levi & Anna (Frantz) Hocker & children Michael, George and John
Levi Hocker, son of George and Mary Magdalena (Landis) Hocker, was born 17 January 1824 and died 31 October 1876. He was buried in Oberlin Cemetery, Dauphin County on 29 April 1877. He married Anna Frantz, daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Walters) Frantz, on 6 February 1851. She was born 13 September 1828 and died 3 February 1918. She was buried with her husband on 7 February 1918.
Their second son Francis Michael Hocker was born 26 January 1854 and died in 1919 in the Pennsylvania State Asylum in Harrisburg. Son George Warren Hocker was born 8 December 1858 and died 12 May 1868. The youngest son John Edward Hocker was born 14 October 1869 and died in 1873. All three are buried with their parents at Oberlin Cemetery.