George and Elizabeth (Hassler) Hocker

If you’re familiar with William O. Wingeard’s A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy, you might have read the chapter on George Hocker (Frederick4, Johan Adam3, Christoph2, Stephen1). In it Bill freely admits that he had trouble continuing the family line from George and his wife Elizabeth. I’m not afraid to admit that he’s causing me some consternation, too.

George Hocker, son of Frederick and Catharina (Fuchs) Hacker, was born in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania most likely sometime between 1785 and 1790. He was most likely one of the males under 16 years of age in Frederick Hocker’s 1790 census entry and the male 10-16 in Frederick’s 1800 census entry.1 When Frederick died intestate in 1812, his two eldest sons, John and George, were administrators of his estate. The eldest son John renounced his option to take his father’s real estate on 12 April 1812 and the Orphans Court awarded it to the next son George.2

George purchased 26 perches of additional land in Cocalico Township on 11 August 1812.3 On 1 April 1813, George and his wife Elizabeth sold this 26 perches to Jacob Studenroth.4 On 13 May 1813, George sold 150 acres of land formerly of his father’s estate to Michael & Jacob Stine.5 George of Cocalico Township, Lancaster County purchased 177 ¼ acres in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County from Andrew Fahnestock on 26 March 1814.6 George and his wife Elizabeth sold 16 acres of land in Lower Paxton Township, formerly of Andrew Fahnestock, on 4 July 1814 to George Firestone.7

So, a few years after his father’s death, George sold the family farm and moved his family to Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. George Hocker appears in the 1813 tax list for Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County.8 Susquehanna Township was formed in 1815 from part of Lower Paxton Township, and George is listed in tax records there from about 1816 through 1830.9

This provides a general location for the family during the years they would have had children. But who were their children?

Wingeard lists their children as Peter, George Jr. and Christina, but provides no sources for this information. I found several baptisms for children of George and Elizabeth Hocker in Zion Lutheran Church in Harrisburg and Shoop’s Reformed Church in Dauphin County. They included:

  • Catharine, born 11 May 1814, baptized 10 July 181410
  • Sara, born 10 October 1817, baptized 12 December 181711
  • Andrew, born 18 September 1819, baptized 26 December 181912
  • Daniel, born 10 April 1821, baptized 22 July 182113
  • Eli, born 25 August 1823, baptized 29 February 182414

I believe I found George Hocker in Upper Swatara Township—which adjoins Susquehanna Township—in the 1830 census.15 The household included:

George Hocker 1830 US Census

George Hocker, 1830 US Census, Upper Swatara Township

  • 2 males 5 to 10 (Daniel, Eli)
  • 1 male 10 to 15 (Andrew)
  • 1 male 20 to 30 (George or Peter?)
  • 1 male 30 to 40 (?)
  • 1 male 40 to 50 (George Sr.)
  • 1 female < 10 (?)
  • 2 females 10 to 15 (Sarah, Catharina)
  • 1 female 15 to 20 (?)
  • 1 female 40 to 50 (Elizabeth)

Based on this census, it would appear that George and Elizabeth may have had a son, born ca 1800-1810, and a daughter, born circa 1810-1825, in addition to the children listed in the baptismal records. While there may have been older children who were married and no longer at home, the male aged 30-40 is too old to have been a child of this couple. I haven’t been able to find this family in the 1810 or 1820 census records and I think, but am not sure, that they may have been back in Lancaster County in 1840. After that, I have no clues—no census, tax, death or estate records.

I’ve traced the family of Daniel Hocker and have marriage information for his sister Sara and brother Andrew. This information will be included in A Hacker-Hocker Family. It was not in A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy. I also have information on George [Jr.] and Peter Hocker, but am in doubt about whether or not they belong to this family—they may belong to George’s uncle, Johan George Hacker and his wife Christina Miller.

I may also have to chase down the possibility that George had a son named John. The 1827-1830 tax lists for Susquehanna Township show, not only George Hocker, but also a single man named John Hocker. He would have been born circa 1806 (or maybe earlier), but would not have married prior to 1830. In 1830, both George and John’s names are crossed off the tax list, with a notation of “Pottsgrove” for George Hocker. Did they leave for Northumberland County? I’ve also noted entries for a single man George Jr. in 1828, 1832 and 1833 with the 1833 entry crossed off and “gone” written in. If these are all members of the same family—father and sons—then they all left Susquehanna Township by 1830 and 1833.

The consistency of entries for George Hocker in the Susquehanna tax records from 1816 through 1830, the 1813 Lower Paxton Township tax entry, and the 1814 land purchase in Lower Paxton—most likely in a portion that became part of Susquehanna Township in 1815—point to Frederick’s son George Hocker. What happened to him after 1830? And what was his relationship to the John and George Jr. in the Susquehanna Township tax records? These are questions I’ll be trying to answer. Stay tuned.

Footnotes

  1. Frederick Hacker household, 1790 United States Federal Census, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Cocalico Township, page 180; jpeg online, Internet Archives, “Population schedules of the first census of the United States, 1790, Pennsylvania” (http://archive.org/stream/populationsc17900008unit#page/n872/mode/1up: viewed Mar 2012); citing NARA micropublication M637, roll 8; and Frederick Hacker household, 1800 United States Federal Census, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Cocalico Township, page 197; jpeg online, Internet Archives,  “Population schedules of the second census of the United States, 1800, Pennsylvania” (http://archive.org/stream/populationsc18000039unit#page/n103/mode/1up : viewed Feb 2012); citing NARA micropublication M32, roll 39.
  2. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Orphan Court Miscellaneous Book 1808/13, Page 458, Frederick Hacker estate; Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg.
  3. William Wingeard, A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, Inc., 1991), page 99; citing Peter Bollinger to George Hocker (1812), Unrecorded Deed #297, Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
  4. Wingeard, A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy, page 99; citing George Hocker to Jacob Studenroth (1813), Unrecorded Deed #296, Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
  5. Wingeard, A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy, page 99; citing George Hocker to Michael and Jacob Stine (1813), Unrecorded Deed #367, Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
  6. Wingeard, A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy, page 99; citing Andrew Fahnestock to George Hocker (1814), Dauphin County Deed Book S1:612.
  7. Wingeard, A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy, page 99; citing George Hocker to George Firestone (1814), Dauphin County Deed Book T:485.
  8. George Hocker entry (1813), “Tax Lists, 1785-1850,” microfilm, Records of County Governments, Records Group 47, Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
  9. George Hocker entry (1816-1830), “Tax Lists, 1785-1850; microfilm, Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg.”
  10. Catharine baptism (1814), database on-line, Ancestry, “Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985”  (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 4 Feb 2012; citing Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Historical Society of Pennsylvania).
  11. Sara Hacker baptism (1817), database on-line,  Ancestry, “Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985”  (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 4 Feb 2012; citing Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Historical Society of Pennsylvania).
  12. Andrew Hocker (1819), index, FamilySearch, “Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950”  (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2FZ-2WT : accessed 24 April 2012).
  13. Daniel Hocker (1821), index, FamilySearch, “Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950″ (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2FZ-24R : accessed 24 April 2012).
  14. Eli Hocker (1824), index, FamilySearch , “Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950” (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2FC-5F8 : accessed 24 April 2012).
  15. George Hocker household, 1830 United States Federal Census, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Upper Swatara Township, page 183, online; Internet Archive, “Population schedules of the fifth census of the United States, 1830, Pennsylvania” (http://archive.org/stream/populationsc18300151unit#page/n353/mode/1up : viewed 31 March 2012); citing NARA micropublication T19, roll 151.

Cite This Page:

, "George and Elizabeth (Hassler) Hocker," A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy, the genealogy & family research site of Kris Hocker, modified 20 Dec 2015 (https://www.krishocker.com/george-and-elizabeth-hassler-hocker/ : accessed 28 Mar 2024).

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5 Replies to “George and Elizabeth (Hassler) Hocker”

  1. […] with the rest of Rev. John Hocker’s family. Other possible father’s for Adam include: George Hocker, son of Frederick3; John Hocker, son of Frederick3; and George Hocker, son of […]

  2. so Kris who is the Daniel Hocker who married Mary Elizabeth Weltmer? Mary’s dates are 1824-1902. I found them in Harrisburg Cem records. I have Christiana Hocker, born 1808 and died 1865 and she married Henry Landis. She is Martin Hocker and Christina Beinhower’s daughter. She is buried in the Salem United Brethren Church Cem in Clarksburg, penn. Christiana and Henry married 10-18-1825 (Lebanon Courier (Penn) marraige records). I also found an Abraham Landis who married eliz. Hocker in 1845 in the same records. Abraham and eliz. both of Dauphin Co, Penn. I have Henry B. Landis who died 4-1839 (age 49)and he lived in a cave in Dauphin Co by Swatara Creek (one mile from Hummelstown).. no mention of a wife.
    Had sons, Jacob, John, joseph and Henry. I was just trying to find the right Henry Landis. Anything might help.

    1. Daniel Hocker was the son of George and Elizabeth (Hassler) Hocker.

      Christiana Hocker was the daughter of Martin and Christiana (Beinhauer) Hocker. She married Henry Landis, who may have been the son of Henry Landis of Swatara. But there were a number of Henry Landis’ living in the general area near Derry Township at that time. I haven’t traced them all.

      I do not know who the Elizabeth Hocker who married Abraham Landis was. I’d need more information before I could determine her place in/relationship to the family.

      1. Henry Landis of Derry Township died 11-1785. Left to survive him: wife, Anna and sons, Feliz and Henry. Executors of his estate: Christian Stauffer and his brother’s son, John Landis.
        Abraham Landis of Paxtang Township, married Barbara Stauffer, d/o Christly/Christian Stauffer. V, Ann Landis was a widow and she did 3-1818. Children: Jacob died 1808; Christopher, Peter, John, and Elizabeth married Christopher Reeser and Ann Landis married John Reeser and Jacob Landis of Derry married Catherine ??. I found family for a Henry Landis in Swatara and he has a daughter Mary who married George Hocker and found family for Felix Landis plus more Landis info and LaNDIS RECORDS AT Hill Church Cem. Hope some of this helps.

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