Hacker-Hocker Genealogy – Page 2 – A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy

Update: William H. Hocker & the Aetna Explosives Co.

Kris Hocker on 3 Nov 2014

I was finally able to review Harrisburg city directories to see when my great grandfather was living in the city. I hoped that they would narrow the window for his possible employment at the Aetna Explosives Company in Mt. Union, Pennsylvania. It didn’t narrow the timeframe nearly as much as I was hoping it would.

William H. and Isobel A. Hocker were living at 35 N. 18th Street in 1915.¹ The directory does not give a date of publishing beyond the year, but Jun 8, 1915 is stamped on the table of contents, indicating that it was published before this date. By the time the 1916 city directory was compiled, William and family were no longer living in Harrisburg.² Nor were they listed in the 1917 city directory.³

So, sometime between the birth of his first child in May and the compiling/publishing of the 1916 Harrisburg city directory, Will was likely hired to work at the Aetna explosives plant. Unless, of course, he worked somewhere else outside Harrisburg first.

This timeline means that he very likely could have been working at the Aetna Explosives Plant in Mt. Union at the time of the 21 Sep 1916 explosion. He doesn’t reappear in the Harrisburg city directory until 1918—which has Jul 19, 1918 stamped on the table of contents.⁴ He was most likely back in Harrisburg before that date.

Unfortunately, we still don’t know which explosion the family story refers to.

Follow-up: Aetna Explosives Co. at Mount Union

Kris Hocker on 12 Sep 2014

Will Hocker – Aetna Explosives Co. Crew?

Last week I wrote a post about the September 1916 explosion at the Aetna Explosives Company’s factory in Mount Union, Pennsylvania. Following up with additional newspaper research, I found that this explosion wasn’t the first, nor was it the last. Here’s what I’ve been able to piece together regarding the history of this factory. ¹

Timeline:

1915

Week of May 19, 1915: Purchased Westbrook farm
25 May 1915: William Hocker’s first child was born in Harrisburg
1 July 1915: Plant scheduled to open
14 July 1915: Two workmen died in accident
16 August 1915: Started manufacturing explosives
15 September 1915: Factory started manufacturing gun cotton
24 September 1915: Workmen burned by acid when ringer exploded, one man seriously burned
5 October 1915: Four workmen badly burned on their faces and bodies by acid in accident
14 October 1915: Plant was looking for 1,500 workmen (1,000 carpenters) to expand
11 November 1915: First shipment of gun cotton, 150,000 pounds, sent out
18 November 1915: Started manufacturing smokeless gun power
22 November 1915: Ether room at the factory exploded
2 December 1915: Broke ground for factory expansion
19 December 1915: Footbridge to factory washed away after flooding in the Juniata River

1916

7 January 1916: Solvent Recovery Building No. 3 burned down
14 January 1916: Fire at factory
16 January 1916: Fire in the “screen barrel house” at factory; third fire in one week
25 March 1916: Powder plant almost a year old
26 April 1916: Worker Harry Pierson lost his right hand at wrist when it was caught under a hydraulic press
16 May 1916: Three fires overnight in cotton drying building
2 July 1916: Explosion at least one dead²
29 July 1916: Aetna received order for 5 million pounds of smokeless power from U.S. government
12 September 1916: H. Subree, an Aetna chemist, was bitten by a copperhead snake
20 September 1916: Six men killed and many injured in explosion in the cotton dry house
2 October 1916: Powder plant closed down
12 October 1916: Plant planned to open to manufacture dyes and sulphuric acid
16 October 1916: Last smokeless powder manufactured
21 November 1916: Powder plant to reopen with large order for explosives, planned to hire 1,500-2,300 men
2 December 1916: Powder plant resumed operations

1917

17 January 1917: Solvent recovery building completely destroyed by fire, no one was badly hurt
18 April 1917: Debtors applied for receiver to be named for Aetna Explosives Company
30 April 1917: Acid tank exploded, badly burning six men, one of whom—David Sollenberger—later died
5 Jun 1917: William Hocker registered for the draft and was working at the factory as a millwright
17 July 1917: Two men—Lew Port and John Flasher—were seriously burned in an explosion at the plant
24 December 1917: Fire at the plant caused about $60,000 worth of damage
29 December 1917: Citizens of Mount Union signed up to become members of the local Red Cross chapter

1918

19 January 1918: Seven state policemen arrived to guard two million pounds of TNT powder
2 July 1918: Seven buildings were destroyed by raging fire at the plant, however there was no loss of life
13 July 1918: 300 men arrived to repair the damaged building and expand the plant
15 July 1918: Nine men were injured, possibly five fatally, by explosion in the gun cotton building

My great grandfather was working at the Aetna Explosives Company manufacturing plant at Mount Union by 5 Jun 1917.³ In reading through the news reports on the company after that date, I see nothing that matches the family story. There were fires that destroyed buildings and resultant injuries, but no loss of life. I can’t imagine that there would have been no news coverage of an explosion that killed workers.

So, if the explosion my grandfather told me about didn’t happen after 5 June 1917, then it must have happened before that date. Again, in 1917, I found reference to explosions, fires and burn injuries, but only one casualty is mentioned—David Sollenberger in April 1917. The only explosion that resulted in multiple deaths that was reported consistently in the Pennsylvania newspapers I reviewed was the September 1916 explosion.

There was a mention in the Gettysburg Star & Sentinel of an explosion in October 1916 that killed 19 men.⁴ This was also reported in the Chicago Livestock World in an article about another explosion in January 1917.⁵ This explosion seems a better match to the family lore.

However, I found no mention of the October 1916 explosion in Pennsylvania newspapers when I searched Chronicling America or the Google newspaper archive. With such a substantial loss of life, the lack of newspaper coverage seems very strange to me. Especially when the Harrisburg newspapers reported on the layoff of workers from Mt. Union and the “closing” of the factory that month and the reopening a month later.

I’d still like to review Harrisburg city directories to try to determine when my great grandfather and his family left Harrisburg for Newton-Hamilton. Maybe that’ll help narrow down the time frame to look for a historical match to the family story.

Updated 27 November 2016: Add a reader-sourced explosion and death (2 July 1916) to the timeline.

1916 Aetna Explosives Co. Explosion at Mt. Union, Pa.

Kris Hocker on 27 Aug 2014

While writing this week’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I recalled a story my grandfather told me about an incident in his father’s life. With a little digging, I was able to discover more information about it.

Will Hocker – Aetna Explosives Co. Crew?

Grandpa once recalled that his father—William Howard Hocker—worked at a mill that made gunpowder when he was a newly married man—before my grandfather was born. The family wasn’t living in Harrisburg at the time. Supposedly, my great grandfather went home for lunch one day and while he was there, an explosion destroyed part of the mill, killing my great grandfather’s team.

My grandfather didn’t supply any detail—the who, what, when, and where. But records from my great grandfather’s life helped to fill in the blanks. Will Hocker married Isabella Aiken Smith on 13 October 1914 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.¹ At the time, he was a carpenter. He was born and grew up in Harrisburg and was still living there when he married. His first child, daughter Bonnie, was born in Harrisburg in May 1915. So, was his second child, born in 1918.

However, during the intervening years, he was required to register for the draft during World War I. At that time—June 1917—Will was living in Newton-Hamilton, Wayne Township, Mifflin County, working at the Aetna Explosives Company as a millwright.²

Proximity of Mount Union & Newton-Hamilton

The Aetna Explosives Company of New York built a large plant at Mount Union in May 1915 to manufacture munitions for World War I.³ The company bought the farm of John Westbrook and built their plant, which eventually covered 380 acres of land. Work on this factory progressed rapidly and it started operations, producing gun cotton, in September 1915. The powder presses arrived a month later. “This plant manufactured smokeless powder for the Russian, French, and English Governments and finally for the United States Government, and in October 1918, was delivering at the rate of 1,500,000 pounds of smokeless powder per month.”⁴

According to The American Underwriter Magazine and Insurance Review, there was an explosion at the Aetna Explosives Co. factory in Mount Union at their finishing mill, resulting in $60,000 in damages in 1916.⁵ The explosion was due to “spon. combustion.” My grandfather told me that static electricity built up in the drum and ignited the powder.

Newspaper coverage from the time stated:

Huntingdon, Pa., Sept. 21— Five men were instantly killed and another sustained injuries which caused his death hours later when the air dry house of the Mount Union plant of the Aetna explosives company was wrecked near here early today. All the dead were empleyed [sic] in the building which was blown to pieces.⁶

The men who died that day were “Clayton Clark of Shirleysville, Pa., George Scayer of Orbisonia, Pa., William Pyles of Orbisonia, Pa., Charles Bard of Obrisonia, Pa., and Steve Olsch of Lancaster, Pa.” William Leman, of Portage, Pa., was critically injured and later died. The explosion was felt for miles and sent debris flying several hundred feet.⁷

According to the Harrisburg Telegraph, “Six men were killed and a number injured at 6 o’clock this morning when a terrific explosion completely destroyed the cotton dry house at the plant of the Aetna Explosives Company here [Mount Union]. The men were changing shifts at the time, the night workers just going away from the building at the time escaped injury.”⁸ The newspaper claims the dead were “George Stair, Orbisonia; Elmer Pyle, Orbisonia; Clayton Clark, Marietta; Elmer Bair, Orbisonia; William Lehman, Portage, and Charles Vlsch [Olsch?], Orbisonia.”

Aetna Explosives Co. Crew, ca 1916?

If the time of day referenced in this account is correct, then my great grandfather likely hadn’t gone home for lunch, but had either already left or hadn’t yet arrived for his shift. I don’t know in what capacity my great grandfather worked at the factory. His 1917 draft card lists him as a millwright. My understanding of this position as “a specialized carpenter”⁹ is consistent with his work life both before and after his job with Aetna Explosives Company. I would guess that he was involved with the setting up, building and maintaining the factory and its equipment.

How this plays against my grandfather’s account, I don’t know. I can’t be sure whether or not my great grandfather personally knew or worked with the deceased. While I know that he was working at the company in June 1917, was he already working there in September 1916? Given the size of the facility, it would have taken a large workforce to build it—including a large number of carpenters. Steady work would have appealed to a man with a wife and young child to support. So, it’s possible, if not likely, that he was. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only explosion at the factory. Even if Grandpa’s story isn’t related to this tragedy, it may have been related to one of the others.

I am sure, however, that this was an extremely traumatic event in his life and must have touched him deeply. Why else would he speak of it with his son—who wasn’t even born until two years after the tragedy? And in such a way that that boy felt the need to speak of it with his granddaughter when asked about the photos?

I’m glad I looked into my grandfather’s memory. Stories like this give depth to our understanding of our ancestors and the events they lived through. Knowing that my great grandfather remembered this event and the men who died, provides insight into the type of man he was. And that’s the closest I can get to knowing him.

Photo Notes: Reviewing the two photos, it appears that most of the men are in both photo. Two men—the man to the far left and the man to the far right in the first photo—are not in the second photo. I don’t know for certain that my great grandfather is in either, but the man to the far left in the first photo resembles him to me. Maybe one of the family who actually knew him will post a comment?

52 Ancestors: Isabella (Smith) Hocker (1893-1962)

Kris Hocker on 25 Aug 2014

William and Eliza Craig (Bonnington) Smith came to Pennsylvania from Edinburgh, Scotland about 1890, leaving their eldest two children with Eliza’s parents Peter and Elizabeth (Buchanan) Bonnington in Scotland until they were settled in Harrisburg.¹ William became a United States citizen on 12 January 1893.²

My great grandmother, Isabella “Isabel” (Aiken) Smith, was born Tuesday, 4 April 1893 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.³ She was the third daughter and fifth Smith child. He older brother William was the first child born in the United States. He was born 28 March 1892.⁴ Her youngest brother, Robert Thomas Alexander Smith was born 7 April 1899.⁵

The family lived on Zarker Street in Harrisburg. William owned and operated an ice house on Howard Street.⁶ Given the proximity between the two, it’s likely that the family home was behind their business.

When Isabella was eleven years old, her father died of pneumonia on Thursday, 23 February 1905.⁷ He was fifty-three years old. Eliza was suddenly responsible for a family of five children, aged from nineteen to four years of age. I’m sure it was a difficult time for them all.

Isabella Smith and the telephone girls

Eliza remarried on 1 August 1908 in Harrisburg to Robert Owens Cochrane, an Irishman.⁸ He was a clerk for a steel company. In 1910, the family was living at 1934 Forster Street in Susquehanna Township, just outside the Harrisburg city limits.⁹ James and William were not with the family—James, I believe, died in 1905, but I don’t know where Willie was at this time. Isabella’s older sister, Bess, was working as a sales lady and Isabella was working as a telephone operator. By the time Isabella was nineteen, her hair had turned white from typhoid fever—which she had twice.¹⁰

William and Isabella (Smith) Hocker

On Tuesday, 13 October 1914, at age 21, Isabella married at Harrisburg, William “Will” Howard Hocker.¹¹ The youngest son of Albert Curtin and Lillian Ainsley (Leedy) Hocker, formerly of Harrisburg, Will was born Sunday, 17 August 1890 in Swatara Township.¹²

Will was a carpenter and general contractor for most of his life. At one point, however, he worked as a millwright at Aetna Explosives Company in Newton Hamilton on the Juniata River in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.¹³ My grandfather told the story that one day his father had gone home for lunch, leaving his men at work at the mill. While he was at home, there was a terrible explosion. Grandpa said his father blamed himself for not being there to watch over his men.

Will and Isabella had five children:

Isabella Bonnington Hocker was born 20 May 1915 and died 13 July 2006. Bonnie married Harold McGowan Ruder on 25 April 1940 at Olivet Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg.
William Howard Hocker Jr. was born on 1 September 1918 and died 17 January 2008. He married my grandmother on 25 September 1941.
Anna Louise Hocker was born 10 September 1919 and died 23 September 1963. She married 14 August 1942 Willard Clair Hoover in Alexandria, Louisiana.
Betty Jean Hocker was born 3 November 1923 and died 6 March 2014. She married William Osbourne Wingeard Jr. 24 April 1953 at Epworth Methodist Church in Harrisburg.
Meriam “Mims” Elizabeth Hocker was born 20 September 1929 in Harrisburg and died 15 September 1999. She married January 1949 in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Isabella’s mother, Eliza Craig (Bonnington) Smith Cochrane, died Friday, 18 October 1946 in Philadelphia.¹⁴ Her second husband had passed away more the twenty years before. Eliza was buried in Paxtang Cemetery, Paxtang Borough, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

Isabella Aiken (Smith) Hocker

Isabella died Saturday, 21 July 1962 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She was buried in the Paxtang Cemetery on Tuesday, 24 July 1962.¹⁵ She was survived by her husband, five children, and fourteen grandchildren.¹⁶At the time of her death, she was a member of Epworth Methodist Church and taught in the church’s beginning department.

Will passed away Wednesday, 22 March 1967 and was buried Saturday, 25 March 1967, also in Paxtang Cemetery.¹⁷ He was survived by his son, three daughters, and fourteen grandchildren.¹⁸ He, too, was a member of Epworth Methodist Church. He was also a member and trustee of the local carpenter’s union and the Harrisburg Hunters and Anglers Association.

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 twenty-first 52 Ancestors post and part of week thirty-four.

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.

52 Ancestors: Anna (Frantz) Hocker (1827-1918)

Kris Hocker on 24 Jun 2014

Anna (Frantz) Hocker, widow of Levi Hocker, died on 3 February 1918 in Pennsylvania.¹ Her death certificate began my research into her family.

What did I learn from this death certificate?

Anna died at 102 Tuscarora Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Anna was a widow.
Anna was born 13 September 1828.
Anna was 90 years, 3 months and 20 days old when she died.
Anna died 3 February 1918.
Anna died from a cerebral hemorrhage of 13 days duration.
Anna was born in Pennsylvania.
Anna’s father was named Michael Frantz.
Michael was born in Pennsylvania.
Anna’s mother was named Eliza Walters.
Eliza was born in Pennsylvania.
Anna was buried in Oberlin Cemetery on 7 February 1918.

Some of the information in this record is likely to be more reliable than the rest. Since this is her death record, information regarding her death was completed at or about the time of her death. If you look at #15 on the certificate, you will see that it was filed on 6 February 1918, 3 days after her death by D.H. Ellinger, the local registrar. This information is more likely to be accurate than secondhand information like her birth date. That’s not to say the secondhand data isn’t correct, just that it must be verified through other records.

Anna died at 102 Tuscarora Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

In this case, Anna died at the same address as that of the record’s informant: H. Hershey Hocker, who turns out to be Anna’s son. According to an article about her 88th birthday celebration, Anna had made her home with her son for several years.² As early as 1910, Hershey, Anna and Sarah, Hershey’s wife, were all living at 102 Tuscarora.³

The house was still standing as of June 2011 and can be seen on the “street view” at Google Maps.

Anna was a widow.

Her husband Levi Hocker had died 31 October 1876.⁴

Anna was born 13 September 1828.

According to her death certificate, Anna was born 13 September 1828. Her gravestone indicates that she was born in 1827. Two newspaper articles were written—one each for her 88th and 89th birthdays in 1915 and 1916, placing birth in 1827.⁵ Her age in census records is consistent with a late 1827 birthday. The 1900 census states she was born in September 1827.⁶ So, Hershey was only off by one year on his mother’s date of birth.

Anna was born in Pennsylvania.

Census records consistently state that Anna was born in Pennsylvania.

Anna’s father was named Michael Frantz; Michael was born in Pennsylvania.

According to the History of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania by Luther Reily Kelker, “Anna, [wife of] Levi Hocker, deceased” was the daughter of Michael Frantz and his second wife Elizabeth Walters.⁷ Michael Frantz was born to Michael Frantz and Feronica Nissley in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania⁸ on 24 May 1789 [calculated] and died 5 June 1865.⁹ His death occurred four days before Anna gave birth to her youngest surviving son, Herbert Hershey Hocker.¹⁰ While, Hershey may not have known his maternal grandfather, I’m fairly certain he knew of him. Especially because…

Anna’s mother was named Elizabeth Walters.

In 1880, an Elizabeth Frantz, “mother,” was living in Anna Hocker’s household with Anna and some of her children—Francis Michael, Curtin, Maggie and Hershey—as was Maggie Frantz, “sister.”¹¹ Hershey was 14 years old at that time, so he certainly knew—and remembered—his maternal grandmother and Aunt Maggie.

Elizabeth’s gravestone in Churchville cemetery names her as “Elizabeth Walters wife of Michael Frantz.”¹²

Eliza was born in Pennsylvania.

Per the 1880 census, Elizabeth and her parents were all born in Pennsylvania.

All in all, Hershey only made a minor error in the information he provided for his mother’s death certificate and this information led me to additional information on Anna and her parents.

Summary

Anna Frantz, daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Walters) Frantz, was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania—most likely on her father’s property near Oberlin. She married Levi Hocker on 6 February 1851 and the couple settled in Swatara Township where Levi was a farmer. Levi died in 1876, but Anna survived to the age of 90, dieing 3 February 1918 at her son Hershey’s home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Anna and Levi had 9 children:

Benjamin Franklin Hocker (1852-1919)
Francis Michael Hocker (1854-1919)
Mary Elizabeth Hocker Farnsler (1855-1939)
Emma L. Hocker Brinser (1857-1942)
George Warren Hocker (1858-1868)
Albert Curtin Hocker (1860-1940)
Margaret A. Hocker Hughes (1863-1957)
Herbert Hershey Hocker (1865-1946)
John Edward Hocker (1869-1873)

Anna and Levi were 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 fifteenth 52 Ancestors post and part of week twenty-five.

52 Ancestors: Martin Weidman (1698-1768) Will

Kris Hocker on 28 Apr 2014

Martin Weidman, my 7x great-grandfather, was born in 1698, in Gräben, Baden-Durlach. He died prior to 11 October 1768 in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Martin wrote his last will and testament on 6 June 1766 and it was proven on 11 October 1768.¹

[page 301]
Martin Weidman dec’d
In the name of God Amen I Martin Weidman of Cocalico Township Yeoman calling unto Memory the Mortality of my Body do hereby make this my last will and testament whilst sound in Body and Mind To my beloved Wife Margaretha I give and devise the Interest of of one third Part of my Personal Estate during her Natural Life but if that should not suffice for her Maintenance she shall have a right to take so much of the Principal
[page 302]
as will be necessary for her Maintenance To my Eldest son Christopher I give and devise a Sum of Fifty Pounds Lawful Money of Pennsylvania wherein is included a Sum of Twenty five Pounds Money aforesaid which oweth to him the £75 this shall be instead of his two Shares and it is my Will, that he shall besides this have no other prerogative before my other Heirs The Residue of my Estate all my Heirs shall divide among themselves in equal Shares, and the Heirs of my son Wendel deceased shal in herit their Fathers share Farther I Ordain that my son Jacob Shall pay a sum of Nine Hundred Pounds due to me by him every Year after my Death the sum of Sixty Pounds to my heirs, until the whole is also paid and Satisfied, the first payment shall have my son Christopher 2 the second my Daughter Elizabeth Wife of Adam Haker the tird [sic] my Son Jacob the fourth my Daughter Margaretha Wife of George Haker the fifth my Daughter Barbara Wife of Bernhard Gartner the sixth my Daughter Catharina, Wife to George Wachter and so forth in this Wise, until the whole sum above mentioned is paid Finally I Constitute and Ordain Executors of this my last Will my two sons Christopher and Jacob In Witness whereof I have to these Presents set my hand & Seal this Sixth
day of June Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred & Sixty Six ~
Signed sealed & acknowledged by the Testator to be his Martin Weidtman {seal}
last Will & Testament in the presence of us underwritten Witnesses who saw him Sign the same Jeremias Miller, Samuel Funk, Jacob Funk, Peter Miller ~
Memorandum I thought proper to Annix this by way of Inttorsement to this my last Will that my Wife shall have the use of my best bed and all my Linnen during her life Witness my hand this Thirteenth day of June 1766 added before sealing further she shall all the use of my best cow to by kept in fother by my son Jacob shall provice her with firewood during her life this thirteenth day of June 1766 aforesd. Martin Weidtman {seal}
Signed and acknowledged by the Testator to be his Indorsement in the Presence of Peter Miller
Lancaster County Ss On the Eleventh day of October Anno Domini 1768 Before me the Subscriber Personally appeared Samuel Funk and Jacob Funk two of the subscribing witnesses to the within Will and on their Solmn Affirmation did declare and Affirm that they were present and saw and heard Martin Weidman the Testator within named Sign Seal Publish pronounce and declare the within Writing as and for his Last Will & Testament and that at the doing thereof he was of Sound and well disposing Mind Memory & Understanding to the best of their knowledge observation & belief ~
Lancaster County Ss on the Thirteenth day of October Anno Domini 1768 Before me the Subscriber personally appeared the above and within named Peter Miller one of the Subscribing Witnesses to the within Will and Codicil and on his Solemn Affirmation According to Law did declare and say that he was present and Saw and heard Martin Widman the Testator within named Sign Seal publish pronounce and declare the above writing as Codicil to his Last Will & Testament and that at the doing thereof at the several times therein contained he was of sound and well disposing Mind Memory and Understanding to the best of his Knowledge Observation and belief ~
Be it Remembered that on the Eleventh day of October Anno Domini 1768 The Last Will and Testament of Martin Weidman late of Cocalico
[page 303]
Township in the County of Lancaster Yeoman deceased was proved in due form of law and Letters Testamentary thereon were granted to Christopher Weidman and Jacob Weidman the Executors therein named they being first duly Qualified well and truly to Administer the Estate of the said Dec’d & to Exhibit a true & perfect Inventory thereof into the Registers Office at Lancaster on or before the Eleventh day of November next and to Render a true and Just account of their Administration on the said Estate when thereto Lawfully required given under the seal of the said office ~ by me

Martin and his wife Margaretha had seven children, as named in his will:

Christopher Weidman
Maria Elisabeth Weidman
Wendell Weidman
Johan Jacob Weidman
Anna Margaretha Weidman
Maria Barbara Weidman
Catharina Weidman

Maria Elisabetha Weidman married my 6x great-grandfather and immigrant, Johan “Hans” Adam Hacker. Her sister, Anna Margaretha Weidman, married Adam’s younger brother Johan Georg Hacker. Both men settled in Cocalico Township on land near to Martin Weidman’s warranted tracts. While Adam and his family remained in Lancaster County, George eventually moved his family to Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, just north of Germantown.

I believe the Weidmans may have been from Graben. A 1709 list of inhabitants² of the town list “Christoph Weidtmann” and “Matthias Weidtmann,” possibly Martin’s father and uncle?

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 fourteenth 52 Ancestors post and part of week seventeen.

52 Ancestors : The Last of Her Generation

Kris Hocker on 7 Mar 2014

Yesterday was a sad day for my family. My grandfather’s last surviving sibling—Betty Jean (Hocker) Wingeard—passed away at the age of 90 years 4 months and 3 days.

Betty Jean Hocker, ca 1924-25

Betty Jean was born 3 November 1923 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She was the third daughter and fourth child (of five) of William Howard and Isabella Aitken (Smith) Hocker. She graduated from John Harris High School in 1941 and attended the Central Pennsylvania Business College.

On 24 April 1952, she was married by Reverend L. E. Barton at Epworth Methodist Church in Harrisburg to William Osbourne Wingeard Jr., son of William Osbourne and Edna May (Rudy) Wingeard. My great grandparents had concerns about Bill because he had been married and divorced previously, but Bill and Jean’s 46-year marriage was very happy. And Bill won the family over. Bill treasured Jean, calling her “the love of my live” in the blurb he wrote about her in his book on her ancestry, A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy, which he also dedicated to her.

Betty Jean Hocker, Easter 1949

During their marriage, Bill and Jean lived in various locations around Harrisburg and for a time in Montoursville in Lycoming County. Bill worked for Pennsylvania Power & Light and Jean worked for a number of companies, including the YMCA, Allison Hill Trust Company, Market Street Trust Company, and the Dauphin County division of the American Cancer Society. She also volunteered with the Methodist churches they attended, Meals on Wheels, and the Divine Providence Hospital in Williamsport.

Bill and Jean never had children. But they always had time for and were interested in their nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews. To me, they were another set of grandparents.

All of my best childhood memories include Bill and Jean. Every summer when I was a child, my sister and I would spend part of our vacation with Grandma and Grandpa in Harrisburg. Grandma always saw that we got enough to eat—more than enough, actually (Is that a Grandma thing?). When Jean was there it usually included hot dogs—Jean loved hot dogs. And potato chips. And ice cream. A perfect meal to us children. Those meals brought back childhood memories for Jean of going to her grandparents’ farm in the summer and eating hot dogs and ice cream and riding in the wagon into town for treats.

During those summers, Grandpa kept us entertained, taking us fishing and playing cards. Bill and Jean would come over for lunch or supper and we’d play cards for hours. It didn’t matter what the game was, at some point Bill would throw down his cards and complain that Grandpa—rapscallion that he was—was cheating again. Jean would just shake her head, long accustomed to Grandpa’s tricks.

On several occasions my sister accompanied Bill, Jean, Grandma and Grandpa on one of their summer trips to the Jersey shore—something Grandpa and his sisters had also done with their Aunt Bess—aka Elizabeth Marian (Smith) Lutz.

Since Bill’s death in April 1998, Jean had faced a number of health challenges. She faced them all—no matter the severity—with a grace and dignity that was both inspiring and humbling. She wasn’t one to whine or bemoan the unfairness of life; she just quietly did what needed doing. “Kris,” she’d say, “it is what it is.” And she’d move on.

Family was important to Jean and she was important to her family. We love her and we’re going to miss her very much.

52 Ancestors: George Hocker (1794—1873) Will

Kris Hocker on 26 Feb 2014

George Hocker, of Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was the son of Johan Adam and Sophia Maria (Hershey?) Hocker Jr. He was born 21 January 1794¹, most likely in Harrisburg, and christened at Salem Reformed Church.² He died 6 November 1873 and was buried at Churchville Cemetery in Oberlin.

He wrote his last will and testament on 13 September 1873 and it was proven one month later on 14 November.³ George named his youngest children—daughter Margaret Hocker and son George Hocker Jr.—as his executors. His will also names his widow Catharine and elder children: daughter Isemiah, wife of Henry Wagner, and son Levi Hocker. Not named in the will was his son David who died 4 November 1862 of Typhoid Fever in Jeffersonville, Indiana after enlisting in the Union Army during the Civil War.

[page 353]
“Last Will and Testament of
George Hocker dec^d }
In the name of God amen.
I George Hocker of Swatara town-
ship Dauphin County Penn^a
being of sound mind and memory thanked be God for the same
do hereby make the following as an for my last will and testament
Item. I give and bequeath to my widow Catharine all my household and
kitchen furniture in the house at my decease except what belongs
to my Daughter Margaret or son George she to have her choice of two
cows and two hogs and I give her five hundred dollars in cash out of
my Government bonds to by paid in one month after my death Item
I devise to my widow during her lifetime the house and buildings gardens
&c where I now live in Swatara township in said county adjoining
my farm and the land of Josiah Espy including the small potato
pach east of the garden containing in the yard &c all about one acre
more or less with the right to go into the adjoining fields to put on
weather boarding and repair her buildings I also give her the Interest
on five thousand dollars to be paid her yearly out of my farm [illegible]
after the payment of my debts and funeral expenses I give [illegible]

[page 354]

out of my personal estate as shall be necessary with the crop of the
year to pay for the cattle and farming implemments lately purchased
and I give the balance of my bonds notes stocks &c. to my daughter Margaret
and I devise to her during her lifetime and after her mothers death the house
grounds and buildings where I now live and after Margarets decease
I give and devise the fee simple in said house lot of ground and
buildings to my son George and his heirs / Item. I give and devise all
my farm in said township adjoining the Harrisburg and Ephrata
thrnpike [sic] lands of Josiah Espy G. Snavely Samuel Gray and others
containing except as above devised about one hundred and seventeen
acres to my son George Hocker Jr. and his heirs and assigns with the
right to the water at the pump where I live he paying half the ex-
penses of keeping the pump in good repair. Item. I hereby charge the
sum of Five thousand dollars on said farm for the use of my widow
and I direct that George or whoever holds the said farm shall pay
to my widow yearly the Interest on said five thousand Dollars at six
per cent / Item I direct that my share in the crop of this year and
all my cattle and farming implements except the widows shall belong
to my son George Item / At the death of my widow I direct that the five
thousand dollars charged on my farm shall be paid out in the following
manner. One year after the widows death five hundred Dollars to be paid
to my daughter Isamiah Wagner wife of Henry Wagner the next
year five hundred Dollars to be paid to my son Levi the third year
alike sum to Mrs. Wagner and then five hundred dollars a year
to be paid to Levi until he gets two thousand dollars and then the
remaining two thousand Dollars to be paid to my said daughter
Margaret in payments of five hundred Dollars each yearly and
additional payments shall also be made by George our of said farm
to Margaret to make her share out of my whole estate seven thousand
dollars in payments of five hundred dollars a year after the other payment
of five hundred dollars a year after the other payments made as aforesaid /
Item I direct and intend all said payments to be without interest
Item I order that George shall furnish his mother sufficient grain for
her use this year and feed for her hogs and cows for this year and also
that he furnish her off the farm yearly the pasture for two hogs and
two cows four tons of hay two load of corn fodder and as much straw as
necessary for bedding purposes during her lifetime and at her death George
to give the same yearly to Margaret during her lifetime Item I hereby
give and devise to my son Levi Hocker and his heirs and assigns my
piece of mountain land in West Hanover township in said County
containing about ten acres Item I have given to my daughter Isamiah
and son Levi Hocker in this will less than I have my other children
because I have given them heretofore what I consider their full share in
my estate Lastly I nominate and appoint my daughter Margaret and
my son George to be the Executors of this my last will and testament
hereby revoking all former wills by me heretofore made In witness
whwereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this thirteenth day
of September Anno Domini Eighteen hundred and seventy
three
George Hocker Sr.

[page 355]

Signed sealed executed declared & pronounced
by the testator in presence of us.
George Metz
Herman Alrick } Sworn Nov. A.D. 1873 before me
Simon Duey Register

Margaret Hocker & George Hocker sworn as executors of the last will
and Testament of George Hocker sen. dec^d according to law
and Letters Testamentary granted to them Nov. 14^th A.D. 1873
by Simon Duey Register

Recorded Nov. 14th 1873

George Hocker was my 4x great grandfather.

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 ninth 52 Ancestors post and (catching up) part of week eight, but will show up in week nine.

Tag: Hacker-Hocker Genealogy

Timeline:

1915

1916

1917

1918