John Hocker

Kris Hocker on 17 Mar 2009

John2 Hocker (Unknown1) was born 6 July 1815 in Hummelstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and died 21 January 1882 in Churchville, now Oberlin, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. He was buried in Churchville Cemetery, Oberlin, Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.1 John’s occupation, according to census records, varied from brick-maker to farmer to shoemaker.

He married on 3 December 1835, probably in Hummelstown, Sarah Beinhower, daughter of Peter Beinhower (30 November 1787-25 November 1853) and Mary Ann Smith (8 April 1790-4 April 1877).2 She was born 12 January 1814 in Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania and died of pneumonia on 12 November 1901 in Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania where she had gone to visit relatives.3 Sarah was buried 15 November 1901 in the Churchville Cemetery, Oberlin, Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania with her husband.4

John Hocker’s will states:

“I, John Hocker, of Churchville, Swatara Township, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. Item; I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Sarah, all my estate real, personal and mixed for her use during her natural life, to use the same or any part thereof for her support and whatever is left at her died is to go to the children of my deceased daughter, Mary Ann, share and share alike.”5

Sarah Hocker’s illness was news in the local papers in Middletown.

“Mrs. Hocker Very Sick— Mrs. Hocker, widow of the late John Hocker, of Oberlin, came to visit her grandaughter, Mrs. C.P. Longenecker at East Middletown bridge, a week ago last Sunday. While there she took sick and her trouble soon developed into pneumonia. At this writing there are no hopes for her recovery. Mrs. Hocker is 87 years old and for many years resided near Good’s fulling mill in Lower Swatara.”6

“Mrs. Hocker, an aged and highly respected lady of this place, and widow of the late John Hocker, died on Tuesday afternoon at 4 o’clock in the 89th year of her age. Mrs. Hocker has gone to visit relatives near Middletown, and while there contracted an attack of pnuemonia which resulted in her death.

The funeral which took place from her late residence in this place on Friday morning at 9:30 was attended by many. Services were held in the United Brethren church, of which she was a consistent member for many years. Interment was made in the cemetery of this place.”7

John and Sarah (Beinhower) Hocker had one child:

  1. Maria Anna/Anna Maria3 Hocker was born 2 January 1840, baptized 2 April 1840 in the Zion Evangelical Church, and died 11 September 1873 or 1883.8 She married Christian A. Gingerich circa 1864.

Footnotes

  1. John Hocker gravestone, Churchville Cemetery, Oberlin, Swatara township, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, Photographed by Kris Hocker, 7 April 2002. ↩
  2. John Hocker and Sarah Beinhower marriage announcement, The Democratic State Journal, Volume I, No. 40: Page 3, Wednesday, December 15, 1835. ↩
  3. Sarah Hocker gravestone, Churchville Cemetery, Oberlin, Swatara township, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, Photographed by Kris Hocker, 7 April 2002. ↩
  4. Sarah (Beinhauer) Hocker obituary, The Middletown Journal, Middletown, Pennsylvania, 16 Nov 1901, Page not recorded. ↩
  5. John Hocker Last Will & Testament, Dauphin County Will Book K, Vol. 1: page 4628, Feb 1882; Dauphin County Courthouse, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. ↩
  6. Sarah (Beinhauer) Hocker, “Mrs. Hocker Very Sick,” The Middletown Journal, Middletown, Pennsylvania, 16 Nov 1901, Page not recorded. ↩
  7. Sarah (Beinhauer) Hocker obituary, The Middletown Journal, Middletown, Pennsylvania, 16 Nov 1901, Page not recorded. ↩
  8. Mary A. Gingerich gravestone, Churchville Cemetery, Oberlin, Swatara township, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, Photographed by Kris Hocker, 7 April 2002. ↩

Cite This Page:

, "John Hocker," A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy, the genealogy & family research site of Kris Hocker, modified 4 Sep 2015 (https://www.krishocker.com/biographies/john-hocker/ : accessed 9 May 2024).

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2 Replies to “John Hocker”

  1. Cheryl (Hocker) Frank 19 Jul 2012 at 9:55 pm

    I’ve started to look into my grandfather’s, William Henry Hocker, history. He was born in Lancaster, KY around 1890. Is it possible that your relatives lived in that area too? I don’t know much else about his life or early childhood. He died in 1963 when I was still young. I do know he married Martha James Flourney from Davenport, Iowa. I’ve been tracing that side of the family. Lately, though, I’ve noticed the name Hocker has been more prominent than before and I’ve become curious about my paternal ancestry. I was always told that Hocker was a German/Jewish name. And in the 1930 census there were two families with the name William Hocker living in Detroit, MI. They lived only two miles from each other. The one was my grandfather’s family and the other was a family of Russian Jews. I’ve also seen the Hocker name associated with a guards at a Nazi concentration camp.

    1. Kris 20 Jul 2012 at 10:26 am

      Cheryl, thanks for posting.

      My Hocker family was originally “Hacker” in Germany—different pronunciation and different name, I believe from “Hocker” in German. I’ve yet to follow any of my lines through Kentucky, but I know that descendants of another “Hocker” family who originally settled in Virginia/Maryland area did settle in Kentucky on the way west. That family preceded my family here by about 100 years, coming from Germany through England.

      Your post is the first I’ve heard of a Jewish connection. My Hackers were members of the German Reformed church in Rußheim, Germany and continued that tradition here in the United States. Stephen Hacker—the earliest family member we’ve found—was a Catholic.

      Kris