Tombstone Tuesday–William A. Hoehamer

William A. Hoehamer, Mount Hope Cemetery, Adams County, Indiana. (2013 photo by Karen)

William A. Hoehamer, Mount Hope Cemetery, Adams County, Indiana. (2013 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of William A. Hoehamer, located in Mount Hope Cemetery, Adams County, Indiana. The marker is inscribed:

WILLIAM A.
HOEHAMER
1875-1956

William A. Hoehamer was born March 1875 in Auglaize County, Ohio, to Nicholas and Anna (Manzelman) Hoehamer.

William married Maggie E. [Margaret Elisabeth] Kallenberger on 24 May 1900, by Rev. R. V. Schmitt, Zion Chatt’s pastor. Maggie was the daughter of Michael Andreas and Elisabeth (Burkhart) Kallenberger, and was born in Blackcreek Township, Mercer County, Ohio. William’s occupation was oil driller. [1]

In 1900 William and Maggie were living with Maggie’s parents. William was age 25 and Maggie was 26. William’s occupation was day laborer. They had been married less than a year. In fact, they had been married less than a month. They were married 24 May of that year and the census was taken 16 June. [2] 

William and Maggie were living on West Pearl Street in Rockford, Ohio, in 1910, and William worked as a blacksmith. He and Maggie had been married ten years. Maggie had given birth to three children and all three children were living: Edith, 8; Freda, 7; and William, 1. [3]

In 1916 William and Maggie and their three children lived on their 80 acre farm at Route 2, Rockford, between Rockford West and Wilson Road. They had four horses, six cows and an Indiana telephone at their Blackcreek residence. [4]

According to Zion Chatt’s records and census enumerations William and Maggie had the following children:

Ida/Edie Elisabeth (1901-?)
Friedericke Louisa (1903-?)
Wilhelm Andreas, Jr. (1909-1978) married Alice Luella Deitsch
Stillborn son (14 February 1913) buried at Zion Chatt

William’s wife Maggie died in 1950 and is buried in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga.

Obituary:

William A. Hoehammer [sic]
ROCKFORD—Services for William A. Hoehammer, 81, retired farmer of this community, will be at 2 p.m. Monday in the Ketcham Funeral Home. The Rev. Dr. John D. Gregory will officiate and burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery, Berne, Ind.

Mr. Hoehammer died at 11:30 p.m. Friday in Gibbons Hospital, Celina, after a 19-day illness. He was born in Moulton and had lived in Rockford many years. He was a member of the Rockford Presbyterian Church.

For the past several years he had made his home with his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. William Hoehammer Jr., Route 1, Rockford. Besides his son, he is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Freda Martelock, Florida; two half-brothers, Charles Hoehammer, Elmwood Park, Ill., and Orville, Hartford City, Ind., five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

The body will remain in the Ketcham Funeral Home where friends may call after 11:30 a.m. Sunday. [5]

 

[1] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XZT6-GGQ : accessed 21 Jul 2013), W.A. Hoehamer and Maggie E. Kallenberger, 1900, citing Mercer County Marriages, Vol. 8: 141.

[2] 1900 U.S. Census, Blackcreek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 74, p. 8A, dwelling 164, family 134, Andrew Cullenbarger; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 July 2013); from FHL film 1241303, from National Archives Microfilm T623, roll 1303.

[3] 1910 U.S. Census, Dublin, Mercer, Ohio, ED 111, p.7B, dwelling 182, family 187, William M. Hokehamer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com  : accessed 21 July 2013); from FHL microfilm 1375227, from National Archives microfilm T624, roll 1214.

[4] The Farm Journal Illustrated Directory of Mercer County, Ohio, 1916 (Philadelphia : Wilmer Atkinson Company, 1916), 99.

[5] Deaths and Funerals, The Lima News, 17 March 1956, p.2; William A. “Hoehammer” obituary.

 

3 comments

    • Waldo on July 25, 2013 at 8:30 am
    • Reply

    Amazing information. While she lived right next door and our families visited often, I know little to nothing about them. Great Aunt Maggie (Maggie was also my grandmother’s nickname) died the same year that I was born (according to your data not my memory). So I have heard about the trips back to their place which was very near our own farm, but never really understood what the connection was to the “Hoehammer” place. Until recently when folks inquired or mentioned “Maggie” from the Kallenberger family tree, I thought they were confused and were talking about my Grandmother Margaret Esther (Miller) Kallenberger who was the only one that I had heard called Maggie. Add to that the German spelling of her first name which appeared to be Margaratha, or something like that (all still subject to family dispute). While I do not know when she learned to read or write, I do know that Grandma was very proficient in reading and writing though Grandpa could not read or write, I am told. In fact he was really most comfortable speaking German.

    The record is also very confusing in terms of Great Grandfather Andrew Kallenberger. As you have noted here his name was recorded as Michael Andres Kallenberger, yet most records, including his tombstore refer to Andrew Michael Kallenberger. Certainly documents some of the confusion that can be encountered in following a family history.

    1. I often use Zion Chatt’s church records as a source of information and the German ministers in the last half of the 1800s seemed to use the formal German names in their record keeping. Zion’s church records date back to 1855 and I think that is where some of the confusion is coming from. The minister probably used their formal baptismal name. Obviously Andreas was the formal/church name for Andrew. Andrew was undoubtedly the Americanized version. Margaretha became Margaret, which became Maggie. The names probably evolved through the years. The order of names is also confusing. Usually Germans were called by their middle name. In the church records I see Margaretha Elisabetha, and the tombstone may name her as Elizabeth M. But other times they went by the first name. Yes, there is much variation in the spelling of names and in the name the person actually used. Spelling also depended on who wrote the name down. A name may have been written down the way it sounded. I have seen: Huffman as Hoofman; Schinnerer as General, etc. Today we only have the old written records to look at and go by. Lots of variables when you look at names.

    • Waldo on July 25, 2013 at 2:36 pm
    • Reply

    Thank you. Beautifully explained and addressed. All this shows the experience and knowledge that you bring to such family history development, and it is a real blessing that you share your skill with us.

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