Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 2, 2013

Frederick W. Yingst (1843-1920) was the son of Carl Yingst and Anna [Snavely] Yingst, German immigrants who met on shipboard en-route to America.  Frederick was born and reared in Harrisburg.  According to his biographer, at 16 years old, he became an apprentice in the house and sign painting trade with John Cruikshank, a well-known mechanic.

When the Civil War began, Frederick W. Yingst first waited more than a year to enlist, but on 26 July 1862, he was was mustered into service in the 127th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, as a Private.  He was discharged on 8 May 1863.  He then re-enlisted at Harrisburg in the 194th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company G, as a 1st Sergeant.  On 24 July 1864, he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and served the remainder of his term until he was discharged on 6 November 1864.  His final enlistment occurred on 17 February 1865, when he was mustered into the 78th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, as a 1st Sergeant, serving until 2 June 1865 when he was discharged.

The war was over and

…he then returned to Harrisburg and embarked in the furniture and carpet trade, and since that time has been continuously in the business in this city. He was married in Harrisburg, July 4, 1871, to Theresa Youder, daughter of Daniel Youder and Mary [Frank] Youder, and to them has been born four children: Walter H. Yingst, Robert M. Yingst, Anna M. Yingst, and Gertrude A. Yingst, all living and residing in Harrisburg….

In political views he is liberal and independent, voting for men rather than party. Mr. Yingst has been a member of the First Reformed Church for twenty-seven years, of which his wife and family are all members, excepting Walter H.Yingst, who belongs to the Market Square Presbyterian Church.  (Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, page 490).

An early furniture store advertisement from the Patriot of 1871 notes that Frederick W. Yingst was operating out of the old “Snavely stand”.  One Snavely property, 410 Chestnut Street, which was owned by Frederick’s mother’s family eventually went to estate when Anna [Snavely] Yingst died, and Frederick and his father, acting as executors, sold it at the estate sale in 1880.  Prior to this, in 1876, Frederick closed down his business and made plans to leave Harrisburg.  Records show that he moved to Kansas, where daughter Gertrude Yingst was born in 1876, but he only remained there a short time.

According to an article that appeared in the Patriot on 19 February 1886, Yingst was in business at a Market Street location for about 5 years and had been in business in the city for a total of 20 years, his first site being at the Snavely stand which was located at 213 North Second Street.  The new location, at Market Street and the River Bridge, featured

…acres and acres of carpets, oil cloths.  All the colors of the rainbow…  Owing to the large patronage extended to him he has constantly been increasing his stock.  Buying goods direct from the manufacturers in New York and Philadelphia enables him to compete in price and good styles with all others, a result of making the carpet business a specialty for so many years.  When you are in need of anything in the above line don’t fail to call on Mr. Yingst, and be assured of a cordial reception, whether you buy or not….

In the period from about 1881 through 1891, the nephew of Frederick W. Yingst, Charles F. Hoover was in the carpet business with him, although the Hoover name did not appear in the name of the business.  Charles F. Hoover (1861-1925) was born during the Civil War to William H. Hoover and Mary [Yingst] Hoover.  William H. Hoover, like his brother-in-law, served in three different Civil War regiments.  On 2 April 1861, William H. Hooover was mustered into the 2nd Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I, as a private and served the duration of his 3-month term until honorably discharged, 216 July 1861.  Later that year on 16 December 1861, he enlisted in the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company I, as a Private.  The record is unclear as to his date of discharge, but the discharge was on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability.  The final enlistment occurred on 8 February 1864 in the 2nd Pennsylvania Artillery, Company K, as a Private.  On 30 April 1864, he was discharged from that regiment, also on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability.  He did not recover from the latter service and died in 1865, leaving a widow and minor son, Charles F. Hoover.

Charles F. Hoover was able to take advantage of the Whitehall Orphans’ School, Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, where he completed his education, after which he moved to Adebolt, Iowa, where he took up the trade of painter.  Returning east, he was employed in the carpet department of John Wanamaker and Company in Philadelphia where he stayed for two years.  It was then, in 1881 that he joined his Uncle Frederick in business in Harrisburg.  After 1891, he went into the carpet business for himself.

Early-on, Charles F. Hoover tried to establish a reputation for quality products.  The Patriot reported on 28 January 1893, that he made a special trip to Millersburg, Dauphin County, to purchase furnishings that were manufactured there for an elaborate restoration and renovation of the bar of the Koehler’s Hotel on North Third Street in Harrisburg.

Charles F. Hoover also effectively used the telephone, combined with print advertising in the newspaper, as the above ad shows, to advertise his wares.  As a result, in 1916, the Patriot reported on a overflow crowd at one his his sales:

More than 3000 attend first day’s sale at Hoover Furniture Company…. The crowds became so dense in the late afternoon that the store rooms were so congested it was impossible to admit more persons to the building and the doors had to be closed.  Fully 600 waited outside until the crowd inside thinned out.  The sale was another striking instance of effective newspaper advertising….

Effective advertising and use of the telephone were not the only forward-looking innovations promoted by Charles F. Hoover, the graduate of the Civil War Orphans’ School, as a headline that appeared in the Patriot noted, 17 May 1920:

Merchant of City Takes 150 Mile Trip in Plane; Enjoys It.  Charles F. Hoover is Passenger with Walter Shaffer on Flight from New Jersey Flying Filed to Dauphin – Cover Route in Two Hours.  His First Air Voyage at 58; Sorry It’s Over.  Describes Appearance of Pennsylvania farms Over Which Machine Carried Him — Lancaster County.  “Like Checkerboard,” He Says.

That same year, 1920, it was noted that the wife of Charles F. Hoover, Elizabeth [Bidinger] Hoover, had died.  She had helped to found the furniture and carpet store business with her husband, and late in life had gone to embalming school.  At the time of her death, she was the only woman who was a licensed undertaker in Central Pennsylvania, working out of son William H. Hoover‘s undertaking business.  William was the grandson of the Civil War soldier, William H. Hoover, who had died in the Civil War.

In 1921, the widower Charles H. Hoover, invested in a new business, forming the Harrisburg Airplane Company, along with his son, Robert Hoover.   It is not known at this time what became of this company.   Charles H. Hoover died in 1925 and is buried with his wife in the Harrisburg Cemetery.

In his later years, Frederick W. Yingst was a manufacturer of anti-dust carpets.  In 1910 and 1920, he was living in the household of his son-in-law, J. Emil Anselm (husband of Gertrude Yingst), Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.  Frederick W. Yingst died on 3 August 1920.  At this time, it is not known where he is buried.

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News articles are from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.  Pension Index Cards are from Ancestry.com.

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Tags: Millersburg

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 1, 2013

The Rev. Lewis Daniel Steckel (1839-1922) served as the pastor of the Reformed Church in Lykens Borough, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, at the end of the 19th and early part of the 20th century.  He also had a congregation in Tower City, Schuylkill County.  During the Civil War he was the Quartermaster Sergeant in the 176th Pennsylvania Infantry, serving in that regiment from 7 November 1862 through his honorable discharge on 18 August 1863.

A biographical sketch of Rev. Steckel appeared in the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, published in 1896 by the J. M. Runk Company of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania:

Rev. L. D. Steckel, pastor of Christ Reformed Church, Lykens, Pennsylvania, was born near Whitehall, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 2 January 1839.  The ancestors of Rev. L. D. Steckel came from Zweibrucken, or Zweibruecken, Germany, and were among the early settlers of Pennsylvania.  Daniel Steckel, father of Rev. L. D. Steckel, was also born in Lehigh County, in 1789.  He was a farmer in that county.  He married Elizabeth Frantz, a native of Lehigh County, daughter of Peter Frantz, a farmer.  They had ten children:  Hattie Steckel, wife of Charles Shafer of Whitehall, Lehigh County; Reuben Steckel, resides in Lehigh County; Polly Steckel, wife of Stephen S. Albright, of Allentown, Pennsylvania; Amos Steckel, of Bloomfield, Iowa; William Steckel, merchant, Montpelier, Indiana; Alfred Steckel, doctor, Slatington, Pennsylvania; Rev. L. D. Steckel; Edmond Steckel, doctor, Allentown Pennsylvania; Henry Steckel, professor in the Whitehall schools; and Caroline Steckel, wife of Joseph Miller, of Ohio.  Mr. and Mrs. Steckel both died on the old homestead in Lehigh County, the former in 1877, and the latter in 1879.  Mr. Steckel was originally a Whig, and later identified with the Republican Party.  He was a member of the Reformed church in the United States.  He and his wife were prominent and highly respected people, faithful, just and kind in all the relations of life.

L. D. Steckel attended the public schools of his town until he was ten years of age and when he was seventeen years old was graduated from the high school.  He taught school eight winters and worked at agricultural work during the summers.

He enlisted at Allentown, Pennsylvania, 18 October 1862, in Company G, One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania volunteers [176th Pennsylvania Infantry], Capt. L. P. Hecker, and Col. A. A. Lechler, and spent nine months in the service.  He held the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant.

After his return from the army he spent one year as a student at the Dickinson College, after which he took a three year course in theology in Mercersburg Seminary, and was ordained to the ministry in 1867.  His first charge was Millersville, Lancaster County, where he spent one year.  He was next for three years pastor at Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, then had a charge in Perry County for one year and a half, and was next at Meyersdale, Somerset County, for eight years; there he built a church edifice, remodeled the parsonage, and otherwise improved the church property, to the extent of $5,000.  Mr. Steckel spent two years at Wolmelsdorf, Berks County, three years in Pottsville, and five at Mifflinburg, Union County.

In 1891 Rev. Mr. Steckel received a call from the Reformed Congregation at Lykens to become their pastor, which he accepted and entered upon the pastorate in the same year.  The work at Lykens has greatly prospered under his care.  A church office costing $5,000 has been erected, and every branch of congregational work is in good condition.  Rev. Mr. Steckel has another congregation at Tower City and he is equally faithful and efficient in looking after the spiritual needs of that part of his parish.  Since coming to Lykens he has done a grand work in promoting the religious interests of the community; and the value of his service is currently regarded by all the citizens, regardless of political differences.  He and his family are quick to respond to all appeals for material or spiritual help.

Rev. Mr. Steckel was married at Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1869, to Barbara Peters, born at Millersville, Pennsylvania, 16 February 1844, daughter of Hon. Abraham Peters, a native of Millersville, Lancaster County, Pennsyvlania, a farmer and stock raiser.  Mr. and Mrs. Steckel have four children:  Mary Steckel, born at Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, 17 January 1872, graduated from Female College at Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the Conservatory of Music, Philadelphia, is a teacher of music; Martha Steckel, born 8 March 1875, at Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, graduated at the college at Meyerstown, Pennsylvania, and in 1892, at the College of Oratory, Philadelphia; Fannie Steckel, born 7 July 1877, graduated at Lykens High School, 1891, and at Frederick, Maryland, College for Women in 1895, is a music teacher; Abraham Peters Steckel, born 1 April 1879, graduated at the Lykens High School, 1894, and from Mercersburg College, in 1895, now attending Lehigh University.

Mr. Steckel takes interest in public and political affairs.  The family are members of the Reformed Church in the United States.  Rev. Steckel has in his family a competent and devoted staff of church workers.  Mrs. Steckel has for seven years been President of the Ladies’ Aid Society.  The daughters have formed a Young People’s Society, in which they take an active part.  The Misses Steckel are organists of the church.  All the members of the family are interested in Sunday School work and in the educational and benevolent enterprises of the community.  Their home is a fountain of good influences.

In 1910, Rev. Steckel is found in the census as the minister of a congregation in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.  His two daughters, Martha Steckel and Frances “Fannie” Steckel, ages 35 and 33, are living in his household and employed as private music teachers.  By 1920, Rev. Steckel had retired in Greensburg, the two daughters still living with him, Martha, then a public school teacher, and Fannie a private teacher.

The regiment in which Lewis D. Steckel served during the Civil War was a state-drafted group of men that Gov. Andrew Curtin needed to meet the call of President Abraham Lincoln for 300,000 men to serve for a period of nine months.  The 176th Pennsylvania Infantry had a brief and relatively uneventful history, according to the Union Army, Volume I:

This militia regiment, composed of seven companies from Lehigh County and three from Monroe County, was mustered in at Philadelphia in November 1862, for nine months, and left for Suffolk, Virginia, the same month. It joined the force which moved under Gen. Foster, from New Berne, North Carolina, to Charleston, South Carolina, and was employed in guard, picket and other duties in this vicinity during its entire term of service. At Harrisburg, 18 August 1863, it was  mustered out.

Also included in the Union Army information is the fact that one officer died of disease or accident during the service of this regiment and 43 enlisted men died of disease or accident while service.  There were no reported deaths due to combat.  The information from Union Army is available on Ancestry.com.

Bates does not offer much more information about the history of this regiment (see 4-1238):

Seven companies of this regiment were from Lehigh County, and the remaining three from Monroe County.  They rendezvoused at Philadelphia, during the month of November, where a regimental organization was effected, with the following field officers:  Ambrose A. Lechler, Colonel; George Pilkington, Lieutenant Colonel; William Schoonover, Major.  Colonel Lechler had served as Quartermaster of the Fourth Pennsylvania Reserves, and during the Seven Days’ Battle of the Peninsula, as ordinance officer to the Second Reserve Brigade.  Soon after its organization, the regiment was sent to Suffolk, Virginia, where, for a month, it was subjected to careful instruction and discipline.  Through the recommendation of Colonel Foster, in command of a provisional brigade, to which the One Hundred and Seventy-sixth had been assigned, this regiment was selected to accompany General Foster in his expedition for the reinforcement of the army operating upon the defenses of Charleston.  Proceeding to Newbern, North Carolina, it was incorporated with Foster’s forces, and on the 27 January set sail arriving at Hilton Head on 5 February.  While in the Department of the south, the regiment was not engaged in any hostile operations, but was principally employed in fatigue duty upon the fortifications, in in provost duty.  Soon after the expiration of its terms of service, it returned north, and was sent to Harrisburg, where on the 17 and 18 August, it was mustered out of service.

Bates indicates, in the listing of the Field and Staff Officers (Headquarters), that the original Quartermaster of this regiment was Isaac Wooliver, whose resignation was tendered on 9 December 1862 (see 4-1238).  Steckel, who had been Sergeant in Company G, had been promoted to Quartermaster Sergeant, three days earlier.  Since the record does not indicate that any other individual served in the capacity of Quartermaster, it has to be assumed that Steckel remained at that rank for the duration of his service.

Other persons with a connection to the Lykens Valley area who reportedly served in the 176th Pennsylvania Infantry were:  Tilghman A. Beisel [File: CW#B058], Elias Herber [File: CW#H126], Daniel Keiser [File: CW#K038], George Neitz [File: CW#N013], Solomon Riegle [File: CW#R106.12], and John Summerfield Staples [File: CW#S288].  Note:  File numbers refer to Civil War Research Project digital files available on the named veterans.

Lewis D. Steckel was recognized on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument which is located on North Second Street in Lykens Borough.  He is named as a member of the Heilner Post who joined after the post was organized.

In 1890, Lewis D. Steckel, then living in Mifflinburg, Union County, Pennsylvania, told the census of his Civil War service, but did not indicate that he had any Civil War-related disabilities.  However, in that same year, on 22 July, he applied for an invalid pension, which he received and collected until his death, as shown on the Pension Index Card (above) from Ancestry.com.

The Pension Index Card available from Fold3 (not shown) notes that Lewis D. Steckel died on 19 March 1922 at Greensburg, Westmoreland County.  Other sources indicate that his wife Barbara [Peters] Steckel had died on 25 February 1920.  His grave has not yet been located.

The portrait at the top of this post is from the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, previously cited.

Additional information is sought on Rev. Lewis D. Steckel, Reformed Minister and Civil War veteran who was a member of the Lykens community at the turn of the century.  Of particular interest are stories and news articles from his time in Lykens.  Comments can be added to this post or send an e-mail to the Civil War Research Project.  [Project File: CW#S299]

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Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Curtin, G.A.R., Lykens Borough, Tower City

Posted By Brian Tomlin on January 31, 2013

This monthly column seeks to provide a context for events going on during the Civil War era that are not directly war related. This column will appear around the last  day of the month and will summarize the historically significant events from around the world 150 years ago.

January 1863

January 1: Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation

January 1: Franz Schubert’s “Missa Solemnis” premiers in Leipzig

January 4: 4-wheeled roller skates are patented by James Plimpton of New York

January 10: First underground railroad opens in London. From London Underground site: “January 10, 1863 is a memorable date for Londoners. Then The Underground is placed in operation – the first subway system in the world. It is only 5 km long and connects the station “Paddington”and “Faringdon” but the first day 40,000 passengers used the underground transport. Today, 12 lines with total length of 408 km and 275 stations knitted the metropolitan in London.”

January 10: January Uprising begins in Poland. A protest against Polish men being conscripted into the Imperial Russian Army. Discussion of the protest as well as an explanation of the painting marking the January Uprising

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January 13: Chenile manufacturing machine patented by William Canter, New York City. Photo shows the plan of the improved machine which was patented in 1868.

January 13: Thomas Crapper pioneers one-piece pedestal flushing toilet, which was called the Valveless Waste Preventer and had only one moving part. Crapper did not invent the flushing toilet but made several improvements to the design and help popularize the toilet in homes. The photo is an original of the Valveless Waste Preventer.

January 15: First newspaper ever printed on wood-pulp paper, the Boston Morning Journal

January 21: City of Dublin, Ireland leases part of its Cattle Market for 100,000 years. The market remained open until the 1970s. The photo shows the market around 1900.

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Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 30, 2013

Although the Bureau of Engraving and Printing had its origins during the Civil War – it was originally created to issue paper money in order to support the war effort – it was not involved in postage stamp production until July 1894.  Prior to the “Bureau Issues” of postage stamps, the U.S government had contracted with private printers to meet the needs of post office customers.  In a 13 January 2013 post here on this blog, those early Abraham Lincoln stamp issues were presented.  See:  Early Postage Stamps Honoring Abraham Lincoln.

Issue of 1890

The last postage stamp series produced by a private printer was the Series of 1890, contracted to the American Bank Note Company.  That series contained eleven stamp values ranging from one cent through ninety cents.  The 4 cent stamp (shown above) had a portrait of Abraham Lincoln which was modeled on a photograph taken by Mathew Brady.  Two other stamps in the series recognized Civil War generals:  the 5 cents stamp had a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant, and the 8 cent stamp had a portrait of William T. Sherman.

Issue of 1894

When the Bureau of Engraving and Printing took over production of U.S. postage stamps, it was decided to retain the designs of the popular 1890 series, but slightly modify them so as to distinguish them from the privately printed issues.  Decorative triangles were added to the upper corners of the stamp.  Also, a need was evident for higher stamp values.  A $2 and a $5 value were added to the series, and the stamp design previously used for the 90 cent value was changed to a $1 value.  The new series therefore consisted of thirteen values.  Abraham Lincoln remained on the four cent value and the stamp continued to be issued in a dark brown color – at least until 1898 when the color was changed to a rose brown, lilac brown, or orange brown.

Issue of 1898 – Color Change

The registered cover shown below is for a usage of the 4 cent Abraham Lincoln stamp of the First Bureau Issue.

The Second Bureau Issue, and the first completely designed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, depicted 14 different individuals, most of whom were former presidents.  It was gradually issued over the years 1902-1903 and remained in use for most of the first decade of the twentieth century.

Issue of 1903

The five cent issue of this series depicted Abraham Lincoln and was probably first issued on 10 February 1903.  The stamp shows a portrait of Lincoln similar to that shown on the 1890 issue and was also based on the Mathew Brady photograph.  Noticeable differences, other than the blue color and denomination, are the revised hairline, the name “Lincoln” which appears under the portrait, the words “Series 1902,” and the birth and death years, 1809-1865.

The cover (above) shows a single usage of the stamp, probably for an overweight first class letter.

An interesting fact about this stamp is that it saw service in the Panama Canal Zone and the Philippines, territories administered by the Unites States.  Stamps used there were overprinted “CANAL ZONE PANAMA” and “PHILIPPINES”.  The Lincoln stamp is found with both overprints.

A new series of stamps was issued beginning in 1908, commonly called the Washington-Franklin Series, but also known as the Third Bureau Issue.  From about 1908 to 1922, Lincoln’s portrait did not appear on a regular issue postage stamp.

However, in 1909, on the occasion of the centennial of Abraham Lincoln‘s birth, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing issued a special commemorative stamp.

The continuous issue since 1866 of at least one stamp in a regular series with a portrait of Lincoln ended in 1908, but the 1909 commemorative helped to satisfy those who felt that Lincoln should always appear on a U.S. stamp.  This 1909 commemorative was based on a statue of Lincoln that is located in Chicago’s Grant Park.  For some unknown reason, it was decided not to place Lincoln’s name on the stamp that commemorated the centennial of his birth, but included instead were his birth and death years.  This reverted back to the policy of earlier stamp issues, prior to 1902, which did not name the person on the stamp, the assumption being that they would be instantly recognizable.

Two other facts about this stamp are worth noting.  Two-cents was the rate for a single-ounce weight, first class letter – thus making this the first Lincoln stamp to see usage on regular mail in the United States (cover shown above is for that regular usage).  And, this was the first U.S. commemorative stamp that was issued in only one denomination and for a single individual.  Prior commemorative issues – for the Columbian Exposition in 1892 (fifteen denominations), the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898 (nine denominations), the Pan-American Exposition in 1901 (six denomination), the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904 (five denominations), and the Jamestown Exposition (three denomination) – were issued to meet a variety of postal services.

Information for this post was taken from a stamp exhibit that was constructed in 2000 and donated to a historical society and sold to raise money for its programs.  Some of the stamp pictures above are embedded from the Wikipedia article on U.S Presidents on U.S. Postage Stamps.  The next article in this series on Abraham Lincoln on stamps will appear in a few weeks and feature regular stamps issues in use from the 1920s through the early 1950s.

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Tags: Abraham Lincoln

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 29, 2013

“Public Notice – Notice is hereby given that letters of administration on the estate of Peter Hocker, late of Middle Township, Dauphin County, deceased, have been granted….”   Thus began a legal item that appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot, 18 January 1866.

The story behind the notice was found in the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, pages 865-866:

John P. Hocker, farmer, was born in Clark’s Valley, Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, 16 March 1837.  He is a son of Peter Hocker and Nancy [Weltmer] Hocker.  Peter Hocker was born 21 February 1801.  He was a prominent and honored citizen; was extensively interested in farming, and also had charge of the Peter’s Mountain Inn.  He served several terms as county commissioner of Dauphin County, and a number of terms as school director.  He contributed liberally to the establishment and support of churches of Dauphin and in the vicinity.  He was a Democrat.  He died 17 December 1865; his wife died 20 February 1877, aged sixty-eight years, one month and twenty six days.  They had nine children: Susan Hocker, wife of Jacob Beam; Martin Hocker; Peter Hocker; Margaret A. Hocker, wife of Benjamin Meyers; John P. Hocker; Catherine Hocker, wife of Jonathan Fox; George W. Hocker; Jacob Hocker; and Emeline Hocker, wife of Martin Koons.

John P. Hocker in his early boyhood attended private schools; at twelve years of age he attended the district school.  At seventeen he left school and worked on his father’s farm until he was twenty-five.  He enlisted at Camp Simmons, Harrisburg. 16 October 1862, in Company K, One Hundred and Seventy-Third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers [173rd Pennsylvania Infantry], under Capt. Cornelius A. Harper and Colonel Nagle.  He was discharged at Harrisburg, 18 August 1863.  He returned home in ill health and cultivated the homestead farm until 1865.  His father having been killed at this time by the running away of a team of horses, Mr. John Hocker succeeded to the management of the farm, which he conducted for one year.  He then removed to the neighborhood of Zion Church, where he lived and was employed for a year and a half.  On 14 January 1869, he bought the homestead where he has since resided.

Mr. Hocker was married 24 March 1861 to Mary Ann Ferree.  Of their fourteen children, four are deceased.  Mary Jane Hocker, born 14 February 1862, died 20 March 1863; George Williams Hocker, born 29 April 1864, died 19 April 1866; Charles Cleveland Hocker, born 26 January 1885, died 20 March 1885; Carrie Emma Hocker, born 12 August 1882, died 29 September 1893.  Their living children are:  John Peter Hocker, born 24 July 1865; Julia Ann Hocker, 6 April 1867, wife of John E. Bickel; Ophelia Hocker, 2 April 1869; Catherine Elizabeth Hocker, 15 August 1871, wife of Theodore McCarty; James Martin Hocker, 23 June 1873; Alexander Harvey Hocker, 16 September 1875; Agnes Gertrude Hocker, 19 August 1877; Sarah Ellen Hocker, 20 August 1879; Martha Washington Hocker, 22 February 1886; and Maud Ethel Hocker, 15 March 1889.  Mr. Hocker is neutral in politics.  He has served two terms as supervisor of Middle Paxton Township.  The family attend the Lutheran Church.

The mother of Mrs. Hocker died in December 1866; her father in August 1878.  They had eight children:  Leah Jane Ferree, wife of George Hocker; Mary Ann Ferree, Mrs John Hocker; Joel Ferree; Jefferson Ferree; Elizabeth Ferree, wife of Zachariah Knapp; Agnes Ferree, wife of James Duncan; and Ellen Ferree, wife of John Arrison.

John Hocker appeared in the Civil War Draft registration for Derry Township in 1863 (below).

In 1863, he was 22 years old, was a farmer, and was married.  During the Civil War, he was drafted into the 173rd Pennsylvania Infantry, Company K, as a Private.  The Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card, which references the regimental history and his company listing, is shown below.

John Hocker applied for a pension on 1 June 1878, as can be seen by the Pension Index Card (below).  He received one of the earlier awarded pensions as can be noted by the relatively low Certificate Number.

More information is sought on John Hocker, his Civil War service and his family.  Pictures and stories are especially needed!  Readers are invited to comment to this post or to submit the information via e-mail

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U.S. Civil War Draft Registration records are available from Ancestry.com.  The Pension Index Card shown was obtained from Fold3.  The news clipping was obtained through the on-line resources of the Free  Library of Philadelphia.

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