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Ancestors
of Miles Hochstein (Great Great
Grandfather)
John
Stobernack
(aka Johann Gottlieb Stobernack)
b. 1820, Prussia,
migrated to America circa 1854-1857, age 34-37
d. 1870, Hannibal, Missouri
He "accumulated a little property and left some insurance"
Report of Bertha
Smith, his granddaughter
Occupation:
Tailor (in 1860 census),
Soldier in Co. E, 53rd Missouri. Volunteers during Civil War
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Husband
of Karoline Friederike (nee Sandow) Stobernack
(b. circa 1824 Berlin(?), d. 1873 Hannibal, MO).
Father
of
1.
Julius Gustav Stobernack, christened 17 Nov. 1850 at Sankt Petri (St. Peter (?)), Berlin Stadt, Brandenburg, Preussen. Probably died before immigration
to US. (LDS Records)
2. Otto Wilhelm, christened 31 May, 1852. Probably died before
immigration to U.S. (LDS Records)
3. Anna Theresa Stobernack (b. circa 1854, in Belgium, christening
on 15 January 1854 at Friedrickswerder, Berlin, Brandenburg, Preussen. (LDS records)
4.
Ida Catherine Stobernack
(b. circa 1857, in U.S.)
5. Bertha Stobernack (b. circa 1860, in Hannibal Missouri)
6. Emma Elizabeth Stobernack (b. in U.S.)
...and
two other daughters?
(Thanks
Sandy Schultz!)
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Bertha
Stobernack, John Stobernack's daughter and a Hannibal school teacher
who died in 1946, wrote the letter below to her nephew "Edward"
in 1941. I believe that Edward was the son of Emma Stobernack Schmidt
and Edward Carl Schmidt, who were each the sister and brother of Ida
Stobernack Schmidt and Dolph
Schmidt, respectively. Bertha Stobernack apparently adopted Edward
when his parents died. Bertha was a sister of Emma (Stobernack) Schmidt
and of Ida (Stobernack) Schmidt (Ida
Catherine (Stobernack) Schmidt). Bertha Stobernack never married.
John Stobernack's
death in 1870 must have been trying for his wife, who followed
him to the grave in 1873. At the time of John Stobernack's death, his
daughter Ida was about 14, and his daughter Bertha would have been 10,
and daughter Emma Elizabeth (Emilee) even younger.
The mother,
Catherine Sando Stobernack would die just three years later in 1873,
when my great grandmother Ida
Stobernack was 16. (See letter below.)
Upon their
deaths John Stobernack and his wife "had accumulated a little
property and left some insurance" enough apparently to enable
two of their daughters to go on to "normal school", but not
perhaps enough for all three to do so. (See Bertha
Smith letter below.)
In the
letter below one of the three younger sisters, Bertha Stobernack is
clearly referring to her parents John Stobernack and Karoline (or Catherine)
Stobernack, based on the death dates and locations, and other facts.
From this
letter we can say:
1) John Stobernack and wife migrated from German to Hannibal,
via Cincinnati.
2) While Bertha implies they immigrated
to the US circa 1841, the christening records suggest 1854-1857.
4) Since all other (4 or 6?) children were born in Hannibal, they probably
came to Hannibal fairly directly, not living in Cincinnati very long.
5) Based on an immigration date of 1854-1857, they probably reached Hannibal just after Sam Clemens (aka Mark Twain) was leaving Hannibal, at age 17, in
1853. The Clemens family had moved there when he was 4, circa 1840.
5) Bertha Stobernack was born circa 1860 in Hannibal.
Hannibal,
Mo.
6/5/41
Dear
Edward:
Your
letter received. Your mother's father died in this city 1870.
Your mother's mother died in this city 1873. Came from Europe
with one baby. Their other six children were born in this city.
All gone but myself. Know nothing about their marriage date. Anyway
it was more than 100 years ago. Our parents died when the remaining
three were children. I am 81 - know nothing about family genealogy,
leave out Europe if you want to but it's no disgrace to have left
there during an uprising revolution about 100 years ago. Glad
my parents did come long before their family of children were
born.
Lovingly,
Aunt Bertha (Stobernack)
P.S.
My parents came from Cincinnati to Hannibal and lived there all
the rest of their lives. That is all I can tell you so you can
say "American born", because they were A. That's what
I told you about your paternal grandparents because I knew nothing
else. None of the ancestors will ever come back to make any trouble.
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Bertha Smith, granddaughter
of John Stobernack recorded:
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"My
mother's father [John Stobernack] died when she [Ida] was 14 and
her mother when she was 16. She was the oldest of the three girls.
They went to live in the home of their guardian, John England,
occupying the second floor. Their parents had accumulated a little
property and left some insurance.
"Aunt
Bertha and Aunt Emma went away to normal school but Mr. England
didn't think it was necessary for her [Ida] to go. That was a
mistake. Mother would have had more self confidence if she had
gone further in school."
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revised July 2007
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