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Shadows Over Us Part II
Introduction
Shadows Over Us, Part II, Biographical Sketches of Some Early German-American Pioneers, is the second of a three-part series of the Melchior Huthmacher Family. This second volume was necessary to further lay and cement the basis for the final volume of this series, which will record the ancestral lines of many current day descendants of the immigrants Melchior Huthmacher and his sons.
This book, in its current form, was not to
be written—at least to the extent it is presented. One of the premiere family
historians, Vernon "Gene" Eugene Dagley (Pictured with wife Bonnie), and I
agreed to work together to bring to fruition a book, which would record the ancestral
lines of descent of Family Hatmaker.
But to complete the lines, one had to fully understand the family relationships; therefore
it was necessary to do further research outside of the areas in which the Hatmakers
finally settled, namely Tennessee and New York. How to do this was an important factor in
the completion of the project. The overriding dilemma was to find a records repository
that as fully as possible would bring to light information that in all probability would
aid in the completion of Part III. The National Archives and Records Administration
at Washington, D.C. and East Point, Georgia, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Social
Security Administration were the obvious choices. Because of the expanse of data needed
and the extensive search necessary, it became almost an impossibility to conduct the
research by mail—time delays and expense would not allow it. It was a terrible
dilemma—no viable way to search meant the book could not be written to the standards
that would lend credibility to the work.
By happenstance, someone came into the picture. She bought a copy of the first book and
sent e-mail, offering to assist in whatever way she could. She related that she works for
the Federal Aviation Administration, and that her office is near the National Archives. I
had already done some research by way of the Archives, in person and by mail, and realized
that its holdings are so extensive that infrequently visiting there and searching by mail
was not the way to gather the necessary information. Someone was needed, who lived close
by, someone who combined perseverance, a fearless work ethic, a general interest in
history, a burning desire to discover and unlock the mysteries of the past, and someone,
who was good with detail. After a minimum of correspondence, I realized that Rhonda A.
Hatmaker was that person.
I asked Rhonda to search some military records; what she found was astounding! Not only
did she honor my requests, she went much further than I had ever envisioned. Within a
three-week period she accumulated a massive stack of military and pension files. The
volume of information she gathered, and her enthusiasm and determination in doing so, was
plainly and simply overwhelming. Not only was it necessary to read each page, someone
had to decipher, organize, analyze, summarize and transcribe it.
In addition, the complete Hatmaker Files of TVA Grave Removals and University of
Tennessee Family Surveys completed just before the impoundment of Lake Norris were
acquired. These records amounted to over 400 pages.
Then a
peculiar thing happened—suddenly, we were bombarded with information. First, our good
German friend Jürgen von der Ehe (Pictured) sent details of the descendants of Hans Jacob
Hutmacher; then several descendants of Adam Hatmaker sent records from various counties of
New York State; and dozens and dozens more sent family records. Now in our possession was
a mountain of paper work.
We decided
the seemingly insurmountable volume of paperwork would have to be transcribed
fully—Rhonda also commissioned her father, Rondel Jerry, to help. (He is shown here comfortably
transcribing the Civil War pension records of his great grandfather, Jacob Hatmaker, Jr.)
Using one computer as a home we would complete those pension and military files
that we assigned each other. When one file was finished, it would be sent in a formatted
version by e-mail; therefore it would fit directly into the master file. This system
worked well and after several months, all the pension and military files were laid to
rest, alongside of the East Point, Georgia material.
Because of the depth and breath of the information uncovered at the Archives, we decided
the book recording the ancestral lines (now Part III) had to be put off for several
reasons. First, a book, which encompassed both the lines and the material contained in Part
II, would require over 1200 pages—the production costs would be so great that few
people could afford to buy a book of such volume. Second, with the new information a
fuller analysis would have to be made of not only the new material, but also of the
material, which previously had been collected at a more local level. For example, previous
to the search at the Archives, we knew nothing about William Tate Hatmaker, other than he
was a son of Lindsay Joseph. The search at the Archives produced 167 pages about William.
Also, in many instances the term "double cousins" was used, which gave further
insight into the relationships—if both cousins were named Hatmaker, then it was
obvious that two Hatmaker brothers married two sisters. Literally scores of allied
surnames were uncovered, and fresh and startling information abounded. So, you can easily
understand why this second book had to precede the original project book.
A major change in our original plans came about when we decided to expand
the search-base for the book. Now, all available records containing the surnames
Huthmacher, Hutmacher, Hatmaker, Hoodmacher, or corruptions thereof, were targeted. There
were several reasons for making that decision, but our overriding concern was that if we
did not perform the expanded search we might miss possible relatives. We had already
discovered that many early German pioneers immigrated from the general area of Germany now
known as Baden-Wuerttemberg. Because of the many wars and the small geographical area of
Germany—a little smaller than the state of Montana—it was natural to assume that
at least some of our ancestors had removed outside of the areas in which they were born.
After checking emigration lists and villages of origin, we found that almost all the
emigrants, except those Germans from Russia, came from within an eighty-mile radius of
Pforzheim, where Melchior Huthmacher lived before his emigration to the British Colonies.
Given that circumstance, it was probable that many of these families were somehow related.
By expanding our base we have provided an extremely valuable source of genealogical
information for countless descendants of these early German pioneers.
Because of the inclusiveness of this records-group, we invited some descendants, other
than Melchior’s direct descendants, to participate in the project. Many did, and
their participation has helped to make Shadows Over Us, Part II a treasure trove of
family history. Although an inadequate gesture, we will cite a few.
The
first one to actively participate was Elizabeth J. Vander Schaaf, a long time resident of
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a descendant of Jacob and Anna Maria Heller Huthmacher. She had
compiled a good deal of research about her early ancestors, which dated to 1771. She
offered her assistance, worked closely with us, sent many photographs of her ancestors,
and provided much needed support and information. Elizabeth and her husband Howard are
pictured.
Others within
the descendant line of Melchior Huthmacher joined the project. Lucy Hatmaker Farrar, a
resident of Monument, Colorado, and a descendant of Melchior and Catharina Bub Huthmacher
by way of William "Billy" Hatmaker, also offered to help. Lucy provided
pictures, technical assistance and general advice. She is pictured right.
William
George Loveday, Jr. resides in Gloversville, Fulton County, New York. Bill is a direct
descendant of Johann Adam and Maria Elisabetha Laux Huthmacher. Johann Adam, a son of
Melchior and Catharina Bub Huthmacher was a brother of Johann Melchior (Melcher)
Huthmacher, the progenitor of the Tennessee Hatmakers. Johann Adam settled in the Mohawk
Valley of New York. Bill provided critical information concerning the history of the New
York family before, after and during the American Revolution. His contributions are
myriad.
Gloria Fay
Harmon Burris, who is married to Charles Benjamin Burris, a descendant of Elizabeth
Hatmaker and John Bullock, a War of 1812 soldier, also was greatly supportive of this
effort. She offered a compiled family history and shared official documents. Her family
lives in Lake City, Tennessee. Charlie and Fay are pictured right.
Eloise Quarles Hatmaker, wife of the late James "Jim" Hatmaker, a direct descendant of Civil War veteran Jacob Hatmaker, Sr.—recorded in this book—helped in every way she could. Those of you who have read Shadows Over Us, Part One, already know that Eloise had much to do with its research. Eloise resides in Pegram, Tennessee.
Then there are Beuford T. "Boots" Dagley and wife,
Delsie Cooper (pictured). They shared their many stories of the people of the old Hatmaker
Settlement, talked about their childhood before the Great Depression, and along with Gene
Dagley, a primary researcher and avid genealogist, managed to locate many of the old
landmarks in and around Hatmaker, now covered by the waters of Lake Norris. Without the
Dagley family we could not have grasped the fullness of life as it once was at Hatmaker.
We are deeply grateful for the Dagley Family’s participation in this project. Boots
and Delsie currently reside near the location of the old Hatmaker Settlement.
Roberta "Bobbie" Ferg of Leavenworth, Washington is the daughter of Roy Berton
Hatmaker and Grace Gillis. She is a direct descendant of Melchior Huthmacher by way of
James Isaah Hatmaker, grandson of George "Tankman" Hatmaker. Bobbi has been extremely
helpful during the past few years. Her unselfish assistance has been
meritorious.
One other
special citation is in order. Robert Garrett Hatmaker, Sr., also a direct descendant of
Melchior through Jacob Hatmaker, Sr., researched continually over the many months of this
project to verify, corroborate and identify much of the peripheral information presented.
He has been a significant contributor. Bob resides in Groveport, Ohio. He is pictured
right.
There were many others who contributed to this project. We have named scores on our
acknowledgement page, but it is likely that some names have been left out. This project
alone has taken in total almost five years—yet to be written is the lineage. So, let
it suffice to say that the web of participants has been large and widespread across the
United States and world.
Hatmaker/2000/Paperback
ISBN #0-9876-5432-1
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