Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy

Hans Michael Stocker

Male 1684 - 1756  (~ 72 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Hans Michael Stocker 
    Born Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Christened 10 Jan 1684  Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 16 Feb 1756  Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Buried 18 Feb 1756  Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I198  Petersen-de Lanskoy
    Last Modified 27 May 2021 

    Father Johann Friedelin Stocker,   c. 22 Jul 1652, Feldberg, Müllheim, Lörrach, Baden, Germany Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Nov 1708, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 56 years) 
    Mother Anna Barbara,   b. From 1644 to 1646, , Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 18 Apr 1695, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 51 years) 
    Married 4 May 1680  Woerth, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F189  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Anna Fischer,   b. 9 Jun 1691, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 26 Dec 1719, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 28 years) 
    Married Nov 1712  Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Johann Theobaldt Stocker,   b. 4 Aug 1713, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 20 Jun 1715, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 1 years)
     2. Hanss Michael Stocker,   b. 7 May 1715, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 28 Apr 1717, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 1 years)
     3. Johann Georg Stocker,   b. 18 Oct 1717, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Jan 1720, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 2 years)
     4. Christina Stocker,   b. 25 Dec 1719, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 5 Dec 1782, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 62 years)
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F188  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Eva Stähle,   c. 12 Nov 1693, Soultz-Sous-Forêts, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 28 Apr 1746, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 52 years) 
    Married 4 Jan 1721  Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Maria Salome Stocker,   b. 1 Oct 1721, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1746  (Age 24 years)
     2. Johann Michael Stocker,   b. From 27 Sep 1723 to 15 Oct 1723, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Bef 1730, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 6 years)
     3. Hanss Leonhard Stocker,   b. Abt 1724, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location
     4. Maria Margaretha Stocker,   b. 26 Jan 1726, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 26 Apr 1749, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 23 years)
     5. Maria Elisabetha Stocker,   c. 11 Mar 1728, Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location
     6. Johann Michael Stocker,   b. 15 Apr 1730, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 26 Mar 1819, Somerset, Perry, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 88 years)
     7. Maria Eva Stocker,   b. 29 Apr 1733, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location
     8. Hanss Georg Stocker,   b. Abt 9 Dec 1736, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 1785, Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 50 years)
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F143  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • RESEARCH_NOTES:
      1. Modern DNA testing results provided by family researcher Noel Stoker suggest a 75% chance of relationship between the immigrants Johann Michael Stocker of Maryland and Hans Michael Stocker of Pennsylvania at the 9-generation level and 95% at the 12-generation level. The ancestry of the Pennsylvania Stockers was already partially known and so these DNA results were able to lead Noel to search Preuschdorf, Alsace, France (previously Germany), where the christening of Michael (the Maryland immigrant) was finally found occurring in 1730. The following explanation shows current generational ancestral research as of 19 Mar 2015 of the two parallel lines going back in the search for the common ancestor. The records lead back from the Preuschdorf area to about 110 miles south to the hamlet Gennenbach in the Feldberg parish in Baden and then finally to perhaps Kottwill in the Bern Canton of Switzerland. (In German a "G" and "H" were often interchangeable, hence we see "Gennenbach" sometimes rendered as "Hennenbach.") The earliest Feldberg Stockers seemed to have all been carpenters in Gennenbach. (Note also that Feldberg was anciently also rendered as Veldberg or Veldtberg.) The LDS Family History Library in Lucerne recently confirmed to Noel that there are 9 or 11 locations in Canton Lucerne alone where Stockers are known to have lived anciently. Other sources indicate Stockers are also found in Zurich and throughout Switzerland. Current research is bumping up against the earliest entries of existing church records; however, research is ongoing:
      A. The ancestral line of our Johann Michael Stocker, immigrant circa 1752-1755 to Frederick, Maryland is as follows:
      1. Johann Michael Stocker, b. 15 Apr 1730 in Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; chr. 16 Apr 1730 in Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France. He married three times in Maryland.
      2. His father is Hans Michael Stocker, b. in Goersdorf and chr. 10 Jan 1684 in Preuschdorf; d. 16 Feb 1756 in Goersdorf and bur. 18 Feb 1756 in Preuschdorf. He married 4 Jan 1721 in Preuschdorf Eva Staehli, chr. 12 Nov. 1693 at Sulz unterm Wald (Soultz-sous-Forêts), Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; d. 28 Apr 1746 at Goersdorf and bur. 30 Apr 1746 at Preuschdorf. Hans Michael first married Nov 1712 at Preuschdorf Anna Fischer, b. 9 Jun 1691 and d. 26 Dec 1719 both at Goersdorf. The marriage records give his father's name as Johann Friedrich Stocker, carpenter, of Goersdorf.
      3. His grandfather is Johann Friedrich Stocker, b. in Gennenbach village and chr. 22 Jul 1652 in the parish of Feldberg, Baden, Germany; d. 24 Nov 1708 at Goersdorf and bur. 26 Nov 1708 at Preuschdorf. He married 4 May 1680 at Wörth an der Sauer, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France, Anna Barbara ___, widow of Hans Friedrich Bartl; she d. 18 Apr 1695 at Goersdorf and bur. 20 Apr 1695 at Preuschdorf. Johann Friedrich married second 6 Mar 1696 at Preuschdorf Ursula Maria ___, widow of Jacob Dirzon(sp.?) The marriage record gives Johann Friedrich's origins as "a carpenter of Feldberg in der Oberman Grafschaft" and his father as the "Deceased Christian Stocker of Feldberg." Friedrich's christening record calls him Johan Fridelin with parents "Caspar Stocker of Gennenbach, [a] carpenter, [and] Margaretha." The name Casper occurs no where else in the parish records and is a probably clerical error for Christian in the context of Feldberg church records. Fridelin is variant form of Friedrich.
      4. His great-grandparents are Christian Stocker and Margretha Wackerin (which may be the feminine version of Wacker). Christian was reported deceased in Feldberg prior to his son's 1680 marriage. His death at age 64 is recorded in Feldberg on 16 Apr 1669 calling him a "citizen and carpenter in Gennenbach." His birth calculates as about 1605. Besides his son Friedrich's 1652 christening in Feldberg, there are four other children of Christian Stocker "a carpenter of Gennenbach" and his wife Margaretha christened in Feldberg from 1650 to 1655. It is in one of these other christenings that we learn of Margretha's maiden surname. Christian most likely had some relationship with Hans Stocker, also a carpenter in Gennenbach, who d. 25 Jan 1649 per Feldberg records (see C-1 below); the relationship may be as siblings or even as father and son, but it has not yet be determined for sure one way or another. (Also see C-2 below for a discussion of a possible second Christian Stocker in early Feldberg.)
      B. The ancestral line of Hans Michael Stocker, 1731 immigrant to Pennsylvania is as follows:
      1. Hans Michael Stocker, b. 24 Nov 1701 at Mitschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France and chr. 27 Nov 1701 at Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France. He married 30 Jan 1725 at Preuschdorf to Anna Margretha Stephan, chr. 30 May 1708 in Preuschdorf. The marriage record gives the name of groom's father as Hans Michael Stocker.
      2. His father is Hans Michael Stocker, chr. 28 Mar 1669 at Feldberg, Baden, Germany, d. 27 Mar 1739 at Mitschdorf and bur. 28 Mar 1739 at Preuschdorf. He married 25 Nov 1692 at Mitschdorf, Maria Remp, b. 21 Mar 1669 at Preuschdorf. There are no birth or christening records for Hans Michael in Preuschdorf and the age reported at the time of death would give a birth date of circa 1667. The marriage record indicates the father of the groom was Jacob Stocker residing at Goersdorf.
      3. His grandfather is Hans Jacob Stocker, b. abt. 1630 of Kottwill, Bern, Switzerland, d. 31 Mar 1690 at Goersdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; bur. 2 Apr 1690 in Preuschdorf. He married 21 Jan 1661 at Feldberg to Margaretha Schinbein, chr. 17 Sep 1643 at Feldberg, "dau. of the late Fridlin Schinbein, judge" of Feldberg. In the marriage record, the pastor recorded that the groom was the son of Jacob Stocker who is a citizen of Kottwill near Bern, Switzerland. His first appearance in Goersdorf is in 1682 when as a widower he married Magdalena Linder, who was a widow. (He may also be the same "Jacob Stockert" who with his wife Maria, residents of the hamlet Hermersweiler, had a son Hans Philipp chr. 28 May 1681 in the parish Sulz unterm Wald (Soultz-sous-Forêts), Alsace, France, which is nearby to Goersdorf. The christening record says that Philipp's parents were of the Pontif religion (Catholic). If this is the same Jacob, then Maria may have died in childbirth in 1681 and Margaretha would be the first wife, Maria the second, and Magdalena the third. This may also mean that he was Catholic and Jacob married an Evangelical, then a Catholic, and then finally an Evangelical wife.)
      4. His great-grandfather is Jacob Stocker of "Kottwill, Switzerland near Bern" (penmanship difficult but could alternately Rottwill). (The exact location of Rottwill is undetermined; however, searching ancient Switzerland, Noel Stoker discovered a Rotwill which he believes is the current Rottweil in Baden, Germany. Noel indicates that in the 1600s and for several centuries before and after, it was part of Switzerland. When Napoleon conquered the area in 1803, the alignment changed and it was ceded to Germany. It is about 50 miles from Baden and borders the Black Forest. Further professionally-hired research shows no Stockers in Rottweil..)
      C. Loose ends:
      1. Hans Stocker: The first recording of a Stocker in the Feldberg parish records which begin in 1639 is in 1649 for a Hans Stocker, a carpenter, who lives in the village of Gennenbach and dies 25 Jan 1649 with no age stated. The Feldberg record provides specific names of some of Hans children as follows -- a son Heinrich who marries Ursula Müller in 1656 and a daughter Verona who has an illegitimate daughter named Elizabeth chr. in 1656 (with Peter Hertzogen). Another son, even though not so identified in the record, may be Hans Stockher at Gennenbach who was married 4 Nov 1661 to Elisabeth, dau. of Baltzer Dinger. Being these three children of Hans are marrying or producing children starting in 1656, it may indicate that Hans may have died in 1649 relatively young.
      2. Zacharias Stocker: Zacharias first shows in Goersdorf where he is named a new citizen in 1674. He along with Hans Jacob Stocker, grandfather of the Pennsylvania immigrant, were the only two Stockers in the earliest Preuschdorf parish records. Zacharias is reported having died in 1692 at Goersdorf. In Feldberg, we find his two first marriages: Zacharias and Maria Keller on 27 Jun 1659; Zacharias and Katherine Schum on 4 Apr 1667. In the 1659 marriage record, he is identified as the son of Christian; in the 1667 marriage record he is identified as a widower and carpenter; and in both records "of Gennenbach." This information shows that he was possibly the son of Christian Stocker and Margretha Wackerin (see A-4 above). Based on Zacharias being first married in 1659, his birth would probably be no later than about 1634 assuming being age 25 or older at the marriage. Five of Christian and Margretha's children are documented being born from 1650 to 1655, which is a large gap from Zacharias' assumed birth date. This may mean that Christian (1605-1669) was married twice with Zacharias being of the earlier marriage. Another problem may be the age difference between Christian and Margretha -- Christian would have been 45 in 1650 and Margretha 10 to 20 years younger to be in her child-bearing years. Such large gaps in years between spouses in this era is a bit unusual but perhaps not impossible. There is also the possiblity that there may have been an earlier generation Christian for which no mention has yet been found in the records. (Price and Associate's report of 17 Feb 2014, p. 4, discusses another Hans Michael Stocker who died in the Preuschdorf in 1762, at age 73, making a birth of 1689. There were then three Hans Michael Stockers in the Preuschdorf area at the same time. The youngest, the Pennsylvania immigrant born in 1701, the younger born in 1689, and the "older" born in 1684 who was father of the Maryland immigrant. Noel Stoker has indicated the one born in 1689 was the son of Zacharias (who married Anna Catharina Naegelin on 21 June 1681 in Preuschdorf); this Zacharias is probably the same Zacharias who was the son of Christian.)

      2. Noel G. Stoker, descendant of the Utah Pioneer Bishop John Stoker of Bountiful, and current resident of Fresno, California, has invested a lot of time, money, and effort in researching the origins of Johann Michael Stocker, our original American immigrant ancestor. Noel's research significantly made the leap to Germany and documents three additional generations of ancestors. For much of the research he had hired professional genealogists Trudy Schenk in 1993 and then later in 2014-2015 Robyn Gygi and Diane Rogers of Price & Associates (15 West South Temple, Suite 570, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101, (800) 288-0920.) Price & Associates in turn subcontracted research to researcher Milan Pohantsch, an Accredited German Researcher. Noel has permitted me to share his observations and research, which he emailed Jan./Feb. 2015; I edit and add additional comments [in brackets] on his emails as follows:
      A. "In the mid-90s my father and I employed a German researcher, Trudy Schenk, to research our line. I met her one day in the Family History Research Library in SLC … Trudy performed a great search … She was convinced that Joh Michael's father was Hans Michael Stocker, the immigrant, who arrived in Philadelphia 1731 on the Ship "Brittania" with his wife Margaretha and two or three children. Trudy reasoned that our Joh Michael, who is my 5th great grandfather, was their son, having been born on ship or shortly before they left. However, there has been a lingering doubt about this connection. Hans & Margaretha had a son Michael in 1727, who was buried in Goersdorf, Alsace-Lorraine, France, before they came to this country. They also had a son born in this country in Pennsylvania, named Michael, in 1734. He died in Pennsylvania in 1771. I found two living descendants of the [Pennsylvania] immigrant, Hans Michael Stocker, and together we had Y-DNA research performed. These two sons were Andreas who remained in PA and retained the spelling Stocker to this day and George who moved to Kentucky with his brother Jacob and changed their names to Stucker. I am very closely related to them both, but at nine generations we have a 75% chance of a common paternal ancestor. At 12 generations the probability increases to 95%. At that point I decided to have a fresh pair of German eyes look at the records in Germany/France. Hans Michael Stocker, the immigrant, and Hans Michael Stocker (the older) as he was designated [and differentiated] in the church record, lived in the same small town and attended the same Lutheran [Preuschdorf] parish. [Correction: the "older" lived in Goersdorf and the immigrant lived in adjoining Mitschdorf, both in the same parish.] I am certain they are closely related - nephew & uncle, etc., but we have been unable to prove the relationship. The Hanss Michael Stocker, born April 15, 1730, [to Hans Michael "the older"] matches our Joh. Michael, who died in March of 1819, at the age of 88 (20 days from being 89). Two different German researchers have informed me that Hans or Hanss is short hand for Johannes, Johan or Joh. [Comment: Noel has since researched each of these two related lines back about three generations getting closer to a common ancestor; however, the church records for these areas begin too late to make a confirmed connection.]
      B. Noel provided additional information on the Hans Michael Stocker who immigrated with his wife Margaret to Pennsylvania on the ship "Brittania" in 1731. [No children are shown in this immigration record, but this may simply be clerical issue.] Noel had his DNA tested against a descendant of the PA family and they had compatibility. This family remained in Pennsylvania with the town Stockertown named after them. The Easton County Library in PA has a collection of multiple volumes (9) on this Stocker Family, which includes the works of Jennie Stewart (but there may also be other sources as well). The SLC FHL has Jennie E. Stewart's work on film# 875389. The Easton County Library source also includes a translated Swiss document which Noel references and comments as follows:
      "Obtained from the Library of Congress - Information on the Stocker family:
      Historisch - Biographies Leckender Schweig; vol. 6, pp. 561-3, dated April 1931. Translated from German.
      Page 8 reads - "in September 1957 in compliance with a request, I received the second article in German which was referred to at the bottom of page 563, this being from the same publication page 556. It follows:
      Stocker:
      Stocker, Stockar and Stokar. Families of the cantons Basel, Luzern, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Zurich and Zug.
      A. Canton of Basel
      B. Canton of Luzern (Lucerne) - Stocker. Families from the counties Willisau, Luzern and Sursee since the 14th century.
      Prominent men are then listed, mostly since 1847.
      Noel's comments: "Jacob the most distant ancestor of Hans Michael Stocker, the immigrant, was from Kottwil [later corrected to Rottwill]. The parish that served Kottwil was located in Willisau. Milan, our researcher has located ... a number of other Stockers in Sursee, Ettiswil, and Luzern. I did a Family Search entering the name Stocker without specifying gender or given names -- it turned up two pages of Stockers in the 1500s & 1600s."
      C. Noel's further discussion on the DNA comparison work:
      Noel reports: "[Price & Associates] generated for me … two of the sons of Hans Michael, the immigrant, when I was pursuing Y-DNA connections. The two sons were Andreas who remained in PA and retained the spelling Stocker to this day and George who moved to Kentucky with his brother Jacob and changed their names to Stucker. George and Jacob moved to Kentucky to join Daniel Boone in the Indian wars. They died in those conflicts but their families remained there for some time. For whatever reason the sons changed the spelling to Stucker."
      Noel's descent is as follows: Noel Golden Stoker - Golden L. Stoker - David Stoker, Jr. - David Stoker, Sr. - John Stoker - David Stoker and Barbara Graybill - Michael Stoker and Catherine Eller - Joh. Michael Stocker and Anna Barbara Römerin. Noel's DNA result is at familytreedna.com, kit number 301184 with password C14C11.
      Noel reports the Stucker individuals in the comparison were primarily John Leroy Stucker & Earl Eugene Stocker, both descendants of Hans Michael Stocker & Anna Margaretha Stephan via their sons George & Andreas. Scott Mitchell, also a Stucker, he believes, is closely related as well; his line is most likely from George as well. Thus there are three descendants of the Pennsylvania Stocker with whom Noel is closely related to.
      John Leroy Stucker is the Stucker descendant Noel worked with. His progression is as follows: John Leroy Stucker - Jack Leroy Stucker & Mary Ellen Wills - Edgar Emmet Stucker & Fern Florence McGee - William Martin Stucker & Mary Ott - Jeptha Stucker & Elizabeth Bowman - Michael Stucker & Nancy Vaugha - George Stucker & Margaret - Hans Michael Stocker & Anna Margaret Stephan, the Pennsylvania immigrants. Earl's was taken from the Stocker/Stucker DNA project found at the Family Tree DNA site.
      Earl Eugene Stocker - Eugene Benjamin Stocker - Benjamin Alexander Stocker - George Stocker - Aaron Stocker - Christian Stocker - Andreas Stocker - Hans Michael Stocker the Pennsylvania immigrant. John's was taken from personal communication with Noel.
      Noel also reports: "Another person also is closely related. Scott Mitchell is actually more closely related than I am. He was obviously a Stucker raised as a Mitchell. The Mitchell family was very close to the Stuckers in PA & Kentucky. I have communicated with their family history expert on numerous occasions. He agrees with my conclusion."
      D. "Hans Michael Stocker, the [Pennsylvania] Immigrant, was born in Mitschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France (German speaking), on 24 Nov. 1701. The Lutheran Parish was located in the neighboring village of Preuschdorf, which lays about one mile southeast of Mitschdorf. Goersdorf is about 3/4 of a mile west of Mitschdorf. Goersdorf has a population of about 1,000 today and apparently about that in the early 1700's. Documentation for the Hans Michael Stocker, the immigrant is pretty solid I believe. Milan, utilizing Trudy's records, went right back to the same Lutheran parish to verify Trudy's work. He is a very careful researcher and determined that the parish record index was not complete thus he laboriously searched page by page. That is when he found the entry for Hanss Michel Stocker, born April 15, 1730, whose parents were Hanss Michel Stocker, "the older," of Goersdorf. He also found the entries Trudy recorded including Johann Michael Stocker, born in 1723. Milan theorized that although there is not a death recorded for Johann Michael (1723), he must have died young because seven years later the parents name a second male child with the same name. As you know this was a common practice of these early Lutherans. Milan searched diligently for marriage and death records for the second Hanss Michel Stocker but found nothing. It is interesting that the parents, Hans Michel & Eva Staehli remained and died there. Hanss Michel Stocker's brother Johann George Stocker, was a witness of his father's death as noted in the parish records. Thus his family remained in Goersdorf while Joh. Michel Stocker left. Hanss Michel Stocker was denoted as the "older" in the parish records suggesting to me there had to be a younger Hanss Michel Stocker. The younger one could have been Hans Michael Stocker, the immigrant, who was born in 1701 while the older one was born in 1684 … Hans Michael Stocker (the Immigrant) and his wife Anna Margaretha did have son named Michael in 1727 in Mitschdorf but he died before they came to America and that has been documented. They did come with two or three children according to Anna Buggert, the historian. Once established in PA, they had several more children including a Michael who died in 1771. I calculated his date of birth as 1734 as he is seen as a servant of Jurg Burkkhart in New Hanover, PA in 1750. Much work has been done on the immigrant's line since they came to America but there is still much confusion which begs resolution. Since this is our family (collateral), I would like to see us clean it up. I have done that for two sons who moved to Kentucky and changed their name to Stucker."
      E. In regards to future research, Noel indicates: "I am not certain where to go from here. I do believe that we should document with images the life of Hans Michael Stocker (immigrant), his children's christening, and immigration, from Mitschdorf. His father was Hans (Michael) born in 1669 in Feldberg, Baden, Germany. His father was Hans Jacob Stocker born in Kottwil, Luzern, Switzerland in 1634. Hans Jacob was the son of Jacob. Note; other literature I have states there were four main lines of Stocker in Switzerland, one of which settled in Luzern. According to Milan, Stocker is fairly common there. This another area of search. I have reached out to the Family History Center in Luzern asking for assistance but no reply. I don't speak or write German so that may be the reason for the non-response … I am still looking for that common ancestor and thus the push into Switzerland. Our Stockers were first noted in Feldberg, Baden Germany. They subsequently moved to Goersdorf, some 110 miles distance. I speak in the plural, because there were probably three families that moved. Milan has searched Feldberg and surrounding environs but perhaps not completely. We could search here further."
      F. Besides the 1993 Trudy Schenk research report, the Price & Associates' research reports prepared for Noel concerning the German connection and ancestry are as follows by date and subject. All report transcripts are sequentially shown in my database in the record for an imaginary "Stocker" who is listed as the earliest unknown progenitor for our line (father of Christian Stocker). Additionally I fully show certain of the following individual reports in the record notes of the individuals to whom they pertain. The dates and brief summaries:
      -6 Jan 2014: Confirmed the birth and death of the Michael Stocker who was born and died in 1727 - he was the son of the PA immigrant and with the death cannot be our Michael. Confirmed all Stocker entries in Preuschdorf from 1715 to 1736 directly from parish registers instead of the birth index (which proved to be deficient). Found only one candidate that could be our immigrant ancestor Johann Michael Stocker; he is listed as Hanss Michel Stocker, born 15 April 1730, son of Hanss Michel, the older of Goersdorf and his wife Eva. Discovered marriage of the parents and his mother's full name Eva Staehli, daughter of the deceased Johannes Staehli of Sultz. [See this research report in its entirety below under "BIRTH".]
      -17 Feb 2014: Found additional entries in Preuschdorf which more fully establish Michael's siblings His father had been previously married to Anna Fischer and that family was also established.
      -19 Apr 2014: Found Michael's grandparents Friedrich and Anna Barbara (___) Stocker as well as Friedrich's father Christian and four of Friedrich's siblings in Feldberg, Baden, Germany. The baptismal entry for Eva Staehli was also found. Anna Barbara was also found to have been previously married to Hans Friedrich Bartl.
      -8 Sep 2014: Searched without success early records looking for the common ancestor of our line of Stockers and that of the Pennsylvania Stockers.
      -14 Jan 2015: Searched again without success early records looking for the common ancestor of our line of Stockers and that of the Pennsylvania Stockers.

      3. Two Research Reports prepared for Noel Stoker in 1993 by Trudy Schenk, Accredited Genealogist follow below. Copies provided 14 Feb 2015 to me by Noel. Unfortunately, Trudi provides no sources for reverification; however, her ability with German records is generally reliable. At first reading, this report is confusing -- at the time it was prepared, some believed that Hans Michael Stocker who emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1731 was the father of our Frederick, Maryland Michael Stocker. This has since been disproved and Hans Michael was found to also have had a son named Michael who lived and died in Pennsylvania. Later DNA testing by Noel Stoker proved there was a familial connection between the Pennsylvania and Maryland Stockers, except that it was back at least three or more generations. Part A of the following quote mixes the Michaels up a bit and so the reader should realize that the reference to Michael of Frederick should be totally separate from the other Michael and his father (Hans) Michael, the emigrant to Pennsylvania. Part B only deals with the Pennsylvania Stockers and not with our Michael of Frederick. After the DNA testing result, both reports became invaluable since they provide better background of the Pennsylvania Stockers. The fact that our Maryland Michael came from the same parish makes the Pennsylvania Stockers a parallel line that eventually would lead back to the same common ancestor. Subsequent reports from Price & Associates follow this premise. Both of Trudi's reports follow:
      A. "Michael Stocker who appears as a servant of Jurg Burchhart at age 16 in 1750, was confirmed in 1749, in the New Hanover Lutheran church book, Montgomery County Pennsylvania.
      This Michael Stocker has to be the son of the emigrant Michael Stocker. His father having emigrated in 1731 and Michael born 1733-1734 makes him born in Pennsylvania rather than Germany as has been thought in the past.
      Michael Stocker lives with Jurg (Georg) Burchhart (Burckardt) at age 16 in 1750 in New Hanover twp., Montgomery County several other families who had come from Mitschdorf, Goersdorf and Preuschdorf at about the same time, also live in New Hanover.
      The Burckhardt family came from Preuschdorf. They were obviously friends of the Stockers. Georg Burckhardt's father Georg died in New Hanover in 1745. They obviously were in New Hanover, Montgomery Co. as early as 1745. By 1750 the young Michael Stocker is a servant at Georg Burchards because his children are still very young.
      Another family who is in New Hanover by 1748 also from Goersdorf is Leonard Bock. Jacob Stocker's daughter Margaretha was the mother of Leonhard Bock, therefore a relative to Michael Stocker. Leonard Bock is a witness to one of Georg Burchhard's children. By 1758 Michael Stocker is in Frederick Co., MD where he is married to Barbara Roemer, and two other wives. The Evang.-Luth. Church shows him and Barbara having children beginning in 1758. He must have met the Romers before he came to Maryland.
      In St. Michaelis Lutheran church of Philadelphia Christian Runner is a witness in 1751 to a child of Heinrich Acker who is also from Goersdorf and in 1746 Jacob Stiefel who is Michael Stocker's uncle is witness to a child of Heinrich Acker. In 1768 Johann Michael Stocker and wife witness the christening of a child of Gottlieb Geist who had just arrived from Mitschdorf in 1767 and apparently went right to Fredrick Co., Maryland. There were several families in Frederickburg and Middletown whose origin are in the Alsace regions.
      Now who is Michael Stocker who lives in lower Macungie twp. Lehigh Co., Pennsylvania in 1769. It cannot be the Michael Stocker I have discussed in this report. There is one Georg Stocker who is also listed coming from Goersdorf to Pennsylvania in the book Eighteenth Century Emigrants from the Northern Alsace. He is not listed on a ship list, but the church record states he is going to the new land. Perhaps a connection can be found from him to the Macungie Michael Stocker."
      B. "Stocker Research Report, November 4, 1993
      The Stockers in Feldberg, Baden, Germany
      In the year 1661 Hans Jacob Stocker is married in Feldberg, Baden, Germany, an area located between the Rhein bordering France and Switzerland and the Black Forest in upper Baden. This area is known as the Corner of Three Lands.
      The State of Baden, Germany as well as Alsace, Lorraine, France were heavily involved and nearly destroyed during the 30-Year War which ended in 1648. Thus, many Swiss residents took this opportunity to leave the poverty-stricken Switzerland to help re-colonize and populate these desolate areas of Germany.
      In the marriage entry of Hans Jacob Stocker in Feldberg to his wife Margaretha Schinbein on 21 Jan. 1661 the pastor recorded that the groom is the son of Jacob Stocker who is a citizen in Kottwil, Switzerland. Margaretha Schinbein the bride is the daughter of the judge Fridlin Schinbein of Feldberg.
      The Feldberg evangelical church records begin in 1639 for entries of baptisms, marriages and deaths. The first recording of a Stocker is in 1649 when a Hans Stocker who lives in the village Hennenbach dies on 25 Jan. 1649, by profession a carpenter. It is possible and most likely that he had come from Switzerland with his family, for there are three boys that have children in Feldberg beginning in the year 1650. All three live in the village Hennenbach and are carpenters.
      [The next page is numbered 3 which suggests there may be a missing page 2.]
      A search of the evangelical church records of Preuschdorf to which Mitschdorf belongs, resulted in that Michael born in 1727 died in Mitschdorf on 21 September 1727 and did therefore not emigrate with his family. Yet there is one more child, Maria Catharina which was born in 1721 to her very young mother at age 14 and Michael Stocker is the father. So there were still three children to emigrate with Michael and Margaretha Stocker in 1731. Obviously other children would be born after they arrived in Pennsylvania. Two of them known to me are Michael Stocker born 1733-1734 and a George.
      Michael Stocker the emigrant, also recorded as Hans Michael or Michel as the Alsacians say was born on 24 November 1701 in Mitschdorf a son of Hans Michael Stocker and Maria Remp. He is the 4th child and only son in a family of seven children. Two sisters died very young leaving five children to grow to adulthood of which the eldest Anna Maria born in 1694 married to Johann Christian Schramm in 1718 went to America in 1730. The third child Maria Elisabetha born in 1698, died in 1725, married Friedrich Pfeiffer in 1720. He went to America in 1730 with a second wife. The fourth is *Hanss Michel born in 1701 married to Anna Margaretha Stephan in 1725 who went to America in 1731. The fifth, Maria Catharine born in 1704 was married to Hans Jacob Stiefel in 1725 who went to America in 1730. The seventh Maria Barbara born in 1713 who married Hans Adam Schweitzer in 1734 stayed in Mitschdorf where she died in 1782.
      There are several other related families from Mitschdorf, Goersdorf and Preuschdorf who went to America during the years from 1730-1760 and settled in the same areas. Those I will discuss later. They are those who help prove that Michael born in 1733-1734 is indeed the son of the emigrant Michael Stocker.
      The above discussed Stockers are two generations of Michel Stockers in Mitschdorf, Alsace. The older Michael is a son of a Jacob Stocker as recorded in the marriage of Mitschdorf in 1692. There is no birth or christening recorded for the older Michael (Hans Michel) in the Preuschdorf or Goersdorf church records.
      [Page 4]
      Now Jacob Stocker appears in Goersdorf the first time as he is married, being a widower in 1682 to a Magdalena Linder who is a widow. Only a few years earlier a Zacharias Stocker shows in Goersdorf where he is named a new citizen in 1674. This is about the time when Hans Jacob Stocker and Zacharias Stocker disappear from Feldberg.
      Zacharias is in Goersdorf first where he has several more children. He was married four times. His fourth wife is Anna Naegelin who was living in Woerth a town near Goersdorf and he married her in 1681.
      As I looked into evangelical church records of Soultz-sous-Forets, also a nearby town, I came across one Stocker actually Stockert entry. It reads as follows: "On 28 May 1681 Jacob Stockert and wife Maria married people of the Pontif religion (catholic) who live in Hermersweiler now Hermerswiller had a boy child christened and named him Hans Philipp. Godparents: Philipp Pflaum a carpenter, Hanss ? a miller and Margaretha wife of Philipp Hemp the butcher." It appears as though this is the same Jacob Stocker. He was in Hermerswei/er before he came to Goersdorf, where he was married to a Maria, obviously his second wife. She must have died from childbirth complications and possibly the child Hans Philipp died also. There are no death records for 1681 to prove this theory, yet by 1682 Jacob is in Goersdorf a widower, now marrying Magdalena Linder.
      It is an apparent fact that Jacob was somewhere else between the time he left Feldberg and the time he appears in Hermersweiler in 1681. There is no death for his first wife Catharina, nor his marriage to Maria. The fact that he is listed being a catholic at the son's christening in 1681 makes it a reasonable conclusion that the Jacob born in Kottwill, Switzerland a catholic comes to Feldberg, Germany, marries an evangelical wife. She dies and he marries a catholic wife and the third wife is Lutheran again and all his descendants are evangelical, also possibly reformed evangelical.
      [Page 5]
      His son Michael marries a Maria Remp. A godparent in Hermersweiler at Hans Philipps christening in 1681 is a Remp.
      How is the Hans Jacob Stocker of Feldberg the same as the Jacob who is later in Goersdorf?
      A previous research in the Feldberg evangelical church records on the Stocker name helped make the decision, yet when in a church entry in Goersdorf, Friedrich Stocker from Feldberg in the Obermark Grafschaft son of Christian Stocker was married in 1680, it was obvious that there was a connection between the Goersdorf and Mitschdorf Stocker and the Feldberg Stockers. Zacharias and Jacob of both parishes whose children born in Feldberg were married in Goersdorf and Mitschdorf left no doubt, that they are one and the same families. The only question that arises is; are Jacob Stocker and Zacharias Stocker related or did they just become friends because their last names are the same? He does name a child Hans Jacob."

      4. Price and Associates, Inc., (c) Research Report, prepared for Noel Stoker and used by his permission. Report dated 6 Jan 2014. File name: MichaelStocker2013Nov. A transcript of the report:
      OBJECTIVE
      • Verify birth and death of Michael Stocker, born and died 1727
      • Search for other potential ancestors with this name in or near Mitschdorf
      RESULTS
      • Verified the birth and death of Michael Stocker, born and died 1727.
      • Extracted all Stocker christenings, marriages, and deaths from the Preuschdorf Lutheran church records, 1715-1736. The original entries were carefully and individually read in order to assure accuracy since the birth index proved to be largely incomplete.
      • Found two Johann Michael Stockers, of which one would qualify to be the direct ancestor. This is Hanss Michel Stocker, born 15 April 1730, son of Hanss Michel, the older of Goersdorf, and wife Eva.
      • Discovered marriage of widower Hanss Michel Stocker of Goersdorf to Eva Staehli, daughter of the deceased Johannes Staehli of Sultz.
      • Created a PAF-file for the potential ancestral Stocker family as well as for those where no relationship has been established at this time
      RECOMMENDATIONS
      • Continue research after 1736 in compiling the complete family of Hanss Michel & Eva Stocker as well as determining if the potential ancestral Hanss Michel Stocker born in 1730 likely emigrated from Preuschdorf.
      Stocker, Noel: MichaelStocker2o13Noc
      • Pending above results, continue extension of the Stocker lines in earlier generations, identifying the most recent common ancestor for the ancestral Johann Michael (Hanss Michel) Stocker of Frederick, Maryland and the Johann Michael Stocker born 1701 who settled in Pennsylvania.
      • Pending above results, also seek ancestry of Eva Staehli, daughter of Johannes Staehli of Sultz.
      BACKGROUND INFORMATION
      The research task on the Michael Stocker line was twofold. The client's DNA has shown that his ancestor Johann Michael Stocker is related within one to four generations to Johann/Hans Michael Stocker who was born in 1701 in Mitschdorf, Germany, which is today in France. This information was provided by the client. The most recent common ancestor between these two individuals has not yet been identified. There was a Michael, son of Hans Michael Stocker and Anna Margretha, nee Stephan, born in 1727, but this child supposedly died three months after birth.
      The first task was, therefore, to verify the death entry of Michael Stocker, born in 1727. If this entry was verified, the years between 1715 and 1733 needed to be researched to find any other Michael or Johann/Hans Michael Stockers who could be the potential ancestor. Each finding of such a name needed to be verified in the death and marriage entries to see whether this/these individual(s) could be eliminated or remained as ancestral candidates. This part of the research was the second task to perform.
      The town of birth of the 1727 Michael Stocker was Mitschdorf, Alsace, Germany, since the end of WWII belonging to France. The Lutheran parish was located in the neighboring village Preuschdorf, which lays about one mile south-east of Mitschdorf. The parish records of Preuschdorf are available at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City back to 1660. These early records include a name index for births, marriages, and deaths. During the research process it was discovered that only about half of the persons are recorded in the birth index (the marriage and death indexes were not cross-checked). Therefore, it was necessary for the research to be completed in the actual records, examining each entry. This made the research slower than expected, but was a necessary step to ensure research quality and accuracy.
      It was decided to extract all individuals with the family name Stocker, afterwards arranging them into family units in better revealing the familial relationship and qualifying a potential ancestral line. While research was completed previously and family groups compiled, it appeared some individuals might have been missed.
      Unfortunately there was no electronic genealogy file provided, allowing quick screen views of families. Therefore, the new extractions were entered into the most recent version of Personal Ancestral File in order to evaluate, change, and submit names for temple work electronically. The new database reflects births/christenings, marriages, and deaths/burials 1715-1736 from the original Lutheran records of Preuschdorf
      REPORT
      As mentioned in the introduction, the first task was to verify the birth and death of Michael, born and died in 1727, son of Hans Michael Stocker and Anna Margretha, nee Stephan. This information was confirmed [LDS-microfilm 769168 item 5-6: Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Taufen 1715-1736, Tote 1715-1736]. Michael Stocker was born on 31 August 1727, baptized on 25 September 1727, died on 19 December 1727 and was buried on 31 December 1727. With this proof he was definitely disqualified as the potential ancestor.
      The baptismal entries of this time frame were researched for other individuals with this name. For an individual to qualify, the ancestor had to be born between 1718 and 1733, with emphasis on the 1729-1731 years for Johann/Hanss Michael Stocker.
      The research in the baptismal records produced two individuals that might qualify as potential ancestors. A third Johann Michael Stocker found, born in 1715, was disqualified since he died in 1717.
      Of the two candidates, one was named Johann Michael Stocker (born sometime between 27 September and 15 October 1723 - exact date could not be recognized) and the other was Hanss Michel Stocker, born 15 April 1730. Hanss is the short form for Johann and Johannes. Both of these individuals are siblings and have the same set of parents. The first individual was found previously, but the second was evidently never found as he was not listed in the family's printout. Even though the death entry of the older 1723 sibling was not found in the Preuschdorf death records, it can be assumed that he died because of the re-use of the same first names. The parents are Hanss Michael Stocker and Eva Staehli (her maiden name was found in her marriage record). This family was from the neighboring Goersdorf, which is about 3/4 of a mile west of Mitschdorf. Because of missing information about the younger generations it cannot be judged whether this younger sibling qualifies to be the ancestor. The time approved for this research was too short to go through all the death records until the 1760s, when he should be at last married. Also, since it is not known how the Stocker line continues within the younger generations, it is a difficult task to judge the chances of ancestry.
      For the potential ancestral family in question following individuals were found [LDS-microfilm 769168 item 5-6: Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Taufen 1715-1736].
      Birth Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France:
      - [No birth or chr. date stated, between 27 Sep. and 15 Oct. 1723]: Johann Michael Stocker; father: Michael Stocker, the older, of Goersdorf; mother: Eva [no maiden name]. Page 80, entry #3. (Doc. 1)
      - B. 26 Jan. 1726, chr. 27 Jan. 1726, d. 1749: Maria Margaretha Stocker; father: Hanss Michael Stocker, the older, of Goersdorf; mother: Eva [no maiden name]. Page 114, entry #3.
      - B. Mar. 1728, chr. 11 Mar. 1728: Maria Elisabetha Stocker; father: Michael Stocker, the older, of Giersdorf; mother: Eva [no maiden name]. Page 139, entry #3.
      - B. 15 Apr. 1730, chr. 16 Apr. 1730: Hanss Michel Stocker [potential ancestor]; father: Hanss Michel Stocker, the older, of Goersdorf; mother: Eva [no maiden name]. Page 170, entry #1. (Doc. 02)
      - B. 29 Apr. 1733, chr. 30 Apr. 1733: Maria Eva Stocker; father: Hanss Michel Stocker, the older, of Giersdorf; mother: Eva [no maiden name]. Page 204, entry #4.
      The children very likely went by their middle names since all the first names are the same. There is the chance that more siblings were born after 1736, but the time approved did not allow any research past 1736 since the death and some marriages needed to be researched too. Thus far, a death record was not found, but it needs to be mentioned that no research in the death record was performed past 1736.
      The marriage record of the parents was sought and found [LDS-microfilm 769168 item 6: Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Heiraten 1715-1736]. This record provided the maiden name of Eva and her town of origin, information not known before.
      Marriage Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France:
      - M. 4 Jan. 1721, The Widower Hanss Michel Stocker of Goersdorf with Eva Staehli; parents of the groom: [not stated]; parents of the bride: The deceased Johannes Staehli of Sultz. Page 9, entry #3.
      At this time it is not clear whether the town Sultz (town of origin of the Staehli family) is the same as Soultz-Sous-Forets (about four miles west of Goersdorf) or the Soultz near Strassburg, today both in France. Staehli is a typical Swiss family name. Future research will solve this mystery.
      Time did not allow additional research in original records. All those where no relationship to the direct ancestry could be proven at this time were grouped together into separate family units. All individuals were all entered into a new Personal Ancestral File.
      CONCLUSION
      In this research session it was the initial task to prove that Michael Stocker, son of Michael Stocker was born and died in 1727. The second task was to research the baptismal entries to find another Michael or Johann/Hans Michael Stocker that could qualify as a potential ancestor. Both tasks were accomplished with a positive result.
      RECOMMENDATIONS
      It would valuable to receive and enter all information on the immigrant ancestor after his arrival in America into the new PAF that has been created. This would facilitate a better evaluation of appropriate records to search in the Preuschdorf area and tracking emigration.
      At the same time the birth, death, and marriage entries (after 1736) need to be checked to eliminate or allow the ancestral candidate to remain for further consideration.
      It was a pleasure to research the ancestral lines of the client and we look forward to continuing according to the directions of the client."

      5. Price and Associates, Inc., (c) Research Report, prepared for Noel Stoker and used by his permission. Report dated 17 Feb 2014. File name: Stocker2014JanNE. A transcript of the report:
      "OBJECTIVE
      • Research baptismal, marriage, and death entries for the years past 1736, to determine if Hanss Michel Stocker (born 1730) lived to adulthood and possibly emigrated
      • Search the family members of the older Stocker generation who was born before 1715
      RESULTS
      • Two additional children of Hanss Michel Stocker (Sr.) and Eva Staehli were found
      • Children of the first marriage of Hanss Michel Stocker (Sr.) were found
      • The Hanss Michel Stocker (Jr.) found in the last research session qualifies to be the one who emigrated since no marriage or death record was found for him in the parish records of Preuschdorf
      • One additional generation on the Stocker line was established
      • Prepared all new-found individuals for temple work (as far as it was not already done)
      RECOMMENDATIONS
      • An area search in several Lutheran parishes around Preuschdorf is needed to find the marriage of Friedrich Stocker with Anna Barbara [no maiden name known] - this finding would very likely establish the names of the next generation in the Stocker line
      • Also a search needs to be performed in the Sulz Lutheran parish records for the Staehli line
      HEADING
      The research on the Stocker line had several tasks. First, any children of Michael Stocker and Eva Staehli born after 1736, if any, needed to be found.
      Second, the death and marriage entries past 1736 needed to be checked whether the Hanss Michel Stocker who was born in 1730 qualifies as the ancestor.
      Third, all the records prior to 1715 needed to be checked to deepen the ancestral tree.
      The research was performed in the microfilmed Lutheran parish records of Preuschdorf, which is available at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City back to the year 1660. These early records include a name index for births, marriages, and deaths.
      REPORT
      As mentioned in the introduction the first task was to find any additional children born after 1736 to Michael Stocker ,(Sr.) of Goersdorf and his wife Eva Staehli. One more child was found. Following is his entry [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Taufen 1736-1754; FHL INTL Film 769168 item 6].
      Birth Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin Alsace, France:
      - B. [about] 9 Dec. 1736, chr. 12 Dec. 1736: Hanss Georg Stocker; father: Hanss Michel Stocker, the older, of Goersdorf; mother: Eva [no maiden name]. Page 6, entry #1.
      The exact date of birth could not be recognized because it was in the fold of two pages and therefore blackened out.
      The next task was to check the marriage entries whether the potential ancestor Hanss Michel Stocker (Jr., born 1730) married in this parish. If he did, he would disqualify as being the direct ancestor. Even though several Stocker marriages were found, no such entry was found for Hanss Michel / Johann Michael Stocker [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Heiraten 1736-1780; FHL INTL Film 770569].
      The third verification was to search the death records. All the death entries up to 1788 were checked, but no Hanss Michel / Johann Michael Stocker died [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Tote 1736-1758, 1758-1783; FHL INTL Film 770569]. All the parish records past 1788 are not microfilmed and are available only at the parish in France.
      While in the death records, two related entries were found. These are those of the parents of Hanss Michel / Johann Michael Stocker. Following are their entries.
      Death Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin Alsace, France:
      - D. 28 Apr. 1746, bur. 30 Apr. 1746: Eva Stocker, nee Staehlin of Goersdorf, origin of Sulz; age 53 years, 24 weeks; Wife of Michael Stocker. Page 116, entry #2. (Doc. 01)
      - D. 16 Feb. 1756, bur. 18 Feb. 1756: Hanss Michael Stocker of Goersdorf, age 72 years, 1 month, 6 days; Son is Johann Georg Stocker. Page 244, entry #1. (Doc. 02)
      There was a second Hanss Michael Stocker who died in 1762, being 73 years of age. In theory he would also qualify to be the ancestor, but three facts were found that disqualified him. One fact was that the ancestral Hanss Michel Stocker (Sr.) had a son Johann Georg (=Hanss Georg). The second fact was found later when searching for the ancestral baptismal entry. There was recorded in a different handwriting that his death entry is found on page 244, which coincides with the entry found above. The third fact was that the Hanss Michael Stocker (Sr.) who died in 1762 had a daughter with the name Maria Catharina, who was recorded in his death entry as a witness. The ancestral Hanss Michel Stocker (Sr.) did not have a daughter by that name.
      Before moving to the older entries, another marriage needed to be mentioned. The marriage record of Hanss Michael Stocker with Eva Staehli was already found during the last research session, but it was not evaluated because at that time it was not sure that they are indeed the ancestral line. This proof was now delivered based on the records available. The marriage mentions that Hanss Michael Stocker was a widower when he married Eva Staehli. Both marriage entries of Hanss Michael Stocker were found in the Preuschdorf Lutheran records [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Heiraten 1661-1715 and 1715-1736; FHL INTL Films 769168 item 4 and 5].
      Marriage Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin Alsace, France:
      - M. Nov. 1712: Johann Michael Stocker of Goersdorf and Anna Fischer of Goersdorf; father of the groom: Johann Friedrich Stocker of Goersdorf; father of the bride: Hannss Georg Fischer of Goersdorf. Page 220, entry #5. (Doc. 03)
      - M. 4 Jan. 1721: Widower Hanss Michel Stocker of Goersdorf, married Eva Staehli of Sultz; father of the groom [not mentioned]; father of the bride: Deceased salter Johannes Staehli of Sultz. Page 9, entry #3. (Doc. 04)
      While in the marriage records, an additional entry for a child of Hanss/Johann Michael Stocker was found, a child not found in the baptismal entries. His name was Hanss Leonhard Stocker. Following is his marriage entry [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Heiraten 1736-1780; FHL INTL Films 770569].
      Marriage Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin Alsace, France:
      M. 19 Jan. 1745: Hanss Leonhard Stocker of Goersdorf, married Maria Barbara Jacob of Preuschdorf; parents of the groom: Hanss Michel Stocker of Goersdorf, married Eva Staehli; father of the bride: Hanss Heinrich Jacob of Preuschdorf. [Forgot to record page #.]
      Other children of Hanss / Johann Michael Stocker also married. Their names are already known, but their marriage data and the names of spouses were recorded into the PAF-file of the client.
      Two additional children of Hanss / Johann Michael Stocker were found who were born into this first marriage Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Taufen 1660-1715; FHL INTL Film 769168 item 4] before 1715. Three additional children were already found during the last research session. These are now also connected into the ancestral tree.
      Birth Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin Alsace, France:
      - B. Aug. 1713, chr. Aug. 1713: Johann Theobaldt Stocker; father: Joh. Michael Stocker of Goersdorf; mother: Anna Fischer. Page 172, entry #6.
      - B. 7 May 1715, chr. 9 May 1715 [died 1717]: Hannss Michael Stocker; father: Michael Stocker of Goersdorf; mother: Anna [no maiden name]. Page 179, entry #6.
      - B. 18 Oct. 1717, chr. 18 Oct. 1717: Johann Georg Stocker; father: Hanss Michael Stocker of Goersdof; mother: Anna Fischer. Page 18, entry #4.
      - B. 25 Dec. 1719, chr. 26 Dec. 1719: Christina Stocker; father: Hanss Michael Stocker of Goersdorf; mother: Anna Fischer. Page 34, entry #4.
      - B. 1 Oct. 1721, chr. 3 Oct. 1721: Maria Salome Stocker; father: Hanss Michael Stocker of Goersdorf; mother: Fischer. Page 55, entry #1.
      For the last child in this table the name of the mother was recorded incorrectly. Anna, nee Fischer had already died one day after her child Christina was born because of complications during birth. Her death entry was found. Therefore the last child has to be connected to the second marriage because it was born 9 month after the second marriage of Hanss Michael Stocker was performed.
      Following is the death entry of the first wife [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Tote 1715-1736; FHL INTL Film 769168 item 5].
      Death Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin Alsace, France:
      - D. 26 Dec. 1719, bur. Dec. 1719: Anna Stocker of Goersdorf; age 28 years, 6 months, 2 weeks, 3 days; Wife of Hanss Michael Stocker; died because of complications during birth. Page 9, entry #4.
      With this completion the research moved to the older parts of the Lutheran records of Preuschdorf. All the baptismal entries prior to 1715 were checked. Since the birth could be calculated on the age stated in the death entry of Hams Michel Stocker (Sr.), the task to find this entry was an easy one. If the parish priest calculated correctly, he was born on 10 January 1684. His baptismal entry was found at this very day, but his birth date was not recorded there. Also two siblings were found [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Taufen 1660-1715; FHL INTL Film 769168 item 4].
      Birth Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin Alsace, France:
      - B. [not recorded], chr. 10 Jan. 1684: Hanss Michel Stocker [direct ancestor]; father: Friedrich Stocker, a carpenter in Goersdorf; mother: Anna Barbel [no maiden name]. Page 46, entry #6. Annotation in record: death on page 244. (Doc. 05)
      - B. [not recorded], chr. 4 Mar. 1686: Catharina Barbara Stocker; father: Friedrich Stocker of Goersdorf; mother: Anna Barbel [no maiden name]. Page 60, entry #2.
      - B. [not recorded], chr. 2 Nov. 1688: Maria Barbara Stocker; father: Friedrich Stocker of Goersdorf; mother: Anna Barbel [no maiden name]. Page 70, entry #4.
      The marriage of Johann Friedrich Stocker to Anna Barbara (Barbel is the pet name for Barbara) was not found in Preuschdorf [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Heiraten 1661-1715; FHL INTL Film 769168 item 4]. Very likely she was from another parish. There is the chance that this couple had older children born and baptized in the parish the mother was from. As it will be proven shortly, she was born in the year 1645 +/- 1 year. It is rather unusual starting having children at the age of 39 years. Only an area search for the marriage entry between Friedrich Stocker and Anna Barbara would produce more certain information on this. There is even the chance that Anna Barbara was a widow when she married Friedrich Stocker because, as will be shown shortly, she was nine years older than him.
      The death entry of Anna Barbara was found and with it the information about her birth year. Also the death entry of the father, Johann Friedrich Stocker, was found. Based on these records the age difference can be seen. Also found was an additional child of this couple, a stillborn son. Because he was stillborn, he was not recorded in the baptismal entries. Following the three entries [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Tote 1659-1715; FHL INTL Film 769168 item 4].
      Death Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin Alsace, France:
      - D. 18 Apr. 1695, bur. 20 Apr. 1695: Anna Barbara Stocker of Goersdorf, age 50 years; Wife of Friedrich Stocker. Page 261, entry #2. (Doc. 06)
      - D. 24 Nov. 1708, bur. 26 Nov. 1708: Friedrich Stocker, a carpenter in Goersdorf, age 54 years; relationships [not mentioned]. Page 290, entry #1. (Doc. 07)
      - D. [not mentioned], bur. 25 Nov. 1687: Stillborn son; Son of Friedrich Stocker of Goersdorf. Page 247, entry #6.
      After the first wife of Friedrich Stocker died in 1695, he remarried one year later. Following entry was found [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Heiraten 1661-1715; FHL INTL Film 769168 item 4].
      Marriage Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas-Rhin Alsace, France:
      - M. 6 Mar. 1696: The widower Friedrich Stocker, a carpenter in Goersdorf, married Ursula Maria, widow of Jacob Dirzon [his family name is hard to read], who was a shepherd in Preuschdorf; parents of the groom: [not stated]; parents of the bride: [not stated]. Page 201, entry #1.
      Hanss/Johann Friedrich Stocker and his second wife Maria Ursula had two more children [Kirchenbuch Preuschdorf, Taufen 1660-1715; FHL INTL Film 769168 item 4].
      Birth Register. Source: Lutheran Church Records of Preuschdorf, Bas Rhin Alsace, France:
      - B. 19 Jul. 1699, chr. 21 Jul. 1699: Hanss Jacob Stocker; father: Friedrich Stocker, a carpenter in Goersdorf; mother: Maria Ursula [no maiden name]. Page 109, entry #4.
      - B. 30 Jan 1703, chr. 2 Feb. 1703: Margaretha Christina Stocker; father: Friedrich Stocker, a carpenter in Goersdorf; mother: Maria Ursula [no maiden name]. Page 125, entry #5.
      The death entry of the second wife of Johann Friedrich Stocker, Maria Ursula [no maiden name known], was not found in the Preuschdorf records.
      The question about the names of the next generation is impossible to answer at this time. Since the first marriage record of Johann Friedrich Stocker was not found in Preuschdorf, and there are no baptismal entries available before 1660 (Johann Friedrich Stocker was born in 1654), no final proof is possible yet. The available information suggests either Jacob Stocker or Zacharias Stocker to be the father of Friedrich. Both had children that married in the 1690s. Both were from Goersdorf. For both were found death records. Based on these they were born just two years apart. There is even the chance that they are siblings.
      Only an area search for the first marriage entry of Friedrich Stocker to Anna Barbara [maiden name not known] could possibly clarify this next generation. This area search was not performed during this research project. The following Lutheran parishes border the Preuschdorf parish: Diefenbach (no LDS microfilms before 1793), Worth an der Sauer (microfilms from 1572 to 1792), Langensulzbach (microfilms from 1689 to 1787), Lembach (microfilms 1603 from to 1792), Wingen (microfilms from 1648 to 1792), Rott (no LDS microfilms before 1701), Birlenbach (microfilms from 1614 to 1822), Sulz unterm Wald (microfilms from 1595 to 1793), and Niederkutzenhausen (no LDS microfilms before 1714). As can be seen from this list, only a few parishes do not have the older records. The reason might be that the parishes were established later.
      Also seen in this list is the parish Sulz, which was mentioned as the town of origin of the ancestral Staehli family line. The research in the parishes listed as well as the research for the Staehli family could be the research topic in the next research project.
      The individuals who could be connected to the ancestral tree were entered into the PAF-file. Among those were also several individuals not mentioned in this report (such as nieces, nephews, cousins, and a few in-laws). All those where no relationship to the direct ancestry could be proven at this time were grouped together into separate family units. These individuals were entered into a separate PAF-file. Both PAF-files were prepared for temple work (as far this work was not done yet).
      CONCLUSION
      During this research session one more child was found of Michael Stocker (Sr.) and Eva Staehli of Goersdorf. Also, the first marriage of Hanss Michel Stocker (Sr.), as well as the children of this first marriage was found.
      It was shown that the potential ancestor Hanss Michel Stocker (Jr.) found in the last research session qualifies to be the one who emigrated since no marriage or death record was found for him in the parish records of Preuschdorf.
      For the father of Hanss Michel Stocker (Sr.) the baptismal entry as well as those for his siblings and half-siblings was found. Several death records were found for the direct ancestry as well as one marriage record. The marriage entry for Johann Friedrich Stocker with Anna Barbara [no maiden name known - parents of Hanss Michel Stocker, Sr.] was not found in Preuschdorf. An area search needs to be performed to find it.
      RECOMMENDATIONS
      It is recommended to perform an area search in several Lutheran parishes around Preuschdorf for the marriage of Friedrich Stocker with Anna Barbara [no maiden name known]. This document will hopefully clarify which of the two candidates is the father of Friedrich Stocker. Most of these parishes are available on LDS-microfilm at the FHL in Salt Lake City.
      Also a search needs to be performed in the Sulz Lutheran parish records for the Staehli line. The Sulz parish records are available on LDS-microfilm.
      It was a pleasure to research the ancestral lines of the client and we look forward to continuing according to the directions of the client."

      6. Price and Associates, Inc., (c) Research Report, prepared for Noel Stoker and used by his permission. Report dated 19 Apr 2014. File name: Stocker2014Mar/1333. A transcript of the report:
      "OBJECTIVES
      • Continue from the previous project by researching the Stocker ancestry.
      • Research the Staehli ancestry.
      RESULTS
      • Found the marriage for Friedrich Stocker and Anna Barbara [no maiden name known].
      • Identified four siblings of Friedrich Stocker.
      • Located the death entry of Christian Stocker, the oldest ancestor in this line at this point.
      • Found the baptismal entry of Eva Staehli.
      RECOMMENDATIONS
      • Determine whether pre-1639 records exist for Feldberg.
      • Conduct an area search around Wörth for the first marriage between the ancestor Anna Barbara [no maiden name known] and Hans Heinrich Bartl.
      • Continue research on the Staehli line for about 100 additional years back to 1595.
      [BACKGROUND]
      This research started where the previous project ended by following the Stocker line of Goersdorf, Alsace. This area was for a long time German territory, but since the end of World War II it has belonged to France. The ancestral Stockers spoke German, and the Lutheran parish books are recorded in German.
      Several extractions were made in 1993. The family group sheets created based on the extractions were provided by the client.
      Before the research started, a few questions from the client needed to be answered.
      Question 1: Does the marriage record of Hanss Michael Stocker to Anna Margaretha Stephan on 30 Jan 1725 at Preuschdorf specifically list his age or his father/parents as Hans Michael Stocker and Maria Remp? If not, how do we know the correct parents of the Hans Michael who married in 1725?
      Answer: The marriage record of Hanss Michael Stocker to Anna Margaretha Stephan lists the day of marriage, the names of groom and bride, and the parents of the bride and the father of the groom (being Hans Michael Stocker). It does not list the name of the mother.
      Question 2: How do we know the Hanss Michael Stocker who married Maria Remp in 1692 at Mitschdorf was born in Oct 1669 at Mitschdorf? Did the 1692 marriage entry provide Hanss Michael's parents or his place of residence?
      Answer: The 1692 marriage entry for Hanss Michael Stocker and Maria Remp states that the groom was the son of Jacob Stocker, [the father] residing in Goersdorf; and the father of the bride was listed as Jacob Remp, the mother as Maria Stephan, both of Mitschdorf. This record does not state whether the groom was born in Mitschdorf or Goersdorf or anywhere else. Since this was not a direct line, his information was not double verified during the previous project. The Preuschdorf parish entries were checked this time, which include Mitschdorf and Goersdorf. The birth entry for him w