Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Johann Georg Hopfensack

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Descendants of Johann Georg Hopfensack

Generation No. 2

2. JOHANNHEINRICK CHRISTIAN² HOPFENSACK (JOHANN GEORG¹) was born 9-26-1835 in Udestedt, Weimar, Germany, and died 1-18-1880 in New York City, NY. He married PAULINA SEIB 9-2-1860 in New York City, NY, daughter of JACOB SEIB and MARGARETHE LINDNER. She was born 3-21-1839 in Bingen-on-Rhein, Darmstat, Germany, and died 12-30-1883 in New York City, NY.

Notes for JOHANNHEINRICK CHRISTIAN HOPFENSACK:
Henry Hopfensack was born Johann Heinrick Christian Steinacker, the illegitimate son of a twenty-three year old woman named Susanne Dorothea Steinacker from the village of Udestedt. Two years later a Johann Georg Hopfensack (assumedly Henry's father) married Susanne, and the couple had five additional children. The family (father, mother and six children) emigrated to New York departing Hamburg on the 419 ton, three masted, wooden, barque rigged sailing vessel "Nordamerica on 16 April 1851 under the command of Captain P.N.H. Peters.

Henry met and married Paulina Seib, also a recent immigrant from Germany, in 1860. He gave his occupation on his marriage license as "pocket maker", a specialized craft in the garment industry. The couple had five daughters and two sons. The boys both died at an early age.

Henry died of a stroke in 1880 at the age of 44 leaving his wife and five young girls.

There is a Henry Hopfensack listed in the New York City Directory of 1869. His address is 163 E. 83rd and his business is shown as leather goods at 71 Nassau in conjunction with William Hopfensack (probably his younger brother, Wilhelm), who also lives at the 83rd Street address. The 1890 Directory shows William living at 236 E. 86th Street with a Barbara Hopfensack and a Hraba&Hopfensack leather goods business of 95 W. Broadway.

Civil War records show an Ernst (20) and a William Hopfensack (22), the latter's age corresponding with our Wilhelm above enlisting in the Union Army on May 3, 1961in New York City. Both fought with the 20th Infantry Regiment of New York. William deserted at New York of February 6, 1863.

Notes for PAULINA SEIB:
Paulina Seib was born in Bingen-on-the-Rhine in 1839, the eleventh of fifteen children and immigrated to America at the age of 15 accompanied by her mother arriving New York on October 22, 1854. Her younger sister, Anna along with two brothers and two other sisters came two years later on the Barque Griffon arriving in New York on November 17, 1856.

Several poems written to Paulina in August 1854 for her going-away party remain including one from her ten year old brother, Anton, who wrote: "Your image will never part from my brotherly heart, until my face is covered over by the darkness of the grave" Ironically, or perhaps prophetically, Anton died two years later.

Paulina met and married another German immigrant, Henry Hopfensack, at the age of twenty five. The couple had seven children: two boys (who died at a young age) and five girls. They lived on East 83rd Street just a block from Central Park and attended the First German Presbyterian church on Rivington in the lower east side of Manhattan, where the children were baptized. The Hopfensack family lived just ten blocks from Paulina's sister, Anna, and the two families very likely spent much of their time together.

Widowed at forty, Paulina herself died of cancer after an eight month illness at the age of forty four leaving her five daughters orphaned. Her sister Anna and her husband, Henry Weiler, took over the care of the girls and one can imagine that sad day as the girls (ages 2 to 16) packed their belongings and carted them slowly down Third Avenue to their new home.

More About PAULINA SEIB:
Christening: 3-22-1839, Roman-Catholic, Bingen, Rheinhessen

Marriage Notes for JOHANNHEINRICK HOPFENSACK and PAULINA SEIB:
Marriage took place in the Pastor's office of the German Congregation of the St. George's Chapel. Henry was 25. Paulina was 22. Francis Seib, Pauline's older brother,, was a witness.

Children of JOHANNHEINRICK HOPFENSACK and PAULINA SEIB are:

4.	i.		DORETHEA³ HOPFENSACK, b. 6-12-1864, New York City, NY; d. 4-14-1894, Chicago, Illinois.
	ii.		ELISABETHA HOPFENSACK, b. 6-12-1864, New York City, NY; d. 11-7-1925, La Grange, Illinois.

Notes for ELISABETHA HOPFENSACK:
"Aunt Lizzie" made her way to the Chicago area eventually occupying the upstairs apartment at No 15 S. Catherine, La Grange. Following the death of her younger sister, Annie in the Iriquois Theater fire, she helped to raise Annie's remaining children: Polly (Mattes) and Helen (Daggett). After the children had grown, she kept mostly to herself and lived quite independently of Emma's family who lived downstairs. Grace recalls her taking time to show her how to embroider.

Aunt Lizzie was a strict Christian Scientist. In 1905, she became quite ill and Emma summoned her own homeopathic doctor to treat Lizzie, but the doctor was only able to diagnose acute nephritis from viewing Lizzie. Lizzie refused all treatment because of her religious beliefs and died within days. Emma had to shoulder some criticism for allowing this to happen.

More About ELISABETHA HOPFENSACK:
Christening: 6-24-1864, First German Presbyterian Church, Rivington Street, New York, NY

5.	iii.	ANNA PAULINE HOPFENSACK, b. 12-29-1868, New York City, New York; d. 12-30-1903, Chicago, Illinois.
	iv.	HENRY HOPFENSACK, b. 12-16-1870, New York City, NY; d. 9-25-1875, New York City, NY.
	v.	EDWARD HOPFENSACK, b. 6-22-1874, New York City, NY; d. 1-2-1875, New York City, NY.
	vi.	PAULINE HENRIETTA HOPFENSACK, b. 12-4-1876, New York City, NY; d. 5-27-1962, La Grange, Illinois.

Notes for PAULINE HENRIETTA HOPFENSACK:
"Aunt Polly" lived in La Grange most of her adult years. She never married. She attended the Presbyterian Church and had many friends around town. She roomed for a while with Mrs. Ganantz at 11 S. Catherine and after Julius' death, lived a year at No. 17 until her death.

Aunt Polly traveled to China in 1928 as a "traveling companion" for an elderly lady and brought back many lovely mementos for various family members. At. Christmas and birthdays, she always remembered others. She also had a special fondness for the Marshall Field's department store. Her sister, Emma, had always opened her home to her.

vii.

EMMA LOUISE HOPFENSACK, b. 5-26-1878, New York City, NY; d. 10-5-1951, La Grange, Illinois.

3. JOHANNFRIEDRICH WILHELM² HOPFENSACK (JOHANN GEORG¹) was born 5-15-1839 in Udestedt, Weimar. He married BARBARA WELKER. She was born 1841 in Baden.

Children of JOHANNFRIEDRICH HOPFENSACK and BARBARA WELKER are:

	i.		MINA³ HOPFENSACK, b. 1867.
	ii.		FREDERICH HOPFENSACK, b. 1871.
	iii.		AUGUSTE HOPFENSACK, b. 1879.

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