John Thomas Stoecklein

John T. Stoecklein
Photo from Mike Cunningham

Continuing with my series of biographical sketches, I wanted to focus on a member of my maternal line, since I featured Ammon Goode Hancock, my father's great-great grandfather, in my last post.

Photo from Mike Cunningham

John Thomas Stoecklein was my great-great grandfather. The Stoeckleins were about as different from the slave-owning Virginia gentry Hancocks as they could be. John T. was born December 10, 1851, in Dayton, Ohio. His family was Bavarian and Catholic. His father was Joseph C. Stoecklein, born in 1827 in the village of Stadt Prozelten, in the municipality of Faulbach, Bavaria, along the Main river, between Wurtzburg and Frankfurt. The town had about 150 inhabitants at the time of Joseph's birth, and there's not much there, even today, with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants in the whole municipality. John T.'s mother was Carolina Zwisler (also spelled Zwissler or Zwiesler), born around 1833, also in Faulbach, and most likely also in Stadt Prozelten(1).

Bavaria was in turmoil during the 1830s and 40s. In 1837, the Catholic clergy had supported a political movement to change the constitution (mostly the strip Protestants of civil rights), Eventually, political unrest led to the Revolutions of 1848, during which intellectual leaders called for greater freedom and rights for common people. The movement was defeated by the aristocracy, but Bavaria's king, Ludwig I, was forced to abdicate in 1848, replaced by his son, Maximilian II(2).

The unrest in the German states led to a wave of emigration to the United States, particularly among young men who otherwise would have been required to serve in the army during a period of nearly constant, and pointless, warfare. As was common at the time, the citizens of Stadt Prozelten stuck together, even in the New World. Joseph was the first to reach Dayton, sometime before 1849. It was a town of around 12,000 people with a large German population. He got a job at a meat-packing plant, wrote back home, and was soon joined by his brothers, John and Valentine, his father (his mother had died), and many other inhabitants of Faulbach, including the Zwisler family(1).

Joseph Stoecklein and Carolina Zwisler married February 18, 1851 (3). Joseph was 24, and Carolina
was 18. Whether or not they had been sweethearts in Bavaria, they no doubt were drawn to each other as familiar faces in a strange land. Undoubtedly, their families would have been happy to bless this marriage with a "known entity" at a time when they were still trying to find their bearings. Joseph and Carolina's first son, John T., was born 10 months after their wedding. Their second son, Joseph, was born around 1854, and their final child, Charles, in 1858.

Photo from Mike Cunningham

We do not have a lot of information about John T.'s childhood. The family was listed in the 1860 census, living in Harrison Township (part of Dayton) with their three boys and several German borders: Michael Frank, 23, from Bavaria; Christ Plocker, 19, from Wittenberg; and Adeline Feltman, 25, from Hanover(4). Joseph's occupation is listed as butcher, and he reports real estate worth $4000, and a personal estate of $800, which seems quite a fortune for someone who was less than 15 years off the boat. One of their borders, Michael Frank, was also a
butcher, and one wonders if he was an apprentice or employee. The census does not tell us exactly where the family lived, but in the 1864 Dayton city directory, their address is in Dayton View(5).The many spelling variants of their last name makes it difficult to find information about the family through on-line databases. The 1864 directory illustrates that perfectly, with its entries for the brothers "Valentine Steckland" and "Joseph Steocklein".*

John T. initially followed in his father's footsteps and became a butcher. In the 1871 city directory, John is listed as a butcher, living on Mad River Valley Pike in North Dayton(6). At least, I believe this is him. The extended Stoeckline family had a strong tendency to repeat the same first names. This, combined with the erratic spelling of their last name, makes it very difficult to track individuals unless they are listed with their immediate households.

Appolonia Stocklein
Photo from Mike Cunningham

However he was making a living, he must have been doing well, for the next year he married Appolonia Baker (or Becker) on November 12, 1872. Appolonia was born March 8, 1854, also in Dayton. She was the daughter of Casper and Anna Maria Baker, both of Saxony. Her father was a stone cutter, and Appolonia was the third of his eight children. Most documents refer to her as "Lena" or "Loney".


John T. does not appear in another city directory (as far as I can tell) until 1881. Other John Stoecklines are listed, but none of them are butchers, which appears to have been John T.'s occupation until 1882. He may have been working in his father's business. His extended Stoeckline family, meanwhile, was mostly in the brewing or saloon business. His uncle John had moved straight to Miamisburg from Bavaria, in the late 1840s, in order to take a job with an old colleague, Karl Schrouder, who had opened his own brewery(1). And by 1862, John T's uncle Valentine is listed as a saloon keeper on the northwest corner of Williams St. and the Germantown Pike in Miami City (Miamisburg, I assume). By 1871, his uncle John's saloon and brewery is listed in the city directory at

Cora Stoecklein
Photo from Mike Cunningham

429 W. 3rd St. By 1874, Uncle Valentine was prosperous enough to have his name in large print in the city directory as the owner of a wine and beer saloon(6).

John T. and Appolonia's first child, Cora (known as "Cody") was born July 5, 1875 (7). In 1877, on October 31, John T's father, Joseph, died of consumption (8). He was buried in Calvary Cemetery, where a substantial number of my maternal relatives rest. Sometime during that year, John T. and Appolonia's second child, Marie Antoinette (who understandably preferred the name "Betty") was born. In the 1880 U.S. Census of Dayton, John T.'s occupation is listed as "butcher", and his family consists of Lena, little Cora and Nettie, and an 11-month old boy named Willie who had been born in July of 1879. Willie must have died shortly thereafter, as there are no more records of him. Family stories suggest that John T. and Appolonia lost at least two other children (9). We know that there was a daughter named Laura, born around 1882, because we have a newspaper account that she was saved from drowning by her older sister, Cora, at the age of five. Unfortunately, she did not survive much longer, although I have found no record of her death.

From family album, Mike Cunningham

It is possible that John T. and his brother Joseph took over their father's butcher shop after his death. By 1881, they are listed in the city directory as "J. Stoeckline and Bro. (Jos. and John T.) daily market, 327 E. 3rd", with John T.'s personal residence listed as Covington Pike (6). The rest of the family continued to work in the saloon and brewery business, however. Although John T.'s Uncle Valentine appeared to have passed on by 1881, his widow, Sophia, continued to run his saloon at the corner of Williams and Germantown Pile, and at least one John Stoeckline was working as a bar tender. By 1887, John T.'s youngest brother, Charles, had also opened a saloon, and a Joseph Stoeckline (not clear if it's his brother or a nephew/cousin) owned "The Turf" and "The Office" sample bar, billiard hall and lunch counter. (A "sample bar" was another name for a saloon).

Betty Stoecklein
Photo from Mike Cunningham

In 1882, John T. changed his occupation. For the next fourteen years, he is listed in the city directory as a "driver", although his brother continues to be listed as a butcher. John T. may have been a driver for his brother's butcher shop, or he may have begun making deliveries for breweries and saloons. Since he later opened a saloon of his own, that would be my best guess. John T.'s address is given as SE River, between Central Av. and Salem, Dayton View. Later editions of the city directory give the address as 102 W. River. (6).

John T., on the far left, in his driver days?
(photograph from Mike Cunningham)

During this time, John T. and Appolonia's youngest child (and my great-grandmother), Irene Stoeckline was born, on January 12, 1891. Around this time, Appolonia took ill. She died on May 29, 1895, after an illness of four years. She was only 41. We do not know the cause of death, but given the long illness and the subsequent family history, I wonder if she died of liver cancer, like her daughter and granddaughter, as well as one great-granddaughter.

Her death may have spurred John T. to make a change in his career, because in the 1896 city

Irene Stoecklein
Photo from Mike Cunningham

directory, John T. is co-owner of a new business, Shartel and Stoeckline (John L. Shartel and John T. Stoecklein), "LaMascotte Lunch and Sample Room" at 33 S. Main. John T. had joined his family in the brewing and saloon business. He also moved his residence to 731 W. North Ave.(6). John Shartel left the business fairly quickly, for by the next year, the business was listed as "Stoecklein and Brehm (John T. S. and Wm. B.), sample room (same address). His listing appears next to the Stoecklein Brothers saloon (run by Henry and John J.), as well as Charles's saloon and "The Office" sample room, run by Joseph. From 1898 through 1902, John T. appears in the city directory as the sole owner of "The Mascotte Saloon, Restaurant, and Billiard Room", living at 744 S. Main (6).

Irene Stoecklein

Meanwhile, his daughters were growing up. On Oct 18, 1899, John T. married Mary A. Boga (10). She was 35, he was 48. The marriage must have been a significant change for Cody, who was 24 and had presumably been running her father's household since her mother's death. Irene, only eight, would have been most affected. Her grandchildren remember her saying that she never liked her stepmother. The least-affected daughter was Betty, aged 22, who married Earle Hack two years later and left the household (11). John T. and Mary had no children of their own.

By 1902, John T. was successful enough that his name appears in big letters in the city directory. He is living in the same place, but he is now proprietor of "The Mint" Sample Room, 210 S. Main, and proud owner of a rare telephone (number Main 1422) (6).  Not until 1904 does The Mint move to its final location at 136 S. Ludlow. Around the same time, John T. moved his family residence to 334 E. Hickory.

The early 1900s were a period of stability for the Stoecklines. They stopped moving so frequently. Cody remained with her father until his death, so she was there to care for her little sister. The Mint prospered, and Dayton was growing. The calm was short-lived, however.

The Mint, John T. on left
Photo from Mike Cunningham

On March 25, 1913, after storms dropped 8-12 inches of rain on the already saturated Miami River Valley, one of the worst natural disasters in Ohio history hit Dayton. The Great Dayton Flood broke through the levees and sent water up to 20 feet deep through downtown Dayton. Houses were swept away, killing their occupants. Families were stranded on their roofs, some dying during rescue attempts. Gas lines exploded, causing fires that could not be contained because the fire department was unable to navigate the streets. People walked the telegraph

The Mint, on Ludlow St., during the flood
Photo from Mike Cunningham

and electrical wires to safety, balancing high above the flood waters. 360 people died, and 65,000 were driven from their homes.

The Mint was in the middle of the flood. Family history says that John T. lost a number of barrels of expensive whiskey to the waters. Undoubtedly there was a great deal of property damage, as well.

The family home, on Hickory St., was at the very edge of the flood. I have never heard if the family had to evacuate, or if there was any damage to their home. The picture below was taken from the top of a school building in the 500 block of Hickory St, only a few blocks from the Stoeckline home. It seems likely the flood had some effect on their home.

Northward view of flooding taken from the Hickory Street School,
 formerly located at 501 Hickory Street in Dayton. Downtown.
The Stoecklein home was two blocks west of this location.
Dayton is visible in the upper righthand corner. March 26, 1913. from http://ecommons.udayton.edu/archives_flood_images/1/

After the devastation of the flood, the Stoeckline family must have been happy to celebrate the marriage of Irene on June 2, 1914, to Louis Leyes, and the birth of their first child, Mary Jane (my grandmother) on December 8, 1915. We can imagine that John T. was thrilled to finally have a grandchild (Cody never married and Betty had no children).

Louis Leyes with his delivery horses, c. 1913
Photo from Mike Cunningham

I don't know how Irene and Louis met. Louis lived on W. Bruen St., a street which intersected
Ludlow, but which no longer exists under that name. He was also a driver by profession, so he may have met Irene through her father, making deliveries to The Mint. They also, of course, may have met through church or any number of family connections.

John T. and Mary Jane Leyes
from Mike Cunningham

John T. and Mary Jane Leyes
from Mike Cunningham

Irene Stoecklein Leyes and
Mary Jane
Photo from Mike Cunningham

By 1919, John T. closed The Mint (6). Prohibition was approved by the U.S. Congress in January of 1919. Although the law did not take affect until January of 1920, John T. must have seen the writing on the wall. His saloon could survive a flood, but not the prohibition of alcohol. Besides, he was 68 and retirement may have been welcome.

John T. and Cody moved to 1800 E. Wyoming by 1919. Around that time, Mary died, leaving John T. a widower again (12). He lived with Cody until his death, December 21, 1926 (13).



________
*To clarify, the family may have always spelled their name "Stoecklein", but as is common at that time, the written records reflect a variety of ways that names were spelled. Frequently, census records, marriage licenses, city directories, and other documents were created by an English-speaking clerk writing down the name as he heard it spoken by the person in question. Even if that person was literate, his or her own preferred spelling of the name was not taken into consideration most of the time. Hence, a wide variety of variations in spelling.



References:

(1) Brown, Ashley. 1899. Stoecklein Family History. Compiled by Colleen Cunningham, 1993.

(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bavaria#Constitution_and_Revolution

(3) "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1997," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XD2X-HP2 : accessed 6 January 2015), Joseph Stockling and Caroline Zwissler, 18 Feb 1851; citing Montgomery, Ohio, United States, reference Vol B2 pg 468; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 1,030,835.

(4) "United States Census, 1860," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MCGJ-84G : accessed 31 January 2015), Joseph Steckline, Harrison Township, Montgomery, Ohio, United States; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," Fold3.com; citing p. 42, household ID 289, NARA microfilm publication M653, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.; FHL microfilm 805,013.

(5) http://interactive.ancestry.com/2469/4286615?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.aspx%3fdbid%3d2469%26path%3d&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnBrowsing#?imageId=4286722

(6)  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

(7) "Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X67L-5SH : accessed 17 January 2015), John F. Stoecklein in entry for Stoecklein, 05 Jul 1875; citing Birth, Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, reference v 2 p 179, county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 1,030,824.

(8) ("Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F6VZ-CM1 : accessed 13 February 2015), Joseph Stoecklein, 31 Oct 1877; citing Death, Randolph Township, Montgomery, Ohio, United States, source ID v 2 p 179, County courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 1,030,827.

(9) 1880; Census Place: Randolph, Montgomery, Ohio; Roll: 1052; Family History Film: 1255052; Page:755B; Enumeration District: 175; Image: 0672

(10) "Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XDD6-NJ6 : accessed 6 January 2015), Joseph Stoecklein in entry for John T. Stoecklein Or Stocklein and Mary A. Boga, 18 Oct 1899; citing Montgomery Co., Ohio, reference 2:3Q13VCV; FHL microfilm 1,030,845.

(11) "Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XDDX-947 : accessed 5 January 2015), Appolonia Baker in entry for Earle Mócowen Hack and Marie Antoinette Stoecklein, 19 Jun 1901; citing Montgomery Co., Ohio, reference 2:3Q163H5; FHL microfilm 1,030,845.

(12) "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDBM-CYS : accessed 9 November 2015), John T Stoecklein, Dayton Ward 10, Montgomery, Ohio, United States; citing sheet 10A, family 211, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,422.

(13) "Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VKY7-3T1 : accessed 9 November 2015), John T Stoecklein, 21 Dec 1926; from "Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-2007," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2010); citing vol. , certificate number , Ohio Historical Society, Columbus; Ohio Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit, Columbus.