Overview of the Stoeckleins

This is part of a series from the family history book I wrote for my mother's birthday. To see all the posts, click on the "Mom Book" tag at the bottom of this post.

Stoecklein

The Stoeckleins were a Baravian family. The first to immigrate to the United States was Joseph C. Stoecklein, born in 1827 in the village of Stadt Prozelten, in the municipality of Faulbach, Bavaria. Bavaria was in turmoil during the 1830s and 40s. 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 and was replaced by his son, Maximilian II.

The unrest in the German states led to a wave of emigration to the United States. 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, Ohio, sometime before 1849. He got a job at a meat-packing plant, wrote back home about his success, and was soon joined by his brothers, his father (his mother had died), and many other inhabitants of the village, including the Zwisler family: Joseph and Maria Dorothy Zwisler, and their daughters Carolina and Magdalena.

Joseph Stoecklein and Carolina Zwisler married on February 18, 1851. 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. Joseph and Carolina raised three sons in Dayton. Their eldest, John T., was born in December 10, 1851.

John T. Stoecklein began working as a butcher, following in his father's footsteps. On November 12, 1872, he married Appolonia Baker. They had at least four children, only three of whom survived to adulthood: Cora, Betty, and Irene. John T. and his brother eventually took over their father's butcher shop. His uncles, however, were working in the brewing and saloon businesses, and in 1896, after Appolonia's early death, he opened his own saloon, The Mint.

In March of 1913, the Stoeckleins survived the one of the worst natural disasters in Ohio history. The Great Dayton Flood broke through the levees and sent water up to 20 feet deep through the downtown. 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 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 business survived, only to close six years later when prohibition banned the sale of alcohol. 

John T. and Appolonia's youngest daughter, Irene, married Louis Leyes on June 2, 1914.

References:

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Stoecklein-17

http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/1566099.htm