Jane Coltrain Williams?

A follow-up to my previous post on Finding Heman Williams: I still can't trace Heman's father, John, due to the preponderance of John Williamses in early 19th century America. However, I connected with another researcher, Linda Coltrin, who makes a good case for his mother's maiden name being "Coltrin" or "Coltrain", and that she was a daughter of Elisha Coltrain of New York. If so, that ties Heman's maternal line into a well-documented New England family that goes back to the Great Puritan Migration, including descent from the Mayflower's William Brewster. (I, too, am descended from William Brewster. If this information is correct, then my husband and I are 13th cousins once removed).

The evidence for Jane Williams, mother of Heman, being Jane Coltrain, daughter of Elisha Coltrain:

1. Her daughter Mary Jane's death certificate lists her mother's maiden name as "Coulton" (names were frequently spelled in a variety of phonetic ways at the time) (1)
2. In census records where she is listed, Jane Williams gives her birth state as New York and her birth year as around 1803. Her children also list their mothers' birth state as New York in later census records (2)
3. In The History of Lorain County, published in 1879, the author states that John D. and Jane Williams came to Ohio from the Cuyoga Lake region of New York (3). Elisha Coltrain, who was born in Massachusetts, was living in Milton, Cuyoga County, New York, by 1799 (4) and lived there until 1840 (5). There is at least one John Williams family in Cuyoga County, New York, in the 1830 census that fits the ages of John and James Williams (6), but this is not conclusive since they may have moved to Ohio by then. Census records from 1800-1840 show numberous Williams families living in Cuyoga County, including at least two separate "William Williams" families in Genoa, New York, in 1820, which is around the time and place when John and Jane Williams would have married (7).
4. John and Jane Williams moved to Ohio by at least 1836 (the date given in The History of Lorain County), but more likely by 1828 (when their son Albert may have been born in Ohio). Elisha Coltrain Jr., the son of Elisha Coltrain of New York, also moved to Ohio.  Extended families often moved together at that time. He was in Lorain County, the same county as John and Jane, in 1850 (8). Unfortunately, it's unclear where either family was in 1840.
5. John and Jane Williams named their eldest son Elisha C. Williams. John D. Williams applied for a marriage license for his son, Elisha C., in Lorain County, Ohio, in 1848 (9)

It's not a slam-dunk case, but the circumstantial evidence is quite strong. Some day, perhaps, someone will find a will or family bible or marriage certificate that pulls the whole thing together, but for now I'm considering this a probable but uncertain connection.

_____

References:

1)  "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6SJ-JB8 : 8 December 2014), Mary Jane Williams, 31 May 1925; citing Camden Twp., Lorain Co., Ohio, reference fn 29901; FHL microfilm 1,992,672.

2) "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXQ2-364 : 9 November 2014), Jane Williams in household of John Williams, Camden, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing family 567, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

3) From History of Lorain County, Ohio, published in Philadelphia by the Williams Brothers, 1879https://archive.org/stream/historyoflorainc00phil#page/n5/mode/2up/search/Williams

4) New York, Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804. On Ancestry.com 2014 

5) "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHY4-46N : 24 August 2015), Elisha Colston, Genoa, Cayuga, New York, United States; citing p. 110, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 269; FHL microfilm 17,181.

6) "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHP3-WYX : 18 August 2015), John Williams, Sterling, Cayuga, New York, United States; citing 418, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 88; FHL microfilm 17,148.

7) https://familysearch.org/search/collection/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3AWililams~%20%2Bresidence_place%3A%22Genoa%2C%20Cayuga%2C%20New%20York%22~&collection_id=1803955

8) Year: 1850; Census Place: Pittsfield, Lorain, Ohio; Roll: M432_705; Page: 280B; Image: 83

9) "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8PS-QBM : 8 December 2014), Elisha Williams and Harriett Holcomb, 01 Nov 1848; citing Lorain, Ohio, United States, reference p 282; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 447,523.

Finding Heman Williams

Sometimes this blog helps me genealogy by laying out my thought processes, putting the data in a logical order, and creating a coherent narrative from chaos. Sometimes, like in this post, it just serves to document the muddle. Still, there's some hope that the documentation laid out here will make things clearer for someone else, so here goes.

I'm working on Beaver genealogy. I was able to trace my father-in-law's maternal line back a few generations. His great-grandmother was a woman named Minerva J. (Williams) Bradley. According to her death certificate, Minerva's parents were Heman Williams and Emma Jane Hale (1). The certificate also states that she was born in 1872 in Chester, Michigan, but her parents were born in New York. To confuse matters, however, in both the 1900 and 1910 census records, Minerva gave her father's birthplace as Ohio, not New York (2,3). The Ohio birthplace seems correct, at least according to the 1880 U.S. Census for Camden, Lorain County, Ohio, which documented the Williams family consisting of Heman, age 40, born in Ohio; wife Emma J., age 33, born in New York; three children between the ages of 9 and 15 born in Michigan, "Menervia", age 8, born in Ohio; and a younger son (4). The family members who must have provided the information for Minerva's death certificate were probably confused by the fact that her mother was born in New York, and that Heman's family came from New York. In the 1900 census, Heman himself gives his parents birthplaces as New York, but his own birthplace as Ohio (6).

Heman Williams, then, was born around 1840 in Ohio. Tracing him back through the census records, the 1870 Census finds the family in Chester Township, Eaton County, Michigan, next door to a Nelson Williams and his family (5). Heman's wife's name is given as Jane instead of Emma Jane, but it is clearly the same family. Two of the sons from the 1880 census are listed (although the oldest, 5, is shown as born in Ohio, not Michigan), along with an older daughter, Mary, who does not appear in the 1880 census. Again, Heman lists his birthplace as Ohio.

I cannot find him in the 1860 census, but in the 1850 census he was living in Camden, Lorain, Ohio as a 13-year old child in the household of John Williams, 55, born in Massachusetts, and Jane Williams, 49, born in New York (7). Also in the household are six children between the ages of 8 and 22, including Nelson (who we saw later moved to Michigan) and a 10 year old sister, Minerva, clearly the source of Heman's daughter's unusual name. (The source of Heman's unusual name will be discussed below).

Unfortunately, moving back past 1850, we enter a time when census records only recorded the name of the head of household, and did not note ages (except in general categories) or location of birth. However, all of the children listed in the 1850 census were born in Ohio, so the family must have been in the state since 1828. We should be able to find John Williams, Heman's father, in the 1830 and 1840 censuses.

In fact, there are no fewer than 133 possible John Williams households in Ohio in 1830. Looking at Lorain County alone knocks that down to three. The only one whose household fits the known demographics of the family, John H. Williams, is living in Lagrange Township, with one free white male 20-30 (John would have been 25), one free white female 20-30 (Jane would have been around 19), 2 males under 5 and one female 5-10. This seems like a lot of kids for such a young mother, but they wouldn't have to all be theirs. In fact, Jane may have been a second wife. In 1840, there are five John Williamses. John H. Williams is listed as living in "Carmdon" in Lorain County. Such a place doesn't appear to exist, so I would guess this is the same John H. Williams as above, now relocated to Camden, where we know our John Williams was living in 1850. The ages of the family, however, don't perfectly match those known for our Williams family. Besides, as becomes clear below, John's middle initial should be D, not H.

This leads us to some contradictory information from the local histories:

The "History of Lorain County, Ohio", published in 1879 (8), describes Heman's family under the heading "The Township of Camden":

"John D. Williams and his wife, Jane, from the vicinity of Cuyoga Lake, New York, settled upon lots twenty-five and twenty-six, tract eleven, in 1836. Elisha C. now lives upon lot twenty-three, same tract. S.B. is in Kipton village. John W. and Wilson are also residents of the township. Mary Jane lives upon the old place. The only other living member of the family of brothers and sisters is Heman. Albert R. died in 1878. Clarissa and Minerva are also dead."

 The same book, though, describes another Heman Williams who is clearly not our Heman Williams:

"Larkin Williams and family, of a wife and eight children, came from Berkshire county, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1817. He settled on the ridge east of the center...The first doctor to locate in Avon township was Heman, son of Larkin Williams. Dr. Williams is spoken of as a gentleman of fine ability and superior professional attainments....The first death was Lydia M., daughter of Larkin Williams, January 11, 1818. Her remains were the first interred in the cemetery at the center. It is believed that the first post office was established in 1825, and that Dr. Williams was the first post-master." 

The same source mentions that Larkin A. Williams was active in the Baptist church, as were Milo Williams and John Williams, his sons. Larkin also built a school building in 1818.

This is complicated. John D. and his wife, Jane, were the parents of our Heman Williams. But what is their ancestry? Were they related to Larkin Williams and his son, Dr. Heman Williams? The book suggests not, but the primary documentation is hard to pin down.

Several arguments can be made against assuming a relationship with the Larkin Williams family:

• John and Jane Williams are buried in Kipton, rather than the cemetery in Avon where the other Williamses, the known descendants of Larkin Williams, are located.
• A surprising number of people were named "Heman" in Lorain County, Ohio. The 1850 Census, where we first see our Heman, has six other men named Heman.
• The book about Lorain County implies they are not related, or at least doesn't mention such a relationship, despite many other mentions of the Larkin Williams family

Several arguments, however, can be made for assuming a relationship to the Larkin Williams family:

• Although the book says John D. came from New York, in the census says he was born in Massachusetts, like Larkin. His wife was born in New York, so they may have lived there for a while before coming to Ohio.
• The book clearly has some inaccuracies. For example, it claims John D. moved to Camden in 1836, but his oldest son, Albert, was born in Ohio in 1828. Furthermore, not all of the children listed in the census are in the book, and at least one child who is in the book isn't listed on the census (although they may have been too old in 1850). In other words, the book itself shouldn't be considered more accurate than other types of documentation.
• Sure, there were a number of men named Heman, but honestly, how common can this name be? It is more parsimonious to believe that our Heman Williams was named for a relative, either the Dr. Heman Williams who was the son of Larkin Williams, or some previous progenitor for whom they were both named.

The reason I'd like to know if our Williamses were related to the family of Larkin Williams is that Larkin's ancestry is fairly well documented going back to the Great Puritan Migration (9).

One detail that might help clarify the situation: in the 1850 census, Heman, his parents, and his siblings are living with an 86-year old woman, born in Massachusetts, named Mary Hemingway. She was later buried in the Williams plot in Camden, where her tombstone shows she died March 22, 1855, at the age of 92 years, 9 months, 17 days (that would give her a birth date of  June 5, 1762) (10) Could she be Jane's mother? John D.'s re-married mother or an aunt? Regardless, she's the next line to follow.

[Update]:  I was able to connect with another researcher, Linda Coltrin, who is interested in Heman's maternal line (see post on Jane Coltrain Williams). Linda has a death certificate that shows John and Jane's oldest son, Elisha C. Williams, was born in Geauga County, Ohio, in 1818. In the 1820 census, there's a John Williams in Perry, Geauga County, Ohio, with one boy under the age of 10, a man 16-26 (our John would have been 25), and a woman 16-26 (our Jane would have been 17). This seems likely to be our family. What really caught my eye, though, were four Williams families in Painesville, Geauga County, Ohio, in the same census. The names of the heads of those households: Rev. Ebenezer, Ebenezer, John, and...Heman. Heman! It may be hard to determine the exact relationship between these Painesville Williamses and our John Williams, but it seems likely.

________
References:

1) "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X637-WCV : 8 December 2014), Emma Jane Hale in entry for Minerva Jane Bradley, 13 Oct 1925; citing Camdem Twp, Lorain, Ohio, reference fn 58285; FHL microfilm 1,992,681.

2) "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMDF-CGF : accessed 10 December 2016), Lizzie Bradley in household of George Bradley, Camden & Henrietta Townships, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 83, sheet 7A, family 164, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,295.

3) "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ML84-P99 : accessed 10 December 2016), Elizabeth Bradley in household of George Bradley, Camden, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 101, sheet 2B, family 47, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1206; FHL microfilm 1,375,219.

4) "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M89K-DLJ : 14 July 2016), Herman Williams, Camden, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district ED 166, sheet 389D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1042; FHL microfilm 1,255,042

5) "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHHN-PVV : 17 October 2014), Herman Williams, Michigan, United States; citing p. 8, family 56, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,169

6) "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMDF-3ZH : accessed 10 December 2016), Emma J Williams in household of Heman Williams, Camden & Henrietta Townships, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 83, sheet 8B, family 211, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,295.

7) "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXQ2-364 : 9 November 2014), Jane Williams in household of John Williams, Camden, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing family 567, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

8) From ''History of Lorain County, Ohio'', published in Philadelphia by the Williams Brothers, 1879https://archive.org/stream/historyoflorainc00phil#page/n5/mode/2up/search/Williams

9) https://books.google.com/books?id=L5GPjobXdWoC&pg=PA1619&lpg=PA1619&dq=larkin+williams+massachusetts&source=bl&ots=ywkeqh9cXd&sig=V0G5AnfPZG7OecwwiQStRWWLoNM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi57-7qp-vQAhXIjFQKHZ0KCzoQ6AEIQzAI#v=onepage&q=larkin%20williams%20massachusetts&f=false

10) http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=28102480&PIpi=49541381

Famous Descendants of Jean Guyon

An article on the famous descendants of Jean Guyon was posted on one of my genealogy sites. As I've discussed in previous posts, most French-Canadians have some shared ancestry, so it's no surprise that those of us descended from the LeFebvres (through the Cunninghams) are also descendants of Jean Guyon. He was, in fact, my 11xgreat-grandfather.

Jean Guyon was part of the Percheon Immigration, which came to New France in 1634 from the Perche region. He was very successful, with ten surviving children and (by some estimates) the second-largest number of descendants out of the early French settlers. According to Guyon's wikipedia page, 3/4 of old-line French-Canadians are descended from him. He (or his wife) were also the source of the mutation that caused Friedreich's ataxia in many generations of the family.

Some of his famous descendants include Celine Dion, Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, and Madonna. Because of the on-going U.S. election, though, I was most interested to see Hillary Clinton on that list. In fact, while we share Guyon ancestry with Secretary Clinton, our relationship is closer. Clinton and I are 9th cousins once removed, through my 8xgreat-grandfather, Mathurin Gagnon.

Harvard Grads

Harvard's oldest surviving building, Massachusetts's Hall
(built long after John Bowers graduated)

While looking for something else, I came across Sibley's Harvard Graduates an 18-volume work detailing the lives all all the early graduates of Harvard University, from its inception (as Harvard College) in 1642. I was fascinated that someone took the time to do such a time-consuming and, frankly, rather useless piece of research, but of course I wanted to know if we had any Harvard grads among our ancestors.

The earliest close relative (although not direct ancestor) I could find was John Bowers, a graduate of Harvard's sixth class, in 1649 (Sibley 1873). He was the son of George and Barbara Bowers of Plymouth (later Cambridge) Massachusetts. After graduation, he moved to Connecticut to take up a parish there. Through the Kinney line, we are descended from George and Barbara Bowers through their daughter -- John's sister -- Ruth Bowers Knowles.

There were several clergymen in our Kinney ancestry, some of whom were likely Harvard graduates, but Sibley's second and third volumes are not readily available on-line, and with classes beginning, I don't have the time to search the other sixteen volumes!
________
Sibley, John Langdon. 1873. Sibley's Harvard Graduates, I. Biographical Sketches of Those Who Attended Harvard College in the Classes 1642-1658. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Murder on the High Seas, and all that good stuff

In my previous post on the Cape Cod Calvinist Kerfuffle of 1717-1738, I mentioned Kinney ancestor Joseph Doane, famous for capturing nine pirates fleeing the wreck of the Whydah.  

While researching the Doane line, I came across the dramatic story of the schooner Abigail, which illustrates how dangerous shipping could be in the Cape Cod area in the 18th century (1). It's also a reminder that we're descendants from, essentially, the entire county of Barnstable, Massachusetts, which covers the outer hook of Cape Cod. Or, at least, it's 17th and 18th century inhabitants.

The Abigail was owned by Captain Thomas Nickerson of Chatham, in Barnstable county. [He was my first cousin, 8x removed. His father, Thomas, was the brother of Desire Nickerson, which is both her maiden and married name, my 7xgreat-grandmother.] By the late 1700s, the economy in Barnstable county was focused on fishing and shipping. Captain Nickerson used his schooner to transport cargo between Boston and the outer Cape Cod. 

On November 15, 1772, the Abigail was found by Captain Joseph Doane Jr., himself piloting a schooner from Boston to Chatham, with her distress signal flying. [Joseph Doane Jr. was the son of pirate-hunter Joseph Doane, and therefore my 3rd cousin, 7x removed.] When Captain Doane boarded the vessel, he found the deck awash in blood and the cargo smashed open. Three men were dead, clearly murdered: Captain Nickerson himself, his cousin Sparrow Nickerson [also a relative of ours], and his brother-in-law Elisha Newcomb. [As far as I know, Elisha Newcomb was not related to our family, but I can't find his genealogy.]

There was one survivor, Ansel Nickerson. [Presumably, Ansel was also a cousin of mine, since he was a cousin of the captain, but I haven't found his place in the genealogy (2).] Ansel claimed that at 2am that morning, the crew had seen a topsail schooner heading toward them. Fearing he would be impressed into the British Navy, Ansel tied a rope around himself and let himself hang off the stern of the ship. While hanging, he heard four boats of armed men attack the ship, murder his captain, mate, and a crew-member, and carry off the youngest crew member, a boy of 13 named William Kent Jr. The pirates stole what they could, smashed open a barrel of rum and drank it, then argued about whether to burn the Abigail or just leave her to wreck herself. Luckily for Ansel, they decided to leave her.

Captain Doane carried the distraught Ansel Nickerson back to Chatham, but that was not the end of the story. For reasons that are not clear, the local official, Edward Bacon, Esq., was suspicious of Ansel's story. [I don't know if we're related to Edward Bacon. I can't find information about his family, but I don't know of any connections to a Bacon.] It seems unlikely that Ansel could have murdered four men -- for no known motivation -- without sustaining any injuries himself, but he was sent to Boston where he was tried for murder on the high seas and found not guilty when the jury deadlocked. 

The public and the courts were not satisfied, so Ansel was tried again, this time by a special Court of the Vice-Admiralty which charged him with piracy and robbery. He was represented by two Boston lawyers, John Adams and Josiah Quincy Jr., who had, two years earlier, successfully defended the British soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre. (And one of whom, of course, later became the president of the United States.) The trial lasted two weeks. Although Ansel was acquitted, something about his story, character, or evidence must have been extremely suspicious, for John Adams himself wrote in his diary, years later, that he was uncertain of his client's guilt or innocence. Ansel eventually moved to the Caribbean. Many of his neighbors remained convinced of his guilt.

Joseph Doane Jr., who had found the Abigail, went on to serve in the Revolution under Captain (later Colonel) Benjamin Godfrey of the Massachusetts militia [my 1st cousin, 9x removed. His father's brother, Moses Godfrey, was my 8xgreat-grandfather].

References:

1. Nickerson, Joseph A., Jr., and Geraldine D. Nickerson. 2008. Chatham Sea Captains in the Age of Sail. The History Press, p. 25-26. Available on-line here: https://books.google.com/books?id=FXgVBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA91&dq=boston+ship+captains&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi7orXDq8TMAhVkIcAKHXLKBuYQ6AEIRjAH#v=onepage&q=Nickerson&f=false

2. http://capecodhistory.us/genealogy/Nauset/i2819.htm

Overview of the Bakers

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.

Baker

Casper and Anna Maria Baker (or Becker, depending on how the name is transliterated) were the first of our Baker line to move to the United States. They were from Saxony, according to their census information. Place names in Germany are difficult to interpret. The same town and region names can be used for a variety of different locations, and, of course, the boundaries of those regions could change over time. Saxony, in the period 1820-1860, most likely referred either to the Kingdom of Saxony (an independent member of the German Confederation that included the major cities of Dresden and Leipzig) or the Province of Saxony (a somewhat less coherent region annexed by Prussia and including areas that had previously been part of the Kingdom of Saxony, such as Wittenberg, but also Magdeburg, Halberstadt, and parts of the former territories of Brandenberg and Erfurt.) 

Casper was born on March 18, 1822, and Anna Maria on February 2, 1826. They probably married in Saxony and emigrated together to the United States. They arrived in Dayton, Ohio before 1849, the birth year of their eldest child. Casper was a stonecutter by trade. Casper and Anna Maria had nine children. Their third child, and second daughter, was Appolonia Baker, who, at the age of 18, married John T. Stoecklein. 

Appolonia died at the age of 41, after a long battle with illness. Although the cause of her illness is not known for certain, her descendants have a strong history of biliary cancer. She had three surviving daughters, the youngest of whom, Irene (the future wife of Louis Leyes), was only four when her mother died. 

References:

http://thedeanbeaverblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/appolonia-baker-stoecklein.html

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