AL 2

Hier finden Sie

Here you find

Research by:

Lorenz Blocher, D – 68723 Oftersheim, Mannheimer Str. 33 a

e-mail: lrzblocher@aol.com - phone: Germany – (0)6202-56384

With special thanks to all people who assisted with their help and experience, especially with thanks to

Mr. Edward R. Brandt, Minneapolis and Germanic Genealogy Society, St. Paul, MN

Ms. Lois Gaetz C/o Sherburne County Historical Society (SCHS), Becker, MN 55308

Ms. June Novak C/o Anoka County Genealogical Society, Coon Rapids, MN 55448

Ms. Eunice B. Larson, descendent of the Reckow family - for her friendly sharing of the results of her Reckow research

and all of the descendants supporting this research with information.

Prenotes:

About compiling/ researching:

With a great-grandfather from Gundelshausen (a brother to John Blocker) I obtained a few letters of John Blocker, written in Minnesota in the German language and addressed to his parents and siblings in Wuerttemberg. Ms. Eleonore Blocher, daughter of the last in a long line of farmers on Blocher-farm in Gundelshausen, found those letters and asked for the research about the further life and descendants of the emigrant. Unfortunately the contact between John Blocher and his German relatives had not continued since 1890. So I got just such information coming from those letters and with no information that the emigrant had changed his name to John Blocker.

It was the kind assistance of Mr. Brandt to check the ways for a probably successful research and to check those Blocher / Plocher living in Minnesota but those had their roots in IN and PA, with their first ancestor in Manheim Township, York Co., PA who immigrated in 1751 or 1753.

By the census of MN I realized that the surname of the emigrant had changed to Blocker and with the support of the local genealogical societies a lot of information was available. I also managed to get in contact with several of the living descendants who friendly supported this research by their help and further information.

There are still some gaps for the early American life of the emigrant but the current information shows a nearly complete way of his life.

About sources:

The main sources are mentioned for each person, but a person may also be mentioned in the sources of parents, children and siblings. Most of the information about living people and about the spread of branches are mainly from descendants, not only based on their remembrance but on private sources too (family papers and others). Because the information about living people is under data protection of the U.S. law this publication only shows the children of the emigrant. For a related person much more information is available by an email inquiry.  

Annotation to abbrivations: * = born, + = died

1st generation:

Blocher, Johann

born 22 June 1835 in Gundelshausen, city of Dornhan, kingdom of Wuerttemberg

– son of Blocher, Johann Georg * 19 May 1797, farmer in Gundelshausen and his wife Barbara Blocher nee Haitzmann, *14 April 1808

Source: – ancestry-list by Lorenz Blocher - see site AL 1.

He emigrated to U.S.A. in 1853, probably after he finished his service in the army.

Sources for his life in Germany:

- church records of Lutheran Church of Dornhan

- list of the emigrants and immigrants in the Lutheran Church records, Dornhan

- family history of Blocher in Gundelshausen

In America he transformed his surname because of the American pronounciation to

Blocker, John

1856 he wrote to his parents in Germany from Germanville (state unknown, maybe situated in south central of MN and with different name today). There is a Germantown Twp., Cottonwood Co., in the Southwest of MN

Ab. 1857 he had been mentioned to be a hosteler at the hotel Constans in Blue Earth City, Faribault Co., MN. He had been one of the early settlers in Faribault Co., whose history as a settlement started at 7th Feb. 1856. The Constans had been build by Henry Philipp Constans, an immigrant from Alsace and of German tongue and Alaman dialect and John Blocker probably felt very comfortable with the conversation in a dialect similar to his own ones. In 1857 the first white child had been born in Faribault Co. and growth had been imminent.

In the 1860 census for MN he is mentioned in Faribault Co. with the spelling

John Blochner.

1861 he wrote again from Fort Snelling, MN - as a soldier joining the Minnesota sharp shooters. He joined the Union Army as a Private at 16th Sept. 1861. At 05th Oct. 1861 he had been listed for the company A of 2nd regiment in MN, Fort Snelling - the Berdan Sharp Shooters. The regiment had arrived in Washington 10th Oct. 1861 and had been there under training till Feb. 1862. At 18th march 1862 the regiment had crossed the Potomac to join the fights. John Blocker had been wounded and he had been released of service at 16th Apr. 1862 in USA VA Bristols Station by the reason to be invalide for further service. In the censuses of 1880 till 1900 he is mentioned as a soldier of the "war of rebellion" (means civil war). In 1878 he wrote to his parents, that he was wounded and crippled as a soldier and that he got a pension of 4 $ a month for this. The pension had been paid till 12 July 1901 and later to the hands of his widow.  

At24 Aug. 1865 he had married in Blue Earth City, MN to

Rekow, Christine Amelia (Reckow, Amalie).

By the places of birth of his children I found that he made his home in Blue Earth City, MN from 1865 to ab. 1875, later in Anoka Co. ab. 1877 and from 1878 till his death at Blocker farm in Twin Lake near Elk River, Sherburne Co., MN.

He was a farmer and blackshmith and in 1878 he wrote about his misfortune at a farm in Anoka (1878), that made him move to the Elk River area to start another farm.

He was a founding member of the St. John’s Lutheran Church, Burns Township, MN, placed some 4 miles northeast of Elk River. He and 9 other men built
the church house in 1878. He is mentioned as co-founder of this church.

He died 14th July 1901 age of 66 years and he had been buried at Twin Lakes Cemetery, Burns Township, Anoka Co., MN.
He died without leaving a will so a "matter of estate" had been set by the Probate Court in 1901. An obituary had been published in the local newspaper, the
Sherburne County Star News. He had been honored as a hard-working farmer, who suffered for years before his death because of a bull attack.
He had left his widow, 6 sons and 4 daughters. His estate included two lots of land in Sherburne Co. (Blocker farm, Twin Lakes) and one lot in Anoka.
His estate was described as followed: Lot 1 of section 24 in Township 33 of range 26 in Sherburne Co. – and Lot 1 of section 19 in township 33 of range 25 in Anoka, MN.

The sources for his life in America:

- 4 letters in possession of Blocher-family of Gundelshausen
- obituary, published in Sherburne County Star News, 1901
- matter of estate of Probate Court, 1901
- census 1860 for Faribault Co., MN

- The History of Faribault Co.

- Heritage of the Faribault Co.

- History of the First Company of Sharp Shooters of Minnesota

- Enlistment of the 2nd regiment of U.S. Sharp Shooters

- Register of men discharged of 2nd regiment of U.S. Sharp Shooters
- census from 1880 to 1900 for Elk River, Sherburne Co. MN
- The Growth of Sherburne County. 1875-1975"; by Sherburne County Historical Society, MN, 1975
- Sherburne County Heritage, 1986

- Silent Cities, A Book Of The Anoka Cemeteries"; by Anoka County Historical Society, 1974
- Monument Blocker at Twin Lakes Cemetery, Sherburne Co.
- List of burials in Sherburne Co. cemeteries; by Sherburne Genealogical Society
- St. John’s Lutheran Church: One Hundred Years 1876-1976

- pension records 1862, 1869, 1870, 1898, 1901 and 1928
- and many sources for his widow and his children.

Rekow, Amelia (Amalie) his wife was born at 18th March 1842 in Arnoldsthal, district of Posen, Kingdom of Prussia. After her marriage she shared the life of her husband and later she lived as a widow at Blocker farm till her death at 21th Jan 1928.

Her parents had been

Christoph Reckow, shepherd in Arnoldsthal. He had been born ab. Apr 1820 in Margoninsdorf, district Posen, Prussia an he died there at 29th Apr. 1884.

Justine Auguste Lenz, born ab. 1817 in Samotschin, district Posen, Prussia. She died at 1st Jan 1890 in Arnoldsthal.

There had been several immigrants of the Reckow family. An uncle of Amalia Reckow, Johann Michael Reckow and his wife Anna Caroline Kuhn arrived in New York 1857 (from Bremen, origin of Laskowo) and went to Wisconsin. 1860 they lived in Mecan Twp., Marquette Co., WI, in 1862 they moved to Oshkosh, Green Lake, WI and in 1864 they moved to Faribault Co. In 1870 they appeared at Barber Twp., Faribault Co., MN. . Most likely Amalia Reckow had joined the family of her uncle during the immigration and her first years in America, because her parents had decided to remain in Prussia.

Another uncel of her Johann Gottlieb Reckow, his wife Anna Caroline Matthews and their daugther arrived 1881 in New York (via Bremen) and directly settled in Blue Earth City.

2nd generation:

Children of John Blocker and Amelia Blocker nee Reckow:

                   1. Blocker, George W. * 1866