The Germans

Father

• Thomas Hearl
  
  If you want to know more about Dad, you will just have to ask him!

Grandparents

• John Hearl
  
  My Grandfather was my constant companion through my first seven years. He taught me about electricity, giving me a transformer, and letting me help him as he repaired TV's as his retirement side business. Pop retired after working on the railroad for most of his life. He had lost his leg in WWI, and wrote an interesting diary of his experiences in the 306th Infantry, where you will find his name listed in the Headquarters Company,

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  Great Grandparents

  • George Hearl (Hierl)
    
  • Theresa Hagenmeier Hearl
    
    Great Grandfather George Hearl changed our name from its original German spelling. Here is my theory on why.... I think that the original name would be pronounced, in German, as HERE+L. The word HIER is roughly pronounced as HERE in English and means just that. I think Great Grandfather found that Americans could not pronounce this correctly, so he tried to Anglicize the name as HEAR + L. Of course, now folks pronounce our name like HURL, which since the Wayne's World movie has taken on a whole new connotation. Ah well, thanks Gramps!
     

    From Acestory.com, the following was listed under Brooklyn, NY Directories 1888-1890:

    Name              Occupation    Address                                            Year
    George Hearl      oysters      1041 Flushing Ave  Brooklyn NY          1888, 1889
    George Hearl      furrier      108 Montrose Ave   Brooklyn NY          1889, 1890

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  Great-great Grandparents

  • George Hierl (alias George Hill)
  • Katherine Bechtold Hierl
    

    Great-great Grandfather, George Hierl. He was drafted into Company B, 81st Regiment of the New York Volunteer Infantry. His military records at the National Archives revealed that he served in Williamsburg, Virginia and was for a time stationed at Fort Monroe. Here are scanned images of 'badges' from his uniform.

    

  • Charles A. Hagenmayer
  • Catherine Hoffmann Hagenmayer

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  Great-great-great Grandparents

• John Hierl
• Maggie Siebert* Hierl

  * The maiden name Siebert was recorded in the National Archives pension file for George Hierl (alias Hill), although from the Diocese archives in Regensburg it appears that her maiden name was Seiz.

  Johann and Magaretha, along with their children Georg and Barbara (Redig), came to America on the ship Elsfleth that left from Bremen and arrived in New York on 1 Nov 1853.  It listed the family as: Hirl, Johann, 57, male, shoemaker, from Germany, to USA; Georg, 25, male, shoemaker, from Germany, to USA; Magaretha, 58, female, from Germany, to USA; Barbara, 18, female, from Germany, to USA. [From: "Germans to America" Volume 6 (Oct 1853 - May 1854) on page 13]*

* Found by my distant cousin Elaine Redig Meyer along with the following information she obtained from another relative who made a trip to Regensburg (Umelsdorf) and obtained from the Diocese records the following:

Marriage on 18 February 1822
Johann Hierl, shoemaker in Umelsdorf, born on 24 March 1796 in Umelsdorf, son of Georg Hierl and his wife Anna, maiden name Schmoll,
with
Margaretha Seiz, born on 26 February 1792, daughter of Johann Seiz, farmer in Ramersberg and his wife Margaretha, maiden name Stolz
Witnesses were the father of the bridegroom and Martin Langhanns, surgeon from Lengenfeld
Notes:  Went to America in 1853

Stillbirth on 16 February 1823
Boy, stillborn, son of Johann Hierl, cobbler in Umelsdorf, and his wife Margaretha, n. Seiz

Baptism on 4 January 1824
Anna Margaretha Hierl, born on 4 January 1824, daughter of Johann Hierl, cobbler in Umelsdorf and his wife Margaretha, n. Seiz
Sponsor was Margaretha Fuchs, wife of blacksmith in Utzenhofen
Notes:  Died on 29 May 1836

Baptism on 6 November 1825
Anna Hierl, born on 5 November 1825, daughter of Johann Hierl, cobbler in Umelsdorf and his wife Margaretha, n. Seiz
Sponsor was Anna Fuchs, wife of farmer in Eispertshofen
Notes:  Died on 29 March 1831

Baptism on 19 May 1828
Georg Hierl, born on 19 May 1828, son of Johann Hierl, cobbler in Umelsdorf and his wife Margaretha, n. Seiz
Sponsor was Georg Fuchs, blacksmith in Utzenhofen
Notes:  Went to America in 1853

Baptism on 8 September 1832
Johann Baptist Hierl, born on 7 September 1832, son of Johann Hierl, cobbler in Umelsdorf and his wife Margaretha, n. Seiz
Sponsor was Georg Fuchs, master blacksmith in Utzenhofen
Notes:  Died on 22 September in the same year (i.e. 1832)

Baptism on 23 July 1835
Barbara Hierl, born on 23 July 1835 at 1 hour past noon, daughter of Johann Hierl, cobbler in Umelsdorf and his wife Margaretha, n. Seitz ? daughter from Ramersberg
Sponsor was Margaretha Fuchs, wife of blacksmith in Utzenhofen
Notes:  Went to America in 1853

So Barbara & George were the only children who lived to adulthood and their parents came with them to the U.S. in 1853.  Barbara's mother's maiden name was spelled Seitz one place and Seiz several places.  I would assume Johann Hierl's baptism about 24 March 1796 was recorded in the same set of books, but I don't think they researched back any further than finding Barbara's parents.

Doing some follow-up, another cousin, Adrienne Noeker Pellegrino found the following:

The marriage between Johann SEITZ (born Abt 1743 in Ramersberg, Parsberg, Bayern died 16 Dec 1819) and Margaritha (Margaretha) STOLZ  (born Abt 1761 in Lengenfeld, Parsberg, Bayern died before 1795) resulted in the following children:

1.  Johann SEITZ
born 11 Jun 1783 in Ramersberg, Parsberg, Bayern
died 1783

2.  Johann Nepomuk SEITZ
born 06 Mar 1875 in Ramersberg, Parsberg, Bayern
died 1785

3.  Margaritha SEITZ
born 01 Jan 1787 in Ramersberg, Parsberg, Bayern

4.  Maria Walburga SEITZ
born 01 Feb 1788 in Ramersberg, Parsberg, Bayern
died 04 Feb 1788

5.  Maria Margaretha SEITZ
born 26 Feb 1792 in Ramersberg, Parsberg, Bayern

However, Johann SEITZ (born Abt 1743 in Ramersberg, Parsberg, Bayern died 16 Dec 1819) also married a Barbara ?? (born Abt 1770 in Ramersberg, Parsberg, Bayern).

With Johann SEITZ (born Abt 1743 in Ramersberg, Parsberg, Bayern died 16 Dec 1819) information I was also able to obtain from the www.familysearch.org website his parents which were listed as Georg SEITZ (probably born approximately 1718) and Mrs. Barbara SEITZ (probably born approximately 1718).  The website also listed Johann SEITZ (born Abt 1743 in Ramersberg, Parsberg, Bayern died 16 Dec 1819) as also being born in Unterbuchfeld, Parsberg, Bayern and died on 16 Dec 1819 in Unterbuchfeld, Parsberg, Bayern.

This information can be obtained from the International Genealogical Index on the following:
Film # 1239585, Ref # 3914
Film # 170765, Page # 1797
Film # 178018, Page # 758, Ref # 22827
Film # 1239633, Page # 555, Ref # 18694
Film # 1239633, Page # 555, Ref # 18685

It appears the family of SEIZ is also referred to as SEITZ.

• Anton Bechtold
• Susan Siebert Bechtold

• Hagenmayer
• Hoffmann