Typed by: Jan Shelfer


HOELSCHER, HERMAN J.

Surnames: HOELSCHER, SOMMER, OCKER, GAEG, JAK, JACK, RANBY, ENTROP, SMETANA, KAISER, WACHSMANN, WUNSCH, KASBERG, KLEYPAS, RAABE, WUNSCH, SCHLOTTMAN, HALL, FREI, BAGLEY, HELPERT, HOLTMAN, BOCKHOLT, WOOLEY, BECKER, CURTIS, SCHILLING, WHITE, GARVEY, BRYANT, GOTTSCHALK, DOSKOCIL, THORNTON

Herman J. Hoelscher, b. May 27, 1861 at Live Oak Hill, Texas, d. September 20, 1932 at Westphalia, Falls County, Texas and buried there in St. Mary's Cemetery-was a son of Christopher Joseph and Katherine (Sommer) Hoelscher. Herman J. was only five years old when his parents moved the family to Ohio, returning to Texas about seven years later, and settling permanently in the new German community of Westphalia, Falls County, Texas in 1881.

On November 24, 1884, Herman J. Hoelscher was married to Elizabeth Ocker (called "Lizzie"), b. April 25, 1863 in Colorado County, Texas, d. April 25, 1936 in Westphalia and buried by her husband in St. Mary's Cemetery-a daughter of William Ocker, b. November 9, 1832 in Westfalen, Germany, d. May 4, 1893 at Ocker, Bell County, Texas and buried in Barclay Cemetery in Falls County, and his wife, Odelia (Gaeg-also "Jak" and "Jack") Ocker, b. December 13, 1836 in Moires, Munster, Germany, d. April 1, 1926 at Ocker, Bell County, Texas and buried in Barclay Cemetery, Falls County, Texas. Odelia's sister, Elizabeth Gaeg, married in 1858 to Odelia's husband's uncle, Ben Hoelscher; and another daughter of William and Odelia (Gaeg) Ocker, Johanna Ocker, married Charles Hoelscher-a younger brother of her brother-in-law, Herman J. Hoelscher.

Herman J. and Lizzie Hoelscher owned a farm on Pond Creek adjacent to his brother and her sister, Charles and Johanna Hoelscher, and eight of their nine children were born there, the ninth child born in Westphalia proper. Their children were:

Alvin J. Hoelscher, b. October 5, 1885, d. October 28, 1947-married Christina Ranby, b. April 28, 1887, d. October 19, 1942, and had Helen Clara who married Anton John Entrop; Emma who married Henry Smetana; Eleanor Marie who married Ralph Henry Kaiser; and Herbert who married Christine Wachsmann.

Herman A. Hoelscher, b. June 13, 1887, d. May 10, 1938-married Annie Wunsch, b. September 15, 1891, d. September 7, 1937, and had Emil Herman who married Elnora Kasberg; and Odelia Mary who married Charles Francis Kleypas.

Bernhard H. Hoelscher (called "Pete"), b. August 20, 1889, d. December 23, 1949-married Mary Madgelin Raabe, and had Leo who married Juliana Wunsch; Viola Elizabeth who married Henry Lee Schlottman; Edgar John who married Beatrice Hoelscher; Harold who married Jewel Hall; Madeline Alice who married Ralph John Kasberg; Geraldine who married Leo J. Frei; and Irene C. who married B. L. Bagley.

Clara Hoelscher, b. April 10, 1890-no further information.

Alois H. Hoelscher (called "Jim"), b. June 21, 1893, d. October 8, 1978-married Olga Frei, b. December 28, 1899, d. July 12, 1974, and had Lorene Margaret who married Otto Henry Helpert; and Raymond J. who married Grace Holtman.

Ottilia K. Hoelscher (called "Tillie"), b. March 16, 1897-married John Frei, Jr., b. January 4, 1892, d. September 15, 1934, and had Thelma Clara who married Frank Gerhardt Bockhold; Melvin Herman who married Elsie Marie Kleypas; Angeline Christine who married Jack Wooley; and Edna Freida who married Fred Becker.

Emil Hoelscher, b. June 26, 1899, d. May 1900 while recovering from the chicken pox and measles brought by his older siblings. He contracted whooping cough also, and died.

Raymond Hoelscher, b. May 3, 1901, d. November 14, 1918 during the flu epidemic of 1918.

Elizabeth Rosa Howlscher (called "Lizzie"), b. January 23, 1903 in Westphalia proper-married William Edward Entrop, Jr., b. August 30, 1891, d. February 25, 1971, and had Bernard William-who died at age two years; Ervin Herman who married Dorothy Curtis; Clarence Alvin who married Leonette Kasberg; Aletha Marie who married Charles Curtis; Leon Herman who married Dorothy Ann Schilling; Valeria Ottilia who married Donald Earl White; Erna Mae Helen who married Walter Leroy Garvey; Gene Alan who married Dolores E. Holtman; Elmer Albert who married Betty Randolph Bryant; Carolyn Olga who married Fred Allen Gottschalk; and Arlene Marie who married Kenneth Lee Doskocil.

After the birth of their eighth child, Herman J. left the farm to his older sons and moved with his wife and younger children into Westphalia, where he operated a grocery store-later adding dry goods to his inventory. After three years in a smaller home, he built a large, two-story on the corner of a 100-acre tract, located directly across the road from the Church of the Visitation, from his cousin, Caspar Hoelscher. In 1907, Herman also constructed a building across the road from his large home, on land leased from the church, and established the Hoelscher Dry Goods Store. The building still stands, is now the Johnnie Thornton Grocery Store; and Mrs. Thornton is the former Charlotte Kleypas-a great granddaughter of Herman J. Hoelscher. Lizzie worked with her husband in the store at times; and their sons, Alvin, Herman A., and Raymond also worked there. Soon-a mail order outlet for the community was added to the business, and the men could order a suit of clothes, after examining the samples of materials kept in the mail order department. As there was no mortuary or undertaker in the community, Herman J. soon kept a selection of coffins stored in a large barn, and his son, Herman A. Hoelscher, took care of this business. Lizzie (Ocker) Hoelscher often served the community as Midwife, and was also called on to prepare the dead for burial.

The entire Herman J. Hoelscher family became very ill when the 1918 flu epidemic swept the country-side; but only the son, Raymond, failed to recover.

There are many descendants of Herman J. and Elizabeth (Ocker) Hoelscher who continue to reside in Falls County, Texas, where the family have been deeply involved in church and community affairs for more than 100 years. Descendants live primarily in the Lott and Westphalia Communities.

Copyright Permission granted to Theresa Carhart for printing these bio of these Falls County Families to this Web page.
"Families of Falls County," compiled and edited by the Falls County Historical Commission, page 234, column 2.

Member of Falls County Historical Commission