I have been asked many times in the last 3
months if I am enjoying my job, and my answer is always “yes!” And when people ask me what I actually
do, I say “well…..” There are many
things that make the days fly by and one of my favorites is learning about the
history of the Hormel family. As
it is large group I sometimes have trouble remembering who arrived when and
where first and how long they stayed.
In order for me to learn it better I have decided to start from as far
back as our records go and share what I learn with you. We are fortunate to possess a variety
of historical resources regarding the family so researching the Hormel history
will be easier than searching for my own (also primarily German)…
Let’s start in Germany with George’s Grandparents,
Christroph Christian and Elizabeth Heiser Hormel. Christian was born in Schwalbach, Hesse, Germany in 1794 followed
by Elizabeth in 1805. From In
Quest of Quality, 1966 “Both the Hormel’s and the Heiser families attended
the German Reformed Church in Schwalbach.
Undoubtedly the members knew each other well, so well that Christian
Hormel and Elizabeth Heiser fell in love and married. The ceremony took place in the town’s little stone church
now more than 200 years old.” William
Henry Hormel writes, “The Hormel’s in America descended from the French
Protestants, commonly known as Huguenots. The Huguenots were a group of
Protestants who became the center of political and religious quarrels in France
in the 1500’s and 1600’s. Many of
the Hormels’ took refuge in Germany (as well as Holland), but wherever these
refugees from France went they became some of the most valuable and prosperous
citizens in their countries.”.
“Our grandparents lived in a time when the
hearts of men in Germany and in large measure in all of Europe, were longing
for the privilege of civil liberty. Men’s minds and hearts, especially in
Germany, were thinking in terms of democracy”, William Henry continues. It seems apparent that George A.
inherited the traits of his ancestors in building his business in Austin.
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