The Deckers

Since I mentioned Susanna Hormel (mother to George A.) last week I thought I would give you a little background on her family, the Deckers.

Also of German heritage the Decker Family immigrated to the United States arriving on a ship called the Houghton on June 29, 1852.  Ludwig Decker, Susanna’s father, was born in Neuwied, Germany in1806, “the only son of educated and well to do parents.”  At age 15 he entered his obligatory 3 years of service in the military. He had hoped to return home to the family meat packing business following this stint but was selected to serve an additional term as a bodyguard for the King of Prussia, Frederick William III.  “Only very tall, well built men were picked for the honored post,” reported by William Henry Hormel in Two Families Under One Flag.

Not much is recorded about Susanna’s mother, Emma (Anna) Marie Boecking (or Backing according to some records).  She and Ludwig married in 1834 in Germany and had five surviving children.  Her 1876 burial site was recently located in the Zion Cemetery in Buffalo. NY.  The lengthy inscription on the tombstone tells about her life and says she had nine children.

During Ludwig’s military service he had the opportunity to travel throughout Germany.  He developed a ‘wanderlust’ and wanted to see more of the world, and especially to see a free America.  “He was of a very democratic spirit and craved more elbow-room, both for himself and for his family.  He could not bear the thought of having his four sons undergoing the hard discipline of army life for future wars, and giving up the very best years of their young manhood,” described W.H. Hormel. 

They sailed for six weeks reaching New York Harbor at the end of June. The ship register indicates that they traveled with a daughter and four sons as well as with an infant daughter who died during the voyage.  The surviving daughter was Susannah Wilhelmina and her four brothers include Albert, Henry, Herman and Jacob-you will see these same names come up again in George’s family.

The Deckers continued in the meatpacking business in America and were very influential in young George A.’s life as you will learn in future articles.  Ludwig Decker died in May of 1899 in the Austin Neighborhood of downtown Chicago, Illinois after spending five years there with his son and grandchildren.  George A. and his brother the Rev. William Henry served as pallbearers with their cousins.

Susanna Hormel cooks

Have you noticed that when you have people over to your home for a time of socializing everyone gravitates toward the kitchen?  The kitchen has become a place where most people feel comfortable.  Guests can offer assistance to their hosts and feel like they are contributing to the event.  Conversation can be shared in a casual environment surrounded by tasty snacks and friendly faces. I have heard it said that if you provide food, people will come to whatever it is you are planning. Our American culture today is quite obsessed with food with all sorts of tv shows and competitions dedicated to cuisine, but food has always been something that brings people together.

Susannah Hormel, George A.’s mother, made quite an impression in the kitchen as George describes in his autobiography, Three Men and a Business:  “I ate the good things that poured out of her kitchen at every meal with a relish and capacity that surprised even her.  I particularly remember a golden “Johnny cake” she used to make from fresh-ground cornmeal, sorghum molasses, eggs, milk, and shortening—a far different kind of cornbread from any one can find today.  She filled her hungry brood with young green cabbage coleslaw doused in sour cream, potatoes boiled in their jackets or baked, mashed rutabagas seasoned with butter and cream, and other fresh vegetables.  And her vitamin-rich meat and vegetable soups, her stews and browned beef hash would have put life into anyone this side of a mummy.  Before mealtimes the most tantalizing odors stole out of her kitchen, the kind you could taste; the yeasty goodness of baking bread mingling with the fragrant bouquet of new made coffee simmering on the stove.”

It sounds like George had the great fortune of a mother with a passion for the kitchen.  Her role of homemaker dictated that she provided meals but her love for the job was apparently evident to all.  George was also blessed with a wife, Lillian, who enjoyed entertaining in her home. Her job was not feeding 11 hungry children but she did often host luncheons and business affairs.  Two recipes we have from her include a Sour Cream Cake (served plain, with no frosting because George didn’t like it) and Hot Chicken Loaf.  I can share the recipes if you would like them. 

I like how Cesar Chavez puts it, “If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him... the people who give you their food give you their heart.” 

The Hormel family certainly shared their heart with family and with others.

YWCA to HHH

If you have driven by the Hormel Historic Home at night lately you may have noticed a bright flashing light in one of the upstairs windows.  You may have also heard a radio playing from the front porch.  We are not operating a disco; we are trying to distract the area crows from roosting in our beautiful trees.  The mess they bring with them is a concern for the aesthetics of the facility and we are trying to figure out an economical way of sending them somewhere else, preferably outside of town. 

I have been wondering lately about how the transition from the YWCA to the Hormel Historic Home occurred in the early 1990’s. So I made a phone call to Evie Mohrfeld, the Director of the facility during the transition. She explained that the National YWCA had made several organizational stipulations and the facility leaders, including I.J. Holton, decided that the home could continue serving the community of Austin and the legacy of the Hormels as The Hormel Historic Home instead of trying to meet the YWCA guidelines. 

Once the change was made, Evie and many local residents decided it was time to restore the Home to its early 1900’s grandeur.  During the 65 years that the YWCA operated in the Home the furnishings were made very basic.  They made the space functional for their needs and that meant changing some of the décor the Hormels had left behind.  It was determined that if the furnishings were upgraded more revenue may come into the home to fund more restorations.  Belita Schindler was very involved with that process and I had the pleasure of visiting with her this week as well. She, and a group of talented decorators and craftspeople, worked hard to select the right wall and floor coverings to try to take us back to the time of George and Lillian.  Unfortunately we do not have many photos from those days. 

An interesting tidbit Belita shared describes the wallpaper border in the living room. It is a hand screened Bradbury and Bradbury reproduction of an early 1900’s print. Acanthus leaves are used in the paper to continue the Greek revival theme that the Hormels introduced in the home when they remodeled upon purchase.  The crew has made many enhancements in the Home over the last 20 years and we are grateful for their forward thinking and decorating talents.

John and Christian Hormel

Note regarding last week’s column: In quoting William Henry Hormel I incorrectly identified his father as George A. when I should have said John George.  “John George was three years old when his parents brought him to America.”  I apologize for the confusion. 

Christian and Elizabeth-George A.’s grandparents-raised their two sons, John George and Christian with strict Christian principles bordering on sternness.  William Henry Hormel wrote “He [Christian Sr.] commanded the respect of his household, and at times was rather [more] feared than loved.  Father [John George] and his brother were obliged to wear the high standing collars which were in vogue in those days, and were so high that they reached to the ears.  The boys did not enjoy them, but their father was a tailor and this was the fashion.  Neither of them ever cared to learn their father’s trade, but craved a wider business experience.”

W.H. Hormel also wrote about his Grandmother, Elizabeth: “Grandmother Hormel was very earnest and an active worker in her church and community.”  He describes her as being a blessing to the family.  “She never weighed a hundred pounds and was short and slender in stature.  Her two sons were over six feet tall and often, in a jolly mood, one of them would pick her up in his arms and carry her about as he would a child.  When friends and neighbors would ask her how she got such tall boys, she would reply “Oh my, they just grew and kept going so big, so tall.” 

Christian died in December, 1856, and Elizabeth passed away on April 13, 1867, both in Buffalo.  A Hormel descendant who has done extensive research on the family has been unsuccessful in finding the gravesites of the two of them but feels they were most likely buried in public burial ground in the center of Buffalo. 

Germany to America

We had some exciting visitors to the Home recently who have made me more eager to continue my research into the Hormel family line.  Three generations of Jay’s family were here as well as two granddaughters of Ben Hormel.  It was a pleasure to be able to visit with them and hear a few stories of their lives.  I will talk more about these people when I get to them in the genealogy timeline.

So back to Germany we go.  Christian and Elizabeth are now married.  “Christian was a merchant tailor by trade, very likely a trade learned from his father before him.  He operated his business from his home”, from In Quest of Quality, 1966. On January 24, 1830 their first child, George John, was born. 

William Henry Hormel (one of George A.’s five brothers) tells us in One Generation Under the American Flag how Christian and Elizabeth made their way across the sea to America. “Our grandfather and grandmother Hormel were the first of our ancestors to come to America.  Grandmother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Heiser.  She was one of twelve children. Her brother Godfey, after hearing and reading of the wonders of America, came here to see for himself, locating in Albany, New York in the year 1827.  Two years later he settled in Buffalo, New York…His letters to his relatives in Germany were full of accounts in glowing terms of all that he saw and experienced.  It was not long before most of them were persuaded to come.  Our Hormel grandparents came with a second group in the year 1833.  Our father (John George) was only three years of age. His little sister was an infant of only one year; she died on the voyage and was buried at sea.”

Upon arriving in Buffalo Christian and Elizabeth settled in to their new community.  In May of 1838 they welcomed their second son also named Christian.  On October 14, 1839, Christian applied for American citizenship and he was a founding member of The German Evangelical Reformed Zion Congregation Church in 1845. 

From France, to Germany, to Buffalo…  We are still a ways from Austin, MN, but we will get there in the coming weeks.