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In the spring and summer of 1749 members of the Stockmann family in Burbach were busy preparing to leave their family home of several generations and brave the unknown. Johann Engel Stockmann, his wife and daughter, Johannes Phillips Stockmann, presumably single, Johann Georg, not yet 16 years of age, and possibly other members of the family said aufwietersehn to brother Johannes Peter Stockmann and his new wife, Anna Maria Dellers, and set out for the new world.

In the summer of 1766 Johannes Peter Stockmann, his second wife, Anna Christina Christen, and their small son Johannes Martinus Stockmann began the same trek. The baptism of Johannes Martinus Stockmann is the last record of the Stockmann family found in Burbach. If the records are a good indicator, for the two hundred and thirty four years between the summer of 1766 and September 2000 no member of the Stockmann family was in Burbach.

This hiatus was broken when Ralph Stuckman and his wife Janie returned to Burbach.

My visit to Burbach, Germany, the homeland of our ancestors, became a real success story. Janie and I met Volkmar Klein, a Burbach resident at the Frankfurt airport on September 16, 2000. He welcomed us very cordially. Volkmar and his wife Dorothee became our hosts for four days and three nights. We met their four daughters ranging in ages from four through twelve. Their names are Alina, Rebecca, Miriam, and Ann-Sharon. The Kleins own a very fine home. Volkmar knows many people since he was a past mayor of Burbach and now is a representative in the German state parliament.

After we unpacked our luggage, many activities awaited us. We went with Volkmar and his father, Heinz, to the local living historical museum. Stations included bread baking, black smithing, pharmacy, tailoring, woodworking, farming, and pottery. Historical pictures were then viewed at the Herwig House. These pictures gave us a fine overview of the past conditions including the town crier with a bell. We enjoyed coffee and apricot cheese kuchen afterwards. We also viewed the outside of the church. The Kleins including Heinz and his wife Ilise joined us for an excellent dinner at a restaurant in a nearby forest. This restaurant was the former administrative building for an abandoned iron ore mine. We learned that Heinz was a retired school master. Ilise used to be an

elementary teacher who had Dorothee as a student. After this fabulous meal, we went to the home of Heinz and Ilise for plum cake as our dessert.

On Sunday, we ate breakfast consisting of cheese, bread, jam, sausage, eggs, and coffee with Volkmar and his daughters. While Dorothee was singing with the church choir in a nearby town, we went to worship in the educational complex because of a two year renovation project to our “family” church. We heard a thirty piece brass band play in lieu of the organ. These services were much like my EUB experiences except that German was spoken. I felt overwhelmed. I realized that our relatives were active in this type of congregation in the early part of the 1700s. The priest greeted us in English afterwards.

We went to an animal market in a nearby town. We ate worsts, a potato patty, and apple puree. Volkmar was introduced to the large crowd. Janie and I enjoyed seeing this aspect of German life. Then we rode to a castle and museum that had connections with the royal family of Nassau. Our trip took us through towns such as Gilsbach, Wahlbach, and Würgendorf. I kept thinking of my male ancestors who married ladies from these towns.

We drove to see a water powered mill. It has been in the same family for a few centuries. The uniqueness of this mill was that the water wheel was inside

the building. Herr Weber the German owner, looks very much like my dad and Uncle Karl did. He was especially proud of that the restoration project which took him ten years to complete. Herr Weber served us refreshments in what used to be the workshop. The mill will continue to be in the family as his son-in-law has an active interest in the project.

The next stop included a two hour dinner at a fine restaurant in Wasserberg. Janie and I learned more about iron ore mining. The method of making charcoal was explained and we saw such historic methods being practiced as a living history project. Janie and I heard about the devastating fire which consumed Burbach in 1758. This was the last time our ancestors lived in Burbach. We were most ready to sleep at the end of this day - a great day.

On Monday we went to the church building that is being remodeled because the floor was sagging. It will be completed in 2001.These monumental efforts are largely accomplished by volunteers. The pulpit area exists high above the congregation where the men used to sit on one side and the ladies worshiped on the other side. Children’s places were in the balconies where parents could keep a good eye on them. Other interesting features included the pews for royalty and Burbach officials in the back. These important people could open or close the pew windows depending on whether or not they liked what the priest might be saying. The worship area looks very plain and simple.

Volkmar and I climbed the church tower which was constructed nine hundred years ago. This tower sits on solid stone and is still in good condition. We saw the church bell and the clock and heard the chimes while in the tower. Heinz told us that young boys used to throw snowballs at the clock to see if the time could be changed. Fire damage in 1758 destroyed the church building with the exception of the tower. People brought stones as offerings each Sunday and volunteer help rebuilt the structure. It took from 1758 until 1780 to complete fully the new building which still stands today.

Later Monday, our stops included the Rincker bell factory. Volkmar had arranged a very complete tour of this seven century old business operation. We saw the only bell apprentice in Germany at this time. Bell firings take place every Friday and the last firing included fifteen bells. Volkmar next drove us to a very old market area in Herborn. It was like stepping back in time. We visited the large city of Siegen which is twenty miles north of Burbach. While Volkmar had a business meeting, we walked the streets for sightseeing and shopping purposes. While strolling in a park area, I heard a German voice say, “Ralph”. Being startled for a moment, I looked up and saw the smiling face of Volkmar. The three of us saw humor in this “Ralph” story. We concluded the day with long conversations with Volkmar, Dorothee, and a local museum member in a very fine restaurant in Burbach.

After breakfast on Tuesday, we enjoyed the various activities for our last day in Burbach. Ann-Sharon insisted that we visit her pre-school which we gladly did. Dorothee took us to meet her parents, Artur and Elsbeth Reinschmidt, in their lovely home. Artur is a retired owner of a house building company while Elsbeth was in sales before marriage. They were very friendly.

We went to the museum with Heinz to operate the 100 year old press for our memento cards and eventually used gold dust for special printing effects. Janie took me along gift shopping for the four daughters of Volkmar and Dorothee. We purchased a pre-school book and Harry Potter books in German for the girls which delighted them. Alina look pleased and said, “cool”.

Another memorable experience took place in the home of Heinz and Ilse where we had lunch. Heinz presented me with the xeroxed copies of the records that he found in the church archives concerning our ancestors. He mentioned that the reading is difficult so he outlined the Stockmann surnames for easier identifications. Heinz remarked that such records really depended on the priest at any given time. Some clergy were very methodical record keepers and some not. These records were in safe keeping and endured the fire of 1758.

In the middle of the afternoon, we spent time with Rebecca. She practiced some of her English and then wanted us to see her rabbits and guinea pigs. Rebecca and Dorothee took us to the Frankfurt airport and we departed with many fond memories. Now, I am more proud of my German background since our trip to Burbach. My future goal is going to a Burbach reunion in the living historical museum as a practicing potter.-//-

The obituary pictured at the right is from the San Angelo, Texas newspaper. The following information is known about George Wesley Stockman but it has not been possible to place him in any of the several other Stockman families that have members living in Texas.

The Children of Ed and Virginia Stockman were: George Wesley Stockman, born 1 Feb 1954. His brother David Eugene Stockman, born 26 Jul 1952. Another brother, Richard Stacy Stockman was born 25 Jun 1957, all in Tarrant County, TX.

George Wesley Stockman married Deborah King 9 Mar 1974 in Tom Green County, TX. They were divorced on 30 Mar 1982. On 16 Oct 1982 George Wesley Stockman married Elizabeth K Hawkins and they were divorced on 15 Jun 1990.

Johann Martinus Stockmann, eldest son of Johann Peter Stockmann and Anna Christina Christen was born in Burbach, Nassau Siegen and came with his parent to the New World in 1766 as an infant. He lived with his parents in Maryland and then in 1799 moved from Hagerstown, Maryland to Fayette County Pennsylvania where he lived the remainder of his life.

The History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania by Franklin Ellis (1892) was published by L H Everts & Co, Philadelphia. From page 798, the following information is taken.

About the year 1799, Martin Stuckman and Ludwick Snyder came from Hagerstown, MD. To Fayette County PA, and settled in what was then, and is now, the township of Bullskin, where for more than ten years they held meetings for religious worship in private dwellings. About the year 1812 they removed to a new location in the present township of Lower Tyrone. There they held religious meetings in private houses for about five years; but after 1817 they were held in a stone school-house which was built in that year on land of Philip Lucas, the people living in that vicinity breing principally of the German Baptist or Dunkard Denomination. A Church was soon after organized with Martin Stuckman as chief bishop. The first elder of the congregation was Frederick Blocker, whose son Samuel, and also his son-in-law, Isaac Shoemaker were also elected elders.

The History of the Church of the Brethren of Western Pennsylvania contains some more information about the life of Martin Stockman, Page 106-7.

The Jacobs Creek congregation comprises Mount Pleasant, East Huntingdon and Hempfield Townships in Westmoreland County, and Bullskin, Lower Tyrone and Connellsville Townships in Fayette County. Pennsylvania. Its length north and south is twenty four miles and its breadth east and west is ten miles. The first members located there early in the nineteenth century. Brother Louis Snyder, Sr, came to Fayette County in 1825 and located near the present town of Dawson, which was then know as “The Neck”, because of the neck like shape of the strip of land between the Youghiogheny River and Jacobs Creek. Brother Snyder, wife and son, bing the only members in that locality, he at once arranged to have Brethren ministers make preaching tours to his neighborhood, and thus the Brethren began to multiply in Fayette and Westmoreland Counties.

It seems that Martin Stuckman (one authority says his name was Jacob) was the first minister to labor here, and that he alone preached here for several years from 1825. Elders Michael Meyers, Samuel L Blocher and John Wise were strong pillars, who assisted in organizing and working up the membership. The date of the organization is not known. The Statement in Brother Howard Miller’s “Record of the Faithful” that the congregation was organized in 1811 with thirty members is probably an error.

Howard Miller’s Record of the Faithful, referred to in the previously quoted reference has the following information about Martin Stockman in part Two which is the Congregational Histories.

The history of Mount Joy, formerly known as Jacobs Creek congregational, dates back to 1811. Brethren had lived hear the present towns of Dawson and Connellsville many years before that date. Land records show that the Strickler families, and others were here in 1787 and 1788. Brother Blough thought “Henry Strickler (sr.) Settled on Jacobs creek in 1752.” these and several other authentic land holdings by families who came here from Bucks and Lancaster counties are evidence to justify the “organization of the Jacobs Creek church in 1811 with 30 Members.”

When Lewis Snyder, Sr. located near Dawson in Fayette County, he arranged to have brethren ministers make preaching tours to this neighborhood. Martin Stuckman (some say his name was Jacob) was the first minister. He preached here for several years. About 1814 Brother Stuckman preached occasionally at Markleysburg.

Evidence which has been developed in researching Martin Stockman and the family of his sister, Mary Stuckman who married Martin Garver supports the early dates for the beginning of worship of the German Reformed Church or one of its early American variations.

The following Members of the Stockman family served in the War of 1812. A Search did not find any records of soldiers with surnames spelled Stuckman. Could this be an indication of when the spelling change occurred? Where possible the records have been annotated with additional information to assist in the identification of the soldier.

George Stockman served in the 17, 18 and 19 Consolidated Regiments of Louisiana Militia. George Stockman, born ca 1787 is the eldest son of Frederick Stockman and Katherine Disponet. He apparently died while in service while mustered to fight in the Battle of New Orleans.

Jacob Stockman, Jr applied for pension for service in the War of 1812 citing service in Capt John McKane’s Co of Maryland Militia and Capt Smith’s Company of Connecticut Militia. His application number was SO-1964. His widow, Harriet applied for pension, her application number, WC-17065

Jacob Stockman served in the 27^th (Long’s) Regt of Maryland Militia. Jacob Stockman, born 14 Jul 1767 died before 9 Jan 1843, was a son of Johann George Stockman the immigrant from Burbach, Nassau Siegen. Jacob married Elizabeth Hutzel.

James Stockman served in the 138^th (Miller’s) Regt of Pennsylvania Militia. James Stockman, born 4 Nov 1791 died 10 May 1844 in the Republic of Texas of cholera. He was eldest son of Nathan Stockman, the Irish Immigrant and Mary Rean. He moved to Natchez, MS in the 1820's and was married to Martha LNU.

Jesse Stockman applied for Pension for service in the War of 1812 citing service with Capt George F Patten’s Company of Maine Militia. Wife was recorded as Rebecca. His pension number was WC-10456.

John Stockman served in the 2^nd (Appleton’s) Regt of Massachusetts Militia. Is this a duplicate listing or where there two John Stockmans?

John Stockman applied for Pension for service in the War of 1812 citing service with Capt. Farr’s Company of Massachusetts Militia. His wife was recorded as Mary and his pension number was WC-20396.

Moody Stockman served in Waldron's Command of New Hampshire Militia. Moody Stockman was the son of Jonathan Stockman and Sarah Moody, descended from John Stockman the English Immigrant to Massachuset Colony. He was deceased in 1850 but his widow Clarisa Marston and their family were living in Middlesex County, MA.

Peter Stockman, according to the biography of his grandson, Daniel Stockman served in the war of 1812. Unit is not known. This is Johannes Peter Stockmann the immigrant from Burbach who arrived in Philadelphia in 1766.

Valentine Steckman served in the 2^nd (Piper’s) Regt Riflemen of Pennsylvania. The Steckmans listed here who served from Pennsylvania and have not been identified were most likely from Bedford County, PA.

William Stockman served in Jackson's Regt of New Jersey Militia. This is probably William Stockman who was living in Jackson Co, OH in 1850. William was a son of Moses Stockman the Revolutionary War Soldier from Essex County, New Jersey. This family is connected to John Stockman the English Immigrant.

The following table to Civil War service by men with the surname of Steckman, Stockman, or Stuckman who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. They are listed alphabetical by the first name and have been annotated where possible to identify the individuals involved and provide more information about their service to the United States..

Name	State	Date	Rank	Age	Enlistment Place
Adam Steckman	IA	-	-	-	Pension
Albert Stockman	IL	-	-	-	Pension
Artemas Stockman	MA	9 Aug 1864	Pvt	18	-
Artemus Stockman	CT	5 Aug 1862	Pvt	-	Pension
Augustus Stockman	IL	9 Mar 1864	Pvt	-	-
Augustus Stockman	MI	23 Jun 1864	Pvt	25	Caledonia
Augustus Stockman	PA	-	-	-	Pension
Augustus Stockman	NY	-	-	-	Pension
Augustus Stockman	MD	18 Jun 1863	Pvt	-	-
Benjamin Steckman	MO	-	Pvt	-	Gasconade Co.
Bennett Stockman	NY	7 May 1861	Pvt	21	New York City
Bernard Stockman	MD	10 Jun 1864	Pvt	-	-
Charles Stuckman	MO	-	Pvt	-	-
Charles A Stockman	MI	28 Jul 1862	Pvt	18	Ypsilanti - Pension
Charles Stockman	WI	26 Aug 1864	Pvt	-	-
Charles Stockman	NH	1 Dec 1861	Pvt	24	-
Charles H Stockman	NJ	-	-	-	Pension
Charles Stockman	CA	-	-	-	-
Charles Stockman	MN	-	-	-	Pension
Charles W Stockman	ME	3 May 1861	Pvt	24	-
Charles Stockman	NH	22 Apr 1861	Pvt	23	-
Charles Stuckman	MO	-	Pvt	-	-
Clyde Stockman	IN	-	-	-	Pension
Conrad Steckman	PA	18 Aug 1864	Sgt	-