The starting point for our story is the birth of a baby girl on July 30, 1898. If she was still alive today, she would be celebrating her 125th birthday. Her name was Clara Louise Bergmann, the daughter of Heinrich and Maria Anna (Fassold) Bergmann. Clara was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so I am unable to display her baptism record. Clara is found in her first census in 1900 when she was 2 years old. Her father was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township.

Clara was 11 years old when she was listed in the 1910 census. A year after this census was taken, Clara was confirmed in 1911 at Peace, Friedenberg.

The last census in which we find Clara as a single woman was the one taken in 1920. This time the census entry says this family was living in the Longtown Village in the Union Township. However, her father was still a farmer.

When the 1915 plat maps were produced for Perry County, we find the Henry Bergmann farm located not far from Longtown.

Now, we will take a look at the man who would become Clara’s husband. His name was Martin Wilhelm Adolph Hacker, who was born on October 3, 1898. That made him about about 3 months younger than Clara. Martin was the last of 4 children of Christopher and Adelia (Schmidt) Hacker. He was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown, which was a congregation that had been established in 1897. In fact, Martin’s father was a charter member of that church. Actually, I am sure that his mother was also a charter member, but in those days, only the men were recognized as members. Martin’s baptism record is displayed below. You can see that he was just the 13th baptism in that congregation’s books.

Martin is found in his first census in 1900 at the age of 1. His father was a merchant in the Union Township. Although this census entry does not indicate so, his father’s store was almost certainly located in Longtown.

In the 1910 census, Martin was 11 years old, but this time the census does indicate that the Hacker family lived in the Longtown Village. Also, his father was called a farmer, not a merchant.

Martin Hacker had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. He is called a farmer on this document.

The 1920 census lists Martin as the only child still living with his parents. His father is back to being called a merchant, and Martin is called a farm manager. I suspect he was in charge of his father’s farm.

The 1915 Perry County plat maps show the Christopher Hacker farm located just outside Longtown. If you look once again at the plat map for the Bergmann farm shown earlier, you will also see the Hacker farm.

Martin Hacker married Clara Bergmann on January 28, 1922. The only place I found this marriage date is in the information for Clara (Bergmann) Hacker in the Friedenberg Remembrances book. I was not able to find a marriage license for this couple.

One thing that I do know is that this Hacker/Bergmann wedding was not the first such event. Back in 1916, Martin’s older brother, Edward, married Clara’s older sister, Hilda. All indications are that Martin and Clara never had any children. This couple is found in the 1930 census living in the Cinque Hommes Township. Martin was a farmer.

The Hacker’s were found in the 1940 census when each of them were in their 40’s.

Martin was required to have a World War II draft card completed in 1942.

The 1950 census is the last one that the public is allowed to view. This time, the Hacker’s had another person in their household, Clara’s 83 year old mother.

Martin Hacker died in 1978 at the age of 80; Clara Hacker died on Christmas Day in 1980 at the age of 82. These two are buried together in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Longtown.

When I see the Hacker surname, I expect it to be associated with the village of Longtown. The Zion Lutheran Cemetery on Findagrave.com has 22 entries for the Hacker name. In the case of the childless couple of Martin and Clara Hacker, there were no descendants to come from them to carry the Hacker name to the next generation, but there were several other Hacker couples in Longtown who had sons to keep that name alive.