I seem to be running across a lot of stories lately that take us on trips all over the country. This one is a real doozy. It begins in Perry County, but certainly does not remain here long.

Johann Edward Hugo Hemmann was born on May 6, 1854, making today his 170th birthday. When he was older, documents called him either Hugo or J E H. I am going to use J E H. He was the son of Johann and Anna (Nelson) Hemmann. Since his father was a son of the famous J.G. Hemmann, that means you can add J E H to the list of J.G.’s grandchildren that have appeared on this blog. J E H was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. An image of his baptism record from that congregation’s books is pictured here.

I was unable to locate J E H in the 1860 census. A baby born to John and Anna in 1860 was baptized in Uniontown, so I think this family was still living in Perry County when that census was taken.

By the time that the 1870 census was compiled, the Hemmann family was found living in the Big Spring Township of Shelby County, Illinois. J E H is called Hugo in this entry. He was 16 years old at the time, and his father was a merchant.

I am going to display this map of a region in Illinois to help you identify the locations of Big Spring and a few other places that will be named as the story proceeds. The larger city nearby was Effingham.

Now, I will switch over and discuss the woman who became J E H’s wife. Her name was Emma Louise Marie DuBrock, who was born on September 16, 1856. Emma was the daughter of Charles and Louise (Hoffman) DuBrock. A later Illinois death record says that Emma was born in Glen Ellen, Illinois. There is a place called Glen Ellyn in the Chicago area, but I am not certain that is where Emma was born. I also have no information regarding her baptism. In addition, I was also unable to find the DuBrock household in the 1860 census, so the first one I am able to show for Emma is the one taken in 1870. Emma’s family was found living in the Spring Point Township in Cumberland County, Illinois. You can see that place on the above map. Emma was 13 years old, and her father was a farmer. She was the oldest child in her family.

J E H Hemmann married Emma DuBrock, but I am not certain when the wedding took place. There are family trees on Ancestry.com that say these two were married in 1878, but no exact date is given. I am not exactly sure how many children were born to this couple, but I think there were 4 that lived to adulthood. The 1880 census is the first one in which we find this married couple. They were living in Sigel, Illinois with just one young child, a boy named Otto. Sigel is also found on the previous map. One of J E H’s sisters named Emma was also living with them. J E H was called a general merchant.

The next document I located for J E H Hemmann was this form that lists postmasters for different locations. J E H was the postmaster in Sigel. Back in those days, post offices were usually found in general stores.

We are hindered in our efforts to know what happened during the time when the Hemmann’s were having children because we are not able to view the 1890 census. Sometime before the 1900 census, this family moved to Chicago where J E H and his son, Otto, were called commission merchants. There were 4 children in their household.

In the 1910 census, we see that the Hemmann’s had only one child still living with them, the youngest daughter, Claire. J E H is given the occupation, commission produce.

Next, we find the Hemmann’s in the 1920 census. Clair had married a man named Sidney Martin, and she and her young family were living with J E H and Emma. J E H was called a commission agent for a produce company. J E H and Emma were in their 60’s.

A major move was made by the Hemmann’s prior to the 1930 census. When we look at their entry from that year’s census, they were living in San Diego, California. Perhaps they moved there in their retirement. Neither one had an occupation.

J E H Hemmann died in 1936 at the age of 82, but he did not die in San Diego. His death certificate shown below indicates he died in Leveen, Arizona which is found in the Phoenix area. It also says he had lived there for 5 years, so I figure he moved to that location shortly after the 1930 census. J E H is called a retired merchant on this document.

The above document says J E H was cremated at the Greenwood Crematory. I found that crematory on Findagrave.com, but it had no entry for J E H. Then, in the 1940 census, we find that Emma Hemmann had made a move back to Chicago. She was living with another daughter, Dell, who had married Frank Dirr, a bank teller in Chicago. This entry states that Emma’s residence in 1935 was San Diego, but that doesn’t fit with the information on J E H’s death certificate.

An Illinois death record says Emma died later in 1940 in Norwood Park, Illinois which is part of the Chicago area. It says she was buried in the Acacia Park Cemetery, but Findagrave.com does not have an entry for her in that cemetery.

Most of J E H’s life was spent in the state of Illinois. However, his life began here in Perry County, Missouri, and it ended up in a few locations in the Far West. It was also a life that began in rural areas and ended in large cities. I never know where a reference in our German Family Tree will lead me. And since you are a reader of this blog, you don’t know where they will lead you either.