WilliamHackman

 
WILLIAM HACKMAN, a practicalGerman farmer and stock raiser of section 30, township 17, range 11, isthe owner of a good farm where he lives. He was born in Hanover, near thecity of Osnabruck, in 1820, September 13th. He was the third son born toJohn E. and Maria (Struve) Hackman, natives of Hanover, who came of pureGerman blood. After his marriage he settled down in his native land asa farmer, on a small scale, and here all the children were born, but laterin life Mr. Hackman sold out all his interests in his native land and setsail from Bremen for the United States, with his wife and family. Aftera voyage of seven weeks and two days, they landed at Castle Garden, comingon at once to Illinois via Albany, New York, Buffalo, across Lake Erie,landing at Cleveland, across the canal, down the Ohio to Cairo, up theMississippi river to St. Louis, and thence up the Illinois river to Beardstown,in June, 1835. The father purchased 120 acres in township 12, range 11,but before they were settled he sickened and died. He had procured thedeed, so his family had the farm. He was only fifty-eight years of ageand had been in the country but a few months. The widow mother moved onthe farm with her children, and they began their life as farmers in a newcountry. Some years later she went to live with her only daughter, MaryBushman, of Beardstown, where she died when seventy-two years of age. Shelived to see her children all well married and settled in life. Mrs. Hackmanjoined the Methodist Church in this county and died in that faith. Herhusband was a Lutheran.

William and a brother Fredare the only surviving children, the latter also being a farmer at Arenzville.William grew to manhood in this county. He is now the owner of two finefarms of 320 acres in all, both having a complete set of farm buildingson them, built by Mr. Hackman. The land is in a fine condition and yieldsgood crops.

He was married in this countyto Elizabeth Meyer, born in Germany, in 1828. She was a small child whenbrought to America by her parents. They made their first settlement onthe farm now owned by Mr. Hackman. It was on this farm that Mr. and Mrs.Meyer both lived, and died when they were thirty years old. They were Lutheransin religion. Mrs. Hackman is one of seven children, of whom she and a sister,Mrs. Fred Hackman, of this county, and a brother, Henry, a retired farmerof Oregon, are the only surviving members. The next year, July, 1835, afterthey came to America, Mr. and Mrs. Meyer died, and Mrs. Hackman was rearedby a Mrs. Freeman Skinner. She has been a true, good wife to a devotedhusband for the past forty-five years.

Mr. and Mrs. Hackman arethe parents of six children: one, Matilda, died when young; one, WilliamE., died when twenty-two; and Louisa, after her marriage to George Keoneke,to whom she bore five children. The living children are, Louis; Lucinda,wife of Theo. Heierman, a farmer in Morgan county, Illinois; and they haveone child.

Mr. and Mrs. Hackman areregarded as being among the good, kind and hospitable old settlers of thecounty. They are upright, Christian people, being members of the EmanuelMethodist Episcopal Church, two miles from Arenzville. Mr. Hackman andson are sound Democrats in politics.

Mr. Louis Hackman is nowthe manager of his father’s old homestead, and he is conducting it in away that reflects great credit on him. He is a hard-working man, and thoroughlyunderstands his business, as the fine condition of his fields testify.He was married to Amelia Kors of this county, and they are the parentsof three as bright little ones as any one need care to see. Mr. Louis Hackmanhas been County Commissioner for the past nine years.

The whole family are justthe kind of people that make Cass county so prosperous, and if there weremore like this worthy German and his son, the prosperity of the State wouldbe greatly increased.

Biographical Review ofCass, Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois, Biographical Review PublishingCo., Chicago, 1892, pages 235-236.

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