FAMILY  OF  CHRISTOPH  ACKER  &  THEKLA  MEES

 

Compiled by Robert Buecher, 5400 Pernod Avenue, St. Louis, MO  63139-1537

E-mail:  rgb7847@aol.com

[Revised: 27 July 2006]

 

[This information corrects and updates the family sketch that was published on page 111 of the HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY, IL, VOLUME 1, published in 1988 by the St. Clair County [IL] Genealogical Society]

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Christoph ACKER was born on Friday, 20 March 1807 at Ruppertsberg, Rhineland-Pfalz, the legitimate son of Michael ACKER and Christina, nee STADL.  Christoph was baptized at the Catholic church there  [1].

 

Ruppertsberg is a small village located in the Rhineland-Pfalz area of Germany.  It is 6 kilometers (about 3 3/4 miles) northeast from Neustadt an die Weinstrasse and about 18 kilometers (11 1/4 miles) northwest of Speyer.  In July 1993 after the reunification of Germany, its postal code was "67152 Ruppertsberg".  The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, has microfilmed the Catholic Church records for Ruppertsberg for the years 1638-1960.

 

Christoph ACKER was married on Tuesday, 17 June 1834 at Ruppertsberg to Thekla MEES/MAES.  The event is recorded in Latin in the marriage records of the Catholic church of Ruppertsberg [2].  The names of the participants are written as “Christoph Aker” and “Thecla Mees”.  Thecla/Thekla Maria MEES was born on Monday, 8 August 1808 at Ruppertsberg and was the legitimate daughter of Martin MEES and Sophia, nee HERFEL.

 

Christoph & Thekla ACKER were the parents of at least 8 children (5 daughters and 3 sons) all born to them while they resided at Ruppertsberg.  A complete list of the children will be found on page 4 of this sketch.

 

The entire ACKER family, except for the son Anton, emigrated to the United States, although at different times.  It is believed that Anton died as an infant or small child at Ruppertsberg.  Their daughter, Christine ACKER, then age 18, and Elisabeth, then age 15, arrived at New Orleans on June 2, 1854 on the ship "Athens" [3] which had sailed from the port of Havre in France.  It is not presently known when their son Philip and daughter Appolonia arrived in the US.  Philip's obituary [4] in 1914 stated that he emigrated at the age of 14 years, which establishes his emigration year as 1855. 

 

The parents and the rest of the children arrived at New York on Dec. 7, 1863 on the ship the "Saxonia" [5] which had sailed from Hamburg, Germany:

 

Christophe Acker;   age 56;   male;   occupation “farmer”

Thecla Acker;   age 54;   female;   wife

Thecla Acker;   age 18;   female;   daughter

Angnes Acker;   age 14;   female;   daughter

Caspar Acker;   age 15;   male;   son

 

The parents and children apparently came directly to Belleville.  The first record of this Acker family in St. Clair County, IL, is on June 21, 1864 when "Christ Acker" bought lot 36 in Stuarts 4th Addition to Belleville [recorded in Book Z3, p. 139].  On 2 Dec. 1868 he bought cemetery lot # 390 in Walnut Hill Cemetery from St. Peter's Catholic Church, Belleville [Book Y4, p. 19].

 

Christoph & Thekla ACKER are listed as follows in the Belleville City Directories:

 

1868-1869 Directory, p. 50  - ACKER, C., res. e s Church bet. S. Second and Fourth

            [residence east side of Church between south Second and Fourth]

 

1884 Directory, page 49 - Acker T Mrs res. e s Church 2 d n of 4th st.

               [residence east side of Church 2 doors north of 4th street]

 

****************      ***************      ***************      ***************

 

The couple is listed as follows in the 1870 and 1880 Federal Census:

 

1870 Census; Microfilm roll 280; St. Clair County, IL; Belleville; page 192; house # 1195; family # 1413; census taken 26 July 1870:

 

ACKER, Christoph ;   age 63   occupation  “retired merchant”;   born in “Bavaria”    [NOTE]

ACKER, Thekla;   age 62;   occupation “keepinghouse”;   born in “Bavaria”   [NOTE]

 

NOTE: Christoph is listed as having real estate in the amount of $900 and a personal estate of $100.  Both Christoph and Thekla are listed as being unable to read or write English.

 

****************      ***************      ***************      ***************

 

1880 Census; Microfilm roll 247; St. Clair County, IL; Belleville; 6th Ward; residing on "Church"street; printed page # 419 back; Dwelling # 74; Family # 88; census taken June 3, 1880:

 

ACKER, Tekla;   age 71;   widow;   occupation “keeping house”;   born in “Bavaria”   [NOTE]

 

    NOTE: Thekla is again listed as being unable to read or write English.

 

****************      ***************      ***************      ***************

 

According to records at St. Peter's Cathedral and at Walnut Hill Cemetery, Belleville, Christoph ACKER died in Belleville on 11 July 1876  [6].  He was buried on July 12 in lot # 390 in the Catholic part of Walnut Hill Cemetery.  He and his wife share a joint tombstone that is still standing [as of  2006].

 

Thekla ACKER died about 1 A. M. on Tuesday morning, 17 January 1888, at the residence of her son-in-law, Bernhard YOCH, at 301 S. Illinois Street, Belleville.  She was buried next to her husband in Walnut Hill Cemetery on January 18th  [7].  Her obituary in the Belleville, IL  German newspaper [8] numbers her survivors as 5 married daughters and 1 married son: Mrs. Christine GUNDLACH, wife of Jacob; Mrs. Abnonia [Appolonia] SCHNEIDER, widow of Wm. SCHNEIDER; Mrs. Elizabeth DEOBALD, widow of Karl; Mrs. Thekla YOCH, wife of John; Mrs. Agnes YOCH, wife of Bernhard, and Phillipp Adam ACKER; also 42 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

 

The joint tombstone that the couple share is located on lot 390 in the Catholic part of Walnut Hill Cemetery.  It has a cross on top and the following inscription in German:

 

                                      Thekla                Christoph

                                                Acker                   Acker

                                                Gest.                            Gest.

                                                17 Jan. 1888                11 Juli 1876

                                                im Alter von                  im Alter von

                                                79 Jhr. 5 mt.                 69 Jhr. 3 Mt.  [NOTE]

                                                9 Tg.                            10 Tg.

 

    [NOTE: the correct age for Christoph Acker, who was born on 20 March 1807, should have been: 69 years, 3 months, and 21 days]

 

The 8 known children born to Christoph Acker & Thekla Mees were:

 

1.) Christina Acker

        born 29 May 1835 in Ruppertsberg, Pfalz [9]

        died 23 July 1916 in Belleville, IL 

        married Jacob John GUNDLACH on 13 May 1855 in St. Clair County, IL

 

2.) Apollonia Acker 

        born 22 Nov. 1836 in Ruppertsberg, Pfalz  [10] 

        died 16 Dec. 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri 

        married (1.) Francis VETTER on 14 May 1857 in Ruppertsberg 

                  (2.) Frederick William SCHNEIDER on 22 Feb 1873 in Speyer, Pfalz

 

3.) Elisabetha Acker 

        born 11 April 1839 in Ruppertsberg, Pfalz  [11] 

        died 14 June 1898 in Belleville, Illinois 

        married Charles DEOBALD on 27 May 1856 in St. Clair County, Illinois

 

4.) Philip Adam Acker 

        born 24 Oct. 1841 in Ruppertsberg, Pfalz [12]

        died 28 Aug. 1914 in Belleville, IL 

        married Maria “Mary” SCHUCHMANN on 1 August 1863 in Belleville, Illinois

 

5.) Anton Acker 

        born 10 September 1844 in Ruppertsberg, Pfalz  [13]

 

6.) Thekla Acker 

        born 17 August 1845 in Ruppertsberg, Pfalz  [14]

        died 25 May 1906 in Belleville, IL

        married John F. YOCH on 6 July 1865 in St. Clair County, IL

 

7.) Caspar Acker

        born 30 April 1848 in Ruppertsberg, Pfalz  [15]

        died in 1880; 

        married Elenora YOCH on 24 April 1873 in St. Clair County, IL

 

8.) Agnes Acker 

        born 1 November 1849 in Ruppertsberg, Pfalz  [16]

        died 31 January 1939 in Belleville, IL 

        married Bernhard YOCH on 25 Feb. 1868 in Belleville, IL


[1]  Ruppertsberg, Pfalz, Catholic Church, Baptism Records, year 1807, page 114; Microfilm # 367723, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

 

[2]  Ruppertsberg, Pfalz, Catholic Church, Marriage Records, year 1834, page 38, entry # 79; Microfilm # 367725,

Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

[3]  Ira A. Glazier & P. William Filby, Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports; Volume 7, May 1854-August 1854, (Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources Inc.  1989), p. 253

[4]  Obituary of Phillip Acker, Belleville Daily Advocate, Saturday, 29 August 1914, page 8 [photocopied]

 

[5]  Glazier & Filby, Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports, Volume 15, June 1863-Oct. 1864 (Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources Inc.), p. 148

[6]  St. Peter Catholic Church, Belleville, IL; Burial Record of “Christophorus Acker”; page 102; found on microfilm roll # 8 housed at the Belleville Public Library

 

[7]  St. Peter Catholic Church, Belleville, IL; Burial Record of “Theclam Acker”; page 189; found on microfilm roll # 8 housed at the Belleville Public Library

 

[8]  Obituary of Thekla Acker, Belleviller Zeitung und Stern, (weekly edition), Thursday, 19 January 1888, p. 1.  She also has brief obituaries in the Belleville Weekly Advocate, Friday, 20 Jan. 1888, p. 1; and the Belleville Post, (weekly edition) Thursday, 19 Jan. 1888, p. 4, column 6

[9]  Ruppertsberg, Pfalz, Catholic Church, Baptism Records, page 127; year 1835, entry # 558; Microfilm # 367724, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

 

[10]  Ruppertsberg, Pfalz, Catholic Church, Baptism Records, page 143; year 1836, entry # 630; Microfilm # 367724, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

 

[11]  Ruppertsberg, Pfalz, Catholic Church, Baptism Records, year 1839, entry # 20; Microfilm # 367724, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

 

[12]  Ruppertsberg, Pfalz, Catholic Church, Baptism Records, year 1841, entry # 41; Microfilm # 367724, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

 

[13]  Ruppertsberg, Pfalz, Catholic Church, Baptism Record “Antonius Acker”, year 1844, entry # 7; Microfilm # 367724, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

[14]  Ruppertsberg, Pfalz, Catholic Church, Baptism Records, year 1845, entry # 39; Microfilm # 367724, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

 

[15]  Ruppertsberg, Pfalz, Catholic Church, Baptism Records, year 1848, entry # 17; Microfilm # 367724, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

[16] Ruppertsberg, Pfalz, Catholic Church, Baptism Records, year 1849, entry # 43; Microfilm # 367724, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah