Simon J. Hasel

Birth: 1861 Death: 1949

Burial: Saint Johns Cemetery Fairbury Livingston County Illinois, USA

Hi Patti!

Thank you for your quick reply, but I am still aware of the photos you sent to my daughter via Facebook. Let me give you more information about the Hasel family: Simon Hasel (Hösl) was born as 6th child in Oberlind, a hamlet in northeast Bavaria situated nearby the Bohemian border, on Jan 4th, 1861. His parents – Andreas and Franziska – bought there a small farmhouse in 1850 and earned their bread and butter with hitching up horses on the famous „Salt Road“ leading from Nuremberg to Praha. Surviving these days was hard work and it was not easy to feed the numerous children very well. Poverty was very common in this region and the only way out of this dilemma meant emigration to America. Moreover Simon had an elder brother named John Baptist, with whom together Simon bought the parental domain and farmed it. But the property seemed to be too small for the families, so Simon decided to make his own way in Illinois. Together with his wife Margaret Reis (*1862, married 1882) and 3 children (Andrew: *9.2.1884; George: *3.6.1887 and Margaret: *14.7.1888; 2 further children died in childbed 1886 and 1890,

respectively) he crossed over to Fairbury, Illinois. This happened between September 1890 and June 1891, leaving back the debt-ridden family home in Bavaria, together with brother John Baptist, who  was killed in an accidentally fall in 1893, and the elderly parents Andreas and Franziska. Simon Hasel settled down in Fairbury, bought a house in West Ash Street and worked as section foreman for the Wabash Railroad Company. In 1897 he got the naturalization certificate and in 1910 his house was debt-free. At Fairbury further children came to birth: 1.	Ann B. Hasel (*25..6.1891 in Fairbury - + 12.11.1966 in Streator), who lived with her elder brother George in Amity, Livingston Co, in 1910 (US-Census Records) and was married to Samuel Alfred Gourley (*9.5.1909 in Esmen - +6.12.1967 Pontiac) on Aug. 15th, 1909. Together with their 3 children (Gerald, Donald and Agnes) they rent a 250 acres farm in Esmen. (The photo you sent me, is the only one I could find in Internet. Do you have more?) 2.	Agnes C. Hasel (*29.10.1895, in Fairbury – +October 1976). She was a teacher and kept contact to our family in Bavaria by letter until 1975. She was unmarried and lived together with her elder sister Margaret (the housekeeper) and her father Simon in Fairbury. In her last years she lived at Heritage Manor in Gibson City and deceased in Pontiac in 1976. Her final resting place is St. John’s Cemetery in Indian Grove. 3.	Frank (Francis James) Hasel (*11.3.1898 in Fairbury - +5.12.1980 in Carmichael, CA): the youngest child, who married Louise Elaine Olive (*22.7.1902 - +11.12.1981) in Los Angeles on January 29th, 1938. Louise brought a son – Richard (the 24yr old deceased on April, 28th, 1948 (by accident?)) – into the marriage. According to the 1940 US-Census Frank and his wife lived in Los Angeles, he worked as aircraft mechanic at AERO Manufacturing and moved to Carmichael in the midth 1960 after retirement. The couple is resting at Calvary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Sacramento.

Back to the elder siblings: 1. Andrew (Killian) Hasel (*9.2.1884 in Oberlind - +June 1966 in Fairbury): According to the US-Census Records he married in Fairbury on Feb. 9th, 1909 Dorothy M. Sommer/Summer (*1889 in Illinois), her father hailing from Alsace, her mother coming from northern Germany (Bremen). Approximately in 1911 the common daughter Lillian was born, the further fate of Dorothy is unknown to me. I assume her death during delivery, because there is a tombstone at Graceland Cemetery of Dora Sommer Hasel. In the following years Lillian was registered at her grandfathers home in Fairbury. Her further fate is unknown to me. Remarkable seems, that she lived not in the same household as her father Andrew, who worked as a plumber at Eddy & Co in Fairbury. In the 1920 Andrew was recorded together with his wife Mary E. ??? in Sheldon, Iroquois Co. In 1930 Andrew and his new wife Karen A., who worked as a hairdresser, lived in rented accommodation in Fairbury. Karen died in

1964 and Andrew in 1966. Both are resting in Sheldon Cemetery. (For me of interest is: what happened to Lillian and Dorothy?, was Andrew divorced?, what happened to Mary E.?) 2.	George (Frank) Hasel (*3.6.1887 in Oberlind - +19.3.1949 in Butte Co, CA): He started his career – like his father – as section foreman for the Wabash Railroad Company. He is married (wedding day???) to Elisabeth Moses (*19.7.1898 - +6.8.1997) and lived in 421 East Livingston, in Pontiac. In the 1940 George is registered in Durham, Butte Co, CA. His employer (profession?) is situated in Sacramento, children are not known to me. 10 week after his father’s death, George passed away in California. 3.	Margaret Hasel (*14.7.1888 in Oberlind - +1960 in Fairbury): She lived as housekeeper at the family’s home in Fairbury. Like her younger sister Agnes, Margaret kept unmarried throughout her life. After the early death of her mother in 1915 she run the household for her father, her sister Agnes and her nice Lillian. Margaret died in 1960 and was burried together with father Simon, mother Margaret and sister Agnes at St. John’s Cemetery

Back to Simon Hasel: In 1926 Simon came back to a short visit in his home country. In Aug 10th, 1926 he was embarking the „Lancastria“ in Hamburg and returned to New York. 88yr old Simon died at Michel Reese Hospital in Chicago on Jan 9th, 1949.

Dear Patti, for a first start, this should be enough information. If you want, I can give you more insights of the Hasels in Germany and their relationship to my ancestors. I am specially interested in details of the life of Ann B Hasel-Gourley and if you, or your family, knows more about her origin and background. As I am not a member of any American or German society for genealogical research, feel free to communicate via email with me, or via Facebook with my daughter Hannah. With best wishes and have a nice day Yours

Willy

Mailto: w.wies@aon.at