Primary Ancestor:

Goerg Michael Hoerner (1817 - 1871) | click for personal facts and charts

Short Family History:

Georg Michael Hoerner (Hörner) was born in Bellheim, Pfalz, Bavaria, Germany in 1817. His family can be traced back several more generations in local church records. He married nearby and had a family of 10 children, three of which did not survive childhood. In 1867, the family immigrated to the US and landed in New Orleans. By the next year, they had made their way to Kansas, settling near the little town of Volland in Wabaunsee County.

The family seemed especially ill-fated. Georg Michael died at a young age, possibly during a smallpox epidemic. One son was foul tempered, one daughter had 15 children loosing several of them in childhood, one daughter may have had a venereal disease and gone insane and another son left town and was never really heard from again (we hope he was more successful). Two of the other children led fairly normal lives. It does seem that all of the children and grandchildren were extremely hard working.

Research Notes:

Research into the Hoerner family is ongoing. Cousin Bonnie Hoerner in California is compiling research, a portion of which is dedicated to Hoerner family of Volland, Kansas. Most of her research focuses on one of Georg Michael Hoerner's great-granddaughters. Over the years, Bob Kietzman of Houston has done some good research on the family as well.

I have done some more recent research on G.M.'s daughter Margaret who married a German immigrant and moved to Chicago. A few pictures related to Margaret and Joseph Arnhorst can be found here.

I have quite a few more obituaries than the ones listed below. If you are interested in getting a copy of one, let me know and I'll post it. - MD 21Nov2004

Surname variations:

Hoerner, Hörner, Horner - When the family reached the US, the ö was changed to "oe" in almost all records. Georg Michael's son Jacob eventually dropped the "e" and Jacob's sons were almost always seen spelling the name Horner.

Relevant Links:

email: Bob Kietzman
email: Bonnie Hoerner

image: Hörner family emigration card
image: Margaret Hoerner obituary
image: Jacob Hoerner family photo
image: Jacob Hoerner headstone
image: Mary Leophold obituary
image: Jacob and Fred Hoerner - Jacob on left, Fred on Right, woman unknown
image: Eugene Hoerner - as an infant
image: Eugene and Bertha "Bea" Horner
image: Eugene and Bertha "Bea" Horner - 25th wedding anniversary
image: Eugene and Bertha "Bea" Horner - May 1963 w/ dog Mitzi
image: Eugene and Bertha "Bea" Horner - Apr 1982
image: Jacob Hoerner
image: Leona Alice (Guinn) Horner
image: Alice (Hoerner) Witt
image: Leona (Hoerner) Fischer
image: Gladys (Hoerner) Barker - w/ George and Joanna
image: Jennie (Hoerner) Parkison
image: Gertrude and Opal Hoerner
image: Pearl (Hoerner) Russell - w/ Bernice
image: Eugene and Bertha "Bea" Horner - ca. 1932
image: Hoerner Family in 1870 census - enumerated as "Hannah"

link: images related to the Joseph and Margaret (Hoerner) Arnhorst family

link: Hinerville School