The Family of Matthew Hahn 

Research Note by Wesley Johnston for the Grand Crossing Czech Commuity Project (http://www.wwjohnston.net/famhist/grand-crossing-czechs/grand-crossing-czechs.htm)

December 14, 2011 - This note will change as I obtain more information

Matej Hahn was born out 1852 in Oslov, Pisek, Southern Bohemia. He came to Chicago about 1867, thus about age 15, making him one of the Grand Crossing Czechs who had been in Chicago the longest when. He married in Chicago 9 May 1872, raised a family, and both he and his wife died before the 1900 census.

Thus the only record that shows his entire family was the 1880 census. This has made the reconstruction of his family and finding out where they lived a difficult task. So this research note is intended to gather in one place a chronology of this family from 1872 up to the 1900 census.

Even in the records that do exist, the variations of his given name and his surname make the research difficult. Was the man whose death and obituary and (proably - since I do not yet have it) birth records showed as Matej (with a hacek over the e) the same as the Mattias who is on the marriage record and the Matthew who is in the 1892 city directory? And what about those other Matej/Mattias Hahns who were in Chicago at the same time? How do you make sure that you have the right one? This research note is also intended to provide the evidence for answering such questions.

Birth - 15 Jan 1852 in Tukleky, Oslov parish, Pisek district, Southern Bohemia

That Oslov is the place to look is known from Matej's obituary in the Chicago "Denni Hlasatel" (Daily Herald) newspaper 4 April 1897, the day after he died. That about 1852 is the time to look is known from his age 28 on the 1880 census and his age 45 on his 1897 death record.

The church registers for Oslov are online at the Trebon archives web site (http://www.ceskearchivy.cz/index.php?doctree=2a), where the digital archives is at http://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/index_main.php?lang=en

It turns out that he was born at Tukleky #27, which is in the Oslov parish. His birth record is at http://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/en/6208/38

It reads as follows:

15/16 January 1852 / house No. 27 / Mat
j / father: Jan Hann, a smallhouse keeper, son of Václav Hann, exceptioner ? (vým
nkáY
, ausgedinger) from Tuklek No. 27 and mother KateY
ina, née Vorá
ek from ZáhoY
í No. 8, district Písek. / mother: Josefa, a daughter of Tomáš Ciboch, exceptioner from Vrcovice No. 8 and mother KateY
ina née }
ák from Vlastec No. 9, district Písek. [Translation thanks to Kamil HoleH
a who found the record]

Matej's brother Josef was born in the same house 3 Apr 1858 and baptized the next day (http://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/en/6208/45) 

Their sister Barbora's birth was in the same place 23 Jun 1862, with baptism 24 Jun 1862 (the birthdate given on her death certificate). (http://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/en/6208/51)

Voyage to America - about 1867

Thus far, I have not been able to find a passenger list that shows him arriving in America. The closest one that I found was a Prussian, age 17, arriving 31 Jan 1868 ( http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=7488&path=1868.01.31.Ville+de+Paris.4 ) This one's father is named John, which is what you might expect from him naming his first son Jan. But the Prussian origin makes me doubt that this is the right one. This doubt is made almost certainty (that this 1868 passenger list is NOT his family) by the two apparent siblings of Matej in the 1880 census, neither of whose names appear on this 1868 passenger list with the very complete family.

1870 Census

I am not able, thus far, to find him in the 1870 census. I have not yet tried to find his siblings Joseph and Barbora who appear with him in the 1880 census.

9 May 1872 Marriage

Mattias Hahn married Mrs. Anna M. Lorsch, presumably a widow. The record (http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/15911960/person/18262382880/media/5?pgnum=1&pg=0&pgpl=pid%7cpgNum) does not give their ages. They were married by a Justice of the Peace, so that there is no further connection to be found. I have not researched Anna's prior life, other than a simple attempt to find her as Lorsch in the 1870 census, which found nothing.

Pre-1880 Children Births

I have not been able to find, despite intense attempts, any Chicago birth records for  John (Apr 1875), James (Dec 1876), or Frantiska (Oct 1879).

1880 Census

The family, as HAN, lived at 22 Burlington Street ( http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=6742&path=Illinois.Cook.Chicago.049.67 ). Burlington Street was renamed to Clinton sometime before 1895 (the Hull House Maps have it as Clinton) and ran north-south from 16th Street to 18th Street. This was in the then-relatively-new Pilsen neighborhood. The census district was 49, which has this boundary description: City of Chicago 6th ward bounded as follows, north by the south side of 16th st, east by the west side of Chicago river, south by the north side of River and 22nd st, and West by the East side of Jefferson st.

This is a very significant document, perhaps the most significant record of the family. In addition to the Matej (as Mathew 28) and Anna (29) and their three children (John 5, Joseph 3, Francis 8/12 born October), there are four single boarders.

Two of those boarders are probably Matej's siblings: Joseph HAHN (25 Bohemia) and Barbora HAHN (18 Bohemia).

The other two boarders are apparently sisters of each other, possibly twins since they are both 20: Francis/Frantiska and Kate/Katerina Prusova (apparently with a hacek over the s, since the census taker was Czech: J. F. Bednar). Whether they were also relatives of Matej or of Anna is not yet known.

Post-1880 Children Births

I was able to find the births of two children, both at 101 West 18th Street: Annie Emma HAN (20 Sep 1886) and Otto John HAN (30 Sep 1887). The girl is probably the Emilie who appears on Matej's 1897 obituary. The boy had apparently died by 1897, since he does not appear on the obituary. Matej is given as "Math", a saloon keeper, on both records. I have not yet determined if the 100 West 18th Street address was both the saloon and their home.

These are the only records that I have found that contain Anna's maiden name: MATEJKA.

City Directories - 1870, 1871, 1875, 1880, 1885. 1892

The only two Matthias Hahns in the 1880 city directory (which has many HAHN entries) are a carpenter at 26 Stein and a porter at 376 Sedgwick. The 1885 directory lists only the one at 376 Sedgwick. The 1875 directory lists only two: Mathias, carpenter 18 Sullivan & Matthias, porter, 376 Sedgwick. He finally appeared in the 1892 city directory which shows him as a saloon keeper at the northwest corner of 78th and Storms [later Jackson, later Maryland].

Deaths of Matej (1897) and Anna (1899)

They both died at 7756 Jackson [now Maryland] and were buried together at Bohemian National Cemetery. Matej's obituary lists three surviving sons: Jan, Vaclav (James), and Karel (Charles). And it lists two surviving daughters: Emilie and Frantiska. It was the custom to list the children in birth order, and the sons are listed in birth order. But if the daughters are listed in birth order, then the Annie Emma born in 1886 must have died, and there must have been a prior daughter Emilie for whom I have found no other records. The fact that Anna Emma may have been given the middle name of a living sister is unusual, but a year later Otto John was born and given the middle name of a definitely-living brother's first name. So the family did do this.

Where Were the Children in the 1900 Census?

Of the five children who survived their father, I have found only three thus far in the census, all in Grand Crossing. The oldest son John HAHN had married Frantiska/Frances/Fannie KRIKAVA 21 Apr 1900. His brothers James and Charles are living with them at 7754 Jackson [now Maryland], which is where the tavern was. John owns the home and is renting to Joseph Marek's family, with Joseph having become the saloon keeper after the death of Matej.

James married Bettie Dvorak later that same year, 8 Dec 1900. In 1910, he was the saloon keeper. But in 1920 and 1930, he was doing the same thing he was doing in 1900: a moulder at an iron foundry.

I have no information on Karel/Charles after the 1900 census. And I have no information after the obituary about Matej's two surviving daughters Emilie and Frantiska. They do not appear as HAHN in the 1900 census of Grand Crossing.