The Family of Johan Anton Hork & Julia Ann Sievert – 12 for ’26

Julia Ann Sievert, daughter of Vincent Sievert and Susanna Raduntz, and my great-grandmother, married Johan Anton Hork, son of Joseph Heinrich Horoch and Maria Catharine Trösster, on 6 June 1872 at St. John’s German Catholic Church in Joliet, Will County, Illinois.[1]

Johan Anton Hork, born Johann Anton Horoch on 9 November 1843 in Oberhundem, Westfalen, arrived in the United States aboard the Idaho on 5 November 1870.[2] Though the ship manifest stated he was a laborer, he worked as a tailor in the United States.

By 1872, he was working as a merchant tailor at 7 Jefferson Street in Joliet, while living at 47 Bluff Street.[3]

In records, he was recorded either by John, Anton, Anthony, or J. A. Hork. In the above directory record, he was Anthony Hork. It is unknown whether he worked for himself or for someone else. Two merchant tailors had shops on Jefferson: S.C. Stearns at 61 ½ Jefferson and J & G Dippold, whose listing didn’t give an address.[4] The latter was living on Hickory Street, which could suggest how John and Julia met. Or perhaps she worked nearby or they met at church.

It is not known where he filed his intent to naturalize, but on 1 November 1876, he was naturalized in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois.[5] Since he was living in Joliet at least a few years earlier, he may have filed his intent in Will County. These are not available at FamilySearch. A request was made of the courts in Will County years ago, but no rely was received. Another attempt should be made.

John Anton and Julia had ten children, and from the places of their births, it is evident that they moved a lot.

Children of John Anton & Julia (Sievert) Horka
Name	Date of Birth	Place of Birth
Maria Catharine	25 April 1873	Joliet, Will Co, Illinois
Ida	24 January 1875	Aurora, Kane Co, Illinois
Susanna	20 April 1877	Aurora, Kane Co, Illinois
Albert	2 Augst 1879	Aurora, Kane Co, Illinois
Caroline	16 October 1881	Aurora, Kane Co, Illinois
Frank	29 February 1884	Grand Rapids, Michigan?
Anthony	31 October 1886	Stuart, Guthrie Co, Iowa
Raymond Joseph	11 Nov 1889	Stuart, Guthrie Co, Iowa
Urselle Clementine	23 Mar 1892	Portland, Multnomah Co, Oregon
William Cyril	10 July 1899	Hamilton, Ravalli Co, Montana
a. “Geburten,” Hork Family Bible, Heilige Schrist, Lexington, Kentucky (Philadelphia: John E. Potter and Company, n.d.), privately held by Alice Irene McGee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE].

They finally settled in Hamilton, Ravalli County, Montana, where he set up a tailor shop on 2nd Street. Newspaper ads gave hints to what his business was like.

“The Social Season,” The Western News, 17 Jan 1900, p. 8.

In another ad, John was looking for a first-class coat maker.

“Wanted,” Anaconda Standard, 12 Aug 1900, p. 3, col. 4.

Another ad.

“Pants Made to Order,” The Western News,
29 Aug 1900, p. 8, col. 4.

I wonder who designed his ads. Was his English good? Could he speak and write proficiently? I have no idea. Perhaps the newspaper took care of designing ads. The 1900 census indicated he could read, write, and speak English, so perhaps he got by fine.[6]

Drinking Led to Death
However, John took to drinking. A newspaper article talks about the sheriff looking for him, as he had abandoned his family.

The last article about John was found in Sheridan, Wyoming, where he had taken his own life by drinking carbolic acid. It seems he was begging for someone to give him a drink, but he was refused by the bartender. When the bartender came back, he found that John had drunk the carbolic acid.[7]

He is buried in an unmarked grave in Sheridan City Cemetery.[8] The news of his taking his life appeared in several western newspapers including San Francisco Call and Denver Post.[9]

The Family in Hamilton
Julia continued living in Hamilton and managed to purchase a home and lived there until her death in 1928. She was able to visit her mother in Joliet in 1906, and returned to Joliet in 1911 to attend the funeral of her mother.[10]

Five of their children never married:

Mary C. Hork worked as a dressmaker in Portland, Oregon, while the family lived there.[11] She died young on 28 September 1895.[12]

Albert J. Hork, who worked first as deputy county clerk, and later running a billiard hall.[13] He died 11 July 1939 in Hamilton.[14]

Carrie M. Hork worked as a clerk in clothing stores. She lived to the age of 83. Her obituary stated, “She possessed an exquisite sense of humor which enabled her recently to tell a friend that she was ‘all falling to pieces and couldn’t find any new parts,’ She did much for other people and said nothing about it. Those who knew her are happy that she was able to keep going until a very brief illness claimed her life. She would have preferred it that way because she was a very independent lady.”[15]

Frank W. Hork worked as a tailor, perhaps first with his father.[16] By 1910, however, he was living at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs and lived there until his death on 4 February 1952.[17]

Raymond J. Hork worked at the Western News office as a linotype operator.[18] He died 1 December 1917 at the age of twenty-eight of exhaustion, after being treated at the Montana State Hospital for a couple of months.[19]

Five children married:

Ida M. Hork married Martin J. Colmann in Eagle, Alaska.[20] He was from San Francisco and had poor health, dying on 17 December 1908 on the way to Southern California.[21] She continued to Southern California and lived in Long Beach for many years. She returned to Hamilton to live with her sister, Carrie, and died 30 May 1950.[22]

Susan V. “Pearl” Hork married Andrew Edward Hart on 20 May 1900 in Hamilton, Ravalli County, Montana.[23] They moved to Missoula where Andrew worked as a driver for a lumber company.[24] They had three children: Delores, Marvin, and George. She died at age 44 on 14 January 1922.[25]

Anthony “Tony” Hork married Mary A. “Mayme” Kelly on 10 July 1915 in Hamilton, Ravalli County, Montana.[26] He served ten terms as Ravalli County Clerk between 1911 and 1962. Tony and Mayme had four children: Alice Irene, Richard Anthony, Marian Anne, and Elizabeth Margaret. Tony died 6 June 1966.[27]

Urselle C. Hork married Bernard Victor Schwalen on 25 June 1913 in Hamilton, Ravalli County, Montana.[28] They had four daughters: Elizabeth, Marjorie, Mary Juliette, and Jo Ann. Urselle died on 24 November 1951 in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington.[29]

William Cyril Hork married Anna Marie Sullivan on 30 November 1922 in Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana.[30] They had five children: Lorene, Virginia, June, Annabelle, and William J. Cyril died 3 December 1967 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co, California.[31]

The last of their children was my grandfather. I never met him. He and my grandmother separated in the 1930s and she moved up to Northern California with their four children. Annabelle had died hours after birth. I have written previously about Cyril and Anna.

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[1] St. John the Baptist Church, Joliet, Illinois, marriage register 1868-1974, p. 12, no. 9, Anton Hork to Julia Ann Siewert, 1872, imaged, “Illinois, U.S., Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Sacramental Records, 1800-1979,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62097/images/62097_302022005541_0774-00035 : accessed 12 Feb 2026) > St John the Baptist, Joliet > Marriage Register, 1868-1974 > image 34 of 92.

[2] For birth, see Katholische Kirche Oberhundem (Oberhundem, Kr. Olpe, Westfalen, Germany), Kirchenbuch, Taufen (baptism) 1826-1847, p. 139, no. 36, Johann Anton Horoch, 1843; FHL Intl 1257842.   For arrival, see "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957" imaged, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7488/records/16548788 : accessed 12 Feb 2026) > Date > 1870 > November > 05 > Idaho > image 5 of 15, Joh Hork.

[3] Will County General Directory for 1872-3 (James Goodspeed, 1872), 71, Andrew Hork, imaged, “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/4367435 : accessed 12 Feb 2026) > Illinois > Joliet > 1872 > Joliet, Illinois, City Directory, 1872 > image 81 of 200.

[4] Ibid, 94, Stearns, SC. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/4367463. Also, p. 62, Dipport, George, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/4367423.

[5] Aurora (Illinois) City Court, Final papers, v. 59, old book 4, 26 Oct. 1872-22 Mar. 1888, p. 131, Anthony Hork; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS9Q-LWW7-J : accessed 18 Feb 2026); IGN 007792617, item 3, image 146 of 599.   

[6] 1900 U.S. census, Ravalli Co, Montana, Hamilton, ED 81, sht 33 (stamped), dwelling 285, John A. Hork.

[7] “The Carbolic Route,” The Sheridan Enterprise, 17 Aug 1906.

[8] "Sheridan Municipal Cemetery index," database, Rootsweb (www.rootsweb.com/~wysherid/Hi-Ho.html : accessed 14 Oct 2000), now viewed on Internet Archive Wayback Machine (https://web.archive.org/web/20030429045554/www.rootsweb.com/~wysherid/Hi-Ho.htm : 20 Feb 2026), burial data for John A. Hork.

[9] “Whiskey or Carbolic Acid and Hork Took the Later,” San Francisco Call, 22 Aug 1906, p. 14, col. 3. Also “Refused Drink; Ends His Life with Poison,” Denver Post, 20 Aug 1906, p. 2, col. 2.

[10] "Personals," The Joliet Evening Herald-News, 18 Jul 1906, p. 3. Also, "Personals," The Joliet Evening Herald-News, 10 Apr 1911, p. 3, col. 5.

[11] Portland City Directory, R.L. Polk, 1892, p 530, Miss May Hork.

[12] Oregon State Board of Health, Certificate of Death, (1895), Mary Hork.

[13] For deputy clerk, see Missoula and Hamilton City Directory, R.L. Polk & Co, 1907, p 367, Albert Hork. For billiards, see Missoula and Hamilton City Directory, R.L. Polk & Co, 1917, p 428, Alb J Hork.

[14] "Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1830-2011," imaged, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61255/records/55879 : accessed 22 Feb 2026), Death > Ravalli > 1933-1941 > image 787 of 1010, no. 2779, Albert Joseph Hork; Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1830-2011; Montana State Historical Society, Helena, Montana.

[15] “Carrie Hork Taken By Death Tuesday, Rites Tomorrow A.M.,” The Western News, 24 Oct 1965.

[16] Missoula and Hamilton City Directory, R.L. Polk & Co, 1903, p. 332, Frank Hork.

[17] Montana State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Death Certificate, no. 15115, Frank M. Hork, Deer Lodge Co, 1952.

[18] Missoula and Hamilton City Directory, R.L. Polk & Co, 1911, p 377, Raymond Hork.

[19] Montana State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Death Certificate, no. 126234, Raymond J. Hork, Deer Lodge Co., 1917.

[20] Record of marriage from the Diocese of Fairbanks Archive, email from David Schienle, assistant archivist, library@cbna.org.

[21] "Body Landed Here,” Morning Press (Santa Barbara), 19 Dec 1908.  

[22] She appeared in multiple city directory entries in Los Angeles City Directory (Los Angeles Directory Co), 1913, p. 474; 19121, p. 785. For move to Hamilton, see “Mrs. Colman Visiting,” The Missoulian, 20 Mar 1949, p. 9. For death, see State of Montana, State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Death Certificate, certificate #3564, Ida M. Colmann, Ravalli Co.

[23] Ravalli County, Montana, marriages, v. 1 1893-1904, p 360, no. 354, Susan Hork & Andrew Hart, 1900, FHL film 1905836. This is locked from home.

[24] 1920 U.S. census, Missoula Co, Montana, Missoula, ED 153, sht 8a, p 65, dwelling 166, fam 173, Andrew E Hart.

[25] "Brief Illness is Fatal to Susan Veronica Hart," The Missoulian (Missoula, MT), 16 Jan 1922, p 2.

[26] Ravalli Co, Montana, Marriages, v. 3-4 1912-1929, p 298, no 1752, Anthony Hork & Mary Kelly, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SMS-JDF : accessed 22 Feb 2026); IGN 004351349, image 230 of 894.

[27] "Citizenry Shocked by Death of Tony Hork, Prominent as Public Servant,” The Western News (Libby, Montana), 18 June 1966.

[28] Ravalli Co, Montana, marriages, v. 3-4 1912-1929, 1913, p 114, Schwalen & Hork; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SMS-NMZ : accessed 22 Feb 2026); IGN 004351349, image 137 of 894..

[29] Washington State Board of Health, Certificate of Death, no. 20442, Ursulla C. Schwalen, 1951, Pierce Co., imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99VS-HS1B : accessed 22 Feb 2026); IGN 007607792, image 885 of 1633.

[30] Silver Bow Co, Montana, certificate of marriage, record A-14551, William C. Hork & Anna M. Sullivan, 30 Nov 1922.

[31] California, State Dept of Health, Death Certificate, State # 049175, William Cyril Hork, 1967.

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