James Hammel: The Eldest Son
James Hammel
Key Facts
- Full Name
- James Hammel
- Born
- c. 1849 — New York (before family moved to Wisconsin)
- Died
- After 1910 — likely Oklahoma; exact date unknown
- Parents
- Owen Hammel (c. 1817–1858) & Ann King (c. 1809–1887)
- Siblings
- Mary Elizabeth, Henry Patrick, Mary Anna
- Spouse
- Mary Ann Sherron (c. 1848–between 1885 and 1900); married June 11, 1876
- Children
- 7 documented (Anna, Winifred, Frank, Julia, Rose, Mollie, Matthew)
- DNA Status
- No tested descendants identified to date
James Hammel was the eldest child and firstborn son of Owen and Ann Hammel—the only one of their children born before the family emigrated from New York to Wisconsin. His 1876 marriage record explicitly names his parents as "Owen Hammel" and "Annie King," providing crucial documentary proof of the family's Irish origins.
James's life followed a trajectory common to many children of Irish Famine immigrants: early promise, westward migration, marriage and family, then financial hardship. By 1892, his Nebraska farm was lost to foreclosure. The family relocated to Oklahoma, where James was documented as late as 1910. His seven children scattered across Oklahoma and Wyoming, leaving traces that allow us to reconstruct his story.
Part I: The New York Birth (c. 1849–1858)
James Hammel was born circa 1849 in New York—the only child of Owen and Ann Hammel born before their move to Wisconsin. The 1850 census, taken in July in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin, shows the family with "James" listed as age 1, born in New York. This places his birth between July 1849 and July 1850, and confirms the family's brief residence in New York during the immediate post-Famine period.
The family's route from Ireland to Wisconsin likely followed the common immigrant pattern: arrival in New York City, perhaps a brief period of residence while earning money for the westward journey, then travel by canal and lake to the Wisconsin frontier.
James was approximately nine years old when his father Owen died on June 11, 1858—old enough to remember his father, old enough to understand the family's sudden vulnerability. His mother Ann was left with four children: James (9), Mary (5), Patrick/Henry (2), and infant Ann (8 months).
Part II: Growing Up Fatherless (1858–1876)
The 1860 census shows the family still in Rock County, with Nancy Hammel listed as a widow and James (now 11) as the eldest child. By 1865, when his mother petitioned for guardianship of the minor heirs, James was sixteen years old—old enough to provide supporting testimony for the court proceedings.
"James Hammel being first duly sworn deposes and says that on the 13th day of November 1865 he posted up in three of the most public places in the Town of Center in said County a copy of the within notice."
Notably, James signed his name to this affidavit—"James Hammel" in his own hand—demonstrating that unlike many children of Irish immigrants, he had received enough education to be literate. This signature is one of the few direct traces we have of James himself, rather than records created about him.
The 1870 census finds the family in Brooklyn Township, Green County, Wisconsin. James is now 21 years old, listed with his mother Ann (60, widow), siblings Mary (17), Henry (14), and Anna (12). James's occupation is not listed, suggesting he was working the family's land or as a laborer.
The Move to Nebraska
Like his siblings, James followed his mother westward to Nebraska. By 1876, he was established in Burt County—the same county where his sister Mary Anna would marry Nathaniel Engel and where his brother Henry would farm for forty-four years.
Part III: Marriage and Family (1876–1892)
On June 11, 1876, James Hammel married Mary Ann Sherron in Burt County, Nebraska. The date is notable—exactly eighteen years to the day after his father Owen's death. Whether this was coincidence or a deliberate choice to honor Owen's memory is unknown.
The marriage record is genealogically crucial: it explicitly names James's parents as "Owen Hammel" and "Annie King." This document provides primary source evidence connecting James to his Irish immigrant parents, confirming the family relationships that bind this series together.
1876 Marriage Record — Key Details
Groom: James Hamel [sic] of Burt County, Nebraska
Born: In the State of New York, April 1846 [age likely estimated]
Father's Name: Owen Hammel
Mother's Maiden Name: Annie King
Bride: Mary Ann Sherron of Burt County, Nebraska
Date of Marriage: June 11, 1876
Officiant: Rev. Fr. Urhera [?]
Mary Ann Sherron was born approximately September 30, 1848, in either Albany, Green County, Wisconsin, or Ireland—sources conflict. She was roughly the same age as James. The couple settled in Cuming County, Nebraska, adjacent to Burt County, where they would raise their family.
Seven Children
James and Mary Ann had at least seven children between approximately 1879 and 1889. Remarkably, while we have no DNA-tested descendants from this line, the children left extensive documentary traces—particularly through marriage records and obituaries that identify their parents and siblings.
Children of James Hammel & Mary Ann Sherron
Financial Troubles
By the early 1890s, James Hammel faced severe financial difficulties. Court records from 1892 reveal foreclosure proceedings against the family.
Sheriff's Sale Notice
"By virtue of an order of sale issued by the clerk of the District court of Cuming county, Nebraska, on a decree of foreclosure wherein P. A. Chase is plaintiff, and James Hammel, Mary A. Hammel, Maryott & McHerron, Blair & Allison and I. G. Slocum, Blair & Allison, I. G. Slocum, Bank of Pender, Crowell Lumber & Grain Co., D. M. Osborne and Company are defendants, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the front door of the court house in said county on the 5th day of December 1892, at 1 o'clock p. m. the following described lands..."
The property: "The north east quarter of section six, township twenty-four, range six, in Cuming, county, Nebraska."
The court proceedings that February had already gone against James: "A. A. Chase vs. James Hammel et al. Judgt for pltff $2429." The judgment of $2,429 in 1892 dollars—equivalent to approximately $80,000 today—was devastating. A separate notice indicates James was also pursuing his own legal action: "James Hammel v. I. G. Slocum, et al. Damages. On trial."
Mary Ann Sherron Hammel disappears from records between 1885 and 1900, suggesting she died during this period—possibly during the same years of financial crisis. By the time of the 1892 foreclosure, she may already have been gone.
When and where did James Hammel die?
After losing his Nebraska farm to foreclosure in 1892, James relocated his family to Oklahoma, where he was documented as late as 1910. All of his surviving children settled in Oklahoma (Tulsa, Cromwell, Morris, Porter) or Wyoming, suggesting James spent his final years in the Oklahoma oil boom region.
His death record has not yet been located. Possible search areas include Creek County (where daughter Mollie worked as a teacher), Okmulgee County (where son Matthew lived), and Seminole County (near Cromwell, where daughter Julia settled). The death likely occurred between 1910 and 1933, when son Matthew's obituary does not mention his father among survivors.
His son Frank's 1964 death certificate names "James Hammel" as father but does not provide death information, suggesting Frank may not have known precisely when or where his father died.
Part IV: The Children's Legacy
Although James Hammel's own fate remains unknown, his children left substantial traces. They scattered from Nebraska to Oklahoma Territory, where several settled in the oil boom region around Tulsa, Creek County, and Okmulgee County.
The most detailed record of the family comes from the tragic 1933 obituary of James's youngest son Matthew, who died by suicide at age 43:
Matthew Hammel Obituary (Excerpt)
"Matthew Hammel, 43, committed suicide on last Friday morning about 8 o'clock by slashing his throat with a razor at the home of Jim Poague on South Second street. Hammel was a bachelor and had lived in Morris for twenty years or longer and had been engaged at various times in the oil fields..."
"Hammell is survived by three sisters, Miss Mollie Hammel of Tulsa; Mrs. Julia Young of Cromwell and Mrs. Winna Harris of Porter; and one brother, Frank Hammel of Casper, Wyoming."
This obituary—painful as its circumstances are—provides crucial genealogical data: the names and locations of four of James's seven children as of 1933, confirming family relationships across nearly forty years since the Nebraska foreclosure.
DNA Status
Unlike his siblings Mary Elizabeth, Henry Patrick, and Mary Anna, James Hammel's descendants have not yet been identified through DNA testing. This represents a significant gap in the Donaghmoyne Network research.
Potential avenues for DNA connection: descendants of Julia Hammel Young (married 1904, Oklahoma), Frank Xavier Hammel (died 1964, Wyoming), or Winifred Alice Hammel Harris (died 1952). Any matches from these lines would help confirm the broader family connections and potentially reveal new information about James's origins and fate.
Timeline
Born in New York to Owen Hammel and Ann King — the only child born before the family moved to Wisconsin
July 15: First census appearance — James (age 1), with parents O.N. Hammit and Nancy in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin; birthplace listed as New York
June 11: Father Owen Hammel dies; James is approximately 9 years old
Census: James (11) listed with widowed mother Nancy and siblings in Center Township, Rock County, Wisconsin
November–December: James (16) provides sworn testimony for mother's guardianship petition; signs his own name to affidavit; family farm sold to John Loudon
Census: James (21) with mother Ann and siblings in Brooklyn Township, Green County, Wisconsin
Moves to Nebraska, following mother and siblings to Burt County
June 11: Marries Mary Ann Sherron in Burt County, Nebraska — exactly 18 years after father's death; marriage record names parents as Owen Hammel and Annie King
Seven children born: Anna (1879), Winifred (1880), Frank (1881), Julia (1883), Rose (1886), Mollie (1887), Matthew (1889)
Wife Mary Ann Sherron Hammel dies — exact date and location unknown
February: Court judgment against James Hammel for $2,429; December 5: Sheriff's sale of 160-acre farm in Cuming County
Family relocates to Oklahoma following foreclosure
James documented in Oklahoma — last confirmed record
James Hammel dies — likely Oklahoma; exact date and location unknown
Daughter Julia marries Sam E. Young in Oklahoma Territory; marriage record confirms parents as James Hammel and M. Sherron
Son Matthew dies in Morris, Oklahoma; obituary names surviving siblings and provides family reconstruction
Son Frank Xavier Hammel dies in Casper, Wyoming; death certificate names father as "James Hammel" and mother as "Mary Ann Sharon"
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