Owen Hammel & Ann King: The Founders
Owen Hammel & Ann King
For decades, family researchers knew almost nothing about Owen Hammel of Wisconsin. He appeared on the 1850 census in Janesville, Rock County—a 35-year-old Irish-born laborer with his wife Nancy and infant son James. Then he vanished. By 1860, his wife was listed alone, a widow managing an 18-acre farm with four young children. No one knew what had happened to him.
The answer lay buried in the Rock County courthouse: a guardianship file, Number 929, containing over twenty pages of legal documents that revealed not just Owen's fate, but the intimate details of a family struggling to survive in frontier Wisconsin. Owen Hammel died on June 11, 1858, leaving his widow Ann (called "Nancy" in American records) to raise four minor children on a hardscrabble farm with no road access.
These court records—discovered through systematic research—provided the breakthrough that connected the Wisconsin Hammels to their Irish origins in Donaghmoyne parish, County Monaghan. And DNA testing has now linked their descendants to the broader Donaghmoyne Network, suggesting a relationship to the Henry Hamall and Mary McMahon line in Chicago. The evidence points toward Owen and Henry being brothers—a hypothesis supported by shared DNA matches, the use of the same given names across both families, and marriages in the same Irish parish.
Verified Identity — Owen Hammel
| Full Name | Owen Hammel (Hammil, Hammell) |
| Birth | c. 1817 — Ireland (County Monaghan presumed) |
| Death | June 11, 1858 — Town of Center, Rock County, Wisconsin (age 41) |
| Burial | Saint Michael's Cemetery, Stebbinsville, Rock County, Wisconsin |
| Marriage | January 1, 1846 — Donaghmoyne Parish, Co. Monaghan, Ireland |
| Wife | Ann King (Nancy, Anna) (c. 1809–1887) |
| Immigration | c. 1846–1849 — via New York |
| Citizenship | Declaration of Intention: October 27, 1852, Rock County |
| Occupation | Laborer (1850 Census); Farmer (1858 Guardianship) |
Part I: Ireland
Donaghmoyne Parish, County Monaghan, 1846
Owen Hamill married Ann King in 1846 in Donaghmoyne Parish, County Monaghan, Ireland. The marriage record from Roots Ireland (Reference 398) shows both parties from Donaghmoyne, though the exact townlands are not specified. The recorded date of "January 1, 1846" is likely a default entry—common practice when parish clerks did not know or record the exact date.
A baptismal record from the same year shows a child named Mary Hamill born to Owen Hamill and Anne King in Donaghmoyne—also recorded as January 1, 1846. This identical date almost certainly reflects the same record-keeping convention rather than both events occurring on New Year's Day. The practice of entering "1 January" as a placeholder for "sometime in 1846" was widespread in early Irish parish registers.
The timing of their emigration places them squarely in the Great Famine years. By 1850, they had arrived in Wisconsin with at least one child born in New York, suggesting they landed on the East Coast around 1848-1849 before moving west to the Wisconsin frontier. Whether they fled the Famine directly or came as part of the broader emigration wave, they left Ireland during the most catastrophic period in modern Irish history.
"Owen Hamill married Ann King, Donaghmoyne Parish, Co. Monaghan"
Part II: Settlement in Wisconsin
Rock County, Wisconsin, 1850–1858
The 1850 U.S. Census captured the Hammel family's first appearance in American records. Living in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin, the household consisted of "O.N. Hammit" (Owen), age 35, a laborer born in Ireland; "Nancy Hammit" (Ann), age 34, born in Ireland; and "James Hammit," age 1, born in New York. The infant's New York birthplace establishes that the family arrived on the East Coast before moving west to Wisconsin.
On October 27, 1852, Owen took a crucial step toward becoming an American citizen. His Declaration of Intention, filed with the Circuit Court of Rock County, records him as "Owen Hammell" renouncing allegiance to "Great Britain" (Ireland was then under British rule). This document provides his signature—one of the few pieces of handwriting we have from Owen himself.
The family established themselves on 18 acres in the Town of Center, Rock County. Court documents from 1865 describe the property as having "a log house... a log stable and a Granary" with "all under cultivation except about one half acre." The land had one significant drawback: "there is no road to it." Despite this isolation, Owen worked the farm while raising his growing family.
The 1850 census shows John Loudon (also spelled London), an Irish-born laborer, living on the same census page as the Hammel family—line 15 versus Owen on line 12. Fifteen years later, this same John Loudon would purchase the Hammel farm at the guardian's sale in December 1865. The Irish immigrant community in Rock County maintained connections across the decades.
Part III: Death and Aftermath
The Mystery Solved, 1858–1865
Owen Hammel died on June 11, 1858, at age 41. His gravestone at Saint Michael's Cemetery in Stebbinsville, Rock County, bears the simple inscription: "OWEN HAMMIL / DIED / June 11, 1858 / Aged 41 yrs." No cause of death was recorded, and no death certificate exists from this period—Wisconsin did not require vital registration until 1907.
Owen died intestate, leaving no will. His widow Ann was left with four minor children—James (about 9), Mary (about 6), Patrick (about 5), and Ann (about 1)—and an 18-acre farm that produced little income. The 1860 census shows "James Hammel" (Ann, misrecorded under her son's name), age 45, living in Center Township with her children and $40 in real estate and $200 in personal property.
Seven years passed before Ann took legal action. On October 13, 1865, she petitioned the Rock County Court to be appointed guardian of her minor children. Her petition reveals the family's circumstances in poignant detail:
"Ann Hammel of the Town of Center in said County respectfully represents that her late Husband Owen Hammel Deceased late of said Town on the 11th day of June 1858 died leaving no last Will and Testament... that he left a Widow your petitioner and four children viz: James who was sixteen years of age April 20, 1865, Mary who was thirteen years old Oct 25, 1864, Patrick who was eleven years old Dec 31, 1864, and Ann who was eight years old Sept 13, 1865..."
The petition explains that Ann wished to sell the 18-acre farm and use the proceeds to purchase "forty acres which will make her and her children a pleasant home." The current property's income was "very small," and without road access, it offered limited opportunity for improvement.
Ann signed her petition with "her X mark"—she was illiterate or minimally literate. However, her eldest son James could sign his full name, indicating he had received some education in Wisconsin. Judge Amos P. Prichard approved the guardianship and authorized the sale.
The public auction was held on December 9, 1865, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, in front of the Hyatt House in Janesville. John Loudon—the same Irish neighbor from the 1850 census—submitted the winning bid of $350, with $200 down and the balance due in one year with interest, secured by a mortgage on the property.
Complete Guardianship Case File
The Rock County Court guardianship case (No. 929) comprises over twenty original documents spanning October to December 1865. These records include Ann's petition, James's supporting statement, letters of guardianship, the petition to sell real estate, court orders, the guardian's bond, newspaper publication affidavits, and the final sale confirmation.
Children of Owen and Ann (King) Hammel
Part IV: Ann's Later Life
From Wisconsin to Nebraska, 1865–1887
After selling the Wisconsin farm, Ann (Nancy) Hammel moved her family westward. The 1870 census shows her in Brooklyn Township, Green County, Wisconsin, with children James, Mary, Henry, and Anna. By 1880, she had relocated to Burt County, Nebraska, where she appears as a 71-year-old widow living with her daughter Ann.
Ann King Hammel died between 1887 and 1888, having survived her husband by nearly three decades. She is buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Nebraska. Her Find A Grave memorial lists her as Nancy "Anna" King Hammel (1809–1887), though other records suggest 1888.
Her children scattered across the Midwest—Nebraska primarily—establishing families of their own. The marriage records of her children consistently list their parents as Owen Hammel and Ann King, preserving the connection to their Irish origins across generations.
Part V: DNA Connections
Linking the Donaghmoyne Network
DNA testing has transformed our understanding of the Owen Hammel family and their place within the broader Donaghmoyne Network. Tested descendants of three of Owen and Ann's children—Mary Elizabeth (Bucklin), Henry Patrick, and Mary Anna (Engel)—have produced matches that connect this line to other documented Donaghmoyne families.
The most significant connection is to the Henry Hamall and Mary McMahon line in Chicago—the family of Owen Hamall (1847–1898), subject of a separate documentary biography series. DNA matches between descendants of these two families suggest a close biological relationship, potentially supporting the hypothesis that Owen Hammel of Wisconsin and Henry Hamall of Chicago were brothers.
Evidence Supporting the Brother Hypothesis
Shared DNA Matches: Descendants of Owen Hammel (Wisconsin) share DNA with descendants of Henry Hamall (Chicago), with match levels consistent with a close family relationship (exact cM values to be documented in concluding episode).
Naming Patterns: Both families used the names Owen and Henry—Owen Hammel named a son Henry Patrick; Henry Hamall's son Owen (Chicago) is documented. This cross-use of names was common among siblings honoring each other.
Same Parish: Both families married in Donaghmoyne parish—Owen to Ann King (1846), Henry to Mary McMahon (1841)—within five years of each other.
Similar Emigration Pattern: Both families emigrated during the Famine era and settled in the American Midwest.
A full DNA analysis matrix will be presented in the concluding episode of this series.
What was the exact relationship between Owen Hammel of Wisconsin and the Chicago Hamall family? The working hypothesis is that Owen and Henry Hamall were brothers, making Owen Hammel the uncle of the Chicago Owen Hamall (1847–1898). This would explain the DNA matches, the shared naming patterns, and the marriages in the same Irish parish.
Additional evidence needed: Irish baptism records for Owen Hammel and Henry Hamall showing common parents; passenger records showing emigration from the same location; additional DNA data from both lines.
Timeline
From Donaghmoyne to Wisconsin — A Life Reconstructed
Owen Hammel born — Ireland (County Monaghan presumed), based on gravestone stating "Aged 41 yrs" at death in 1858
Ann King born — Ireland (County Monaghan presumed)
Marriage: Owen Hamill marries Ann King in Donaghmoyne Parish, Co. Monaghan (exact date unknown; "January 1" is a default entry). Same year: daughter Mary baptized
Family emigrates from Ireland during the Great Famine, arriving in New York
Son James born in New York before family moves west
July 15: First U.S. census appearance — Owen (35), Nancy (34), James (1) in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin
Daughter Mary Elizabeth born in Wisconsin
October 27: Owen files Declaration of Intention to become U.S. citizen, Rock County Circuit Court
Son Henry Patrick born in Wisconsin
Daughter Mary Anna (Ann) born in Wisconsin
June 11: Owen Hammel dies intestate at age 41, Town of Center, Rock County. Buried Saint Michael's Cemetery, Stebbinsville
July 16: Census shows Ann (as "James Hammel" — misrecorded) as widow in Center Township with children
October 13: Ann petitions for guardianship of minor children; appointed guardian by Judge Amos P. Prichard
November 11: Court authorizes sale of 18-acre farm; notice published in Janesville Gazette
December 9: Public auction at Hyatt House, Janesville; John Loudon purchases farm for $350
Census shows Ann with children James, Mary, Henry, and Anna in Brooklyn Township, Green County, Wisconsin
June 11: Son James marries Mary Ann Sherron in Burt County, Nebraska
Census shows Ann (71, widow) with daughter Ann in Burt County, Nebraska
July 4: Daughter Anna marries Nathaniel Engel at German Catholic Church, Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska
Ann (Nancy) King Hammel dies; buried Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Nebraska
Document Gallery
Want to Know When New Stories Are Published?
Subscribe to receive updates on new family history research—no spam, just meaningful stories when there's something worth sharing.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTEREvery Family Has a Story Worth Telling
Whether you're just beginning your research or ready to transform years of work into a narrative your family will treasure, I'd love to help.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR FAMILY