Owen Hammel Guardianship Records
When Owen Hammel died in 1858, he left his widow Ann with four young children and an 18-acre farm in rural Wisconsin. Seven years later, Ann petitioned the court for guardianship of her children and permission to sell the land. The resulting case file—over twenty pages of legal documents—provides an extraordinary window into this immigrant family's struggle for survival.
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Are You a Descendant of Owen & Ann Hammel?
If you descend from James, Mary, Henry (Patrick), or Anna Hammel, these are your family documents. We're actively connecting with descendants of this line as part of our DNA research into the Donaghmoyne Network. Get in touch — we'd love to share what we've found and learn what you know.
About This Research
These guardianship records were discovered through systematic research into Rock County courthouse records. The case file solved a decades-old family mystery: what happened to Owen Hammel after the 1850 census? The documents reveal he died in 1858, leaving his widow to raise four children alone on an isolated farm. This collection demonstrates how courthouse records can fill gaps that vital records and census data cannot. Read the full story →