Hermann Heller (1816 - 1863)

Born 3 Aug 1816 in Königswart, Bohemia, Austrian Empire

Husband of Theresa Esther (Weiss) Heller — married 15 Jun 1842 in Ober-Chodau, Bohemia (now Chodova, Czech Republic

Descendants

Died 25 Feb 1863 at age 46 in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, Virginia

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Biography

Hermann Heller was born at Königswart, Bohemia, in 1816, third son of Emanuel Heller and Fanni Hofmann.^[1] He grew up at Königwart, married Theresa in 1842 and lived at Königswart, where he was a baker, for about eight years, then lived for a while at Marienbad (now Marianske Lazne) and Elbogen (now Sokolov) before leaving for America with his family in the summer of 1854. According to family tradition they were scheduled to sail on a steamship but it broke down and they were put aboard a sailing ship which took eight weeks to cross the Atlantic. Infant sons, born shortly before they left, perished on the transatlantic journey.^[2] The family arrived in Woodstock, Virginia, in December, 1854, according to their eldest son, Moritz, when he applied for a passport in 1912.^[3] His recollection appears to be quite accurate because Herman appeared in the Shenandoah County, Virginia Court Court, January 10, 1855 to declare his intention of becoming a citizen.^[4] A month later Herman Heller purchased a house in Woodstock from Joseph Irwin.^[5] He was named as an administrator of his brother Moritz's will in 1856 and according to his sons, Moritz and Richard, Herman was "an important merchant in Woodstock," until 1859, when the family moved further south and opened a store in the little village of Edom in Rockingham County, Virginia.

The moved to Rockingham County was probably made because the railroad had reached the town of Mount Jackson by 1859 and it would be easier to stock and maintain a store in Rockingham County. Herman Heller became postmaster at Edom in March, 1860, but lost that position when Virginia seceded from the Union in 1862. It also became difficult to maintain the store and so he moved into the town of Harrisonburg and joined his brother-in-law, Leopold Wise, in mercantile business on Court Square. Herman died in Harrisonburg in February 1863 and was buried in newly established Woodbine Cemetery in Harrisonburg.^[6]

Sources

• Herbert C. Heller, "Descendants of Emanuel Heller," unpublished manuscript (circa 1935), with forward by Adolph Shakman. Copy in possession of Daniel W. Bly.
• Jewish Records of Königswart (Lazne Kynzvart), Bohemia, Narodni Archiv (National Archives), Prague, Czech Republic. digital images online at [1]
• Daniel W. Bly, Here to Stay: The Founding of a Jewish Community in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, 1840-1900, Harrisonburg, VA (2016).

Footnotes

1. ↑ Lazne Kynzvart Geburtsmatrik (Birth Register), 1783-1839, p. 25. Zidovske Matrik (Jewish Register) #957, Narodni Archiv (National Archives), Prague, Czech Republic.
2. ↑ Herbert C. Heller, "Descendants of Emanuel Heller," p. 10.
3. ↑ Deposition of Moritz Heller in the passport application of Richard Heller, 1912. United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925. Digital images at Ancestry.com.
4. ↑ Herman Heller's Declaration of Intent, Shenandoah County, Virginia, Circuit Court Minute Book. 1853-1859, p. 90.
5. ↑ Shenandoah County, Virginia Deed Book "2," p. 503.
6. ↑ Obituary, Rockingham Register, (Harrisonburg, weekly) March 6, 1863. Tombstone inscription, Find A Grave: Memorial #31358762.