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Generation No. 1

*Johannes Hotz was born August 12, 1751. He married Magdalena Assolter. She was born 1769 in Heggigen, Switzerland.

Child of Johannes Hotz and Magdalena Assolter is:

*Samuel Hotz, b. April 25, 1772; d. January 22, 1844.

Generation No. 2

Samuel Hotz was born April 25, 1772, and died January 22, 1844.

Children of Samuel Hotz are:

Magdalena Hotz, b. June 29, 1797.

*Johannes Hotz, b. March 15, 1799; d. August 11, 1856.

Jakob Hotz, b. June 16, 1801.

Barlear Hotz, b. April 28, 1802; d. September 07, 1863.

Samuel Hotz, b. August 13, 1808; d. October 07, 1838. Married May 11, 1838.

Rosina Hotz, b. April 03, 1808. Married May 11, 1838.

Anna Elizabeth Hotz, b. 1876; m Jakob Gross, March 07, 1839.

Generation No. 3

Johannes Hotz (Samuel, Johannes) was born March 15, 1799, and dies August 11, 1856. He married Maria September20, 1818. She was born April 10, 1793 in Niederbyl, Switzerland, and died January January 24, 1865.

Children of Johannes Hotz and Maria are:

Maria Hotz, b. June 16, 1820; d. 1832.

Elizabeth Hotz, b. April 28, 1822; m. Jos Wezinger, October 18, 1844.

Joseph Frederick Hotz, b. November 19, 1824; d. January 15, 1825

Johannes Frederick Hotz, b. May 07, 1826, Herzogenbuschsee, Switzerland; d. 1862. He married Anna Christen September 02, 1853, daughter of Jakob Christen and Barbara (Rychter). Anna was born May 05, 1833 in Near Bern, Switzerland and died August 20, 1908 in home of her daughter, Mrs. J.M. Billings

Notes for Johannes Frederick:

He came to America in a sail ship With his brother Johan Jakob Hotz in 1856, meeting with adverse winds which kept the ship on the ocean for six weeks. Came to New York, Chicago, and St. Louis and then in 1858 to Geary City, Kansas. While living there he left for Leavenworth to enlist in the Civil War. He and two other companions left in a boat which was found later with bullet holes in it. His body was never found. We believe this to be in 1862.

Samuel Hotz, b. October 02, 1831; d. August 27, 1852.

*Johan Jakob Hotz, b. November 15, 1834, Herzogenbuchsee, Canton Bern, Switzerland; d. April 15, 1899, Berger, Missouri.

Johan Jakob Hotz b. 15 Nov 1834 in Herzogenbuschse, Switzerland; Canton Bern. (Memory verse John 14:3) d. 15 April 1899 while serving the Bethany Church in Berger, MO. He is buried with other family members in the Bethany UCC Church Cemetery. He married Verena Kopp ( born 5 Mar 1838 in Switzerland; d. 11 Mar 1917 in New Haven, MO and is buried in the Bethany UCC Church Cemetery; Memory Verse Psalm 13 v. 25) on 13 June 1866 at the Friedens Church near St. Charles, MO and the Rev. Peter Goebel officiated.

Johan Jakob Hotz entered the Evangelical Church Seminary in Marthasville in 1861. He was ordained in 1866. His first church was in Weldon Springs, MO in 1866. He moved on to the Cottleville, Mo Church in 1868. From 1872 until 1879 he served the Brighton, IL Church. His final pastorate was the Bethany (Bethania) Church in Berger, MO from 1879 until his death.

Johan Jakob Hotz is credited with beginning the St. James Evangelical Church in Stonyhill, MO. The church history states as follows: The earliest beginning of the St. James Evangelical Congregation at Stonyhill, MO dates back to August 10, 1890 when the Rev. J.J. Hotz, pastor of Bethany Evangelical Church, near Berger, conducted services in the home of Mr. Christian Gumper, and baptized two children, namely: John David Gumper and Wilhelmina Heiniein, (now Mrs. Edwin Allemann.) Thereafter, Rev. Hotz conducted services in the Gumper Home every other Sunday. On August 9, 1891, the corner-stone was laid with appropriate services conducted by the Rev. J.J. Hotz. On May 26, 1892 the new church was dedicated to the Triune God with Rev. J.J. Hotz, founder and temporary pastor of the church conducted the ceremonies.

According to the church history for St. John's Church in Cottleville, Missouri which quotes from the book written in 1939 by Dr. Carl Schneider in "The German Church on the American Frontier"; The St. John's Church was founded by Rev. Peter Goebel, who was pastor of Frieden's Church near St. Charles, who had been preaching there occasionally and baptizing some children, and that the Rev. John J. Hotz, a vicar to Rev. Peter Goebel near St. Charles, came to St. John's at Cottleville as its first pastor in 1866 and served for two years. While Rev. Hotz was serving this community, before his marriage, he boarded with the Jacob Schneider home about 1 1/2 miles west of Weldon Spring. On June 13, 1866 Rev. J.J. Hotz was united in marriage with Miss Verena Kopp of Switzerland by the Rev. Peter Goebel at Friedens Church near St. Charles. Immediately after their marriage they lived in Cottleville and served St. John's Congregation until a one room log cabin was built on what was then the Christian Fey farm now owned by the Nobel family. Winter set in before the lumber for a window on one side of the cabin could be hauled by oxen from St. Charles and so Mrs. Hotz hung some of her Swiss bedding to keep out the cold. The cabin floor was above ground and the pigs sought shelter under it.

While the Rev. and Mrs. Hotz lived at Cottleville they went out nearly every day to the plot of ground that had been purchased by the congregation near the Weldon Spring. A daughter, Mrs. A.J. Jena, stated, "My Father cut down the first tree and my Mother burned the brush."

According to a letter written July 1, 1932 from Rev. Brink to Dr. Carl Schneider, the charter members of original St. John's Church were residents of Cottleville and Weldon Spring Community and in February 1866 Rev. J.J. Hotz was called to serve this newly organized congregation. It seems a large percentage of the membership lived in the community near the Spring, known as Weldon Spring, and so Rev. Hotz preached occasionally in a school house near the Spring. In the new year meeting of 1867 a majority of the membership seemed to favor building a church building near the Spring and in February 1867 four acres of ground including the Spring were purchased by the Western faction and Rev. Hotz moved into a log house constructed on this property near the Spring. Rev. Hotz served from 1866 to 1868.

Fred and Carol Hotz visited the Bethany Church and Cemetery in the summer of 1995. The church was locked and it was decided to visit the people in a near by house to inquire about the congregation. Arthur and Faye Schutt, members of the congregation and keepers of the church photo album, shared the following information and gave pictures of Rev. J.J. Hotz and his family.

The following is a story of Rev. J.J. Hotz and the Bethany (Bethania) Evangelical Church now called Bethany United Church of Christ as recalled by a member, Authur Schutt, who lives near the church in 1991:

This is a brief history as I recall it from what my father told me about the Rev. J.J.Hotz family who was a long time pastor here at Bethany from 1879 to 1899.

Rev. Hotz confirmed my father and mother and married them in 1893. Rev. Hotz was also a farmer and mailman. He planted corn and made hay of the cleared ground that Bethany Church had at that time for his horse, cow, chickens and he sometimes butchered a hog. Those days the members (all farmers) would share some of their crops harvested with the pastor and family rather than money. There were no telephones and rural mail service at that time. Rev. Hotz would ride on his horse to Berger Station (now Berger, MO) and get the mail to be distributed on Sunday at the churches in the Big Berger Community. He would deliver mail to the old Methodist Church which stood at the Southeast of what is the Elmer Kropp farm and also to the Stonehill store. That's how he got started to organize the Stonehill Church north of Gerald. When they had children to be baptized several families would get together at one house. Rev. Hotz would ride his horse straight through the woods to baptize them. In 1890 he had enough families interested to establish St. James Church in Stoneyhill, MO.

During his pastorate here at Bethania, the present church bell was installed bearing his name on it. (The name was spelled Holtz, however.) He was so proud of it he would ring it everyday--morning at sunrise, at noon, and in the evening at sunset. My father had a mule he used to work the fields. When the mule heard the bell at noon he stopped and couldn't be moved. It was time to eat and he knew it! The bell weighed 800 pounds. One morning when Rev. Hotz rang the bell it was so cold it cracked and had to be repaired. They decided to make it better but the added weight changed the sound.

As I recall he had seven living children and three died in infancy and are buried on Bethany Cemetery. The boys when on vacation from school or college would help the farmers in the community.

It was also during Rev. Hotz's ministry that the log parsonage was partly dismantled and a six room farm house was added--four rooms downstairs with a hall in the middle. One large log room was remodeled which later was the kitchen with the cellar under it. Rev. Hotz passed away in 1899 and was laid to rest on Bethania cemetery. His son Rev. A.J. Hotz then served Bethany till 1901. ( A.J. Hotz was bald and wore a wig. His wife who was from Kentucky didn't like living in the country.) Then Mrs. J.J. Hotz and family moved to New Haven, MO where she passed away in 1917 and was laid to rest on Bethany Cemetery. Mrs. Hotz was brought out from New Haven by wagon. A lunch was served to the family after the funeral.

I remember in the winter when it snowed Rev. Hotz would say in German that he liked the big snowflakes because it reminded him of Switzerland.

The following is a story of Rev. J.J. Hotz recalled by Fred Hotz as told by Emil Hotz:

When the Rev. J.J. Hotz was riding his horse, he was often in deep thought and not aware of his surroundings. One day he surprised a skunk which sprayed him. He had only one suit and had to wear it in church the next day. He and Verena decided to bury it for a while to see if the smell would go away. Later it seemed to be all right and he wore it to church. Well, the church was very warm and he noticed the members of the congregation began to sniff the air. He knew his secret was about to be revealed!

The following article was found at the Eden Seminary Library in Webster Groves, MO. It was written in German and translated by Lydia Hoffman from Millstadt, IL.

Pastor J.J. Hotz

The following article was written by Rev. Jac. Irion, St. Louis, MO for the Friedensbote.

An unusually large group of people gathered on the afternoon of April 17 at the cemetery in Berger, MO members of the Bethania Congregation which Rev. Hotz had served as pastor for 20 years. He suffered from dropsy, he bore his suffering with dignity. He was born Nov. 15, 1834 in Herzegenbachsee Canton Bern, Switzerland. His parential religious home training caused him a desire to enter the ministry. In 1861 he entered the seminary and with diligence prepared for the ministry, was ordained in 1866 and served as vicar in Weldon Springs and Cottleville, MO also assisted the needy congregation in Brighton, and as teacher and pastor, the show of appreciation was evident by the mass of people who attended the funeral. Verena Kopp married the pastor Hotz in 1866, twelve children were born in this union, of those 5 are now deceased, while 3 sons and 4 daughters and the mother are grieving for the deceased.

The neighboring pastors expressed their respect for the Rev. Hotz by helping the family in many ways, especially two pastors, W. Bek and J. Daitz and The congregation secretary. The pall bearers were A. Kuhn, H. Krausekopf, Chris Irion, F. Schulz, G. Zimmermann, H. Kautz. Rev. H. Mohr gave the blessing at the grave. Rev. A. Kuhn dedicated a spoken memorial to his fatherly friend.

der Friedensbote

Vol. 50 page 46

Children of John Jacob. Hotz and Verena Kopp:

1. Frederick Traugott Hotz (Fritz) b. 20 Dec 1874 in Brighton, IL d. 15 Sept 1943 in

Pana, IL and was buried 18 Sept 1943 in the Zion Church Cem. in Hoyleton, IL He

married Anna Senf (b. January 22, 1875; d. June 21, 1967; buried in the Zion Church

Cem in Hoyleton, IL).

2. A. Jacob Hotz (minister) Jacob was his given name but his wife, who was from

Kentucky, called him James.

3. Ernst Hotz ( storekeeper in MO) Children: Lilly Hotz, son

4. Marie Hotz m. Julius L. Capella; Child: Rose Marie m. Henry Kaufmann (Bakery in St. Louis,

MO)

5. Angela Hotz m. Suddmeyer (minister in Hermann, MO); Children: Arnold, Lewis

(both were ministers)

6. Verena Hotz b. July 1887 d. March 1965; never married.

7. Girl ? lived in Ft. Wayne, Ind

8. Benjamin Hotz b. 21 Sept 1880 in Berger, MO; d. 2 Oct 1880 in Berger, MO, buried in

Bethany Church Cem. in Berger, MO.

9. Lydia Hotz b. 3 Dec 1881 in Berger, MO; d. 26 Aug 1882 in Berger, MO; buried in

Bethany Church Cem. in Berger, MO

Frederick Traugott Hotz, the son of Jacob J. Hotz and Verena (Kopp) Hotz, was born 20 Dec 1874 in Brighton, IL. He died 15 Sept 1943 in Pana, IL. and was buried in the Zion Evangelical Church Cemetery in Hoyleton, IL, now Zion United Church of Christ.

He married Anna O'tillis Senf who was born 22 Jan 1876 in South Bend, IN. Frederick often said the two best things he ever got in his life were his wife and his pocketwatch and they both came from South Bend, IN. Anna Hotz died 21 June, 1967 and was buried 24 June 1967 in the Zion Evangelical Church Cemetery in Hoyleton, IL. Anna Hotz's family came from Prussia in East Germany.

Four children were born of this marriage as follows:

Emil Frederick Hotz (minister) who was born 8 May 1907 in Waterloo, IL and was christened in the Waterloo Evangelical Church. He married Frieda Caroline Krughoff (born 18 April 1908) at the Zion Church in Hoyleton, IL on 2 Dec 1934. Emil Hotz died 28 April 1966 in Marissa, IL where he was minister of Friedens United Church of Clhrist. He is buried in the North Prairie Cemetery near Hoyleton, IL and close to the Albert Krughoff family farm.

Louise Verena Hotz who was born 16 Jan 1909 in Quincey, IL. She was christened 14 Feb 1909 at St. Peter's Evangelical Church in Quincey, IL. On 7 July 1935 she married Leonard Frederick Weigel (born 24 Oct 1910; died 20 Nov 1910; minister) at Zion Church in Hoyleton, IL. Leonard Weigel died while serving as a hospital chaplain in Taylor, MI.

Armin (Shorty) Delmar Hotz (mortician and owner of Hotz Funeral Home and Furniture Store in St. Peters, IL) who was born 3 Jan 1911 in Menomie, MI. He married (1) Esther Fricke in Metropolis, IL on 21 Feb. 1936. Rev. Emil F. Hotz performed the ceremony at St. John's Church. Esther died 6 Feb 1977. (2) Rosemary Piper Toberman on 28 July 1979 at Grove Lake, Farina, IL. Shorty Hotz died 16 May 1990 and was buried in Lutheran Church Cemetery in St. Peters, IL.

Walter Albert Hotz (minister) who was born 26 Sept 1912 in Menomie, MI. He married Frieda Stein 12 July 1936 in Holland IN. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Leonard Weigel. Walter Hotz died 28 April 1979 in St. Charles, MO. where he was minister of Good Shepherd Church. He was buried 1 May 1979 in St. Charles, MO.

Frederick T. Hotz obtained a teaching certificate. The topic for his college thesis concerned a new teaching method for teaching German.

At the time of his graduation the Evangelical Church had parochial schools and he became a parochial school teacher in Waterloo, IL. He was teaching here when his son Emil was born in 1907. By 1909 when his daughter Louise was born he had moved the family to Quincy, IL to teach there.

By 1911 when Shorty was born the family moved from Quincey to Monominee, MI where Frederick became a high school German teacher in the Monominee Public High School. University professors came to observe his classes to learn the new method for teaching German.

Emil remembered the cold weather and told about building a plank wall around the foundation of the house and filling the space between the plank wall and the house with leaves for insulation. He also remembered men cutting ice blocks from the lake in winter and storing them in an ice house for use in the summer. The ice blocks were packed in straw so they wouldn't melt as the temperature warmed. Their neighbor had an ice boat that he used on the frozen lake. Louise (Hotz) Weigel remembers they lived near the police station. Louise also remembers that she and her brothers had either measles or one of the other diseases that required them to be quarantined in the dark in their bedroom. The shades were all pulled and they heard a loud noise outside. They lifted the shades and all looked out the window and there was a big horse and buggy accident. Then their mother, Anna, found out they had lifted the shades, she made them pull the shades down and get back in bed.

By 1912 the family moved from Monominee, MI to Aurora where Frederick taught German at the Aurora Public High School. At this time Shorty was 3 years old. Frederick became a part time trainer for the football team in Aurora and Emil remembered that when he was a young boy being on the sidelines with his dad.

When World War I broke out the family, being of German heritage, felt they were being watched. An older woman who lived across the street from their house would sit in her window and watch Frederick every day leave and return from teaching. Knowing that he taught German, he was suspected of being a German spy and his name was turned in to the authorities. Frederick burned his college thesis and the family began attending a non-German church. Eventually Frederick was fired from his teaching job. The family became uncomfortable as the suspicions intensified and they decided it was time to move to St. Louis, MO where his sister Rosemarie lived. Frederick worked at a Kroger store and he also tried his luck at selling insurance.

In 1920 Frederick moved the family to Hoyleton, IL where he became superintendent of the Hoyleton Children Home. One hundred orphans lived in the home and the Hotz family became one big family with them. The family did have a separate living quarter but they ate together and played together with the orphans. The orphans called Frederick and Anna Mama and Papa. Papa Hotz was a taskmaster and Shorty remembered that if one of Frederick's children misbehaved they were punished twice as much because they were supposed to be examples. Louise remembers that she and her brothers had to help out with many, many of the chores at the orphanage. She remembers standing for hours ironing clothes... day after day. She also had to help with the meals. When Frederick Albert Hotz, Emil's son, visited his grandparents when he was a small boy he remembers going upstairs to the boy's dormitory bedroom with his Grandpa. His grandpa had to scold one of the boys.

In 1939 Frederick had a stroke and he and Anna moved to Evansville, IL to stay in the church parsonage with Emil Hotz family. Frederick's health did not improve and he and Anna left the children's home and moved to Fayetteville, IL where Frederick became the lay minister at the Evangelical Church there. Frederick Albert Hotz remembers visiting his grandparents here. His grandfather held up three hatchets and asked Fred to pick one. Fred, who was about four years old at the time, chose a pot metal hatchet. It broke shortly after the visit. Frederick Albert remembers that his grandfather got a new car. Emil's family borrowed the car to go to Holland, IN to visit Louise and Leonard Weigel at his first church. Frederick and Anna were in Fayetteville only a year when Frederick had a stroke.

Frederick and Anna move to Pana, IL to live with Walter Hotz and his family in the church parsonage. The lived upstairs. Frederick Albert Hotz remembers visiting his grandfather who was in bed. His grandfather gave him a set of Natural History books and Fred sat on the bed and looked at the pictures with him.

Frederick Albert Hotz remembers attending his grandfather's funeral in Pana. The funeral home was across the street from the church parsonage. Uncle Shorty asked to be the one to close the casket. Fred remembers playing in the yard with his cousins after the funeral.

Emil Frederick Hotz (minister) who was born 8 May 1907 in Waterloo, IL and was christened in the Waterloo Evangelical Church, now, as of 1958, the United Church of Christ. He married Frieda Caroline Krughoff (born 18 April 1900) at the Zion Church in Hoyleton, IL on 2 Dec 1934. Emil Hotz died 28 April 1966 in Marissa, IL where he was minister of Friedens Church. He is buried in the North Prairie Cemetery near Hoyleton, IL and close to the Albert Krughoff family farm.

Emil was twelve years of age when the family moved to Hoyleton. He attended eighth grade in Hoyleton. The next year he attended the high school in Nashville, IL His second year he returned to the newly formed Hoyleton High School. He then attended the Elmhurst Academy in Elmhurst, IL. He came home in the summer and supervised the boys at the children's home. One of the boys thought he looked like, Mike, one of the orphans that had recently left the home. This boy decided he would call Emil Mike. This nickname stuck and Emil's brothers and sister called him Mike after that.

In 1928 Emil attended Elmhurst College and then Eden Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

On July 15, 1931 he accepted his first church at St. John's United Church in Metropolis, IL. He married Frieda Krughoff Dec 2, 1934. Frieda brought a kitten along from home. The church parsonage was up on pillars and it was open underneath. At night the neighbors dogs chased rabbits under the house and Frieda and Emil could hear their tails beating on the floor joists. The house had no electricity or running water. Gas lamps were used and Frieda ironed with a gas iron that had to be pumped like today's camping lantern.

The drinking water was rain water collected in a cistern close to the house. A bucket on a chain over a pulley was used to draw the drinking water. A second cistern out by the wash house in back was used for wash water. A cover had to be moved away and the wash water was dipped out with a bucket. The clothes were washed with a tub and a scrub board.

The house was heated with a coal stove. In the morning during the winter the water buckets frequently had ice on top.

Emil hired the neighbor girl to do the washing when Frieda was expecting. The girl was very tall and she really wanted to do a good job for the minister's family. Emil joked and said she wore out the towels because she scrubbed them so hard.

Dr. Decker came the night before Fred was born and slept on the couch. Frederick Albert Hotz was born as the bell for Sunday School was ringing on March 15, 1936. The church council told Emil he wouldn't have to preach but he did preach the regular 10:00 service.

In June of 1936 the family moved from Metropolis to the St. John's Evangelical Church in Evansville, IL. The new parsonage seemed like heaven since they had running water, electricity, a bathroom and a furnace.

Fred was 3 months old when the family moved to Evansville and they lived there until Fred April 1947 when Fred was in the fifth grade. There were two rooms in the school house. One room was for first through fourth grade and Fred's teacher was named ______. The other room was for fifth through eighth grade and Fred's teacher was named Mrs. Becker. Fred's playmates were the Berk girls and Francie Weirheim.

The family was now closer to relatives in Hoyleton and could spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with them. As Fred grew older he rode the train to spend mid June to the first of August with his grandparents, Millie and Albert Krughoff, at their farm in Hoyleton. Emil and Frieda came when Emil had two weeks vacation. Often the family would go to visit Frieda's uncle, Rev. Paul Brink, and his family in Redbud, IL

In 1947 Emil moved the family to Mayestown, IL where he would serve the St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church. The family moved into a house the church had just purchased for the parsonage. It was brick with many windows. The first floor had a big entrance hall and stairs, four rooms and a bath. The second floor had a stairwell entrance room, two finished bedrooms and an attic room. Fred's room was the front bedroom that looked out over the street. The family also enjoyed a glassed-in back porch. The limestone church with a steeple and two bells was just down the street. Near-by was a two-story frame building called the hall. Many baseball games took place in front of this building.

Mayestown is built on a bluff and the streets are quite steep. In winter the children went sledding. They started their sleds at the church, went one block and made a left turn, went another two blocks, made a right turn, and went another three blocks all the way down to the creek at the bottom of the bluff.

The first summer, Fred and his new friends Bob Rusterberg, Lee Hoffman, and Charlie Pape organized a club. They built a raft out of old doors and sailed it on the pond up the hill behind the parsonage. They also seined the pond and caught a large snapping turtle. They kept it in a tub for awhile and then asked Lee Hoffman's mom to cook it for them. Fred didn't eat any.

Frieda had a big garden in back of the house which Fred helped cultivate. She raised peas, beans, tomatoes, and some corn. When the vegetables were harvested Frieda canned them. She also picked blackberries in the sinkhole accross the road and made jelly.

Fred remembers his dad spent most of the day is his study or was out visiting with people of the congregation or visiting the sick in the hospitals. He also taught confirmation classes and had night meetings with the church board and organizations. The family attended church socials where everyone brought potluck. Fred always looked for his mom's food because he didn't like the way the other women cooked.

In Mayestown, Fred got a dog from Melvin Faus which was named Candy. The first fall she had three puppies. Fred was sad when they were given away. Each day Candy waited by the side porch for Fred to come home from school. When she saw Fred she ran to meet him.

Two town residents stand out in Fred's memory, Wippy Wipperman and Mrs. Rahn. Wippy Wipperman was an artist and painted scenery around town. He also was a wood carver and made a small pair of pliers that worked. The boys sat on his front porch under a shade tree and talked. Mrs. Rahn was the town telephone operator. Kenny and Bill, her sons, were good friends of Fred. The switchboard was in the front room of their home. If she was gone Kenny and Bill had to run the switchboard.

Fred attended the one-room Poston school which is one mile north out of town. Elliot Altas was the first through eighth grade teacher. He was strict but a good teacher. The school had a stove in the corner and Mr. Altes kept the room temperature at 68 degrees. The school had in-door water but no sewer. There was a boy and a girl outhouse in back of the school. Before the children came into the school they had to sweep their shoes. Fred learned how to stand on one foot and sweep off the bottom of his shoes with a long handled broom.

In good weather Fred walked a mile to school and a mile home. School started at 9:00 a.m. and lasted until 4:00 p.m. They could not arrive until 9:00 and often waited on the porch of the Roy family until time to go to school.

During the school year, Fred spent the evenings doing homework and the family listened to "Amos and Andy" or other programs on the radio.

The boys went swimming in a swimming hole in the creek. Snakes were at one end by the stump and the boys swam at the other end.

The boys played a game called "Bottle Caps" where they hit bottle caps with a broom stick. They got large buckets of caps from the tavern. They didn't pick up the caps and the city fathers asked them to quit playing the game.

In 1950 after graduating from the eighth grade Fred attended high school in the nearby town of Valmeyer, IL. Fred was in a freshman class of 28. After the first quarter, Mr. Randolph, the principal, said, "If half of this class graduates they'll be lucky." In 1954 thirteen graduated and Fred was one of them!

Fred played baseball, basketball, was in student council, and played in the band. With so much activity after school he needed some transportation. Fred had saved some money from working for farmers (Mr. Altes) and bought his first car. It was a black, two-door 1935 Chevy and he paid $50 for it. Fred and his friends took turns driving to school on the day of a game. When the car got dirty it was washed in the creek.

One day when the boys were on the way to school, the steering wheel locked on Norman Weber's car and his car could only turn right. The car ran into the door of the tavern. Dorothy Leeking lifted the shade to see what had happened. Norman waved to her, backed up, and drove away. No damage was done.

Coach Vernon Tomlinson or "Coach" was hero of Fred's. He taught Fred about baseball and Fred thinks of him as a good coach.

In Fred's freshman year, Mr. Randolph taught Fred how to play the trombone. The next year he left and Mr. Willis came to teach band. For two years band was a disaster and there was no discipline. "Stumpy" stuffed the base horn full of lost and found clothes and one by one pulled them out during band. Norbie Vogel would sometimes tell the trombone section to play one measure behind everyone else. Mr. Willis just kept directing! For the senior year, Mr. Saulsman came to the school to teach band. He was a good teacher. The band marched in the Valmeyer, Waterloo, and Millstadt summer picnic parades. They also had concerts for parents.

During Fred's junior year Mr. Stone was the new physics teacher. During class Mr. Stone went into the chemistry closet to get something. One of the boys moved the projector stand between the closet door and the demonstration table blocking the door. For awhile the class took turns laughing and asking, "Where is Mr. Stone?" They finally let him out and he was angry.

Fred's best friends during his junior and senior year were Joe and Clyde Branson who had just moved to town. There sister is Sharon Mehrten.

Fred had a terrible history teacher, Frank Nation, during his senior year. Raymona Sweikert and Erlene Prange asked Fred to help them study for the class. When they finished they told Fred he should be a teacher. He answered I know I can do a better job than Frank Nation. From that point on he worked hard to get a teacher scholarship.

At his graduation, Fred was voted "Outstanding Athlete" in his class. Of course he was the only athlete. The next fall Fred attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL and used his scholarship to become a history teacher.

In the Fall of 1955, while Fred was in college, Emil and Frieda moved to Marissa, IL. to serve the Friedens United Church of Christ. Although Fred came home to visit his mom and dad and Candy, he never felt a real connection to Marissa and always felt Mayestown was his home town. In 1958 Fred graduated from college and moved to Millstadt, IL for his first teaching position.

Emil and Frieda continued to live in the church parsonage and were excited when the church decided to build a new ranch home next to the church. The church members tore down the old parsonage and Emil and Frieda moved to a house nearby.

It was during this time that Fred met Carol Poe who was also a teacher at Millstadt School. In 1965 Emil and Frieda moved into the new church parsonage and shortly after on June 19, 1965 Emil performed the marriage ceremony for Fred and Carol.

On the 28th of April, 1966 Emil Hotz collapsed and died while cutting the lawn. Frieda remained at the parsonage for a short time and then moved back to Hoyleton, IL. to live with her mother, Millie Krughoff.

The following article was printed in the Belleville News Democrat, Belleville, IL:

Rev. Emil Hotz, 58-year-old pastor of Friedens United Church of Christ, Marissa, collapsed and died at 6:30 o'clock last night at his home, 812 North Main Street,. The Rev. Mr. Hotz, who served the Marissa church since 1955, had been under the care of a physician for several years.

He was secretary-treasurer of the Marissa Ministerial Alliance, a board member of the Marissa Library and the New Athens Home for the Aged and served on the health and welfare committee of the South Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ.

A graduate of Elmhurst College in 1928 and Eden Seminary, St. Louis, in 1931, he accepted his first charge July 15, 1931 at the St. John United Church of Christ in Metropolis, IL. He also held pastorates at Evansville, IL and Mayestown before coming to Marissa.

A son of Frederick and Anna Hotz, nee Senf, he was born at Waterloo, IL on May 8, 1907. His father preceded him in death; his mother resides at St. Peter, IL.. He married Frieda Krughoff at Hoyleton on December 2, 1934.

Surviving besides his wife and mother are a son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Hotz, Millstadt. He is a teacher at the Millstadt School. Also surviving are two brothers, the Rev. Walter Hotz, St. Louis, and Armin Hotz, a funeral director at St. Peter; a sister, Louise, wife of Leonard Weigel, Taylor Center, MI, and nine nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Friedens Church and burial will be in North Prairie Cemetery, near Hoyleton. Officiating will be the Rev. Dr. Gerhard Friz of Columbia, IL, and the Rev. R.F. Tormohlen of Highland, who will be assisted by other ministers. Members of the church council will be the pallbearers.

Friends may call at the Hull Funeral Home, Marissa, after 10 a.m. Saturday and until noon Sunday when the body will be taken to church. Memorials may be made to the Frieden Church Building Fund.

The following article was printed in The Vandalia Union on Dec. 15, 1970:

Armin "Shorty" Hotz is celebrating his 35th anniversary in St. Peter as funeral director and owner of Hotz Furniture Store.

It all began during the depression years when Mr. Hotz, who lived in Hoyleton, began looking for a place to establish a business.

After looking into several opportunities for an embalmer, Mr. Hotz heard of a small town called St. Peter. He decided to look into it but his first visit to the little Fayette County town proved fruitless.

John F. Kruse was the local funeral director and operated the store. A few weeks after Armin's visit to him, Mr. Kruse contacted Armin, inviting him to spend some time in St. Peter, as his guest, and to get acquainted with its residents.

"Shorty" as Mr. Hotz is best known, accepted the invitation and after a short period of time, came to know and love the St. Peter people. It was then decided that St. Peter would afford his future.

It was December 10, 1935 that Shorty "Armin" Hotz of Hoyleton became a resident of St. Peter.

Shortly after that in February he married Esther and brought her to St. Peter where they would live and rear their family.

Although the furniture store is in the same building which John Kruse used when he was storekeeper and mortician in St. Peter, many changes have been made.

The store and funeral chapel of Mr. Kruse comprised about a third of the space of what is now Hotz Furniture Store. Mr. Hotz expanded the original quarters to both north and south. He also purchased a building in 1947 to be used as a funeral home.

The furniture store building has been rebuilt as well as expanded. It was during this time that the building was nearly destroyed during a hot dry summer when fire razed a nearby building and threatened many others.

Not only has Mr. Hotz been a prominent figure in the St. Peter business world and a friend in the time of tragedy, he has also been a valued citizen.

For 20 years he served as Mayor of the small village, and eight years prior to serving as mayor was a Village Alderman. He retired as mayor in 1969. He also is a member of the St. Peter Volunteer Fire Department and a former fire chief.

Mr. and Mrs. Hotz are parents of three children, Mrs. Martha Ann Wells of Chicago; Mrs. Mary Ellen Cooper of St. Charles, MO, and Butch, who assists his father in the furniture store. They also have three granddaughters and a grandson.

Frederick Albert Hotz recalls two family stories about Butch and Mary Hotz as follows:

Butch and Mary were playing near the caskets. Butch decided to get in one to see what it would be like when you are dead. While Butch was in the casket Mary decided to close the lid. Butch didn't like this at all!

It is also told the Butch's Sunday School teacher was talking about death with the children in his class. She asked, " Where do people go when they die?" Butch spoke up and said, "My Daddy comes and picks them up."

Shorty was a charter member (#131) of the Beer Can Collectors of America.

Shorty entered the Hohenschuh-Carpenter School of Embalming of St. Louis and graduated on March 30th, 1935.

Louise Verena Hotz was born 16 Jan 1909 in Quincey, IL. She was christened 14 Feb 1909 at St. Peter's Evangelical Church in Quincey, IL.

Leonard Frederick Weigel (born 24 Oct 1910; died 20 Nov 1985) was born and raised in Hoyleton, IL. Leonard was called to become a minister and studied at the seminary. On 7 July 1935 Louise married Leonard at Zion Church in Hoyleton, IL and she began her life as a minister's wife. Leonard's first call was to the Evangelical Church in Holland, IN. While in Holland, their son Robert Gordon Weigel was born on 5 May 1937 at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, IN.

Leonard and Louise next moved to Ohio when Leonard was called to a church in Elliston, OH. Their daughter Barbara Ann Weigel was born 26 March 1940 in Elliston, OH and was christened 26 May 1940 at Trinity Evangelical and Reformed Church in Elliston, OH.

The family moved again when Leonard was called to the St. Paul United Church of Christ in Taylor, MI. It was at this church when Bob Weigel married Marilyn Unger on the 11 November 1961. Their daughter, Barbara, was married at this church to James Hoover on 26 March 1964. Later she was married to Robert Schultz on 22 July 1977 at this church. Leonard continued his pastorate at this church until sometime in the 1980's when he retired and became a hospital chaplain in Detroit, MI. He also was an interim pastor in several churches.

Louise was a busy homemaker and mother but found time to also be active in church activities. In Taylor, MI she regularly volunteered at the hospital gift shop. Today she is plagued with arthritis at the age of 90, but she still remains as active as possible in her church activities and hospital work.

The following is taken from the funeral program for Walter Hotz:

Tuesday, May 1, 1979; 1:00 p.m.

In grateful memory and thanksgiving for the life of Reverend Walter Albert Hotz, D.D., which has been shared with us by our Lord, we celebrate and recall that Walter was born on September 26, 1912 in Menominee, Michigan, sharing over 67 years of his life with us. His parents, socially concerned and educationally oriented, Frederick T. and Anna (Snef) Hotz, raised three sons and a daughter. Walter was preceded in his death by his brother, Rev. Emil Hotz and is survived by his brother Armin (Shorty) Hotz and his sister, Mrs. Leonard (Louise) Weigel.

Walter was married on July 12, 1936 to Frieda Stein in Holland, Michigan. Frieda passed away on November, 30, 1978. As a father he raised and nurtured 3 daughters; Donna Dollgener of Mishawaka, Indiana, Carmin Youngblood of Miama Lakes, Florida, and Debbie Banta of St. Charles, Missouri; and one son, Mark Hotz of Oakville, Missouri. His heritage continues in six grandchildren.

As a minister of the gospel, he touched the lives of literally thousands of people as he is remembered in parishes such as: St. Paul Evangelical Church, Bible Grove, Illinois, 1936-38; St. John Evangelical Church, Pana, Illinois, 1938-52; St. John U.C.C., St. Charles, Missouri, 1952-58; Peace U.C.C. in Detroit, Michigan, 1959-65; Mt. Tabor U.C.C., St. Louis, Missouri, 1965-69; Good Shepard U.C.C., St. Charles, Missouri, 1969-77 where he retired; Interim Pastor, Faith U.C.C., Wentzville, Missouri through January, 1979. Most significantly, he shared his life with others through his dedicated service to the Church of Jesus Christ. The list of credits and credentials is long and impressive, the latest being the Certificate of Merit from the Council of Health and Welfare Services of the United Church of Christ, and the proudest, his Honorary Doctorate Degree from Elmhurst College, because of the recognition given by peers.

On this day we now gather to give thanks for a life which was spent among us and we testify to the ongoing life which he has so enabled by his presence in this earthly world. Each of us carry within ourselves something of his spirit in our lives because he has touched us. He has touched us as a friend, a husband, a father with four children, a grandfather with six grandchildren, as a father-in-law of one daughter and three sons (two of whom he has nurtured into the ministry); a brother, and finally as a pastor to thousands of people. Thank you God.

Interment will be at St. John Cemetery, St. Charles, MO

He was a loving man, always with a smile.

Hotz Family Reunion, July 1982

In 1982 a Hotz family reunion was held at the home of Frederick Albert Hotz in Millstadt, IL. Shorty and Rosemary Hotz, Louise and Leonard Weigel, Frieda Hotz, were the older members of the family who attended.

The following descendents of Shorty Hotz attended: Martha Ann and Klein Wells and their daughter Sharon; Mary and Nathan Cooper and sons Tim and Craig; Butch and Paula Hotz and daughter Emily.

Descendents of Louise and Leonard Weigel who attended were: Barbara and Bob Schultz and her children Darla and Dean; Bob and Marylin Weigel and children Lori and David.

Descendents of Walter Hotz who attended were: Donna and Dwayne Dollinger and children Cynthia, Paula and Carl; Mark and Deborah Hotz; Debbie and Keith Banta .

Descendents of Emil Hotz who attended were: Fred and Carol Hotz and children Mike and Cathy.

In response to an invitation to the family reunion, Lillie Hotz who lived at 3510 Forest Edge; Silver Springs, Maryland wrote the following letter (Lillie is a cousin of Emil, Louise, Shorty and Walter.):

Tuesday June 22, 1982

Dear Carol,

Thank you for your invitation to join your family reunion. I will not be coming.

I had a wonderful trip to Switzerland and I met four second cousins and some of their children. Sometime this summer I plan to write up the experience in detail. Cousin Jakob, Ernst and Martha are the grandchildren of Grandma Hotz's brother Johannes. Her brother Jakob was the brother that came to America in 1854 with his family.

Cousin Hildegurade Jena Metzler gave me a picture of a Ida Hershberger that had been sent to her mother (Aunt Theodora) by a Swiss relative. I met Ida at cousin Jakob's house but I failed to get the link that indicated how she is related to me.

The big problem for us was I spoke no German and Jakob, Ernst and Martha spoke no English. There was much much conversation and our translator couldn't keep up. However I intend to continue to keep in touch with them. Their hospitality was so warm and generous and everyone of them invited me to return. Cousin Jakob's daughter spoke English the most fluently of the three that could speak English. She and her husband had lived in the British Isles. They are planning to come to America sometime later in 1982 to visit friends in Northwest U.S.A.

I would like to return to Switzerland again and try to find some trace of the Hotz half of the family and to get better acquainted with the Kupp's I found.

Have a happy reunion. I'll be thinking about you.

Affectionately Cousin Lillie

Carol and Fred Hotz sent Christmas cards to Lillie until December 1988 when the card was forwarded to 706 Clayworth Drive; Ballwin, MO. This was the home of John and Ursula Hotz who moved to 14455 Greenville Drive in Ballwin, MO. It is not known what connection they had with Lillie or what happened to Lillie Hotz.

Descendants of Frederick T. Hotz children:

Emil Frederick Hotz and Frieda Krughoff

Child:

Frederick Albert Hotz b. 15 Mar 1936 m. Carol Poe 19 Jun 1965 at Friedens Church in Marissa, IL. Children: (1) Michael Frederick Hotz b. 9 Oct 1969 at Memorial Hospital in Belleville, IL ; chr. Zion United Church of Christ, Millstadt, IL; confirmation verse is Psalm 103 v. 1-2 (2) Cathy Ann Hotz b. 13 Jul 1970 at Memorial Hospital in Belleville, IL; chr. Zion United Church of Christ, Millstadt, IL; confirmation verse is Psalm 23 v. 1 m. Chris Gaby 22 Apr 1996; Child: Kelsey Ann b. 13 Nov 1997; chr Zion United Church of Christ Jan 1998.

Louise Verena Hotz and Leonard Frederick Weigel

Children:

Robert Gordon Weigel b. 5 May 1937 at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, IN m. Marilyn Unger 11 Nov. 1961 at St. Paul UCC in Taylor MI. Children: (1) Lori Beth Weigel b. 22 Oct 1962 at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, MI; chr 2 Dec 1962 at St. Paul UCC in Taylor, MI, m. Bruce Gee 17 Oct 1987; Child: Kristin Ashley Gee b. 2 Jan 1989 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.; (2) David Russell Weigel b. 30 Aug 1965 at Oakwood Hospital, Dearborn, MI; chr. 10 Oct 1965 at St. Paul UCC in Taylor, MI.

Barbara Ann Weigel b. 26 Mar 1940 in Elliston, OH; chr. 26 May 1940 at Trinity E & R in Elliston, OH.; m.(1) James Hoover 18 Jun 1960 at St. Paul Church in Taylor, MI (2) Robert Schultz, 22 July 1977; Children: (1) Dean Allen Hoover b. 12 July 1964 at Oakwood Hospital, Dearborn, MI; chr 6 Sept 1964 at St. Paul UCC in Taylor, MI. m. Penny Siml 5 May 1991 at St. Paul UCC in Taylor, MI.; (2)Darla Kay Hoover b. 9 Sept 1967 at Oakwood Hospital, Dearborn, MI; chr 29 Oct 1967 at St. Paul UCC in Taylor, MI.

Armin Delmar Hotz and Esther Ann Fricke

Martha Ann Hotz b. 1937 m. George Cline Wells 1934; Children: (1) Karen Ann Wells b. 1959 m. Wayne Alan Bork ? Children: Janine Ann Bork b. 1986; Joy Allyce Bork b. 1989.; (2) Sharon Kay Wells b. 1962 m. (1) Joe Arvidson (2) Thomas Ralph Swing m. ? Child: Mathew Thomas Swing b. 1996.

Mary Ellen Hotz b 2 Mar 1943 at Vandalia, IL; conf 14 April 1957 St. Peter's Luthern Church; St. Peters, IL d. 16 Jan 1996 m. Nathan Roy Cooper on 20 June 1965; Children (1) Timothy Todd Cooper b. 1966 (2) Craig Scott Çooper b. 1972 m. Melissa S. Jones 1996.

Armin Dale (Butch) Hotz b. 1945; m. Paula Gene Reitz Child: Emily Elizabeth Hotz b. 1969 m. Michael Charles Menn Child: Mackenzie Elizabeth Menn b. 19 Aug 1998.

Walter Albert Hotz and Frieda Stein

Children:

Donna Jean Hotz b. 23 March 1939 in Pana, IL m. Carol Dwayne

Dollgener on 7 June 1959 at St. John's Church, St. Charles, MO by Rev. Walter Hotz. Children: Cynthia b. 6 June 1960; Paula b. 18 June 1962; Carl 13 July 1964, d. 1988

Carmin Lee Hotz b. 16 March, 1948 in Pana, IL m. Harold Youngblood, Rev. 6 July 1969 at Good Shepherd Church, St. Charles, MO by Rev. Walter Hotz. Children: Cherish b. 23 Nov 1971; Shawna 28 March 1976; Mandy 28 March 1976.

Mark Delmar Hotz b. 10 Oct 1950 in Pana, IL m. Mary Bernard 4 May 1974 at Good Shepherd Church in St. Charles, MO by Rev. Walter Hotz.

Deborah Sue Hotz b. 27 Oct 1956 at St. Charles, Mo; chr. St. John's Church, St. Charles, MO; m. Keith Banta 30 July, 1977 at Good Shepherd Church in St. Charles, MO by Rev. Walter Hotz. Child: Katie b. 20 Apr 1986.

Oliver Christian Hotz; son of A.J. Hotz and nephew of Frederick T. Hotz

Born 16 Oct 1913

Seminary; Eden Theological Seminary

Ordained; 20 July 1940, Newport, KY

Churches:

Hamilton, Ohio; Redeemer 1940-44

Cincinatti, Ohio; 1st Reformed 1944-1952

Blue Island, IL; Evangelical Community 1952-1962

Cumberland, IN; St. John 1962-1968

Chicago, IL; Eden U.C.C. 1968-1970

Died 26 June 1970

U.C.C. Yearbook 1971, p. 344