Land Ownership Maps of Thompson Township, Illinois
I originally stumbled upon the Hasselbachers and Hesselbachers of Jo Daviess County, Illinois when I found the map just below. In the northwest corner of Thompson Township near Scales Mound Township is a small farm belonging to John Hesselbacher. Further south is a farm belonging to Adam Hasselbacher. On the next map available to me in 1913, the Adam Hasselbacher farm has already passed transferred ownership to G.S. Anschutz and will change hands several more times over the years. However, the John Hesselbacher farm enlarges and appears to split. The larger portion remains under the family name until 1988 when it appears to be taken over by banks.
(Download a higher resolution 1893 map of Thompson Township here. 1.9 MB)
Changes in Land Ownership
Here is a summary of ownership of the two farms from available maps. Note the varying spelling of, Hesselbacher vs Hasselbacher.
| Date | Farm of John Hesselbacher | Farm of Adam Hasselbacher |
|---|---|---|
| 1893 | John Hesselbacher | Adam Hasselbacher |
| 1913 | " " " " Farm enlarged. | GJ Anschutz |
| 1936 | Ernest Hasselbacher and L Hesselbacher | J Hammon |
| 1947 | " " " " | Jas. Cole & Gert. Cole |
| 1954 | Ernest Hesselbacher | |
| 1959 | " " " " Farm enlarged. | R. Montgomery |
| 1963 | Orville Hasselbacher | " " " " |
| 1978 | Orville Hesselbacher | " " " " |
| 1981 | " " " " | " " " " |
| 1987 | " " " " | " " " " |
| 1988 | no label | " " " " |
| 1989 | Bank Mont. | " " " " |
| 1990 | State Bank | " " " " |
| 1994 | Bank Trust | " " " " |
Changes in ownership and spelling shown on Maps
The following series of maps shows how the John Hesselbacher farm evolved over 100 years.
In 1913 above, John Hesselbacher owns the original homestead and has purchased the Düerstein farm just north.
By 1936, the original homestead is now labeled L. Hesselbacher (trust me on the spelling) and the larger portion is owned by Ernest Hasselbacher.
1936
and in 1947 below, the different spellings are maintained
1947
In 1954 and 1959 below, only the farm of Ern. Hesselbacher remains labeled.
1954
1959
In 1963, the farm passes to Orville Hasselbacher where it remains (but spelled as Hesselbacher) through 1987.
1963
1978
By 1989 the land has passed into control of various banks at least through 1994.
1990
As I begin even a superficial search descendants of these people, it is obvious that Hesselbachers have thrived in Jo Daviess County. There are some living there today. However, I have not yet found traces of Hasselbachers. It appears that there may have been more than two original settlers with these names. It will be fun and interesting to learn more about them.
Return to Jo Daviess introduction page.
Return to hasselbacher.org home page.