Alice Catherine Hollabaugh Enck - Seventh Child of George and Elizabeth Hollabaugh

The Children of George and Elizabeth Bittinger Hollabaugh

(Great-Great Grandparents)

Sarah (1836-1918)

Eliza Jane (1838 - before 1918)

Mary Elizabeth (1840 - 1941)

*William Levi (1842 - 1939)

George Washington (1844 - 1924)

David William (1847 - 1936)

Alice Catharine (1849 - 1916)

Jacob Bittinger (1852 - 1943)

                                  Georgianna Hannah (1856 - 1944) 

 Alice was born on November 12, 1849 to George and Elizabeth, as recorded in the books of the Lutheran and Reformed Church, Arendtsville, Adams County, Pennsylvania.  She was baptized on April 7th, 1850, (mistakenly transcribed as 1840 online).  In the 1850 and the 1860 census, she was found enumerated with her parents, and in one instance, her name was written as Allin.  

In 1867, she married Henry Enck; she was 17 or 18. One researcher found the wedding announcement in the American Volunteer newspaper of Carlisle, PA, the October 17, 1867 edition, but I have not been able to get a copy of it as yet. 
According to the records of the Church of Christ in Harrisburg, Henry was born on August 12, 1844 in Dauphin County, PA to parents, 
John and Sarah.

The enumerator found Mr. and Mrs. Enck in Monroe Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in 1870.  Henry, 25, was working as a cooper and had personal effects worth $150.  Alice C., his wife, 20, and their children, Crayton - a son, aged 1 - and Carmy C. - a daughter, aged 2/12 - lived with him. 

Henry was a resourceful fellow and seemed to have a different type of job in each census.  In the 1880 census, the family lived in Mechanicsburg in Cumberland County.  Henry, 35, was a sewing machine agent, working to support their five children: Carmie C., 10; Argle H. (Harrison), 8; Minnie A.E., 6; John C., 4; and William R., 1. Where was the first born child, Crayton?  He was found enumerated with his Enck grandparents, John, 57, and Sarah, 60.  Crayton, 12, (written as Cranton) also had his Uncle Edmund, 26, and Aunt Lizzie, 23, in the home.  His grandfather Enck was a farmer near Silver Springs in Cumberland County, so perhaps the boy was helping on the farm.

In the books of the German Reformed Church, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Henry Enck and Alice C. Enck were admitted into membership on April 13, 1884. Just two years later, on April 19, 1886, the couple were dismissed, probably indicating that they had moved.

On June 11, 1900, the Encks were renting a home in Millersburg, Daughin County, PA.  Henry, now 55 years old, worked as a pretzel salesman.  Living right next door was John Enck, his son, and new wife, Rebecca, the owners of a pretzel factory.  Alice, now 50, reported that she had had ten children, eight of whom were still living.  At home were Argle (born October 1871), 28, single and working as a pretzel roller; Franklin (born May 1883), 17,single and a cutter in a shoe factory; Bertha (born August 1884), 15, single and a stitcher in a shoe factory; and little Mable (born March 1892), 8 and in school.

Where were the older children in 1900?  
By that time, the oldest, Crayton, had married Margarete Ellen (Ella) Zeiders and had one son, Ralph.
And...Crayton was a baker. At the pretzel factory?  They had a house servant, Marvin Holman, 17, living with he and his wife in Ward 9, Harrisburg, PA, as well as George Spealman, another baker.

The second child, Carmie, had married Ira Meck on May 11, 1893; he was a baker and she was a tailoress.  In the 1900 census, Ira gave his job as pretzel baker.  Living with them, also in Harrisburg, were Charles McClain, a pretzel baker, and Eloysius Jones, a pretzel baker apprentice.  Do you see a pattern here?  I envision a family business - a pretzel factory in which many of the family are employed.  Perhaps an old city directory, if it existed, could give us more information on that.

The 3rd child, Argle was at home.  Minnie, the fourth child married George Brown on July 30, 1895 in Harrisburg.  George gave his occupation as "rigger" - which perhaps related to sailing vessels.  He and Minnie were enumerated in Philadelphia in 1900 along with their two daughters, Florence, 4, and Myrtle, 1.  They also had boarders.

The fifth child, John C., was owner of the pretzel factory in which he had employed many of his family in Harrisburg.
The sixth child, William R., died at the age of 3 in 1882, and the seventh child, Nestor G., also died young, at the age of 12 in 1893.

The other three children, Franklin, Bertha and Mable were at home in 1900.

 Henry T. Enck died on November 2, 1905 in Harrisburg, leaving Alice a widow at about age 55.  Most of their children were independent by that time.  In 1910, Alice Hollabaugh Enck lived on Market Street in Harrisburg and at age 60, she was a washerwoman, taking in laundry for pay.  Mable, at 18, was also contributing by working as an operator at the telephone exchange.  (Perhaps her Aunt Mary Hennigh or cousin, Minnie, helped her get the job.)

Alice died at age 66 on February 9, 1916.  She, her husband, and sons, Nestor and William, are buried in the cemetery at Churchtown, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. 

More information on the Enck family from descendent, Bob Enck!

  Henry Enck, Sr. originally owned this log dwelling located on Locust Point Road, Mechanicsburg, PA, which was listed by the Bureau of Historic Preservation as being in fair condition on a form completed in 1986.  The form states that Henry "was a farmer with 99 acres, the guardian of Weaver heirs in 1842, but no house was listed until 1850.  An old barn was replaced with a new bank barn in 1853.  Henry Enck, Sr. married Alice C. Hollabaugh of Adams county on October 10, 1867.  This same property on the 1872 (atlas) is listed under Abraham Hertzler who was born in 1812 and moved to Cumberland County in 1852."

Bob is a descendant of Franklin Enck, son of Henry and Alice Hollabaugh Enck.  Franklin married Gertrude Chrisner (1882 - 1953) and moved to Philadelphia around 1920 from the Harrisburg area.  
Franklin and Gertrude had two sons, Frederick (1904-1961) and Paul (1908-1980).  Paul never married, but Frederick married Mae Gaunt (1903-1971) in 1927 at St. James Parish, 38th and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA, on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.
Frederick and Mae had three sons: Frederick (1928-2007), William, and Robert, Bob's father.)

Thank you so much, Bob, for this addition to the family story!