Houser Genealogy, PA, OH, IL

Generation One

Daniel Houser was born on 2 Jan 1855 in Missouri (according to what he put down on census records). Daniel died in Vermillion County, Illinois on 1 May 1929, he was 74. He is buried in Body Cemetery, Watseka, IL.

On 8 Nov 1877 when Daniel was 22, he married Henrietta SWIGERT, daughter of George H. Swigart & Julia Ann Page, in Iroquois County, IL. She was born in 1859. Henrietta died in 1898, when she was 39 yrs old leaving several young children behind, including my grandmother who was

In the 1920 Vermillion County, IL Census; Daniel and Lottie J. his daughter, my paternal grandmother, are living together (my grandmother didn't marry and have my father until she was about 39), anyway, on this census, he put down that he was born in Missouri, and that his mother (Henrietta Swigert) was born in Ireland, and his father was born in Pennsylvania. I'm sure the Houser name is German.

All of the ancestors mentioned below are buried in the Body Cemetery outside of Watseka, Illinois


Daniel Houser, 1900 Census	Daniel Houser, 1920 Census	Henrietta Houser

Daniel Houser and Henrietta Swiggert had the following children:

Maude B. Houser- b. 1878, died ? Ended up in Miami Springs, Fla, Maude married Andrew Hibler VLIET, (b. 24 Dec 1876, died Miami, Dade, Florida, 1955) son of Andrew Jackson Vliet and Elizabeth Hibler Fleming.

In the 1910 Vermilion Illinois Census, Grant, Township?, she is listed with her husband, Andrew W. Vliet, a son, Clarence, 12, a daughter, Gladys, 4 yrs old and her brother, Phelda, 20 yrs old is living with her. Maude and Phelda's mother, Henrietta Swigert died in 1898. Note that on 1910 and 1920 Census Maude says her father, Daniel Houser, was born in Ohio, and he, Daniel, said he was born in Missouri. They moved to Florida as evidenced by this last census in Dade County, FL in 1835.

Andrew Hibler Vliet obituary, 1955

Copy of unnamed Vermilion County newspaper clipping of Andrew H. Vliet's obituary:

"Funeral services for Andrew H. Vliet of Miami Springs, Florida, formerly of Rossville, were held Thursday afternoon last week from the Philbrick's Funeral Home in Hialeah.

Interment was in Flagler Memorial Park.

The following account of Mr. Vliet's death, which appeared in the Miami paper, was received in Rossville this week.

Andrew Huber {sic} Vliet, 79, of 89 North Melrose Drive, Miami Springs, was killed Monday morning, March 14th when his tractor "bucked" and fell on top of him.

It took nearly an hour to extricate him with shovels and a hydraulic jack because of the muck in the field in which he had been working, located west of Hialeah, three blocks off Okeechobee Road on Garden Road. He was apparently killed instantly.

Sgt. Arthur Chapman of the Hialeah Police Department said that when Mr. Vliet's tractor got stuck he chained a piece of 4x4 lumber to the single front wheel to get traction in the soft ground.

As one end of the lumber hit the muck instead of biting into the ground it threw the front of the tractor up and the heavy vehicle fell backward, pinning Mr. Vliet beneath it.

Mr. Vliet is survived by his wife, Maude; a daughter, Gladys, of Miami Springs, and a son, Clarence L. Vliet of Hialeah, Florida.

The Vliet's moved from Rossville to Miami around 25 years ago."


Maude, Clarence L., Gladys and Andrew Vliet	Gladys Peggy Vliet 1903-7 Dec 1963	Gladys' Obit
	Story about Clarence Vliet on left, son of Maude Houser Vliet

ii.

Lydia Houser Born 1879, in Kankakee. Lydia married George St. JOHN.

Roy Z. Houser (1884-1982); was 14 years old when his mother died. In the 1900 Census he is living with a young couple and listed as a servant. His mother had died two years previous.

Roy Z. died in Watseka, IL on 23 Sep 1982, he was 98. Buried in Body Cemetery, Watseka, IL. Roy Z. married Nora Martin or Barden. Born in 1885. Nora died on 17 Feb 1959, she was 74.

Roy Houser - Obituary: September 24, 1982

Roy Z. Houser, 98, Watseka, died at 1:53 p.m. Thursday, September 23, 1982 at Iroquois Memorial Hospital. He was born May 24, 1884 at Woodland, the son of Daniel and Henrietta Houser.

He married Nora Martin in 1904 at Woodland and she died in 1959. Survivors include one son, Earl Houser of Watseka; five grandchildren, Mrs. Robert E. (Pat) McMahon Harper and John A. Smith, Muncie, Ind., Barbara Jean Lasonder, Tucson, Ariz., Kim Houser, Seattle, Wash., and Mrs. Robert (Kandy) Christy, Watseka; five great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren. One son, two daughters, one brother and two sisters are deceased. Mr. Houser had resided in this area all his life and was a retired farmer. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at DeValk Funeral Home, Watseka. The Rev Hubert Lytle will officiate, with burial in Body Cemetery, Woodland. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.

Roy and Nora had the following children:

i

Earl Daniel Houser (1919-1985); died 3 yrs after father, buried Body cemetery. Earl's Obituary Reads:

Earl D. Houser, 66, Watseka, died at 2:30 pm Sunday, October 27, 1985 at Iroquois memorial Hospital. He was born April 23, 1919 at Woodland to Roy Z. and Nora Houser. Survivors include one daughter, Kandace Christy, Watseka; two grandchildren, James and Jessica Christy; two nieces, Patsy Harper of Muncie, Ind., and Barbara Lasonda, Tucson, Ariz; and one nephew, Jack Smith, Muncie, Indiana. Two brothers and two sisters are deceased. Mr. Houser was employed by the State Highway Department and Middleport Township Highway Department, retiring in 1978. He was a World War II Veteran. Services will be conducted at 2 pm Wednesday at the DeValk Funeral Home, Watseka. Burial will be in Body Cemetery.

ii

Melvin L. Houser, married Dorothy Finch and had "Kem Houser".

Melvin L. HOUSER. Born on 12 May 1916 in Woodland, Iroquois County, Illinois. Melvin L. died in Bellingham, Washington in 1970, he was 53. Born on 12 May 1916.

Obituary: M. L. Houser, formerly of Watseka, IL

A former Watseka resident, Melvin L. Houser, 54 of Belingham, Washington, died Wednesday from an apparent heart attack. A son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Z. Houser of Watseka, he was born May 12, 1916 in Woodland. The family moved to Watseka in 1924. Mr. Houser was a World War II Veteran, serving in the European Theatre of Operations. On his return from the armed services, he and his wife, Dorothy (Finch) moved to Bellingham where they have resided for 23 years. In addition to his wife, Mr. Houser is survived by a daughter, Kem; his father, Roy Z. Houser; and brother, Earl D. Houser of Watseka; three nieces, Miss Kandy Susan Houser of Watseka, Miss Patsy L. McMahan of Muncie, Ind., and Mrs. Barbara Lasonder of Tucson, Ariz.; and a nephew, Jack Smith of Muncie, Ind. Mr. Houser was preceded in death by his mother, Mrs. Nora Houser; and two sisters, Mrs. Vera McMahan and Mrs. Bennie Smith. funeral services were conducted at 4 p.m. today at the Jones Funeral Home in Bellingham. Melvin L. first married Dorothy Finch.

They had one child:

i. Kem Houser

iii

Vera Houser, nothing is known about Vera Houser

iv

Mrs. Bennie Smith (Houser), nothing is known about her and as she is referred to in her husband's name, so I don't even know her name.

iii.

Phelda Houser (1888-1963); was one year old when mother died - married Bertha Carley Phelda HOUSER. Born on 26 Apr 1888. Phelda died on 15 Nov 1963, he was 75.

Obituary: Phelda Houser, 75, Sheldon, Dies; Funeral Monday

An Iroquois County farmer, Phelda G. Houser, 75, RR1, Sheldon, died Friday at 11:10 p.m. at Iroquois Hospital after being a patient there for the last 17 weeks. Funeral services were at 2 p.m. Monday at the Segur Funeral Home, Watseka, with the Rev C.O. Boebel, Pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church. Mr. Houser was born near Watseka on April 26, 1888, a son of the late Daniel and Henrietta Houser. He had farmed southwest of Sheldon for the last 24 years. Mr. Houser was married in Crescent City February 19, 1913, to the former Bertha Carley, who survives. He was a member of the Lutheran Church and the Iroquois County Farmers Union. Besides the widow, Mr. Houser is survived by a son, Eugene, at home; a daughter, Mrs. Mayme Ewerks of Milford; a brother, Roy of Watseka; a sister, Mrs. Maude Vliet of Miami Springs, Fla; a grandson, and a great grandson. 11-20-63. Phelda married Bertha Carley.

They had the following children:

i.	Eugene Houser
ii.	Mayme Houser, married Ewerks

iv.

Lottie Josephine Houser (1892-1960); she was six yrs old when mother died - married Thomas Smith - our line. Lottie Josephine HOUSER. Born on 26 Jan 1892 in Watseka, Illinois. Lottie Josephine died in Rossville, Illinois on 5 May 1960, she was 68. On 25 Feb 1930 when Lottie Josephine was 38, she married Thomas Patrick SMITH, son of Charles SMITH & Susan PENDERGRAST, in Joliet. Born on 30 Jul 1888 in Ross Township. Thomas Patrick died in Illinois on 22 May 1961, he was 72.

Grace Bernice Houser (1895-1936); she was four yrs old when mother died. She died when she was 40 yrs old, married John Pierce.

Grace Bernice HOUSER. Born on 28 Sep 1895 in Watseka, Illinois, Hoopston. Grace Bernice died in 1936, she was 40.

Hoopeston - Following two weeks illness with pneumonia, Mrs. Grace Bernice Peirce, 40, wife of Street Commissioner John Peirce, died at her home at 1:15 a.m. Monday, April 20, 1936. Mrs. Peirce was born in Watseka Sept 28, 1895, daughter of Daniel and Henrietta Swagart Houser. Following her marriage to John Peirce she lived for a time in Rossville and 22 years ago moved to Hoopston. Surviving in addition to her husband are two daughters, Shirley Ann, 9 and Ellretta; 6, two brothers, Roy Houser, Watseka and Phelda Houser Gilman; and three sisters, Mrs. A.H. Vliet, Miami, Fla; Mrs. George St. John, Kankakee and Mrs. Tom Smith, Rossville. Funeral services will be at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in Hoopeston Christian Church. The Rev H.G. Elsom officiating. Burial in Floral Hill Cemetery, Harry Hamilton in charge.

They had the following children:

i. Shirley Ann Houser
ii. Ellretta Houser

A generous researcher shared this information with me on the Houser Surname:

The German name is Hauser; "Houser" is an Anglicization.

It is a relatively old name. The first written mention, I believe, is about 1200. Until about 1600 it was spelled "Huser". The name is derived from the German word for house, "das Haus" (formerly Hus, related to the English words house and hut, I believe). The original meaning is not clear and may have been multiple. It may have referred to someone who built houses, or someone who rented a house or houses out, or merely to someone who lived in a hamlet, i.e., a small group of houses. (The plural of "das Haus" is "die Haeuser".)

The name is fairly common in the Allemanisch part of German speaking Europe, i.e., where the German tribe, the Allemani, settled, in what is now Alsace in France (where the name is often spelled Hausser), Baden-Wuerttemberg, western Bavaria, and into northern Switzerland. The name spread into Bavaria proper. You see it all over Munich. One of the main streets in the city center of Munich is Neuhauser Strasse (New Hauser Street). The name is uncommon north of the Main River in Germany or in eastern German.

Hausers and Switzerland from Wuerttemberg can be Protestant. Other than that, most were Catholic, since Alsace, Baden and Bavaria have long been pretty solidly Catholic. You occasionally run into people with the name who are Jewish; it is usually a remnant of a shortened name, i.e., Hauser was the last part of some longer name.

Hope this helps
Greg Hauser

Third Generation

Wendall Houser SMITH. Born on 28 Dec 1932 in Danville, Illinois. Wendall Houser died in Alabama on 15 Oct 1999, he was 66. Buried in Rossville, IL. Wendall Houser married Barbara Lucile RATCLIFFE, daughter of William Lynn RATCLIFFE & Vivian Lucile MONTAGUE. Born on 28 Aug 1934 in Sullivan, Indiana. Barbara Lucile died in Lyons, Indiana on 12 Aug 1997, she was 62.

They had the following children:

i.

Nancy Lynn born Gary Indiana. Nancy Lynn Smith married Terry Wilkerson and had Melissa, Tyler and Christopher

ii.

Catherine Sue. Born in Linton, Indiana. Author of this site.

iii.

Denise Diane born Elderado, Kansas. Married Nicholas Pacheco and had Nelia and Aleena Pacheco.

iv.

Thomas Gerard, had Christina Smith.

Fourth Generation

Nancy Lynn SMITH. Born on 29 Dec 1959. Nancy Lynn married Terry WILKERSON. Tyler and Chris at left with Nancy.

They had the following children:

i.

Tyler Wilkerson

ii.

Christopher Wilkerson

iii.

Melissa Smith

Denise Diane SMITH. Born on 29 Nov 1962. Denise Diane married Nicholas Pacheco.

They had the following children:

i. Nelia Pacheco

ii. Alena Pacheco