Adam and Anna Maria Hergert
Adam Hergert was born on January 29, 1855, in the Volga German colony of Schöntal, Russia, the son of Philipp Hergert and Anna Margaretha Brecht. Schöntal was a daughter colony of Yagodnaya Polyana.
Adam married Anna Maria Völcker (also Völker) in 1874. Anna Maria was born on October 12, 1854 in Russia. Their first son, Adam Jr., was born on September 28, 1876 (per the passenger ship list, other records show September 28, 1874).
Adam married Anna Maria Völcker (also Völker) in 1874. Anna Maria was born on October 12, 1854 in Russia. Their first son, Adam Jr., was born on September 28, 1876 (per the passenger ship list, other records show September 28, 1874).
This portrait photograph taken in Russia is believed to show Adam Hergert, Sr. in a military uniform. Courtesy of Dick Hergert.
Adam, Anna Maria, and Adam Jr. immigrated to the United States in 1876 along with his parents. Sailing from Bremen, Germany, they arrived in New York on October 24th aboard the steamship Mosel. Adam's sister, Maria Elisabeth, and her husband, Heinrich Scheuerman, were also part of the group migrating to America. The Hergerts first settled in Kansas, where three children were born: Elisabeth (about 1876), Johannes (November 1878), and Philipp (June 1881).
The Hergerts were among the first Volga German immigrants in Oregon, traveling from Kansas in the summer of 1881. Adam is listed in the 1882 East Portland City Directory (as Adam Herget) as a laborer residing at the Oriental Hotel located on the south side of J Street between First and Second Streets. Several other families from the Kansas party also resided at the Oriental Hotel, including Heinrich and Maria Scheuerman (listed as Scheirman).
Finding suitable farmland south of Cornelius, the Hergert and Scheuermann families departed from East Portland by early 1882.
The Hergerts were founding members of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Blooming, Oregon, established on May 7, 1882.
The Hergerts were among the first Volga German immigrants in Oregon, traveling from Kansas in the summer of 1881. Adam is listed in the 1882 East Portland City Directory (as Adam Herget) as a laborer residing at the Oriental Hotel located on the south side of J Street between First and Second Streets. Several other families from the Kansas party also resided at the Oriental Hotel, including Heinrich and Maria Scheuerman (listed as Scheirman).
Finding suitable farmland south of Cornelius, the Hergert and Scheuermann families departed from East Portland by early 1882.
The Hergerts were founding members of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Blooming, Oregon, established on May 7, 1882.
Image of a page in the St. Peter's Lutheran Church register showing the family of Adam Hergert. Courtesy of Dick Hergert.
The Hergert homestead was covered mainly in old-growth timber when they arrived in 1882. A great deal of work was necessary to clear the land for farming.
Photograph of Adam Hergert, Jr. (far left) and two other men logging in 1901. Courtesy of Dick Hergert.
The Hergert homestead was located a short distance west of the Scheuermann homestead. The family home was located along what is today's Hergert Road near the intersection with SW Nursery Road. There is also a former quarry named after the Hergert family (also known as the Hayden Quarry).
Adam and Anna Maria would be blessed with nine more children, all born in Oregon: Jacob, Katharina Maria, Herman Henry, Frederick George, Carl Wilhelm, Cecelia Anna, Henry, Albert, and Edward.
The 1900 U.S. Census shows that the family continued to live near Adam's sister and brother-in-law, Henry and Mary Scheuermann, and Henry Volker (born Dec. 1850), a brother of Anna Maria.
By 1920, Adam and Anna Maria had retired from farming. Their son Albert lived with them to provide support.
In 1930, Adam and Anna Maria continued living in the Blooming community. Their neighbors were Henry and Emma Scheuermann, their son Albert Hergert, and his family.
Adam Sr. died in Cornelius on April 29, 1932, and was buried at the Blooming Cemetery.
Anna Maria died on April 15, 1942, and was buried next to Adam.
The 1900 U.S. Census shows that the family continued to live near Adam's sister and brother-in-law, Henry and Mary Scheuermann, and Henry Volker (born Dec. 1850), a brother of Anna Maria.
By 1920, Adam and Anna Maria had retired from farming. Their son Albert lived with them to provide support.
In 1930, Adam and Anna Maria continued living in the Blooming community. Their neighbors were Henry and Emma Scheuermann, their son Albert Hergert, and his family.
Adam Sr. died in Cornelius on April 29, 1932, and was buried at the Blooming Cemetery.
Anna Maria died on April 15, 1942, and was buried next to Adam.
Adam Hergert headstone. Courtesy of Find-A-Grave.com
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Anna Maria Hergert headstone. Courtesy of Find-A-Grave.com
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Photograph of Adam Sr. and Anna Maria Hergert's children taken at her memorial service in 1942. Courtesy of Dick Hergert.
Sources
Dick Hergert
Ancestry.com
Find-A-Grave.com
Scheuerman, Richard D. and Trafzer, Clifford E. "Hardship to Homeland: Pacific Northwest Volga Germans". Washington State University Press, 2018. Page 80.
Ancestry.com
Find-A-Grave.com
Scheuerman, Richard D. and Trafzer, Clifford E. "Hardship to Homeland: Pacific Northwest Volga Germans". Washington State University Press, 2018. Page 80.
Last updated October 23, 2023