The following is based on documented facts with some conjecture and speculation on my part. I have noted below where these speculations begin.

Barbara Michler-Hornung (October 1857-November 20, 1933) was the older sister of Anna Regina Michler who married Michael John Goeller in 1885. Barbara, her sister, Anna Regina and an infant child named August emigrated to the United States from the port of Bremen, Germany on the steamship “Salier” and arrived in the port of Baltimore on May 15, 1884.

Barbara married Andrew Hornung (May 1862-1905) on July 13, 1884.

I spent much time in the past trying to find what became of the child named August. Sadly, I finally found it appears he died of pneumonia on May 21, 1884, just six days after they arrived. There is an entry in Holy Cross Church records, 110 E. West Street, Baltimore, MD of an Auguste Michler who died of pneumonia at the age of 1 year, 4 days. The mother was listed as Katherine Michler. Katherine may have been Barbara’s middle name or vice versa because her sister Anna Regina was listed as “Regine” on the passenger list and she is indicated as Anne Regina on other documents. Admittedly, the math of the ages (11 months arriving May 15 versus 1 year, 4 days on May 21 on the Holy Cross Church records) doesn’t line up exactly, but I still believe that this was the child Barbara arrived with as there were no other Michlers or Auguste names noted in the church records.

We’ve no way of knowing where Barbara and Anna Regina first settled when they arrived, but we do know that they attended Holy Cross Church because multiple marriage, death and baptismal records of them were found there beginning in 1884. I did locate the death certificate for Auguste Michler and it matches exactly with the Holy Cross Church Record. The death record states that his cause of death was primarily measles and secondary was pneumonia. The certificate also states length of residence in Baltimore as 1 week. This further confirmed that the Holy Cross Church Record was accurate. 

One thing more, although we do not know where Barbara and Anna Regina first settled, we do have one clue. The death certificate for Auguste just one week after they arrived stated 252 Montgomery Street as place of death. Today, that address would be a few hundred feet into what is Federal Hill Park. Federal Hill Park is land that was purchased by Baltimore City in 1880 and reserved as a public park. There is much rich history about Federal Hill available on Wilkepedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Hill_Park.

On a sad note, Holy Cross Church at 106-112 E West St, Baltimore, MD 21230 was only .5 miles from the 252 Montgomery Street address. Barbara only had to walk a half mile with her first born, now deceased son. Imagine what a long walk that may have been carrying your own dead child and having traveled so far for so long, struggled so much and endured endless hygienic impediments  to make a new home for herself, her son and her husband-to-be with the family and parental support long behind you in a land called Adelsberg, Bavaria, Germany.

About Andrew Hornung

From what I’ve been able to find, Andrew Hornung arrived in the port of Baltimore on October 26, 1882. This was about a year and a half before Barbara and Anna Regina arrived, but it was on the same vessel “Salier”.

As stated, Barbara and Andrew were wed on July 13, 1884. This was just 2 months after Barbara and Anna Regina arrived.

From Holy Cross Church records, we find the following records of births and deaths of Barbara and Andrew’s children. Regretfully, several of them died as infants or shortly after birth.

Maria Magdalene Hornung-Miller was born March 22, 1885 and died May 23, 1964

Eva Johanna Hornung-Weber was born January 26, 1888 and died April 16, 1954

Anna Maria Hornung was born April 2, 1890 and died May 10, 1891-Brain Fever

Michael Hornung was born February 17, 1893 and died February 17, 1893-premature

Child Hornung was born January 3, 1894 and died January 3, 1894-premature

Michael Hornung was born October 5, 1896 and died October 11, 1914-accident

Listed above are 6 of Barbara and Andrew’s children. There was another birth according to the Federal census between 1900 and 1905. Presumably, 1905 because that is when Andrew died. The 1900 and 1910 censuses ask the question of each household: number of children born and number of children living. In the 1900 census, this Hornung household listed the number of children born as 7 born, 3 living. The 1910 census reports the number of children born as 8, living 3 so there was another birth. At this time, the Hornung’s were living in the developing community of Lansdowne, Md. They would have been attending St. Clement’s Church (built in 1891).

The church records for baptisms during this period were presumed lost in the 1918 fire of the St. Clement’s Church rectory; but recently, I was re-reading the history of the St. Clement’s Parish and was reminded that St. Clement’s had been a mission church of St. Jerome’s Church 775 Hamburg Street, Baltimore, Md. According to a newspaper article in the Baltimore Sun dated January 14, 1911, Father James P. Holden pastor of St. Jerome’s who had been conducting St. Clement’s as a mission declared St. Clement’s as a self-supporting parish. Upon research, I discovered that in the Maryland State Archives, the baptismal records for St. Clement’s Church from 1891-1916 were archived at St. Jerome’s and are available on microfilm. It was exciting to read this; but as of this writing, it remains to be explored.

A Little about Lansdowne Real Estate

(a.) In the late 1800’s, the area of Lansdowne (between 1st and 5th Avenue) was known as Brunswick and was previously owned by the Linthicum family. On March 23, 1889, the Linthicum family sold this land to Samuel Crothers. He took out a mortgage of $40,000 for 428 lots. Crothers partnered with an Irishman named McGrath. McGrath’s job was to promote the development of the community. He worked on this for 6 years. They named the business “The Lansdowne Real Estate Company” in honor of Sir William Petty, born in Dublin, William also held the title of Prime Minister and the Marquess of Lansdowne. He negotiated the peace with the United States in 1783.

In 1890, Charles W. Hull developed the area of Joshua. Joshua was the area from Mine Bank Lane to Clyde Avenue. Hull was a visionary of this new community and donated land for several churches which still stand today.

 (a.) Jim Klima 2016 http://lansdownemdhistory.com/lansdownemdhistory/The_Village.html

Andrew did purchase lots in the developing village of Lansdowne on or about July 21, 1894 from Samuel Crothers. According to news clippings that published real estate transactions, Andrew purchased Lots 913, 914, and 915 for $350.00. As far as I can tell, this equates to about 337 Fifth Avenue. Interestingly, Michael John Goeller (Andrew’s brother-in-law) purchased 2 lots (873, 874) on 5th Avenue in July 1893. This equates to 300 Fifth Avenue-the corner of Fifth and Charleston. We know from the census that Andrew and Barbara did live on Fifth Avenue so they did build there. Michael never did build on the lots on Fifth Avenue. He sold them to the Ruhland family in November 1905 who later built a home on them. Michael and his wife, Anna Regina purchased the property on the then called “Washington Road” in November 1903 for $225.00, $10 ground rent. We also know from census records that Michael and Anna Regina must have built on the Washington Road lots. Those lots became known as 3427 Washington Boulevard.

Now, Some Speculation

(*1) Now, I come to the part of my guesses. August had the last name of Michler on the passenger list which was the same as Barbara and Anna Regina. Given the disparity in ages: Barbara 27, Anna Regina 19 and August 11 months, it is unlikely that August was a sibling so I assume he was the child of either Barbara or Anna Regina. My next supposition is that he is the child of Barbara only because she was older. We know from Barbara and Andrew’s marriage record that they were both from the small town of Adelsberg, Germany. They both traveled to the United States on the ‘Salier”- a steamship built in 1875 that made regular voyages to the states mainly to carry cargo. As were the times, many companies discovered that it was highly profitable to also carry passengers-emigrants. It would seem the passengers were regarded as profitable cargo whose accommodations were mainly steerage. They traveled under some of the worst conditions to leave their homeland for a better life.

(*2) I suspected that Andrew Hornung was the father of August Michler so I studied the calendar and pondered the human gestation period and realized that August was born about June 1883. Barbara could have conceived August in September of 1882. The voyage on steamships was a fraction of what it was on the sail ships so the voyage from the port of Bremen, Germany to the U. S. was likely 2-4 weeks. Because Andrew arrived here in the U.S. in October 1882, he likely departed Germany about the same time August was conceived so he never knew about the child that Barbara was expecting. Because most immigrants followed other family or friends, Barbara and Andrew likely corresponded. Given the time the mail would take between the two countries, Andrew probably didn’t know for some time that he was a father. How tragic it must have been to reunite and have your firstborn infant die of pneumonia six days after arriving.

(*3) On more speculation, I imagine that they corresponded and made plans for Barbara to come to the United States so they could be wed. I always thought it was odd that Barbara met and married someone in a new land where she supposedly knew no one and was just two months off the boat. This explained a great deal. They were already lovers and when they were able to be together, they would marry.

As mentioned Barbara and Andrew married on July 13, 1884; and their supposedly first born, Maria Magdalene was born on March 22, 1885. This is a few weeks short of the 9-month gestation period; but looking at Barbara’s record of premature births, it seems normal.

As I said, the previous paragraphs (*1, *2,*3) are all speculation. Still, it’s all an interesting possibility.

It is sad and tragic to note the loss of so many children; but if what I think might be true, they did find each other. I believe Anna Regina joined her sister Barbara in emigrating to the United States. If it had not been for Barbara and Andrew, I don’t know what path Anna Regina would have sought. Because Anna Regina followed her sister, Barbara, Anna Regina met and married Michael John Goeller and the rest is history. Because Anna Regina and Michael John Goeller are our great-grandparents, none of us would be here if Barbara and Andrew hadn’t reunited.