Looking For Joseph Hollenback

The never-ending search for biographical information about Joseph Hollenback continues and it's as frustrating as always.

Adding to all the confusion about Hollenback is two pieces of information that I recently found in the Hollenbeck Family Genealogy Forum at Genealogy.com.  According to Judy Cobin, there is a death record stating that a "Joseph Hollenbeck, born in Germany, died in St. Louis of Typhoid Fever, age 24, October 11, 1860."  That could very well be our Joseph Hollenbeck.  I always assumed that the lack of information about him was a result of the fact that he died young. 

However, in the same thread, Steven Piper noted that a Sarah Ann Potterfield married a Joseph Hollenbeck in the late 1860s.  The two were married near Eureka, Missouri and had children born as late as 1880.  That could also be our guy.

Who knows?  The problem with the first candidate is that I'm reasonably certain that our Joseph Hollenbeck was born in New York and not Germany.  The problem with the second candidate is that, as I mentioned, I think Hollenbeck died young.  The quest for information about Joseph Hollenbeck (or Hollenback or Hollenbach or whatever) is easily the most frustrating thing I've run up against as a researcher.  But I ain't got no quit in me so I guess I'll just keep looking.     

Joe Hallesbeck, Secretary

Empire Base Ball Club.—At the regular monthly meeting of this Club, held at their hall, corner of Third and Vine streets, on the 3d of July, 1860, the following officers were duly elected: B.J. Higgen, President; Peter Naylor, Vice-President; John F. Walton, Secretary; and Patrick Cooney, Treasurer. 

 The following resolution was adopted: 

 Whereas, The [Cyclone] and Morning Star Ball Clubs are matches for a game on the 9^th inst. 

  Therefore, 

Resolved, that the Emprie Base Ball Club challenge the winning party.  If not accepted by them, then this challenge is extended to any Ball Club in Missouri. 

Joe  Hallesbeck, Sec’y.

-Daily Missouri Republican, July 7, 1860 




I posted about the Empire Club's challenge to the winner of the Cyclone/Morning Star match before, having found basically this same article in the St. Louis Daily Bulletin.  The one piece of information that the Missouri Republican includes that the Daily Bulletin did not is the mention of the secretary of the Empire Club, one Mr. Joseph Hollenback.  The impossibly illusive Joseph Hollenback, or Hollenbeck, or Hallesbeck, or Hallenbeck.


This is the first contemporary reference to Hollenback (as it's spelled in the 1860 census and the 1860 St. Louis city directory) being involved with the Empire Club that I've ever seen.  Edmund Tobias wrote in The Sporting News (October 26, 1895) that "The origin of the Empire Club was mainly due to Joseph Hallenbeck, a deputy under Constable Dan Manning, who acted as such for both Justices Ed A. Allen and Peter W. Johnstone.  Hallenbeck was a New Yorker, and had played with the old Knickerbocker Club before his advent in St. Louis, and he was assisted by L.P. Fuller in forming the club."  Al Spink, in The National Game, stated that "Jacob Hollenbeck" was at the first meeting of the Empire Club and was elected as the club's first secretary.  The above article from the Republican seems to confirm that Hollenback was indeed the first secretary of the Empire Club.


Finding information about Hollenback has been very frustrating.  I can't really even tell you how his last name was spelled.  What I do know is that he was born around 1836 in New York state.  In 1860, he was single, was living in St. Louis at Mrs. Boston's Boarding House, was working as a constable, was involved in the formation of the Empire Club and was elected as the club's first secretary.  What I think is probable but can't prove is that he played baseball in the East (although I seriously doubt he was a member of the Knickerbocker Club) and was one of the founders of the Empire Club (the distinction being that while I know Hollenback was at the first meeting, I'm not certain what his role was in the organization of the meeting).  What I think is possible but can't prove is that he was serving with the Missouri Militia in 1864 and died in 1866. 


That's all kind of convoluted but that's how I've had to organize my thinking about Hollenback because I have a lot of information about him but can't confirm most of it.  The major problem is the spelling of the last name (of which I've given you four variations).  It's tough to track down information about a guy when you don't know how to spell his last name.  Also, I really believe that he died young.  I thought for a time that he was killed during the Civil War but I found the death record for a Joseph Hollenbeck, who died in St. Louis in 1866, and that feels right to me.  But it's possible that he lived into the 20th century.  I can't say for sure but if he died young, that would be a reason why there's not a lot of information about him in 19th century databases.  


Regardless of my personal struggles with the Hollenback problem, the above article from the Republican gives us some contemporary confirmation of the secondary sources.  And that's a good step in the right direction.                   

Joseph Hollenback

I don't think I've written much, if anything, about Joseph Hollenback.  According to E.H. Tobias, Hollenback was the primary force behind the formation of the Empire Club in 1860.  Al Spink confirmed that Hollenback was at the first meeting of the club and was elected club secretary.  So based just on this information alone, we can say that Hollenback was a reasonably important figure in the history of St. Louis baseball.

  

However, the problem is that we don't have much more information about Hollenback other than what Tobias and Spink gives us.  After researching the subject for several years and chasing several dead ends and false leads, I've gotten to the point where I've organized the information that I have about Hollenback according to what I know to be fact, what I believe to be probable, and what I believe to be possible.

What I know for certain about Hollenback is that he was born around 1836 in New York state.  In 1860, he was living in St. Louis at Mrs. Boston's boarding house, was single, and was working as a deputy constable.  Hollenback was at the first meeting of the Empire Club on April 16, 1860 and was selected as the club's first secretary.

What is probable about Hollenback is that he was living in St. Louis prior to 1860, that he played baseball in New York prior to moving to St. Louis, and that he played a primary role in the founding of the Empire Club. 

 

What is possible about Hollenback is that he served with Captain Loeblein's Company A, 10th Regiment of the Enrolled Missouri Militia in 1864 and that he died in St. Louis in 1866.

That's really about all I know (or think I know) about Hollenback.  I can't even confirm that his last name was spelled "Hollenback." 

Tobias writes that Hollenback was a "New Yorker" who "had played with the old Knickerbocker Club" before coming to St. Louis.  While I can confirm that Hollenback was born in New York state, I can not confirm that he ever lived in New York City.  I also can not confirm that he played with the Knickerbockers and would go so far as to say that it is highly unlikely that he was ever a member of the Knickerbocker Club.  I also have not seen any primary source material that confirms Hollenback playing for any club in the New York area.  However, Tobias is reasonably reliable source, was a member of the Empire Club, and had access to their records and I believe that he's generally correct in stating that Hollenback lived and played baseball in New York.  I just can't prove it.  I also believe that Tobias has some reason to write that the "origins of the Empire Club was mainly due to Joseph Hallenbeck" but again I've found nothing that backs Tobias up on this point.  

The information about Hollenback's military service and date of death is unconfirmed but simply feels right.  If Hollenback joined the army in 1864 and died in 1866, it would explain why there is no mention of him as a member of the Empire Club in the post-war era.

The lack of verifiable information about Joseph Hollenback has been one of the most frustrating things that I've had to deal with while researching the origins of the New York game in St. Louis.  However, the research isn't done and I'm certain that more information will, at some point, come to light.