The Stickler Migration

The author recalls his father telling him tales on the origin of the Stickler family. The story goes that there were once three Stickler brothers who lived in Germany; one brother emigrated to Africa, another to England, while the third remained in Germany. The brother who emigrated to England started our branch of the family. Wherever they settled in England is unknown but it is known they eventually made their way to Gloucestershire in western England where our earliest known ancestor, Thomas Stickler, lived when he married Jane Mealing of Pucklechurch parish.

The migration of Sticklers from Pucklechurch began in the late 19th century. The first to leave Pucklechurch were the Stickler daughters who married and moved to the parish of their husband's. They were followed by male offspring who departed for better opportunities elsewhere. Charles & Eliza Stickler’s oldest son, Robert, was the first to migrate to nearby Bristol, England. His brother, Isaac, and cousin, John James, both emigrated to America and the two children of Gabriel Stickler, - Amelia & Robert, emigrated to Canada. At the close of the 19th century, few Sticklers lived in Pucklechurch and but one lived in Pucklechurch as of 1925.

Migration to Canada

The migration to Canada began in 1904 when Ellen Jane Stickler Stockden, then widowed, left her home at Pucklechurch to make the overseas journey to Canada. Accompanying her were her three children and two grown children of Gabriel Stickler, - Robert & Amelia Stickler. Ellen Jane and family settled in Manitoba and later moved to Saskatchewan while Robert settled in Vancouver, British Columbia and Amelia in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Descendants of Ellen Jane are living today in Edmunton, Alberta as well as Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Descendants of Robert Stickler are found today in and near Vancouver, British Columbia. The descendants of Ellen Jane and Robert Stickler founded the Canadian Sticklers branch of the family.

Migration to United States

Isaac Stickler was the first Stickler to emigrate to America. He arrived in April 1864 and settled in the small mining community of Harleigh, Pennsylvania. There he married Martha Hill and began raising a family which eventually grew to thirteen children. Later they moved to Lansford, Carbon county, PA, to found the Lansford, PA Sticklers branch of the Sticklers.

Amos Stickler (Isaac’s older brother) was the next to emigrate to America. After living a decade in Bristol, England, he set out for America with his wife, Isabella, and several children. They settled first in Mahanoy City, Schuylkill county (1900), later moved to Lansford, Carbon county (1910), and upon Amos’ death in 1912, went to live at Engelwood Village, Schuyl-kill county, Pennsylvania (1920). Interestingly, the 1920 federal census gives Arthur G. Stickler, son of Amos' older brother, Robert, as the ‘head of household’ comprised of Isabella and daughter, Jessie.

John James Stickler was the next of the Pucklechurch Sticklers to emigrate to America. James, as he wished to be known, was the second son of James & Sarah Smet Stickler. He arrived in Philadelphia in June 1882 aboard the British Queen and made his way to Lansford, PA to join his cousin, Isaac. He married Ellen Clerke of London, England and began raising his family of eight children. In 1912 the family moved to Hazleton, Luzerne county to found the Hazleton, PA Sticklers branch of the Sticklers.

John Stickler

The Story of the British Queen

The British Queen was owned by the British Ship-owners Corporation. Built at Belfast in 1880, she and her sister, the British King, inaugurated the New Zealand Shipping Company’s service between Britain and New Zealand in 1883. While under Dutch colours some years later, dimensions were stated as 410 feet by 3 feet and gross tonnage 3,657. Thus she belongs in the class of very narrow ships, so many of which were four-masted, single screw, compound engine ships built in Britain at about this time.

About 1890, the Holland America Line increased its fleet by the purchase of several vessels from other Atlantic lines. When the Queen was taken over, she was named Obdam. As such she remained in transatlantic service until 1898. By 1898 the Holland America Line was undertaking a program of building large twin-screw ships, so that they were able to sell the Obdam to the United States Government at the time of the Spanish-American War, when troop ships were badly needed. Under US Army ownership, she served several years as the McPherson In 1906 the Government sold the McPherson to private owners who decided to run her in an American flag service between New York and Italy. Renamed Brooklyn, her career under this name was short-lived as she ran aground on the Azores on her first return voyage. She was finally salvaged and returned to America to await sale.

A little later the Luckenback Company, then owning several cargo steamers of foreign origin, bought the Brooklyn and gave the ship her fifth name, S.V. Luckenbach. She appears to have been the first and only Luckenbach vessel to have passenger accommodations of any great extent. With the opening of the Panama Canal, Luckenbach was determined to enter the trade at once. The S.V. Luckenbach was advertised to sail from New York on 26 October 1914, taking first class passengers and cargo. By this time the old ship’s rig had been reduced to two pole masts. A deck plan issued at this time shows the lower cabin rooms, main saloon, smoking room and ladies’ saloon almost identical with those of the Obdam.

With the tremendous demand for transatlantic tonnage between 1914 and 1919, the ship changed hands again, going into this trade under the name Onega. Her final end came in September 1918, when, at the age of thirty-eight, she was torpedoed without warning. (Taken from Steamboat Bill, April 1945, page 245.)

Newspaper Archives
Newspapers such as the Lansford Leader of Lansford, PA and the Plain Speaker of Hazleton, PA provide a good source of information on the day-to-day happenings of the Stickler family. The following article appeared in the Lansford Leader.

Gone Abroad for the Summer - June 3, 1911

Mr. J. J. Stickler, Inside Foreman at Colliery, No. 11, accompanied by his wife and three children, left on a voyage across the ocean on Thursday of last week. They will visit Wales, Scotland and England, where they will view the coronation, as one of his nephews will sing before the king. Mr. Stickler has been employed by the L. C. & N. Co. for the past 27 years. He was employed as labourer, leader, and miner at Nos. 10, and 11, and worked himself up to foreman at Colliery No. 12, which position he held for several years. He became Foreman at No. 11 in 1907 and since that time has increased the output of coal from 1000 tons to 1800 tons a day. He has been very successful as to mine accidents to the men and by his just and humane treatment has won their respect and hearty cooperation daily and in every emergency. He always takes a personal interest in his employees, and realizes that they have a life to live outside of the mines. As a token of their affectionate regard for him the employees tendered him a banquet, and presented him with a handsome gold watch and chain. Some of the toasts and speeches made by the men at the banquet contained true sermons in the art of square treatment to subordinates. Mr. Stickler will remain abroad until August, during which time Mr. William Stickler will act as Foreman at No. 11.