Young Josef

Josef’s life story begins in Nieder Lindewiese, a village of about 7,000 people in what was then the Austria-Hungary Empire, now the Czech Republic.  He was born December 28, 1859, to David and Sophie Hackenberg, and the oldest of six children. Thanks to his “little history” we aren’t left to wonder why Josef left his homeland!  Josef’s own words are in italics and items of special interest in bold.

Josef  showed good learning qualities, for which reason the village parson, Mathias Bendl, after many efforts persuaded his parents to send him to college (1872) in Weidenau, Austria Silesia, to study for a catholic priest.  But as a born farmer and mechanic and a great lover of the fair sex, (priests are not allowed to marry) he firmly and continually during his college term refused to study for that purpose.

The imperial assent commission in Freiwaldau on the 18th of April 1879 recruited him to the 9th Field Artillerie Regiment in Krakau, Galitia, and he commenced the tough service among the Polish soldiers May 11, 1879.  In December the same year he was sent to Lemberg, Galicia’s capital to school for noncommissioned officers and after that term back to Krakau May 1880, received the following June the rank of Vormeister and 14 days later that of Corporal; learned to ride and was in the fall detached for instruction of Polish recruits.

His batterie was moved to Podgordre (from Lodgoosh) near Krakaw in the summer 1881.  The following spring he was sent to the mountain batterie in Lemberg and there he ended his military service September 1, 1882.  After coming home he could find no place to earn his living.  Beginning 1883 one party started an investigation of the fraudulent village administration and chose him as clerk; this investigation ended in a big lawsuit, which resulted in the overthrow of the village board.  But for using square expressions such as thief, scoundrel, etc., the investigation party was sent, after a vain appeal to the Supreme Court of Silesia, to prison.  To escape this unmerited imprisonment he went in September 1883 to Amerika.