1834 the Horn family emigrates to America from Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany
The Horn family originated in Hesse-Darmstadt. Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland (federal state) of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.
Henry Joseph Horn, aka Heinrich Jozef von Horn, was the father of John Horn.
John Horn (1796 - 1870) was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany to Heinrich Jozef von Horn (mother's name unknown at this time). According to his immigration papers, John came directly to Maryland where he established a farm in Jarrettsville, Marshall District, Harford County. At least three of his children were born in Hesse-Darmstadt and they emigrated either with him or shortly thereafter, as did his wife Elizabeth Treush (1784-1849). These children were William (1820-?), Adam (1823-?), and Henry Joseph (1831-1917).
Along with the children mentioned above, there may be additional children who either came to America or stayed behind in Hesse. In the 1850 census the three mentioned siblings were living very near each other in Jarrettsville, Harford County, MD. They are enumerated in households #708 (William), #802 (Henry), and #907 (Adam and their father John).
John Horn and some family members noted below, had sailed from Germany to the US arriving at the Port of Baltimore on September 30, 1834. [source: Passenger Arrivals at the Port of Baltimore 1820-1834, Customs Passenger Lists. Editor Michael H. Tepper. Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, MD. 1982. page 291.]
John Horn, age 24, male, Farmer H. Horn, age 28, male, clerk C.H. Horn, age 9, male C.H. Horn, age 11, male T. Horn, 46, M. Farmer
John Horn was naturalized twelve years later on September 5, 1846 at the courthouse in nearby Bel Air, Maryland. [Source: John Horn Naturalization papers, copy in possession of Ingram family.]
On April 7, 1849 John Horn signed a deed for a 48 acre piece of his property, known as "Plaine's and Bell's Habitation" over to Adam Horn for $600. On June 13 of the same year, Adam Horn and his wife Charlotte deeded 3/4 of an acre over to the trustees (one of whom was Jacob Gross* and another John Gross) of the Evangelical Association for $5 the purpose of building a church on it. More about the deed transactions and life of these early German settlers in Jarrettsville can be found in Forgotten Churches, The Evangelical Association in Harford County, MD. pages 24-37.
Also of note to the Horn family in that same source, Henry and Ellen (neé Gross, *Ellen was the daughter of Jacob Gross and his wife Catherine Burger) Horn deeded land on April 18, 1865 for the church parsonage. However, it was not used for that purpose and the parsonage was later built on another piece of land. In 1877, the land that Henry & Ellen Horn had signed over was sold by the church to a private individual with first option to Henry Horn if the new owner ever wanted to sell it.
The census records prior to 1850 only list head of household. But from 1850 on they include the family members and anyone else lodging in the household.
1850 Federal Census. Harford County, MD. census house #907. John Horn, b. 1795 Germany, age 55, Adam Horn (b. 1824), Charlotte Horn (b. 1824), Henry Horn (b. 1847), John Horn (b. 1849).
1860 Federal Census, Marshall District of Harford County, MD, Post Office: Jarrettsville, census house #1557 John Horn, 65, m, Laborer, born Hesse-Darmstadt, estimated year of birth 1795 Henry Elias, 28, m, carpenter, value of Real Estate: $150, value of personal property $50, born Prussia Matilda Elias, 24, f, born Prussia Charles Elias, age ?, m, born Maryland Mary Elias, 22, f. born Prussia
John Horn was enumerated in the 1860 census.
John Horn, d. 14 November 1870, is buried in Salem Evangelical Church Cemetery, Jarrettsville, MD. Also buried in the same cemetery is his wife Elizabeth Horn neé Treusch whose death date was 1 February 1849. [source: Harford County Historical Society, Harford County Cemetery Records].
To read more about the Horn family, click this link. Note: genealogical records for Hesse-Darmstadt are available in the LDS microfilm archives. I have not attempted to search through the microfilm as I can't read a word of German. However, now that Family Search and Ancestry are publishing more records that were formerly only available on microfilm I may be able to reach back into the Hesse records. Fingers crossed the Family History Centers open again.