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- Newspaper Article - Friday, July 23, 1886 The Chronice - Mount Vernon - The following interesting incident concerning a well known resident of this village was given in the Herald of Sunday last. When the steamer City of Richmond arrived at Jersey City yesterday, among the cabin passengers on deck was a tall young woman dressed in black who gazed anxiously at the faces of all on the pier waiting for the gangplank to be put in position. The young woman hurried ashore. Suddenly a look of glad recognition came over her face, and going straight up to a short man, with a long reddish beard and mild, blue eyes, she touched his arm and said simply: “This is father isn’t it?” The man turned around and drew a photograph from his pocket. It was an excellent likeness of the young woman, whom he recognized as his daughter. “It is twenty four years since we have seen each other”, he said to an onlooker. “but she said she would know me from my picture, and so she did. When my wife and I left England for America twenty four years ago we left her, then a little girl of six, together with a still younger boy, in the care of my wife’s parents. When the boy grew up he took to sea and has been across here several times, but we lived in Michigan then and he couldn’t get to see us. Just lately the old people have died, and the girl wrote us that she was coming. I have been in the city since Thursday morning, waiting for the steamer. My wife was so afraid that it would arrive before I could get here that she would not let me stay home.” To a Harold reporter, the man said his name was John Hocking, that he lived at Mount Vernon. He has a family of children born in this county; some married and have children. His eldest daughter’s name is Emily Hocking, and his sailor son is William. Mr. Hocking is disappointed that his son did not accompany his sister, as he wishes him to settle here. But his sister does not believe that he will ever consent to leave the sea, although she thinks he will come to see them. Yesterday father and daughter left for Mount Vernon, where a joyful meeting with her mother awaited the young lady.
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1865 - 