The Hoffman-Lindenmeyer Family Story: Four Centuries of History

By Lawrence J. Beck

Researching the history of one’s family tends to become addictive because it reveals details of the lives of people from long ago. This book is packed with fascinating details of the lives of many generations of two families who came from different places in Europe and eventually joined together in Illinois. It is the second in a series of four books covering the author’s ancestry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Mar 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781483479187

Book preview

THE HOFFMAN-LINDENMEYER

FAMILY STORY

Four Centuries of History

Lawrence J. Beck

Copyright © 2018 Lawrence J. Beck

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7919-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7918-7 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 03/07/2018

This book is

dedicated to our

Hoffman and Lindenmeyer ancestors

who had the foresight and fortitude

to leave their homeland for America,

and once there to keep moving westward.

Acknowledgment

I would like to express my appreciation to George Henry Lindenmeyer (1918-2012) for providing me with so much information about the Lindenmeyers in the area of Peru, Illinois, and for his work in assuring that the family records are preserved locally.

Not to know what happened before we were born is to remain perpetually a child. For what is the worth of a human life unless it is woven into the lives of our ancestors?

Cicero

ca 55 B.C.

Introduction

This book is the second in a series of four, each covering the genealogy of one of my grandparents, in this case Theresa Hoffman Beck, my paternal grandmother. My hope is that I will be given the time and energy to complete the entire series.

The Hoffman and Lindenmeyer family lines converged on the day that Theresa’s parents, Nicholas Joseph Hoffman and Catherine Ann Lindenmeyer, were married at Peru, Illinois in 1864. This family story starts with them and their descendants, then covers the ancestors of Nicholas in Part Two followed by the Lindenmeyer saga in Parts Three and Four.

Greatest attention is paid to our immigrant ancestors and the following two generations, their children and grandchildren, in the belief that these people are of the most interest to the largest number of readers. I have not attempted to identify all the descendants of our Hoffman and Lindenmeyer ancestors, but have recorded all who came to my attention.

This history of the Hoffman and Lindenmeyer families is an attempt to collect and record the available information about our common ancestors into one document, so as to preserve it for later generations and to provide a starting point for future genealogical researchers who may want to delve deeper into the family experience. Another purpose is to create an easily readable and enjoyable story for all into whose hands this book may fall.

These two objectives, historical clarity vs. readability, sometimes come into conflict. One example is in the citing of sources. In this case, I chose to favor historical clarity by making extensive use of superscripts in the text of the narrative to guide the reader to the notes indicating the source of the information presented, with full knowledge that some readers will find these superscripts to be a distraction. On the other hand, I chose to favor readability by placing all source notes in one place at the end of the narrative rather than on each page, even though that will be less convenient for those interested in where the information came from. I ask your indulgence if this is not the compromise you would have preferred.

Spelling variation in proper names is always a matter to be dealt with. Many place names and some surnames are found with alternative spellings. I have selected one spelling and mostly stayed with it throughout the narrative, even though some of the source documents may have used a different spelling. Usually, the spelling selected is the latest or current spelling.

Part One

The Hoffman Experience in America

The Descendants of Nicholas Joseph Hoffman

And

Catherine Ann Lindenmeyer

Nicholas Joseph Hoffman was born in the tiny village of Schlindermanderscheid in northern Luxembourg on 28 Jun 1836 according to his birth record there.⁴,¹⁸,¹⁵²-1⁵⁸ Schlindermanderscheid is located 36 KM (22 miles) north of the west edge of the city of Luxembourg. His parents were Nicolas Hoffman, a blacksmith in Schlindermanderscheid, and Catherine Hobscheid a native of Schlindermanderscheid. The family was culturally and linguistically German. He was second in a family of eight children. His father, three brothers and a sister were still living when he left Luxembourg for America at age 19. His younger brother, Paul joined him later.

Nicholas arrived in New York on 22 Dec 1855 on the ship Emma Anna from Havre-de-Grace, France.¹⁶,¹⁸,¹⁵³,¹⁵⁵,¹⁵⁹ According to family lore, when he left Luxembourg for America he was not allowed to take any money with him. He appears to have come alone, although there are several people from Luxembourg listed near him on the passenger list. It is not known where he spent his first years in the United States before moving to Illinois in 1858,¹⁵⁵ nor where he was in Illinois prior to his marriage to Catherine Ann Lindenmeyer on 15 May 1864 in St. Joseph Catholic Church, Peru, Illinois.¹⁸,²⁵,¹⁵³,¹⁵⁴,¹⁷¹,¹⁷² Unfortunately, he cannot be found in the 1860 census. The young couple lived near Peru, probably in Troy Grove Township a few miles north of town where his first child was born,¹⁸ until early 1867. At that time they moved about 70 miles southeast to Union Township, Livingston County, Illinois. He had purchased 80 acres there for $960, described as the south half of the southwest quarter of section 23 of Union Township, on 18 Oct 1866.¹⁶⁰,¹⁶¹ Emington was the closest village, two miles to the east. This farm is where they raised their large family and was their home for the next 32 years until moving to Minnesota in 1899.¹⁸,¹⁵⁴,¹⁵⁶,¹⁶⁷,168

The 1870 census shows that Nicholas was a farmer in Union Township, owned $2000 of real estate and that brother Paul was living with him at the time.¹⁵² He became a naturalized citizen on 28 Mar 1871 at the Livingston County Court House in Pontiac, on the same day as his brother Paul.¹⁵⁵ He renounced allegiance to the King of Holland whereof he was heretofore a citizen or subject, Luxembourg being part of Holland at the time. The family attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Loretto, Illinois, three miles to the northwest of their home where many of the children were baptized and received their first communion.¹³ Nicholas was sponsor for baptism of his nephew, Nicholas Hoffman, son of Paul on 6 Jan 1875 and for the baptism of Elizabeth Ann Steichen on 8 Aug 1878 both in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Loretto.¹³ The 1878 History of Livingston County lists him as a farmer in Union Township¹⁶⁴ as does the 1880 census.

For reasons we don’t fully understand, Nicholas decided in the late 1890’s to move the family to Renville County, Minnesota, about 100 miles west of Minneapolis, where he bought 240 acres of good land for $5600, half of it on 30 Aug 1898 and the rest on 26 Jan 1899.¹⁶⁵,¹⁶⁶ The land was in section 23 of Crooks Township, northeast of the town of Renville. Shortly thereafter on 23 Feb 1899 he sold his 80 acre farm in Union Township for $5200 cash and the assumption of a $2200 mortgage.¹⁶² At the time of this transaction the family was living temporarily in Nevada Township, northwest of Odell, Illinois, and soon made the move to Renville. Perhaps the reason for the move was that Nicholas, who was 62 years of age at the time, decided that the younger generation would have a better opportunity to own land and prosper in a place that was more recently settled and land was cheaper. In fact, he was able to sell his 80 acres in Illinois for more than he paid for the 240 acres in Minnesota. All the children relocated to Minnesota except for four daughters married to men in Illinois. The family of the fifth married daughter, Margaret, wife of Henry Beck, made the move to Minnesota the following year.

Nicholas appeared in the census of Crooks Township, Renville County, Minnesota on 12 Jun 1900 as a farmer who owned his land with a mortgage.¹⁵³ He paid off two mortgages on land in Crooks Township on June 3, 1901.¹⁷⁰

Unfortunately, he was not to live much longer. He signed a will on 30 Sep 1901 in Renville County before going to Minneapolis for cancer surgery.¹⁶⁹ The will left the farm to his four younger sons subject to a life estate for his wife, Catherine. He gave each of his daughters $25 and $300 to his oldest son, Joseph. He died after the operation on 3 Oct 1901 in the hospital at 3100 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis.¹⁸,¹⁵⁶,¹⁵⁸ The death certificate gives the cause of death as carcinoma of rectum which he had suffered from for two years. He was buried on 7 Oct 1901 in the Catholic Cemetery, south of Renville.¹⁸,¹⁵⁶ His body was later moved to the newer Fairview Cemetery north of town.¹⁵⁸

Catherine Ann Lindenmeyer, daughter of John William Lindenmeyer and Catherine Kaiser, was born on 10 Apr 1846 in West Turin, Lewis County, New York.⁴,²⁵,¹⁵²,¹⁵³,¹⁵⁸,¹⁶⁸,¹⁷³-1⁸⁰ Her death certificate says she was born at Rochester, New York as does the death certificate of her daughter, Theresa. Her obituary says she was born in Albany, New York. The family seems to have been confused about where their mother was born. She was baptized as Anna Catharina Lindenmeyer on 24 May 1846 in St. Michael’s German Catholic Church, West Leyden, Lewis County, New York.¹⁷⁸

When only two years old Catherine moved with her family in 1848 to Peru, Illinois, a town on the Illinois River about 90 miles southwest of Chicago.²⁵ She was raised on farms near Peru and was living in Peru by the time of the census of 10 Aug 1860.¹⁷⁵,¹⁸¹,¹⁸² The census indicates that she didn’t attended school within the last year even though she was only fourteen. Three weeks after the census, her father died at age fifty leaving her mother with ten children, eight of them under the age of twenty.¹⁷² Within less than four years Catherine was married at age eighteen to Nicholas Hoffman on 15 May 1864 in Peru.¹⁷¹,¹⁷² When the young family moved in early 1867 from the Peru area to Union Township, Livingston County she was pregnant with her third child.¹⁶² She was sponsor for baptism of her nephew, Nicholas Hoffman, son of Paul on 6 Jan 1875, for the baptism of Elizabeth Ann Steichen on 8 Aug 1878 and for the baptism of her grandson, Charles David Beck on 13 Mar 1887 all in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Loretto.¹³ In 1888 she suffered the loss of her eleven year old son, Nicholas three days before Christmas.²³⁶ She was the mother of fourteen children, thirteen of whom lived to adulthood.¹⁷³ When the family relocated from Illinois to Minnesota in 1899 she had to leave behind four married daughters and several grandchildren.¹⁵⁴,¹⁶⁷,168

Upon arriving at Renville, Nicholas moved the family onto the farm in Crooks Township that he had recently purchased and Catherine continued to live there after his death for the rest of her life.⁶,¹⁵³,¹⁷³,¹⁷⁴,¹⁸³ Son, Frank and daughter, Anna lived with her the entire time. She suffered the loss of her daughter, Irene in January 1914.²⁴² She traveled back to Illinois several times throughout her life. On one such visit about 1928 she went to an auction at a store in Odell along with her daughter Theresa and granddaughter, Kathleen Beck. The dear old lady nodded her head at many things and Theresa had to pay for a lot of items she did not want.¹⁸⁴ Catherine had a stroke in November 1932 and died at her home the following May 29.¹⁶,¹⁵⁸,¹⁶⁸,¹⁷⁷,¹⁷⁹,¹⁸⁴ At the time of her death she had 38 grandchildren and 50 great-grandchildren. The funeral service was held at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Renville on 1 Jun 1933 and burial was in Fairview Cemetery, Renville.²⁵,¹⁵⁸,168

01%20Image.jpg

Catherine Lindenmeyer Hoffman about 1890

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Nicholas and Catherine Lindenmeyer Hoffman about 1897

Nicholas Joseph Hoffman and Catherine Ann Lindenmeyer had the following children:

I. Margaret Hoffman was born on 17 Feb 1865 in Troy Grove Township, La Salle County, Illinois⁴,⁵,¹⁵²,¹⁵⁸,¹⁸⁰,¹⁸⁵-1⁹¹ and lived there until moving to Union Township, Livingston County at age two with her parents in 1867. Like her sister, Theresa, she married one of the Beck brothers, Henry Beck.¹³ She and Henry were raised on farms 5 ½ miles apart in rural Livingston County, Illinois,.⁴,¹⁵²,¹⁸⁷ Both families attended the German speaking St Mary’s Catholic Church in Loretto, a crossroad not really a village, about midway between their farms. Margaret and Henry, a farmer in Union Township, were married on 24 Feb 1886 in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Loretto.⁵,¹³,¹⁷³,¹⁸⁰,¹⁸⁶,187

Witnesses were his brother, Frank Beck and her sister, Mary Hoffman. Margaret was sponsor for the baptism of her fiancé’s little brother, Peter Joseph (James Peter) Beck on 2 Feb 1886 in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Loretto three weeks before her marriage.¹³ She and Henry were sponsors for the baptism of her cousin, William Hoffman on 6 July 1890 and she for her nephew, Leo Lawrence Beck on 22 Jan 1899 both in St Paul Church, Odell, Illinois.²⁰ Some time before 1900 she and Henry had moved onto the Beck home place in Odell Township when Henry’s father retired from farming. They appeared there in the census of 1900.⁵ Later that year they moved to a farm they had bought in December of the previous year in Crooks Township, Renville County, Minnesota not far from her parents’ farm.¹⁹⁶,¹⁹⁷,¹⁸⁹,192

Margaret and Henry lived on the farm northeast of Renville until moving into town in 1913.¹⁶⁹,¹⁷³,¹⁸⁹,¹⁹² This may be when he retired, as the 1920 census shows him to be a retired farmer.¹⁷⁴ They continued to live in Renville until their respective deaths.¹⁸⁰,¹⁹¹ Henry passed away in August 1937 and Margaret appeared in the census of 1940 in Renville living alone.¹⁹¹ She died on 2 Jul 1947 at her home in Renville and was buried in Fairview Cemetery, Renville.¹⁵⁸,¹⁸⁸-1⁹⁰ The funeral service was held at the Catholic Church of the Redeemer in Renville. She was the mother of five children, all of whom lived long lives.

Henry Beck, son of Charles Beck and Mary Elizabeth Kramer, was born on 13 Aug 1862 in Round Grove Township, Livingston County, Illinois, southeast of Dwight⁴,⁵,¹⁵²,¹⁵⁸,¹⁸⁰,¹⁸⁵-1⁸⁷,190,192,193 and lived there until the family moved to the farm his father had bought in Odell Township in December 1866.¹⁵²,¹⁹⁴ This farm became the Beck home place and was in the family for almost 150 years. He was confirmed on 1 Oct 1878 in St Paul Church, Odell.²⁰ He witnessed the marriage of his sister, Minnie, and William Fuchs on 24 Feb 1885 in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Loretto.¹⁹⁵ He and Margaret were sponsors for the baptism of his wife’s little brother, Henry Bertram Hoffman on 10 Apr 1887 in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Loretto.¹³

He bought 160 acres in section 27, Crooks Township, Renville County., Minnesota in December 1899.¹⁹⁶,¹⁹⁷ He returned to Illinois for the funeral of his father on 17 Nov 1905 in St Paul Church, Odell.³³ He died on 17 Aug 1937 in the Montevideo, Minnesota Hospital one