John A. Hoffmann, 1899 Biography

HOFFMANN, EIFLER

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 1/28/2007 at 19:30:21

I translated the following biography from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published in a special 25th Anniversary Edition of the paper on Friday, 20 September 1899. Words in quotations are original. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

John A. Hoffmann

Mr. Hoffmann also belongs among the old settlers because he has lived in Carroll County since 1872. He moved at that time to a farm in Roselle Township, and during the time that he lived there, he held various township offices, such as justice of the peace and township clerk. In September 1886, he and his family moved to Mt. Carmel where he took over the general merchandise store from Mr. John Hillmann, and then assumed the position of postmaster. He sold the business in 1893, and he then moved to a 185-acre farm a quarter of a mile from Mt. Carmel.

Mr. Hoffmann was born on 1 August 1844 in Seitendorf, Kingdom of Saxony. In 1866 he immigrated to America with his parents. They arrived in Elkport, Clayton County, Iowa on the Fourth of July. On 28 September, 1868, Mr. Hoffmann married Miss Anna Eifler. This marriage has produced 10 children, of whom, however, only four children are still alive: Isidor, John, Mary, and Annie. From Clayton County, the family then moved to Carroll County, as noted above.

Mr. Hoffmann is a successful farmer. In addition to his farm in Mt. Carmel, he possesses a 120-acre farm near Carroll and a 160-acre farm in Roselle Township, as well as 320 acres of land in Cedar County, Nebraska. In 1892 he changed sides to the Republican Party. However, in his heart he is a Democrat who will certainly soon find himself back under the old banner. He operates a rather large-scale cattle operation and is the only breeder in the county of “Red Polled” cattle, which are especially profitable. He transports cattle by rail in all directions, and sells according to the old saying, “No prophet is welcome in his own country,” and sells more out of the area than near home. [A pun: in German the word for prophet and profit are the same.]