Charles & Elizabeth Kochert Steinhoff

STEINHOFF KOCHERT

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 10/18/2010 at 20:47:24

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Charles and Elizabeth (Kochert) Steinhoff
By Lynette Jones Spicer

Elizabeth, the first American-born child of Friedrich & Elizabeth Kochert, was born November 13, 1854, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The third of seven children, Elizabeth was the only child during the several years the family lived in Cincinnati. Elizabeth’s parents were Friedrich Kochert, born November 3, 1825, in Rumbach, Palatinate (Pfalz), Germany, and Elizabeth Nieb, born September 18, 1823, in WIlgartswiesen, Palatinate. The Kocherts came to the United States with children, Katherine (Parks), born November 19, 1846; and Jacob, born August 24, 1850. The family arrived at New York City and settled at Buffalo.

Elizabeth was a year and one-half old when the family moved from Cincinnati to Monroe County, Ohio. She attended school in the Lewisville, Ohio, area up to age 12. Then when the family moved to the Marr, Ohio area, Elizabeth was still listed as attending school on the 1870 census. Friedrich Kochert worked as a blacksmith and alter farmed in Monroe County.

Elizabeth’s siblings born in Monroe County were: Mary (Scharer), born July 10, 1857; Louisa, born January 25, 1860; John, born August 4, 1863; and Matilda (Clift), born November 7, 1865. Louisa died at age 15 in 1875.

J Frankenfeld, and Evangelical pastor, married Elizabeth and Karl (Charles) Friedrich Steinhoff of April 23, 1876, in Monroe County. The Steinhoff family lived just north of Lewisville, so presumably Elizabeth and Charles knew each other at early ages. The two courted while the families lived some ten miles apart – and very hilly miles at that.

Born January 23, 1854, in Lewisville, Ohio, Charles Steinhoff was the second American born child in a German family. Charles’ parents, Heinrich ‘Henry’ and Juliane ‘Julia’ Christiane Louise Amalie (Just, Americanize to Yost) immigrated from Opperhausen, Ducy of Braunschweig, Germany, 1851 with four children and Henry’s parents. The Steinhoff’s were ‘low’ German, meaning they lived in the northern part of Germany where land is fairly comparable to Iowa land-gently rolling with nice stands of trees. The lowlands are closer to the North Sea than the area the Kocherts came from, which is in the south and referred to as the highlands. There was quite a distinction between not only the topographical areas the Kocherts and the Steinhoffs came from, but the languages as well. The ‘high’ Germany speaking folks had quite a time understanding the ‘low’ Germans and vice versa, of course. Neverthe-less, the children of the immigrants married across these lines.

Charles Steinhoff appears to have followed his brother, William, to Iowa. On February 24, 1881, Charles purchased forty acres for $450 in ‘bluffs’ road just south of new 141. The land currently is owned by Mrs Clara Worrell. At this time, Charles and Elizabeth had two daughters, Mary Elizabeth (Kilzer) and Minnie Lavina (never married). The girls were both born on September 19, two years apart (1877 and 1879).

Minnie used to tell a fascinating story of the family’s living in ‘Sugar Loaf’ there next to the loess hills. Prior to building a house, the family dug into the side of ‘Sugar Loaf’ and used this cave. The story, Minnie told, was of the Indians (probably Winnebago who trapped mink and muskrat in the area) migrating past ‘Sugar Loaf’ each spring and fall. Each time they passed. Charles would send his dog out the chicken pen to fetch and kill a chicken for the Indians. In so doing, the Steinhoff made clear to the Indians they were indeed friendly folk.

A July 13, 1949, letter Mary Steinhoff Kilzer wrote to her niece, Fern (Steinhoff) Jones, recalled the dug-out: ‘Today was your Dad’s birthday…I remembered the day he was born. We were so glad to have a little brother…Bert Clifts must of just come from Ohio as they were staying with the folks. They were still living in the dug-out but had a room built, born on the front. That was where your Dad was born, below the ‘Sugar Loaf’.’ Theodore Steinhoff was born July 13, 1888, so apparently the family lived in ‘Sugar Loaf’ for at least seven years.

In December 1882, Charles purchased ten acres two sections west of his first land. He held this ten acres only nine years. In 1883 he purchased forty acres adjoining his original land to the east. And in 1891 he purchased another eighty acres in that holding.

Charles and Elizabeth had three Iowa-born children: Pauline Matilda Hummel, born July 8 1883; Theodore Franklin (noted previously); and Emma Louise Morton, born September 11, 1893. Elizabeth’s obituary relates that she had six children, one child dying in infancy. It’s not known when this child was born or how long it lived.

Elizabeth’s father died in 1891 in Ohio. Her mother came to Woodbury County in 1894 to be near three of her six children who lived in Iowa. She was living with her son, John, when she passed away in 1914 at the age of 90. Elizabeth (Nieb) Kochert is buried in Willow Cemetery near Holly Springs.

In 1898 Charles Steinhoff purchased eighty acres of Monona County land two miles south of Hornick. It’s not known whether Charles and Elizabeth ever lived south of Hornick. They did live in the house now owned by Mrs Worrell, directly across form ‘Sugar Loaf’. Presumably Charles Steinhoff had that home built or build it himself.

On December 14, 1905, Charles Steinhoff had a farm sale, selling $1995.86 worth of farm equipment, household goods and livestock. The item bringing the most money was a black mare sold to J M Hackley for $154.00. Some of the other interesting items sold ere: M Clifft, Sewing machine, $11.00; John Kochert, Iron kettle, $3.10; Matilda Clift, 1 dozen jars, $1.30; J S Egger, 5 stands of bees at $1.60, $8.00; J C Steinhoff, Organ $32.00; Louis Unkel, Fur coat, $18.50; John Sas, Two-seated buggy, $23.50; Peter Inman, Sattley corn plow, $9.75; Geo Steinhoff, Bull, $51.00; H C Steinhoff, Set sleigh bells, $1.00; Ivan Tresham, Bedstead & springs, $3.00; Sofus Tonneson, Parlor lamp, $.80; T E Jones, 2-row cultivator, $40.00.

In March 1906, Charles purchased 71 acres near Ashland, Ohio. Supposedly the Steinhoffs were homesick for Ohio and Charles Sulsberger had told them the land around Ashland was much better than Monroe County, Ohio land. Four of their five children, Elizabeth. Mary had married William Kilzer in 1899 and remained in Iowa.

In 1910 Dominic Hummel went out to Ohio to marry Pauline. They then returned to Iowa. Theodore Steinhoff returned to Iowa sometime after that and married Freda Unkel in 1914. In 1917, the youngest daughter, Emma, married a native Ohioan, Alfred Morton. She remained in Ohio all her life.

On March 22, 1919, Charles sold his Ohio land. On September 27 of the same year he purchased fifteen acres at Rodney, Iowa. This home, west of the town proper, was the one that Minnie lived in after her parents died.

Charles Steinhoff died on August 23, 1925. Minnie continued to live with her mother in Rodney. Elizabeth died July 16, 1941, at the age of 86. Both she and Charles, as well as three of their five children, are buried in the German City Cemetery east of Holly Springs. Elizabeth and Charles were charter members of St John’s Evangelical Church at German City when it was founded in 1882.

Descendants of Charles and Elizabeth living in Woodbury County today are Theodore’s two children, Fern Steinhoff Jones and Wayne Steinhoff. Wayne’s two children, Susan (Steinhoff) Matthias and Lael Steinhoff and their families also live in Woodbury County.