GEORGE H. HOSFELT
George H. Hosfelt was born in Saxony, Germany, on the 4th of October, 1836, and when fifteen years of age, he started out in the world for himself, and inclined with love for free America, he embarked at Liverpool, for Baltimore, in the spring of 1852. Soon after arriving at Baltimore, he went to Newark, New Jersey, and remaining there three years, he went to Illinois, and there remained some twelve or fourteen years, with the exception of three years, which he served in the army. He enlisted in 1861, in company H, Twelfth Illinois Infantry, and served for three years. He was always in the ranks, and participated in nearly all the engagements, and was in the battles at Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, siege of Corinth, siege of Atlanta, Georgia, and was in the principal campaigns. After receiving an honorable discharge, he returned to Bureau county, Illinois, where he was married, in the spring of 1865, to Rebecca Murray, a sister of the present auditor of Cass county. She was a native of Illinois, and one year after her marriage, died, leaving a little daughter--Ruba Margaret, alone with her father. Three months later the child died, and in several months Mr. Holfelt was married to Pamelia S. Smith, a native of Pennsylvania. They have had nine children born to them--Wealthy, born in 1868; Aden H. born in 1869; William H., born in 1871; Nellie M., born in 1872; Martha I., born in 1875; Cora B., born in 1877, and died the same year; Jasper R., born in 1878, and Eva L., born in 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Hosfelt remained in Illinois until 1868, when they came to Tama county, Iowa, and bought forty acres of land, and made that their home until May, 1871, when he came to Cass county, buying eighty acres of land on section 27, in Massena township. Mr. Hosfelt has been very prosperous, and now owns one of the best farms in the township. He now owns two hundred and eighty acres of land, two hundred acres on section 27, and eighty acres on section 34. He has served as township trustee, and is very prominent in school affairs.
Contributed by Lisa Varnes-Rex from "History of Cass County, Iowa. Together With Sketches of its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens." Springfield, Ill.: Continental Historical Company, 1884, pg. 782.
