Dickinson Co., KS AHGP-Portrait and
Biographical Record of Dickinson, Saline, McPherson and
Marion Counties-Charles Hoffman
Portrait and Biographical
Record of Dickinson, Saline, McPherson and Marion
Counties
Chapman Brothers, Chicago, 1893
CHARLES HOFFMAN, who resides on section
35, Banner Township, is one of the
leading farmers of Dickinson County and
well deserves representation in this volume. His
life record is as follows: He was born in Prussia,
Germany, on the 2d of November, 1851, and is a
son of Carl and Louisa (Knieling) Hoffman. The
first seventeen years of his life were spent in the
land of his nativity. In 1868, himself and parents
emigrated to America, locating in Dayton, Ohio,
where his parents spent five years. Mr. Hoffman
came to Dickinson County, Kan., and settled in
Banner Township, where he spent the remainder
of his days, his death occurring in the spring of
1890.
The year following the emigration of his parents
to Kansas, our subject also went to Kansas
and remained under the parental roof until twenty-
seven years of age. He then left home and located
upon the farm where he now resides. As a
companion and helpmate on life's journey, lie
chose Miss Ulrike Schmidt, who was born in
Prenzlau, Prussia, July 4, 1855. Her parents were
August and Johanna (Siewerdt) Schmidt. The
marriage of our subject and his wife was celebrated
in Jefferson Township, March 6, 1879, and unto
them have been horn seven children, six sons and
a daughter, and with one exception all are yet living:
Ida H., Edward C, Willie A., Joseph H.,
Walter and Benjamin. Milton B., the fifth in
order of birth, died in infancy. The Hoffman
household is the abode of hospitality and its members
rank high in social circles. Mrs. Hoffman is a
lady of superior intelligence and culture and presides
with grace over her pleasant home, having
the happy faculty of placing her guests at their
ease.
The Hoffman farm is one of the best in the
county. It comprises three hundred and twenty
acres of well-kept land, upon which have been
erected all the buildings found upon a model
farm. He also owns one hundred and sixty acres
of land in Marion County. In his political affiliations,
he is a Republican but has never been an office-
seeker. Himself and wife are members of the
German Baptist Church. Our subject is a self-made
man, for whatever he possesses has been acquired
through his own efforts. He began life empty-
handed, his sole capital being a young man's
bright hope of the future and a determination to
succeed. However, he has steadily worked his
way upward, overcoming all the disadvantages
and obstacles in his path, and is now numbered
among the substantial citizens of the community
and is recognized as one of the most progressive
and influential farmers of Banner Township.
(c) 2009 Sheryl McClure for
Dickinson County KS AHGP