Dickinson Co., KS AHGP-Portrait and
Biographical Album of Dickinson, Saline, McPherson and
Marion Counties-Eli Hoffman
Portrait and Biographical
Album of Dickinson, Saline, McPherson and Marion
Counties
Chapman Brothers, Chicago, 1893
ELI HOFFMAN, who is classed among the
representative agriculturists of Ridge Township,
Dickinson County, resides on section
12. He well deserves representation in this volume,
for he is one of the valued citizens of the community.
A native of Lancaster County, Pa., he was
born February 12, 1838. His father, Christian
Hoffman, a farmer of that county, was born April
9, 1809, and married Annie Snyder, who was four
years his junior. On both sides the ancestors have
long been residents of America. The Hoffmans
were among the founders of the River Brethren
Church, to which the grandparents and parents of
our subject belonged. On the maternal side the
grandparents were Mennonites.
Eli Hoffman, whose name heads this record,
passed the days of his boyhood quietly upon the
home farm, where he remained until twenty-three
years of age. Having attained to man's estate,
he was married to Miss Fannie Lindemuth, who
was born in Pennsylvania, August 29, 1840,
and is a daughter of Martin Lindemuth. Their
union was celebrated October 9, 1860, and they
began their domestic life in the Keystone State,
where they continued to make their home until
1876. In that year they came to Kansas and for
a time Mr. Hoffman engaged in farming on
shares. He then purchased a small place, and afterward
bought five eighty-acre tracts of land,
which he now owns. He moved into a small frame
dwelling, which he now uses for a butchering house
and which, in connection with a small granary, constituted
the improvements of the place. In the
years which have since passed many changes have
been made upon the farm, transforming it into
one of the best country homes in this locality. A
fine residence and large barns have been built, together
with a number of smaller buildings, and on
another portion of the property a second large barn
has been erected. Nearly the entire farm is under
fence and its well-tilled fields and neat appearance
indicate the enterprise and good business ability
of the owner. In connection with general fanning,
Mr. Hoffman engages quite extensively in stock
raising and from this branch of his business reaps
a good income.
Unto our subject and his wife have been born the
following children: Elmer, who is now thirty-one
years of age, married Lizzie Zercher and resides on
a part of his father's farm; Annie is the wife of
Levi Hoffman, a resident of Jefferson Township;
Martin is at home; Lizzie is the wife of Samuel Zook,
a resident farmer of Buckeye Township and the
son of Rev. Mr. Zook, Bishop of the River Brethren
Church; Elmina, Susan, Martha, Fannie, Sadie,
Eli and Edith are still under the parental roof, and
Franklin died in infancy. The parents and eight
of the children are members of the River Brethren
Church, and Mr. Zook the son-in-law, is an ordained
minister of that denomination. Of the two brothers
and four sisters of our subject, all belong to the
River Brethren Church, and Henry, the youngest
brother, was ordained to its ministry in June,
1891, in Pennsylvania.
Eli Hoffman has led a busy and useful life and
his years have been well and worthily spent. He
is now in comfortable circumstances, the owner of a
fine farm, and his prosperity is well deserved. His
straightforward life has won him universal confidence
and it is with pleasure that we present this
sketch of his life to our readers.
(c) 2009 Sheryl McClure for
Dickinson County KS AHGP