03/25/2022
We found this handwritten history in Norman Hofmeyer's office, written by Arthur Norman Hofmeyer, Sr. Haley typed it up. It is the story of the Hofmeyer name and some family history on how August got here from Germany. Enjoy!
The Hofmeyer Name
In Germany, “Hoff” means “the land.” It usually is used to refer to the yard around the house [and] farms, but could be used to refer to the palace grounds. August Hofmeyer said the name derived from when his ancestors were in charge of the palace grounds. The name means the “master” or “mayor” of the grounds. “Hoffmeister” or “Hofmeir” would mean the same. “Hoffman” could be the man who works on the farm or grounds.
Most of the Hofmeyers in Germany spell their name “Hoffmeyer.” It could be that the customs at Ellis Island spelled it that and August left it that way. However it may have been spelled that way longer. I want to go back to Germany and see if I can find out more about the family.
The Hofmeyer Story from Helsa to London, New York, South Dakota and Virginia
August Hofmeyer was born at Helsa – Kassel or Cassel – westphalia providence Germany Nov. 6, 1831. He served in the army, probably at about 16 to 18 yrs. of age, all boys had to serve in the army at about that age. In those days the officers had watches, (probably made in Switzerland,) but the regular soldiers seldom did. August learned to fix watches while in the service so when he finished his term in the army he became a goldsmith and jeweler. He married Marie Rucus, a girl from a nearby town. At that time the Austrian-Prussian war was [imminent,] so the family moved to London. At this time I don’t know just when they moved. Kate and George have been born in Germany. We know the other children were born in London.
August had a brother who also left Germany for the same reason. He went to Brazil, so we have relatives in a German settlement southwest of Sao Paulo. August continued his business as a goldsmith [and] jeweler in London where he increased the family to five children. By ages Katherine (Kate) probably 1858, George probably 1860, Wilhelmina (Minnie) Nov. 3 1862, Augusta (Gussie) probably 1864, John Nov. 1 1867. The family went to New York early in 1871 where August Continued in his trade as a jeweler [and] the children all received good educations.
Kate married Jacob Kuhn, a tailor, and lived in Demerest N.J. in a large 2-story house. Kate made clothes for wealthy families. They had 3 children: Bill, Ed, and Gertie who also made clothes for wealthy families. [Gertie] married Bill Green but had no children.
George became an electrical engineer and worked for Thos. Edison at Menlow Park in New Jersey. That was at the time when electricity was just coming into use. The electric light bulb was being developed and for a time George ran the electric generators for Madison Square Garden in New York. At the time these generators were of low voltage, but high voltage was being experimented with at Menlow Park. Later George was chief engineer at Cooper Union in New York and then opened his own office as a consultant. [He] lived in California after his retirement.
George Jr married Anna. Children were Marge, Chester, Dorothy, George, [and] Anna. At this time all are living in New Jersey and New York state.
Minnie married Henry De Malignon while living in New York.
John was serving apprenticeship as a machinist when August, Henry, [and] Minnie and sister Kate went to South Dakota early in 1886 to Homestead. John and his mother stayed in New York because John wanted to finish his apprenticeship.
August and the De Malignons filed on homesteads in Walworth County but times were hard and the men lived in a cave the first winter. The women stayed in Bowdle which was the end of the railroad. Marie went to S.D. early in 1887 as August was sick but he died Aug 20 1887 probably from pneumonia.
John went to S.D. early in1888 after collecting insurance of $1100 and built a small house at Bowdle for his mother and Kate. [He] then built a sod house in his mother’s homestead and started farming with oxen. He also filed on a homestead 160 acres and a tree claim also 160 acres. Henry De Malignon had also filed on a homestead adjoining and built a sod house there.
Gussie married Frank McGlenn and filed in a homestead 5 miles south of Bowdle S.D. They also built a sod house on the homestead and rented out the house in Bowdle. They moved to Harvie, N.D. before 1907 and then to Port Angeles Washington. Children were Edith-George-John-Lloyd+Eugene. John [and] Lloyd went into the grocery business and were very successful. Later John moved to Tustin Calif. Because of his health. He died in 1966.
Life on the homesteads in South Dakota was very hard in the early years. Crop yields were very low, often less than 10 fu. per acre. Oxen were slow and hogs sold for as low as 1¢ per lb. Often there was no money and the De Malignons moved in with John and their mother Marie, because they had nothing but the milk from one cow to live on. After about a year they were able to move back and start over on their own.
George Hofmeyer came to S.D. in the Spring of 1894 and went into partnership with John who was building a larger building with 2 ft. thick walls of clay blocks. It had a store and post office in the front and living rooms in the back. The post office was named Rosella and George’s wife Rosalie was the first postmistress. But times were hard and George and his family soon moved back to New Jersey.
John had advanced to farming with horses and the store was doing quite well. However prices for wheat, corn, and livestock were so low that there was no profit in farming. Wheat was hauled 30 miles to Bowdle by oxen. John had been raising a Russian boy while on the farm. This boy later served in the Spanish-American war and was for a time in the Philippines. Later on he became a merchant in Mound City S.D.
In 1900 the railroad was being extended from Bowdle and a town was being surveyed which was called Java because there was good coffee there. John bought the first two lots and built a large store and moved his inventory from the farm. It was the first and best store in the town. The town meetings were held over the store. It was a Gen. Merchandise store and sold everything from penny candy to harness and plows, high button shoes, groceries, wagons and cloth for dresses etc. He served on the town council, played in the town band, was a director in the bank, was on the rifle team, and paid off for the grain mill on payday.
He built a large 2-story house on his other lot and married Ellen Beckman, a school teacher in 1904. They went to St. Louis to the World Fair on their honeymoon [and] the children of this union were John August Hofmeyer Dec 12 1905-Mar 7 1907 died from spinal meningitis, grave in at East Cemetery.
Marie Aug 23 1906
Arthur, Norman Dec 14 1908
Eugene, John Jul 21 1910
Ruth Feb 2 1912
Dorothy Ellen Oct 30 1913 born in Virginia
The store (Fair Deal 25x100ft.) continued to prosper and the town was growing by leaps and bounds. But John [and] Ellen didn’t like the cold weather. John went on a C.+O. Railway tour in Virginia in 1910. He had written to Anton Rasmussen who had moved to the Porto Bello farm near Williamsburg where Camp Peary is now. Rasmussen took John out to see Barrett’s Ferry Farm which was for sale at that time. He liked the farm and bought it. Route 5 of course was not built at that time and it was a long ride to the farm by horse and wagon.
John had sold the farm in Walworth County to Ludwick Helm Jan 10, 1907 and the house is still lived in by the Helm family. But it was hard to find a buyer for the store and he traded it for two farms in Kansas. He sold the house in Java to John Wolf and at this time it is still occupied by a daughter and her husband Ben Steigelmeir.
John and Ellen’s brother Arthur Beckman put house furniture and farm machinery and 3 horses in a box car and went to Williamsburg early in 1912. It was still in winter and the roads were deep in mud. So they loaded everything on a boat in College Creek to get it to the farm.
Ellen and her sister Mary Beckman came down in April with the 4 children. Ruth was only 2 months old. John met us at the station in Williamsburg and drove us to the farm in a wagon. I was 3 years old and the first thing I remember is being carried from the wagon into the house at Barrett’s Ferry. The house burned down on a frosty night in December of 1914. I was almost 5 years old and was the first to see the fire and woke Aunt Mary who was in the next room. We all got out but very little was saved from the fire.
John went to Kansas and sold the two farms as he needed money to rebuild. Farms then were very cheap but he sold them anyway. Just 2 years later because of World War 1 they would have sold for much more. To grow wheat for the war effort. There was an unfinished 2-story house on the farm and John moved it with rollers and pulleys with the horses for power. He then added onto the house and finished the inside as it was just a shell.
In those days there were no schoolhouses. It was over 7 miles to Five Forks, the closest school. Mother taught us children, we had one room we called the study. Aunt Mary did most of the house work so Mother could have time to teach. In 1917 we drove a buggy to school some, later I drove a school wagon on a 12 mile route to school. I was about 12 years old at that time. Altogether I was in school about 27 months.
In 1922 Dad bought a Model-T truck and built a body for it. Marie drove it to Five Forks and then drove on to William and Mary College. Roads were just mud in winter, the bus often got stuck.
During the war to make some extra money John, our father, took a job as manager at Pine Dell and Piney Grove. It was owned by a Sturgis man who owned coal mines in Philadelphia. Dad graded and built a railroad from the wharf on Piney grove to Deep Creek where First Colony is now. This was to haul mine props from the woods on Green Spring to boats on the Chickahominy. Dad was badly hurt by a Holstein bull in November of 1923 and was unable to work at farming after that.
I was 14 years of age at that time and quit school to do the farming. Dad tended to the apple orchard and after Route 5 was built in 1933 Mother [and] Dad rented boats to fishermen.
Later they retired in Florida where he died at age 84.
