St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-09-05
The Hoffman Reunion


on the frosted cake, under the shadowing
naples standing in the dooryard of Ed
ward Cahoon Graves on Thursday last
at Lyndon. Mr.. and Mrs. Graves kindly
invited the Hofmans and relatives to
visit them on that day. Among those
present were: Henry Hoffman, wife and
son Harley of Wheelock; Helen Hoffman
OF Cambridge, Mass; John H. Hoffman,
wife and son John W. OF St. Johnsbury;
Charles H. Hoffman, who resides on the
original iarm in the north part of Lvn.
don; Mrs. E. H. Hoffman and children,
Charlotte, Helen, Clifton and Hilda;
Fred Hoffman, wife and daughter Grace
OF WheeIock; John Hoffman Dunlap of
Concord, and Grace M. Hovey of Peter
boro, N. H.
After sumptuous dinner served at 4
O'Clock, p. m, remarks were made by
several present. John H Hoffman led off
and called upon Uncle Henry to give
history of the family, and he valiantly
rose to the occasion. His memory quick
ly carried us back to Hesse Castle, Ger
many, where Frederick Hoffman lived in
| about the year 1850. He was serving in
the Imperial army. His sons, Henry and
Frederick and third son, (name lost)
| took French leave of the homeland to
| escape enforced service in the army.
They came to America, Frederick settled
IN New York, one name unknown) went
west and Henry Hoffman landed at
Providence, R. |. He soon moved to
Rehoboth Mass. From there he enlisted
and fought in every battle from Bunker
Hill to Valley Forge; he then as sailor
soldier enrolled under Paul Jones, sailed
on the river and was in numerous naval
battles until he was severely wounded
off the coast of England. He found his
way back to his Massachusetts home
and moved by the spirit of discovery,
emigrated to Vermont and with Mr.
Arnold made home at st. Johnsbury.
His Lighthouse stood on or near where the
| st. Iohnsburv House now stands. He
came into possession Of the land where
st. Johnsbury Plain now is, owning a
large tract in that vicinity. Being an
expansionist, having caught the north
western fever, he exchanged the ST..
Johnsbury plant for 600 acres in the
north of Lyndon, extending from Spuab-
| BILE Hollow to the northern limit OF Pud-
| ding hill. Well up on the brow of the hill
he built house and barn. One of his
sons, James B. Hoffman, was born and
| lived on this home farm. He married
| Lucy Rice. To them were born twelve
children, seven sons and five daughters,
Henry Hoffman of Wheelock, to whom
we are indebted for this sketch. and Ira
/ Hoffman of Holliston, Mass, are the
ouly ones now living. The original
| Henry Hoffman who served in the revo-
lutionary war whose name is on the
soldiers monument at the Lyndon
Centre cemetery, stood within few feet
of Gen. Washington when he last visited
Providence. A small boy said: "Where
is he?" When told which man was
Washington he said, "Why be looks just
like any other man." Gen. Washington
overheard the remark and said to him,
you are right, my lad, here, (handing
him a dollar take this for your truthful
ness" The same Henry Hoffman was a
shoemaker. His shop was papered with
prize money which he considered of no
value; money which was given him for
services while he was marine soldier, a
thousand dollar note of which was in
possession OF the late George Hoffman OF
White River Junction.
If tradition is correct and we think it
is, Henry Hoffman helped to raise the
first flag, the stars and stripes, made to
the order of Washington by Betsey Ross
of Philadelphia which was substituted for
the sign of a snake, meaning Don't
tread on me" on the ship Bon Homme
Richard, then lying in the Delaware river.
The Hoffman family has numerous des-
pendants in Vermont and Massachusetts.
An annual reunion is sure to follow. 1t
is the wish of the family to meet at the
old homestead in 1901.
Fire in Lyndon.
About II O'Clock last Thursday night
fire was discovered in the Bank block by
| Mr.. Wilson. Just as he turned off the
electrics in his kitchen on the second
floor he saw the light reflected on other
buildings and gave the alarm. The fire
caught in the part Of the basement used
as store cellar and was already under
way. 1t worked rapidly through the
cellar up the STAIRWAY into the back
store and bank and in the partitions
The hose company very soon had two
streams of water playing on the flames
which they were able to confne to the
basement and first floor, but great diff
Guilty was experienced in getting places
where the hose could do effectual work
For this purpose the floor in the room
used as vestry by the Congregations
church was nearly cut to pieces and tori
up. The building is a two story one
with basement, one-half of which is oc
cupied by c. Nj. Chase as a printing
office, and the other halt is used as eel
lar by Mr.. Wilson. On the first floor il
the Lyndon National Bank and J. E
Wilson's dry goods and grocery store
containing telegraph and telephone
offices. The front part of the seconc
floor was recently finished into a tene
ment and is occupied by Mr.. Wilson
The rear part has been used for years
by the Congregational church as a YES
try, dining room and kitchen. On thu
third floor is a hall occupied By TIT
Grange, the Golden Cross, the !. O. U. A
NJ. and some other societies. The great
est loss is Mr.. Wilson's, as everything IL
the cellar and back store was either en-
tirely consumed or drenched with water
Three hundred dozen eggs ready for mar
ket were in the hottest OF the tre, a.
well as barrels of sugar, flour, cereals
etc. Fortunately the kerosene barre
did not take fire. The shoe department
was saved, but well wet down. Mr.
Wilson carried $4,000 insurance on hi
stock and his loss has already been ad