Notes:

Lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

CLARENCE married UNKNOWN RUTH. [Group Sheet]

1. COLLMEYER BRIAN
2. COLLMEYER JONATHON

WILLIAM married GREFE CLARA on 7 Aug 1905 in New Minden, Washington County, Illinois. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Lives in a nursing home in St. Louis (as of 1972).

Notes:

They spent their entire lives in the New Minden area and lived on the farm south of New Minden - still in possession of their descendants - the Theodore Grefe Family. They lived to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in May, 1924.

From "The Hoffmans 1662 - 1972"
Compiled by Bernice Reinhardt

HENRY married FRYE ANNA on 21 May 1874. ANNA was born on 3 Feb 1854; died on 31 May 1926. [Group Sheet]

HERMANN married HOFFMANN SOPHIE MARIA ELIZABETH about 1838. SOPHIE (daughter of HOFFMAN JOHANN FRIEDRICH WILHELM and ENGEL ANNE MARIA) was born on 19 Oct 1813 in Rothenuffeln, Kries Minden, Germany; died on 8 Feb 1874 in Dod may be 1893?. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Elisabeth and Herman were among the group who came from Germany to the U.S. in 1838 and are believed to have been married in Germany. Their first home was Lancaster, Ohio, but in 1839 they heard of cheap land in Illinois and several of the men rode horseback to Illinois to investigate. Finding the stories true, they purchased land in Southern Illinois, in what is now Washington Co., between what later became New Minden and Nashville, Illinois. Our Washington Co. Historical Museum has a record of these purchases made from the Federal Gov't on Dec. 29, 1839, for $1.25 an acre.
The men then returned to Lancaster to bring their families to Illinois. They travelled in covered wagons, stopping along the way tow ash their clothes in creeks. They had hoped to reach their new home before the birth of Elisabeth and Herman's first baby but were only able to make it to the vicinity of Carlyle. Here their daughter Louise was born in a covered wagon. Elisabeth was attended by a Carlyle doctor and the baby was baptized by a Carlyle minister. After a layover of 3 weeks, the group continued their journey.
Elisabeth lived a long and useful life and was said to be a very pious individual, who, in later years, when her children and grandchildren came to see her, always had a little prayer with them before they left. The story is also told by some members of the family, that at the time of her death, the hired hand who was in the barn milking, knew she had passed away because a stream of light could be seen coming from Heaven to the house. The Collmeyers were able to provide a farm for each of their three sons - two of which are still in possession of their descendants.
From "Hoffmans 1662 - 1972"
compiled by Bernice Reinhardt