Contra Costa County CA Archives Biographies.....Hoffman, Ferdinand 1827 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 27, 2005, 3:37 am Author: W. A. Slocum & Co., Publishers (1882) FERDINAND HOFFMAN.—A native of Prussia, born in the Province of the Rhine April 12, 1827. When twenty years of age, being then subject to draft in the army of his native land, Mr. Hoffman concluded to escape such service, and consequently emigrated to America, arriving in New York in the Summer of 1847. Here he sojourned some six months, and then moved westward to St. Louis, where he found employment at his trade of shoemaker, that he had learned in Prussia, and there resided until 1850. He then joined a train bound for California, crossed the plains, and arrived in Georgetown August 3d of the above year. He there followed mining for a short period, then moved to San Francisco, where he engaged in the boot and shoe trade, and prosecuted this until his coming to Contra Costa in 1858. He first located in Martinez, engaged with his brother in the tannery business, and there remained for three years, when he sold out his interest, and with his brother Christian purchased an interest in a quartz mill in El Dorado county, which, proving unsuccessful, they moved to the Iron House District in this county and engaged in the sheep business. In the Fall of 1861, he, with his brother, located on his present beautiful ranch of nine hundred and sixty acres one mile from Byron, all now being in a high state of cultivation. Married in Martinez, January 20, 1870, Miss Eliza Notting, a native of Prussia. By this union they have three living children—Walter, Emily and Byron. Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION; TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE; ALSO, Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN; AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC. ILLUSTRATED. SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCUM & CO., PUBLISHERS 1882. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/contracosta/bios/hoffman38nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 2.8 Kb