The Loffer Family

The Loffers
All the way back to the 1700's

Related surnames in my database (either directly or indirectly):
Bowman, Brown, Fleming, Freel, Fulerton, Godfrey, Hanks, Hawkens, Hemper, Hiland, Holbein, Laffer, Lahm, Lauffer, McKnight, Mullen, Remy, Rhode, Ripp, Schuck, Smith, Sober, and Teagarden

Did I miss any? Send them to me!

My information on the Loffers goes all the way back to the 1700's, where I have found Christian Lauffer's name in several places on the internet. There are 3 Christian's in my Loffer database, a father, son, and grandson, so to avoid confusion, I will refer to them as I, II, and III. Christian I spelled his last name Lauffer, II and III spelled it Loffer. I am descended from Christian II's son, Simon Peter, and I am trying to trace myself directly to him.

Christian I married Susanna Best, about 1765. They had at least 3 children. Christian, Henry, and John. I heard a rumor that perhaps each of the boys chose a different spelling for their last name, Loffer, Lauffer, and Laffer, in order to make their own mark. I have no proof of that.

Christian II was born October 20, 1770 in Northampton County, PA, and married Elizabeth Teagarden ( I have also seen Teegarden, Teegardin, etc.) born March 16, 1786 (?) around 1810. They had 6 children: Christian III, Ellen, Henry, Sarah, Solomon, and Simon Peter.

Simon was born May 17, 1824, and married Hannah Wilhemine Caroline Hemper, born January 15, 1823 (although I can't find their marriage record, or when or where she died) and they had 7 children:

Henry Christian, born in 1847 in Indiana
John Elias, born in 1849 in Indiana
Jerome William (my great-great grandfather), born in 1853 in Indiana
Christian(s?), born in 1855 in Wisconsin
Alfred A; born in 1857 in Wisconsin
Frederick Freeman, born in 1860 in Wisconsin
Mary E.C; born in 1861 in Wisconsin

Click here to view the census, which also includes some of Hannah's family in the lines above.

Simon, Hannah, and family moved south from Wisconsin to Iowa, in the Boone County area

According to a history written by Pearl, granddaughter to Simon and Hannah, Elias ended up in Portland, Oregon, Fred ended up in Ord, Nebraska, and Mary married a Fred Hawkens and lived in the Mason City, Nebraska area. She did not list where the others lived or who they married, however, Frederick and his wife, Cynthia are buried in the Wood River Cemetery.

Jerome married Sarah Eliza Mullen in Dunlap, Iowa. They had 6 children:

Millie, born in 1880, m. Unknown (to me) Stockham
William Aaron (my great grandfather), born in 1882 m. Annabell Sober, b. 1888
Pearl, born in 1883, never married
Ethel, born in 1885, m. Thomas Brown, no children
Harry, born in 1888, m. Bertha Lahm, they had 4 children.
Irvin, born in 1896, m. Golda Hanks. they had 3 children.

Their picture is on my home page, taken around 1898, judging by the age of Irvin. The family came to Hall County, Nebraska from Shelby and Harrison Counties in Iowa in the 1890's. They lived on a farm north and east of Shelton for many years. Sarah died in 1916, and Jerome in 1918, and are both buried in the Shelton Cemetery. I do have a mystery on Jerome. He is listed in a Shelby County early marriage register, applying for a license to marry a Lillian Phelps in 1875, however no marriage occurred, and I have been unable to locate any other records on her.

William Aaron Loffer married Annabell Sober in 1906. They had 5 children:

Roy Aaron, born in 1906; d. 1987, (my grandfather) m. Gladys Brown, they had 2 children.
The Buffalo County Rootsweb site has a picture of the school the oldest 4 attended, along with a short story of the teacher's desk and my grandfather.
Ruth Arlene, born in 1908; d. 1999, m. Walter Godfrey, they had 5 children.
Opal Irene, born in 1911; d. 2002, m. Frank Ripp, they had 4 children.
Ethel May, born in 1914; d. 1996, m. Howard Bowman, they had 6 children.
Lloyd Lavern, born in 1925; d. 2002, m. Lorna Jean Freel, they had 5 children.

Roy Aaron Loffer married Gladys Ellen Brown in 1930. They had 2 children:

Marvin Merlin, born in 1930, died in 1946 with 3 other teenagers in a car-train accident in Gibbon, Nebraska.
Doris Esther, still living (my mother)

Roy, Gladys, and Doris in 1967.

More of the Loffers can be found by searching my database, or visit my family group sheet on the Buffalo County Rootsweb site listing Jerome and Sarah Loffer and their children. Those researching this branch may also connect with other Loffer researchers by joining or just checking out the Loffer-l or Loffer-d mailing lists, and the Loffer Message Board, sponsored by RootsWeb.

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