August Hoffman was born July 3, 1876 in Mulhouse, Alsace.  His father Michael Hoffman died when August was six years old, and left August’s mother Louise Eugenie Blind in a very bad situation. August had to look after his little sister Emilie while his mother worked as a dressmaker (which he didn’t do most of the time and for which he got quite a few lickens.) They lived over the dressmakers shop.  And while his mother was at work, he was catching and raising wild animals. He made all his own traps.  He caught birds and rabbits  He had them in the attic and his mother didn’t know.
  As a young man,  August was in Kaiser Wilhelm’s personal guard, something of which he was always very proud.
   August had a deep voice and enjoyed singing.  He was also quite an actor.  In his youth he belonged to a gymnastics club.  He was the strong man support for the human pyramids.  He could do tricks on the bars.  He was in the Glee Club and acted in plays. He belonged to a Lodge that took trips to different villages to perform.  That’s where he met his wife Amalie Vogel. His mother had hoped he would have married better, and was disappointed he picked a shop girl.
      For a while he was a night watchman and he had a big German Shepherd police dog.  His uniform was a h eavy coat and a heavy cape because he had to walk along the river.   When he heard something suspicious he’d let the guard dog loose to investigate.
     In March 1907 he came to the United States with his wife Amalie, daughter Rosalie, and mother Louise.  In America he worked tool maker and did well.  His daughter Rose said they always had money for the bills, food, and clothing.
    He liked to be the leader and be in the center of things.  He belonged to the German Boone in America and he was always out directing traffic at their events.  He was very active on the dance floor. He had a Victrola and he liked to dance at home too.  He could dance all the dances.  Even when he was 60 years old he danced all the  fast polkas and never got tired. It was also fairly routine of him to demonstrate how he marched in the parades as a guard to Kaiser Wilhelm.
   He enjoyed planting  flowers.   He and his wife had beautiful Peonies, Canterbury Bells and Shasta Daisies everywhere.  He had full rows of peonies that were red and white.  He saved every seed and every shoot to start another plant.  On Decoration Day he  would sell bouquets flowers.  August had grape arbors over all the walks from which hung very large bunches of Concord grapes.  He knew how to dress the vines to produce extra large grapes.
  He had a barn in the back with a house and a buggy.  He always had chickens.  He raised pigeon.  He made nest boxes with glass on one side so that he could look in the nets and inspect the chicks.   He and his wife liked pets.  They had half a dozen cats and two dogs.
    August Hoffman died December 12, 1954 in Dayton Ohio.  His wife Amalie Vogel  lived to be ninety-nine years old.  She died May 10, 1976
 

-biography written and researched by Linda Rawles
with details as told to Linda by her mother and grandmother.

Ancestors in Balgau, Alsace, France (formerly Elsass Germany)

  August Hoffman's father's family were from villages  Balgau and Nambeheim in Alsace France.
The earliest record of his ancestors is the record of Henricus Hoffman who died in Nambeheim September 7, 1666.
His mother's family were from Strasbourg.

copyright 2002 Linda Rawles all rights reserved.

Late breaking News!

August's sister Emilie married Paul Guillaume. I found her on the Ellis Island data base April 17, 1906 on the ship La Champagne traveling from the port of Le Havre, Seine-Inferior, France. She is listed as age 29 and is married. Her husband was already in America. Her last place of residence is listed Biel. She is traveling with her son Theodor age 2y 2m.

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