page updated 9/29/2009

This is an initial attempt to gather some of the information from Steve Stumpp about various people in our family history that has been gathered by Steve Stumpp. It is not now in any particular order. When Steve sends me information, I will add it here.

This is a bit of an experiment, and I may change it. For now, I think it is of some value to put all this information on one page. That way you can search for people by doing a standard search on this page. (In most cases: press Ctrl+F and then enter the name or phrase you want to search for.) This also will allow me to put links from here to photographs of people, and from the photographs to the information here.

Note: STILL TO DO on this page is to add inks from here to photographs of people, and from the photographs to the information here

----------

A general note on names:

As to Otto and his wife, Matilda Rudolphy, the family name was indeed "Heppenheimer," not "Heppenheim."  The only branch of the family that changed their name from Heppenheimer was that of your great grandfather, Dr. Frederick C HvS.

Elisabeth Heppenheimer      [photo] [note to Steve - is this the correct photo?]
from an email from Steve Stumpp, 6/28/2009

It looks like more Heppenheimers came to the US than I previously realized.
 
One of the pictures from the Red Velvet Album that really struck me was that of Elisabeth Heppenheimer, half sister to our Frederick Heppenheimer. She was quite stunning in her elegant beauty. The notation in the book is that she married a man named "Lindmûller." The thought came to me that she might have immigrated here. So, I began a search of the databases.

From Jörg Hartung’s Familienbuch for Stockstadt, Elisabeth was born on 24 Apr 1843.

I found that Elise Heppenheimer married Robert Lindmueller on 15 NOV 1863 at the German Church on Madison Street in NYC. This is the same church in which four of the Heppenheimer children were christened. Furthermore, their first child, Robert Lindmueller Jr, was born 21 SEP 1864 and christened 15 NOV 1864 at that church.

Per the Naturalization Databases, Robert Lindmueller was granted US citizenship in NYC on March 16, 1868. His address was given as 342 East 59th St.

Per the 1870 US census, Robert (age 36) and Elisabeth (age 26) are living in NYC. Their name is entered on the census as "Lindenmuller." With them are children Robert (age 6), Emma (age 4), Addie (age 2) and George (age 2 months).
Next the Lindmuellers appear in Cleveland, Ohio, The birth of their son, Edward, and daughter, Bertha, are recorded on 08 NOV 1876 and 07 SEP 1880, respectively.

Apparently, Robert Lindmueller Jr married Anna Striebinger in about 1897. There is a record of the birth of their first child on Dec 8, 1897. The 1900 census puts Anna and Robert (Jr) living in Cleveland with her parents, Louise and Philipp Striebinger. Also with then are children Robert (b. Dec 1897) and Helen (b. May 1900).

I was able to find Ohio death certificates for Edward and Robert Jr. These provided birth and death dates for them, and confirmed that their parents were indeed Robert Lindmueller and Elise Heppenheimer.

I also found an obituary from an Ohio paper for Elise, dated April 7, 1913: "Lindmueller-Elise, Friday, April 4, at residence, 1611 Lakeview ave., East Cleveland, mother of Robert, George, Charles, Edward, aged 70 years. Funeral services at F. Beilstein's funeral parlors, 3311 Prospect ave., Monday, Apr. 7, at 2 p. m."

 
Marianna Hofer (1788 - ~1868)                       [photo]
wife of Johann Evangelista Hofer
from an email from Steve Stumpp, 6/27/2009

Maria Anna was born in Önsbach, Baden, on 11 Nov 1788, to Theresia Lorenz and Hyacinth Ernst. She married Johann Evangelista Hofer on 21 November 1808 at the Roman Catholic Church in Önsbach. They had 14 children between 1808 and 1830. Only seven survived to adulthood. Our g-g grandmother, Christine, was the youngest. Johann Evangelista Hofer died in Önsbach on 24 February 1850. Maria Anna came to America soon after, probably with one of her four daughters who immigrated here. Per the 1860 US Census, she was living with the Heppenheimers in the New York City (on Goerck Street, near Delancey). I cannot find a US record of her death, but according to the Familienbuch, she died in Brooklyn in 1868. The Heppenheimers had moved to Jersey City by that time, and I suspect that Maria Anna moved in with her daughter, Amalia, and her husband, Josef Armbruster, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn (Klein Deutschland).
 
Of the seven surviving children of Maria Anna and Johann Evangelista Hofer, six came to the US.
Second-born child, Hans Hofer (1810-1880), was a lawyer in Baden and was very active in the 1847-1848 Republican movement. When the Republican uprising was put down, he was declared a traitor, and he fled to Switzerland. He brought his wife and family to the US in 1851. They settled in Hoboken. However, he could not find work as a lawyer in the US, and they ran a boarding house. Later, he was pardoned and the family returned to Baden, except for the eldest son, Ernst, who remained in the US.
 
Franz Xaver Hofer (1821-1892) came to the US in about 1850, but I cannot trace him here. [note to Steve - Here is a discrepancy to track down: the document Johann_Hofer_desendants_7_gen has "Andreas" Franz Xaver Hofer, born 1821, but it says died 1904]
 
One daughter named Maria Anna Hofer (born 1820) moved to Holland and married Mathias Joseph Witsch. I found their marriage recorded in Dutch archives. They had four known children in Holland. I cannot be sure when Mathias died, but Maria Anna and three sons came to the US in about 1870. Her eldest son was Otto Witsch who was the first husband of "Aunt Mary" Klingelhofer. Otto died in 1884 and "Aunt Mary" married Charles von Schuller, who died in 1891. ["Aunt Mary" von Schuller was not a blood relative, but was part of the extended family until her death in 1945.]
 
Pauline Hofer (born 1826) came to the US and married Cajetan Boller, a butcher. They lived in NYC and later in New Jersey.
 
Amalia Hofer (born 1825) came to the US and married Josef Armbruster. [note to Steve - is this the correct photo?]He was in the liquor trade. They lived in Brooklyn for a while and later moved to Jersey City. Per records of the Second German Evangelical Church on Madison Street in the Lower East Side, Amalia Armbruster was present at the christening of four of the Heppenheimer children.

 

"Andreas" Franz Xaver Hofer (1821 - 1892 or maybe 1904)
from an email from Steve Stumpp dated 8/25/2009

Franz Xaver Hofer was one of the brother's of our g-g grandmother, Christine Hofer Heppenheimer. I am on my second read of the book:
MY CENTURY; THE STORY OF ANDREAS FRANZ HOFER, by Amalie Hofer Jerome. This book was written by Amalie Hofer Jerome, one of A F Hofer's daughters. According to the preface, she put it together from letters, notes and diaries her father had left behind. It is eminently readable, and covers the entire span of his life (from Önsbach to Iowa). It seems that Franz Xaver Hofer was nicknamed "Andreas" by his colleagues whilst a teenager based on some courageous acts. His family still called him "Franz." However, he did participate in the Republican Revolution of 1848-49, and was forced to flee, first to France, then Switzerland and finally the US. After his arrival in the US on 1849, he assumed the name "Andreas Franz Hofer." This, I believe, is the big part of the myth of our descent from Andreas Hofer, the Tyrolean.

Heppenheimer missing generation between Johannes (1607-1674) and George (1658-1729) in Nieder Ramstadt

email from Steve Stumpp 5/1/2009:

The microfilm for the Nieder Ramstadt Kirchenbuch has arrived.  I spent about 5 hours this morning finding listings for Heppenheimers and Leisslers. 
The Heppenheimers moved from Ober Ramstadt to Nieder Ramstadt sometime about the middle of the 17th century. 
I had suspected that we were missing a generation between Johannes Heppenheimer (1607-1674) and Johann Georg Heppenheimer (1658-1729).  The attached demonstrates just that.  There was a Heppenheimer (I believe that his name was Johannes) who was born in 1636 (during the dark days of the 30-year War) and died in 1690 in Nieder Ramstadt.  I will get back to you after I have a chance to study the Kirchenbuch extractions.
 
A curious thing about the attached is that it is a pencil-written note that was inserted on between pages of the Kirchenbuch, obviously by someone who was researching the Heppenheimers and, obviously, much later than the other Kirchenbuch entries.  It is possible that this note was inadvertently left in the book during the research requested by Dr Frederick C Heppenheimer the late 1800's.
 
Recall that Johann Ludwig Heppenheimer (1688-1748) married Elizabetha Katherina Leissler.  Thus, the Leisslers of Nieder Ramstadt are also our ancestors.

[copy of microfilm]

Christine Heppenheimer

from email from Steve Stumpp, 8/2/2009

Recall tha Marianna Ernst Hofer was the mother of Christine Hofer Heppenheimjer.
 
On page 192 and 193 of "My Century, the Story of Andreas Franz Hofer" there is passage that is worth noting.
"Centennial year found me going back east for the first time, and for the celebration of the silver wedding of sister Christine and her husband. It was a brilliant occasion, for everyone gladly paid tribute to this much appreciated, prosperous couple, whose six sons shared in all the honors. Together with the families of our two other sisters it made a large and jubilant company. My cup of happiness was full to overflowing.
 
"I took this occasion to visit the Lutheran Cemetery in Brooklyn where in 1868 the sisters had laid to rest our beloved mother. In light of all that had happened since I said to her "Good night and God keep you" and marched away to the Revolution, I could only be deeply grateful for all her faith and devotion and inspiring motherhood."
 
The silver wedding anniversary for Frederick and Christine Heppenheimer was actually held in August of 1877.
The "Revolution" he speaks of is the Republican Revolution in Germany in 1847/48.

Christine Hofer and Andreas Hofer

Email from Steve Stumpp, 8/1/2009

Some of you may have been a little disappointed when it came to light that Christine Hofer Heppenheimer was not a direct descendant of Andreas Hofer. Well, I have been doing a little more research on a man who lived in Iowa named "Andreas Franz Hofer" or more commonly "Andrew Frank Hofer."

From census records, I learned that he was born in Baden in December of 1821. He married a young girl named Mari Ruef in NYC in 1853. He wound his way to Iowa, and joined the 9th Iowa Infantry as a lieutenant at the start of the Civel War. By 1870, he was settled in Iowa as a farmer and had several children. At some point, he purchased a newspaper in McGregor Iowa, which he and his sons ran for some years. He later died in Chicago in 1904.
At least three of his daughters became educators and authors, these include Bertha Hofer Hegner and Mari Ruef Hofer.

One daughter, Amalie Hofer Jerome, wrote a book:
MY CENTURY, THE STORY OF ANDREAS FRANZ HOFER,
published in 1937 by Bruce Humphries, Inc, of Boston.. I was lucky enough to purchase a copy of this book just this week and am reading it.

Based on my reading of the first 60 pages or so, there can be no doubt that Andreas Franz Hofer of Iowa is indeed Franz Xaver Hofer, brother of Christine. Amongst other things, there is reference in the book to brother Hans studying law at Offenburg, sister Marianne and her husband M. Josef Witsch, sister Christine in New York, and so on.

I believe that part of the source of the "direct descendant of Andreas Hofer" myth may well be Christine’s brother, Andreas Franz. While his family in Germay called him "Franz," his contemporaies in Baden named him "Andreas Hofer" in honor of some of the actions he took as a youth and as part of the Republican Revolution of 1847/48.  Recall that there is a picture of him, as well as two of his daughters [add link] , in the Red Velvet album.

Also, the above mentioned book lays out a rather interesting claim that the Hofers of Önsbach are descended from a common ancestor of Andreas Hofer, the Tyrolean, somewhere back in the 17th century. That has yet to be corroborated, but is interesting.

So, the family stories about being related to Andreas Hofer, the Tyrolean hero, were not totally off the wall. Nonetheless, they still must be understood in the proper context.

There was a brother of Christine who was a revolutionary and who was called Andreas.

There may be a common ancestry in the 17th century.

Marie Ruef Hofer, Bertha Hofer Proudfoot, Franz Hofer

From email from Steve Stumpp, 7/28/2009

I have been trying to solve some little mysteries lately.
 
For example, on upper right of page 35, there is a photo notated as "Marie Ruef Hofer."  There is also a photo on the upper left of page 31 noted as "Bertha Hofer Proudfoot, sister of Marie Ruef Hofer."  On the upper left of page 33, the notation is "Franz Hofer, father of Marie etc."  after quite a bit of searching, I believe that I understand these photos a little better and am in a position to correct your grandfather.
 
Marie Ruef Hofer that is in the picture on page 35 is probably the daughter of Andreas Franz Hofer and Marie Ruef.  She was born in Iowa in about 1865.  She was one of several children and had sisters named Bertha and Anne.  Bertha married Reverend Herman Frederick Hegner in 1896.  However, Anne married Frederick Proudfoot. 
 
Therefore, the picture on page 31 is either Anne (called Andrea) Hofer Proudfoot, or it is Bertha Hofer Hegner.
 
There a couple of those curve balls in there.  I will try to sort them out as I go along.

Elise (Elisabeth) Heppenheimer Lindmueller, Helene Heppenheimer Doherr (1865 - 1928)

Email from Steve Stuumpp, 7/16/2009:

I noticed Helene in the 1880 census, identified as niece of Christine Hofer Heppenheimer.  So, when I saw her mentyioned in the Red Album, my interest was piqued.
 
The narrative in the Red Album mentions Helene Heppenheimer twice:
1) Wm Heppenheimer, half brother of Frederick, parents of Helene Doherr, also her sister and brother;
2) Helene Heppenheimer Doherr.
The first reference is in error. Helene was not the daughter of William Heppenheimer. She was the daughter of Heinrich Heppenheimer, who also was a half brother of Frederick.
The two references provide the clue that her married name was Doherr.
 
Helene Heppenheimer was born 24 April 1865 in Bischofsheim, Hessen-Darmstadt, to Heinrich Philipp Heppenheimer and his wife, Anna Josy. In 1880, she was living in New Jersey with Christine Hofer Heppenheimer. In September of 1884, she is noted on the passenger list of the SS Ems, returning to the US with Charles and Christine Heppenheimer.
 
In November of 1891, she married Gustav Hofmann in New York City. They had one child, Elsie, in 1893. In 1900, they were living in Jersey City; Gustav is working as a clock salesman. By 1910, Gustav has died and Helene has married Henry Doherr, who apparently works in an insurance office. Helene Henry and Elsie were still living together in Jersey City in 1920. – I lose track of her after that.
 
Another thread

Email from Steve Stumpp, 7/20/2009:

Recall that there are pictures in the Red Velvet Album of Elise (Elisabeth) Heppenheimer Lindmueller and Helene Heppenheimer Doherr.
 
I previously sent out a synopsis of info I found on these two.  Elise was a half-sister of our g-g grandfather, Frederick.  Helene was a daughter of Heinrich Heppenheimer, half-brother of Frederick. I now have some updates.
 
I have attached a copy of the Ohio death certificate for Elise Lindmueller.  Note the DOB is April 24, 1843.  This is exactly the birthdate provided in the Stockstadt Familienbuch.
 
As to Helene, I found a NY Times obituary stating that "Helene Doherr (nee Heppenheimer)" died December 25, 1928, at her residence in Jersey City.
 
That closes these threads ... for now.

Our ancestors as millers
from an email from Steve Stumpp dated 4/4/2009

Recall that from the recent translation of the documents that Walter posted, we have learned that many of our Hessian ancestors were millers.  In Ober Ramstadt, Pfungstadt, Wolfskehlen, Biebesheim, Crumstadt, Stockstadt and other villages, our kin operated grain mills, oil mils and "meat mills" (Fleischmühelen).  These mills had names like "Hospitalmühle", "Sensfeldermühle", "Waldmühle", "Frankensteinermühle" and others.
[Remember the Frankenstein movie in which the peasants burn down the old mill?  That was our ancestor's mill!]
 
Add to that one of the mills near Eberstadt: Die Kaisermühle.
 
In one of my recent forays through the web, I ran across this:
http://eberstadt-frankenstein.de/content/011_muehlen.pdf
If you search through it, you will find that one of our ancestral uncles, Johannes Heppenheimer (1791-1870) was the owner of the Kaisermühle from 1848-1862.  Johannes was the older brother of our g-g-g grandfather Johann Friedrich Ludwig Heppenheimer (1798-1876).  The article also lists Johann Georg Dornier and Friedrich Benjamin Dornier as the previous owners of the mill.
According to one of our records, Johannes Heppenheimer married Sophie Dornier, daughter of Friedrich Dornier.
Curiously, the web article says that Johannes Heppenheimer became owner of the mill upon the death of his father-in-law, Georg Dornier, in 1848.  Based on the church record we have, I believe there may be an error in the web article, since Georg Dornier would have been the brother-in-law of Johannes Heppenheimer.