Thursday, August 18, 2011

Those Places Thursday Hoffman-Huffman VA MD PA

Those Places Thursday

 Hoffman a form of Huffman, Houghman/Hufmen etc.  This name obviously came from Germanic Region of the world.  Our's came fairly early by some standards.

 First thing to remember is the spelling HUFFMAN did not exist in Germanic region of the world until after the 1800's. Much later really than early 1800's.

 Henry whose picture you seen in the post before wrote, he learned via his son ( via school) that the spelling Huffman did not exist in Germany the spelling was HOFFMAN. Some areas the spelling was HOFFMANN.

 For my part of this great name I have not found a related HOFFMANN yet but spelling is not everything in doing research.

 Ironically, having down a YDNA of this marvelous name we have not found other Hoffman - Huffman researches that have had their YDNA done that match.  

 Many years ago Germanna Colony contacted me thinking we were their missing link. I often wondered if that was the case but was unable to follow up at that time. 

 Now to fire up the old computer and look at all the files,   100's of files on Huffman/Hoffman. It is really probably thousands of files. I have books written by various down line collateral cousins on my shelf. I have a couple of CD's also.

 What I do know is Those Places have created an adventure of travel on line, by book, by phone, by car, by plane to find the answers. 

I found doing my research on the west coast, brought up discrepancies on the east coast already believed accurate linages. Much published in many books as fact, and later learned by Wills, Deeds, Probates, Bibles and Cemetery Data to be a little shy of total truth. Family stories over time tend to get wrinkles in them at times.
 
I believe when you hear a family story you should immediately write it down. Listen to see if others promote the same and then set out to prove or disprove. For when I started( I did not have those stories by being raised on the west coast) away from the home stomping grounds for many generations.

By learning land laws I could prove Henry Huffman was not of the age many implied. Must be 18 to own land in Virginia. George was his brother not his father.  Both men left this area of where land transaction took place and moved to other regions of the land.  Henry sold that land in 1805 as a resident of Greene Co Pa. 

This Henry HUFFMAN was my Henry Huffman (changed to Hoffman)'s father.  I wish I had a picture of the senior Henry, but so grateful to have two pictures of Henry b 1803 one younger one older both 
also have had Elizabeth's picture taken also

Sr Henry Huffman died winter of 1811. Probate records were Jan 1812, Greene Co PA. A tax receipt says he was born in Maryland. I have found nothing more to clarify that except that there was a
major Huffman estate that straddled the Potomoc River, which olde timers referred to as homestead.
He lived in Morris township for a period of time and suspect he is buried there because his wife married
what was his neighbor Frederick Loughman  about 1815-1818.  Still looking for marriage records.
This Henry Huffman I have not found one yet.
He was first married to Mary Pravotor (PRATHER) though we think married to someone in Va before the marriage here in PA. conjecture still. 1 child a daughter,  
Much dispute over her parentage.  Calendars help to settle some of the dispute.

Henry had brother's John, George, Jacob and we believe Peter. John Loos wife Margaret is probably one of his sisters or she was an Aunt. 
I have found that Rudolph is probably a cousin if not a brother. I hope a YDNA test is done because they carry the same genetic traits we do  in our lines proven back to 1712. 

Henry was in Greene Co as a Frontier Ranger in the 1770's and 17780's, possibly before then. He served in the Rev War under two different units. At the time of Mildred's Russell's  death she had in her possession his musket, his Rev War Hat and a bible.  When things were auctioned off with out the Will being found and I was not notified of her death to tell them where to find it. Much of this was lost. I did not get a call until her sister took sick and needed help. 

The musket, hat and bible disappeared. The bible was to go to me. She had many bibles of various family members and they sat and tore pages out of the Bibles because the aucioneer was going to auction them off.   I won't talk about that person. It broke my heart.  I wonder if the Musket still where she had put it. This is first hand information I received when I arrived in Greene Co in the early 1990's. 

A cousin found a letter in his Great Aunt's trunk in Ohio that stated John was these boys father and his father's name was also John. I have read that letter and can put you in touch with the holder there of.

I believe it was dated about 1832 or 1838. 

So this family has been in many places in the Mid Atlantic region and my family migrated to Iowa then Wyo and then west over a period of time. 

But not all Huffman's did. :>)

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