The Hoffman Family Reunion of 1914

This is the second newspaper article on Hoffman family reunions that was brought to my attention a few days ago by Bob Hoffman. The first article was on the 1913 Reunion. The articles were obtained from The Mahoning Dispatch, portions of which have been digitized on Chronicling America, the historic newspapers site. The Mahoning Dispatch was published weekly on Fridays in Canfield, Mahoning County, Ohio beginning on May 4, 1877 with the last issue printed on April 26, 1968. The site currently has digitized issues available from October 2, 1908 through September 30, 1921.




The Mahoning Dispatch ~Canfield, Mahoning County, Ohio ~Vol. XXXVIII

Friday, August 14, 1914




Washingtonville

Bright, Breezy Paragraphs Telling

The Happenings in the Village on

Mahoning's Southern

Border.

By Peter M. Herold.


The Hoffman Reunion.


Pursuant to adjournment last year, the Hoffman family and kindred assembled in the Washingtonville town hall last Saturday. As about everybody in town is directly or indirectly related, excepting the writer, they took me in so as to make the meeting unanimous as well as harmonious.




The attendance was fully as large as last year, some being here Saturday who were not here last year, and some were here last year that were not present Saturday. Everybody came in autos or by electric line.




The brief history of the family as published in The Dispatch last year need not be repeated here. The late Mrs. A. J. Callahan, the family historian, had collected a fund of reliable history, biography and geneology [sic] which has since passed into the hands of her half-brother and successor, J. W. Hoffman of 5408 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio, who will be pleased to communicate with any member of the family.




The recently deceased members of the family are Mrs. A. J. Callahan, who died and was buried at Salem; L. E. Hoffman, who was killed in an auto accident in Virginia, and Mrs. Lucinda Yaggi.




There are no Hoffmans residing in this community, but the mother of all the Weikarts, their sisters and intermarried relatives, inclusive of the Bostons, the Bates', the Hilmans, Gilberts, Bosserts, Rollers, et al., was a Hoffman, and by this collateral process the neighborhood has been largely populated.






Another branch of the Hoffman family is holding a family reunion at Southern park today (Aug 13). The branch which met here last Saturday were descendants of Dietrich Hoffman. It is not our intention, however, to deal with family history, but to simply state that 150 persons were present and the reunion was a success.




Among the Hoffmans present were John Hoffman's sons by his second marriage, J. W. and O. C. Hoffman, of Cleveland; his widow by the third marriage, Mrs. Elizabeth Hess Hoffman, her son Curtis C. Hoffman and family of Chagrin Falls and his sister, Mrs. Mattie Hoffman Greasel of Cleveland.




At the noon hour Saturday, all being seated at the well filled tables, John R. Hoffman arose and pronounced a blessing upon all those present and returned thanks for the bounties spread before them. After dinner a vote of thanks was extended for the numerous bouquets of beautiful carnations furnished for the tables, and a motion carried to present the flowers to John A. Weikart, who be reason of illness was unable to be present last year and this.




After all had gratified the needs of the inner man, a business meeting was held and the same officers were re-elected for another year, the reunion to be held at Rockhill park on the second Saturday of August, 1915. Before adjournment the following program was rendered:




Piano solo, Miss Anna Hoffman, Homeworth; recitation, Dorothy Woods, Washingtonville; recitation, Ethel Weikart, Washingtonville; vocal solo, Thelma Bossert, Washingtonville; short address, Mrs. Mollie Norton, Niles (aged 75 years); recitation, Miss Helen Woods, Washingtonville; Piano solo, Miss Marie Weikart, Washingtonville; remarks, Mrs. Margaret Osborne, Alliance, (past 80 years of age); vocal solo, Mercedes Gilbert, Washingtonville; address, Rev. Cowgill, Salem; vocal solo, Mrs. Grant Greasel, Cleveland; invocation, Rev. Cowgill.




The officers elected are: President, Howard Hoffman, Homeworth; vice president and treasurer, James C. Weikart, Washingtonville; secretary, Mrs. Howard Hoffman, Homeworth; historian, Miss Yaggi, Salem.




The out of town guests were: Mrs. Johnson of Indiana, came to meet her sister, Mrs. Norton, and accompany her home for a visit, Rev. Cowgill of Salem, who brought the beautiful cut flowers, roses, carnations, etc., for table decoration.




The guests from Alliance and vicinity were: Mrs. Osborne, John Hoffman and wife, George Hoffman and wife, Madison Walker and wife, Howard Hoffman and family, Milton Hoffman and John R. Hoffman and their wives. The Cleveland guests were: O. C. Hoffman, J. W. Hoffman, Mrs. Lizzie Hoffman and her daughter, Mrs. Grant Greasel and son. From Chagrin Falls came Curtis Hoffman and family. Lisbon, Mrs. Lydia Burnap. North Lima, Ed Crook, wife and son Robert.