Joseph Hoffman UE (abt. 1754 - 1836)

Ancestors Descendants

Contents 1 Notes 2 Biography 3 Loyalist Enlistment 4 Land Claim 5 Timeline 6 Marriage & Children 7 Family Connections 8 Sources

Notes

Joseph Hoffman is not included in the list of United Empire Loyalists ^[1]

Family origins: Descended from Palatine immigrants to New York circa 1710.

Biography

Along with his 2 brothers, Joseph (Jost) enlisted in Jon Jones' Company of Jessup's Corp on 27 Aug 1777. All 3 brothers served for 5 years & 4 months.^[2]

The 3 brothers' estimated birth years, based on military records, are Nicholas 1752, David 1754, Jobst 1754.^[3]

Loyalist Enlistment

The 3 Hoffman brothers (Nicholas, David, Jobst) were in the group "of 27 Loyalist men and officers who set out from Claverack, New York on 16 August 1777 under the command of Lieut. Henry Simmons to join General Burgoyne who was then moving south towards Albany and the Hudson valley. On 27 August they reached Batten Kill and were mustered and joined Jessup's corps in the King's Loyal American Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. Ebenezer Jessup."^[4]

Another account of the above group states:^[5]

• An area in the south part of the [old Rensselaer] manor, that of Kinderhook and Claverack, gave us the group commanded by Lieut. Henry Simmons, numbering 27, who left their homes in August 1777 to join Gen. Burgoyne. Travel was largely by night, and through the woods, a distance of 70 miles, and always in danger of meeting enemy patrols. They finally reached the British camp over the Battenkill River, 11 days later. This hardy group included Simmons, Finkle, Bonistiel, Andrew Miller, Stover, Hess, Huffman, Baker, Peter and John Esselstein, and Hegadorn.

Land Claim

Evidence on the Claim of Joseph Huffman, late of Albany County. Claimant sworn: Says that in 1783 he was employed in the Kings Works at Sorel & gave his Claim to Capt. Gummersal in 1784 to carry to England.

[p.423] He is a native of America. In 1775 he lived at Claverock in Albany County. Says he joined Gen. Burgoyne at Fort Edward in 1777. Near 2 years before that time he was obliged to leave his own home. Says that he signed an Association & trained as a Militia man once but never with his inclination. He enlisted in Jessup's Corps in 1777 & served the war.

He now [1780s?] resides at Cataraqui [near Ernestown]. Says he had some Cattle on his fathers farm, 2 yoke of oxen, 8 horses, a cow, a waggon, 2 slays. He understands that the neighbours informed what was his Property & that the rebels took them. Produces affidavit of his brother David Huffman that Joseph Huffman was possessed of the above articles & that he lost them from his Loyalty.

Timeline

1777-81: Private in Ebenezer Jessup's King's Loyal Americans:

• Gavin Watt, "Loyalist Refugees" 2nd Edition, p.184 (Global Heritage Press 2016)

1781: Roll of Jessup's Rangers shows the 3 brothers Nicholas Hoffman, David Hoffman, Jobst (Joseph) Huffman^[6]

1783: Private in Edward Jessup's Loyal Rangers:

• Gavin Watt, "Loyalist Refugees" 2nd Edition, p.184 (Global Heritage Press 2016)

Joseph Hoffman of Fredericksburgh received compensation for US land losses related to his service in Jessup's Corps:

• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~apassageintime/uelist/hi.ue.html

1784: Brothers Joseph Huffman and David Huffman are settled in Cataraqui Township #2 (Ernestown).^[7]

1836: "Old Mr. Joseph Huffman died on 18 Mar 1836", from the "Hough" family files of Herbert Clarence Burleigh. (Two of Joseph Huffman's children had married Hough siblings)^[8]

Marriage & Children

1783: The couple Joseph Hoffman and Eleanor Clemens Mabie are living in Sorel, according to her UEL testimony. Apparently they later moved to Frontenac County.

In her claim (made between 1786-1788) for compensation as a UEL widow of Peter Mabie, Eleanor stated that she moved to Canada in 1777, the summer after her first husband Peter's death. She also stated that she was currently married to Joseph Hoffman.

Records from 1779 show that she still referred to herself as Mrs. Mabie. Therefore the 2nd marriage (to Joseph Hoffman) occurred sometime after 1779.

The children below are from Reid's well-known book^[9] on the Loyalists of Ontario. However there appears some confusion regarding Margaret Ann and Elizabeth (first 2 children on list), whether they belong to Joseph Hoffman or his brother David Hoffman or [the probably unrelated] Jacob Hoffman. Birth locations are not confirmed, as the UEL compensation claim (above) seemed to indicate that Joseph & Eleanor resided in Sorel until at least 1783:

• Margaret Huffman b: 1779^[10]
• Elizabeth Hoffman b: ABT 1780 on board ship, Kingston, Frontenac Co., Ontario [+ possibly married to "Jacob Fry" in 1817^[11]]
• Joseph Huffman b: ABT 1781 in Frontenac Co., Ontario [probably earlier, as his wife Hannah Hough was born as early as 1774] [swears on UEL land claim in 1803 to being over 21 years of age]
• Hannah Huffman b: ABT 1782 in Frontenac Co., Ontario [+ Samuel Hough before 1805]
• Mary Huffman b: ABT 1783 in Frontenac Co., Ontario
• Samuel Huffman b: ABT 1784 in Frontenac Co., Ontario
• Mathew Huffman b: ABT 1786 in Frontenac Co., Ontario
• Christopher Huffman b: ABT 1787 in Frontenac Co., Ontario
• Moses Huffman b: ABT 1788 in Frontenac Co., Ontario

Family Connections

• Joseph's niece Nancy Huffman (born 1808, son of his brother David Hoffman) married Emanuel Maybee, grandson of Joseph's wife Eleanor Mabie from her first marriage.

• Death post-1811, as Joseph was listed as executor on his brother David's will that year.

• In 1771, a Hoffman family of 5 were members of St. Peters Anglican Church in Albany:
  • http://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov//albany/coerec1771.html

• Notice the Claverack connection of this Anna Hoffman, daughter of Harman Hoffman & Catherine Douw:
  • http://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov//albany/bios/h/anhoffman.html

Sources

1. ↑ https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/
2. ↑ Service History & Master Roll of Major Edward Jessup's Loyal Rangers, by Gavin Watt with the research assistance of Todd Braisted, published by Global Heritage Press, Ottawa, 2017 (p. 151)
3. ↑ http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~russmcgillivray/genealogy/baker/page1.html
4. ↑ http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~russmcgillivray/genealogy/baker/page1.html
5. ↑ Herbert Clarence Burleigh, Journey to the Land of our Forefathers":
   • https://archive.org/details/hcbunfiled/page/26/mode/2up
6. ↑ Also on the 1781 roster of Jessup's Rangers are many of the brothers' fellow soldiers (Henry Finkle, John Asselstine, Henry Anderson, Philip & Jacob Bonisteel, Jacob Hess, John Lieb, Andrew Miller, George Rouse, Abraham Scott, John & Baltus Simmons) who had originally joined the company of Lieut. Henry Simmons' in August 1777.
7. ↑ Canadian Archives, p.8:
   • https://archive.org/details/canadianarchive00richgoog/page/n68/mode/2up?q=huffman
8. ↑ Herbert Clarence Burleigh, "Hough" Family Files, p.36:
   • https://archive.org/details/hcbhoughhuff/page/36/mode/2up
9. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20031023105821/http://www.qschooner.com/reid/d0003/g0000075.html#I2210
10. ↑ Margaret Huffman appears as sponsor at a number of baptisms in late 1790s and first decade of 1800s at several churches:
    • http://my.tbaytel.net/bmartin/kingstn2.htm
    • http://my.tbaytel.net/bmartin/langhorn.htm
    • http://my.tbaytel.net/bmartin/mcdowall.htm
11. ↑ http://my.tbaytel.net/bmartin/mcdowall.htm

• William D. Reid, The Loyalists in Ontario: The Sons & Daughters of The American Loyalists of Upper Canada, Hunterdon House, Lambertville, New Jersey USA, 1973.

In her book, "While the Women Only Wept: Loyalist Refugee Women in Eastern Ontario", Janice Potter-MacKinnon lists a Loyalist widow "Elinor Maybee" as marrying Joseph Hoffman (AO Claims, 1022).

It appears that Joseph Hoffman Sr. and Eleanor Clemens/Mabie moved to the Frontenac (Ontario) region sometime after 1783.

A widow's success story -- an account of Eleanor's and Joseph's successful separate claims to gain compensation for Loyalist losses:

• https://www.uelac.org/Loyalist-Trails/2012/Loyalist-Trails-2012.php?issue=201219