Berlinchen, Kreis Soldin, Neumark, Brandenburg

Berlinchen (now Barlinek in Poland) seems to be the closest thing to a hometown for the Hoeft family.  Three of Karl and Ernestine Hoeft's children were born there including Adolph, Franz, and Karl between 1866 and 1873. The family story had been that the Hoefts had come from Berlin -- almost right.

The history of Berlinchen goes back to the thirteenth century but there isn't enough information to indicate how long Hoeft family was in this area beyond the nineteenth century.  In 1852 the population was around 3,800 inhabitants.[1]  Images of Berlinchen can be found at http://prussianpoland.com.  Bill  Remus provides some current day images of Berlinchen at this website remus.shidler.hawaii.edu.  A brief outline of the history of Berlinchen can be found here brandenberg.rz.htw-berlin.de based as it indicates on a Wikipedia entry with some corrections and additions.

---

[1] Ungewitter, Franz Heinrich. Europe, Past and Present: A Comprehensive Manual of European Geography and History,[etc.],, page 467, G.P. Putnam, 1852.

Karl Friedrich Hoeft of Berlinchen, Kreis Neumark, Brandenberg, Prussia

Karl Friedrich Hoeft was born on June 17, 1833 according to his tombstone at the Rock Lily Cemetery in Winslow, Illinois.  His exact village of birth is not certain but is believed to be (at least by me) Berlinchen or Little Berlin.  The extant church records are rather slim.

http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/KB-Datenerfassungen/Neumark/Kreis_Soldin/Berlinchen

Stefan Brunns has worked on compiling and indexing family names from the records. Karl Hoeft and his son, Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Hoeft are listed here.  Though the relationship with the others is not clear, I believe that Christian Hoeft (*vor 1855) may be a brother to Karl Hoeft and uncle to Karl Wilhelm Friedrich  Hoeft.

HöFT, Auguste Wilhelmine Ernestine * 07.02.1868 in - Berlinchen, + 23.05.1869 in - Berlinchen
HöFT, Christian Friedrich * um 1835 
HöFT, Christian * vor 1855 
HöFT, Emilie Marie * 08.04.1875 in - Berlinchen 
HöFT, Friedrich Wilhelm * 28.09.1859 in - Berlinchen 
HöFT, Friedrich * in - Berlinchen, + 1952
HöFT, Gottfried * vor 1810 
HöFT, Gottfried * um 1826 
HöFT, Johann Daniel * um 1799, + 26.03.1876 in - Berlinchen
HöFT, Karl Friedrich August * um 1831 
HöFT, Karl Friedrich * um 1826 in Schönow 
HöFT, Karl Ludwig * 11.09.1856 in - Berlinchen 
HöFT, Karl * vor 1850 
HöFT, Ludwig August * 01.02.1858 in - Berlinchen, + 14.05.1858 in - Berlinchen
HöFT, Martin * vor 1810 
HöFT, Susanne Charlotte * um 1799, + 07.04.1868 in - Berlinchen
HöFT, Wilhelm Karl Friedrich * 30.10.1869 in - Berlinchen 
HöFT, unget. Sohn * 07.02.1869 in - Berlinchen, + 08.03.1869 in - Berlinchen

http://www.ortsfamilienbuecher.de/namelist.php?nachname=H%F6FT&ofb=berlinchen&modus=&lang=de

The West River Road

The West River Road runs parallel to the Pecatonica River* and past the old Hoeft homestead in Cadiz Township in Green County, Wisconsin.  Karl and Ernestine Gransee Hoeft came to America in 1883 and purchased land in Cadiz Township in 1892 and 1893.** They took out two mortgages to pay for the property.***

Cadiz was described this way in the History of Green County Wisconsin, Union Publishing Company 1884 Page 260:

The image below shows the Hoeft land in the lower right hand corner of Section 19.

From a plat map collection of Green County, 1902      

Though the river did not run through the property they probably experienced the periodic flooding the river was prone to as Cadiz Township was quickly denuded of forest in the late nineteenth century by settlement.  Karl and Ernestine farmed land for almost twenty years until Karl died in 1902. **** Eventually their son Charles Haeft, my great-grandfather, farmed the land until the end of 1931.

Notes
* The Pecatonica is supposed to have derived from the Sauk word for muddy according to the book Paddling Southern Wisconsin: 83 Great Trips by Canoe and Kayak by Mike Svob, Big Earth Publishing, Sept 1, 2006 page 112.

**Warranty Deed Volume 73 page 158 Green County, WI dated August 30th 1892.  R.W. Trickle to Carl Hoeft for $500.00. Cadiz Township: SW1/4 SE1/4 of Section 19, 1N R6E containing 40 acres.

Warranty Deed Volume 75 page 244 Green County, WI dated December 11th, 1893. John Heitz to Charles Haeft for $1,800. Cadiz Township S1/2 SE1/4 of Section 19 containing 80 acres.

***Mortgage Volume 38 Page 492 Green County, WI dated 30 August 1892.  E. Schmidt to Carl Hoeft and Wife for $450.

Mortgage Green County, WI dated 11 December 1893 to Chas. Haeft and Wife for $1700.

****Death Volume 3 page 194 Green County, WI dated 23 July 1902.  Charles Hoeft.