Peter Hoff was born in 1859 in Norway and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1885. He married Anna Sophia Sandgren in 1895 and they had four children together. In 1897, Peter and his brothers established the Hoff Brothers Mercantile Company in Idaho Falls, Idaho. In 1911, Peter left the mercantile business to farm 160 acres outside of Firth, Idaho. Financial difficulties forced Peter to give up the farm in 1929. He then worked as an insurance agent to support his family until his death in 1931 at the age of 72 from pneumonia and heart disease.

1. 90th Birthday
Felix Hoff Ancestors

2. 90th Birthday Felix's Ancestors Grandparents
GRANDPA AND GRANDMA HOFF
The original of this picture has “Peter Hoff’s
Grandparents” written on the back. Their names are
lost and it is assumed they are the grandparents on
his father’s side.
If this is true then these two people are the parents
of Nils Nilsen Noss Hoff and are the oldest relatives
we know about in the Nils Hoff line. They must have
been married some time before 1828 when Nils
Nilsen was born.
Unfortunately we know nothing about any other
children they may have raised. These grandparents
are probably the ones that took Peter Hoff’s older
brother Necolai to live with them for a while and then
sent him on to Germany to further his education.
They must have been terrific folks! They look like
they are peering into the future and urging us to do
our very best!.
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3. 90th Birthday Felix's Ancestors Grandma
Gunnild Mathea Pedersdatter
Piltingsrud
Gunnild Mathea Pedersdatter Piltingsrud married
Nils Nilsen 1857 or before. She had nine children,
one premature and one that may have died before
she died.
The family came to America in 1885, since she did
not come it is presumed she died before they
immigrated. This is the only known picture of
Gunnild.
There are no pictures of them together.
It would be interesting to know if it is her hand writing
that recorded the family history in their Bible
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4. 90th Birthday Felix's Ancestors Grandpa
Nils Nilsen Nos Hoff
Nils Nilsen Nos Hoff and Gunnild Mathea
Pedersdatter Piltingsrud are the parents of the Hoffs
that came to America in 1885.
They are the earliest known family members of this
Hoff line.
This picture of Nils was taken in Iowa in the late
1890s.
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5. 90th Birthday Felix's Ancestors Peter Hoff
His brother Necolai was already a year old when
Peter started life as the second child and the second
son of Nils Nilsen Noss Hoff and Gunnild Mathea
Pedersdatter Piltingsrud in central Norway on March
5, 1859. Nils and Gunnild were both 31.
Peter was just learning to toddle after his older
brother when Rasmus joined the family (July 1860)
and Peter lost forever the title of the youngest
brother.
Rasmus was just toddling after Peter when Nils
Nilson came into the family (January, 1861), now he
had two little brothers, and neither one was old
enough to go outside and play in his big wide three-
year-old world.
Life just kept getting better all the time, Peter and his
big brother could find the bathroom by themselves,
those little brothers couldn’t do that yet. He and
Necolai could also dress themselves, most of the
time, and Mamma was asking them to dress by
themselves more and more lately. In fact she
seemed tired most of the time. Ole, their new brother
came into the family (December 1862).
Mam m a was busy nursing Ole, changing Nils’ and
Rasm us’ diapers, washing clothes for Peter and
Necolai, and keeping m eals ready for Papa. So The joy Berthe brought faded quickly, Mamma’s
Necolai and Peter entertained them selves with eyes looked worried and sad. When Papa came
Rasm us and Nils and whoever they could find home he always went to Berthe and held her and
around the neighborhood. comforted Mamma. Berthe was not developing like
the boys did. Then one day they took Berthe to the
Mam m a (age 35) seem ed tired again and soon a cemetery and left her there. Mamma cried a lot. She
new j cam e into the fam ily, Berthe Christine
oy found it hard to find things for the children to play
was born (June 1 863). A girl! What do you do with with. She had strong mixed emotions, if this next
a little sister? Ole was j starting to walk and
ust child she was carrying was a girl would she die too?
Necolai seem ed to always be feeding him or
watching after Nils or Rasm us, he didn’t seem to The joy returned to Mamma and Papa’s face when a
have m uch tim e to play any m ore. new little girl came into the family (October 1866).
Mamma and Papa named her Berthe Christine
hoping she would replace the joy they felt for their
first daughter.
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6. 90th Birthday Felix's Ancestors Hoff Grandparents
Peter was nine, Necolai was ten and they took care If they sold everything they had and pooled their
of Ole, Nils, and Rasmus and gave Mamma as much money they could pay for their travel and have some
time as they could to nurse and care for little Berthe. money left over to start a store or buy land in the
She was a special little body in the family and new country. After considering all of the ramifications
everyone wanted her to have the very best. They it was a decision to go!
wanted her to live, and grow up like the boys. School
was taking lots of time and there was not as much They had worked hard as a family and with the help
time for play anymore. of the boys they had accumulated some money but
the opportunities for the boys to start out on their
Since Necolai was the oldest he received the special own were limited. Lots of people were leaving
attention bestowed on the first born and the first Norway for America and sending back letters saying
grandchild. One day Grandma and Grandpa took the opportunities in that new country were almost
Necolai to live with them and go to school. As he limitless. They considered what it would mean to
matured they sent him to Germany where he learned never see their grandparents again. To go to
five languages and started his career as a purser America they must leave all of their friends behind.
aboard ship. They would have to find mates in this new country.
They must start their own families in a new country,
Berthe developed normally and was a joy to the new language, new customs. It was a hard decision.
family. At nine while the older boys were in school or
helping Papa she was doing things around the
kitchen and was a big help to Mamma.
In 1885 they completed their preparations and
Peter was doing well in school, and he learned to booked passage for America, leaving Norway behind
help his Papa in his spare time. At age 16 he noticed forever. Peter was 26 and his Papa was 57 when
Mamma was tired a lot as she cared for his little they sailed for the new country.
brothers and sister. On January 16, 1875 his last
little brother, Gustav Nilson, came into the family.
Mamma and Papa were both 47.
Mamma nursed little Gustav and loved him but she
just never snapped back from this birth like she did
for the other children. Before little Gustav was 10
Mamma’s body wore out and he traveled with the
family as they took her body down to Lillehammer in
Southern Norway where they left her body at the
cemetery. It was a sad day for the whole family.
Papa and Mamma had a close family. Necolai had
been able to go away to school, but he kept in close
touch with the family. The boys grew up helping each
other and Papa and now Mamma was gone. Soon
after the funeral Papa gathered the family together to
pay their last respects to Mamma and to discuss the
family future.
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7. 90th Birthday Felix's Ancestors Five Hoff Sons
Back Row:: Peter, Nils Jr, Ole
Front Row: Necolai, Nils Sr. , Rasmus holding Rueben
Taken about 1895
COMING TO AMERICA
Little brother Gustav could not deal with the passing
of his mother and then leaving Norway. When the
family arrived in New York Gustav was near
uncontrollable and it was a family decision to leave
him in a New York institution and move on west.
Gustav never saw the family again.
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8. 90th Birthday Felix's Ancestors Homestead - Iowa
IOWA
Iowa felt more like home. The people spoke
Scandinavian and most families shared the
experience of immigrating to America or were the
children of immigrants. Papa and the boys took their
profit from the homestead and started a general
store, a place they could all work.
Younger brother Ole met Miema, an attractive young
lady, and they married. Her father farmed in Bode, so
Ole left the store and started farming. They raised
their family on the farm and both passed away living
on the farm.
THE HOMESTEAD
The government was giving away land in South
Dakota to anyone that would settle on it and prove it
up. They had heard of others that went to South
Dakota and they decided to accept the offer. Land
was something they did not have in Norway and they
could not afford to buy the land they needed. Owning
land was attractive.
Life in South Dakota was hard and Berthe the only
girl in the family died there on the homestead. They
took her down stream to Yankton for burial.
They homesteaded all of the land the law allowed.
Norwegians were scarce in South Dakota so the
boys soon learned their new language; Papa never
did switch to English. The Hoffs and South Dakota
were not a good fit. Even with working off the
homestead for other farmers and merchants earning
a comfortable living was almost impossible. As soon
as the land was proved, and they had title, they sold
the land and moved to a Scandinavian community in
Gowrie Iowa.
Gowrie had lots of pretty Scandinavian girls. Peter
met a farmer’s daughter, Anna Sophia Sandgren a
confirmed member of the Swedish Zion Lutheran
Church, and despite the 14 years difference in age
their relationship grew closer and stronger. With the
blessing
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9. 90th Birthday Felix's Ancestors Peter Hoff Family
of her parents and Papa they were married on
November 26, 1895 in the Swedish Zion Lutheran
Church complete with a lovely wedding dress, veil,
and three brides maids. It was wonderful, it took him
35 years but at last he had his own family.
His larger family started with the birth of his first son,
Clarence Rudolph Nils. The Nils was in honor of his
Papa.
Younger brother Nils met pretty Hansine and they
put their lives together, for better or worse.
Rasmus and Jennie Lindhal discovered each other in
Gowrie and joined their lives together forever.
Necolai was the first to leave home in Norway and
he still traveled, even in this new country. He liked
the idea of having land available and became
something of a land agent. His travels took him to
Idaho and he encouraged the family to sell the store
in Gowrie and start a store in Idaho Falls where they
could serve the farmers that were settling the fertile
Snake River valley.
IDAHO
In 1897 the decision was made to once again take
their resources and start over in another place. The
three brothers, Necolai, Peter and Rasmus pooled
their money and started the Hoff Brothers Mercantile THE FARM
Co. in Idaho Falls, ID. Their letter head from 1898 While still working with the Hoff Brothers Mercantile
reads “Wheat in Large Quantities a Specialty. Grain, Peter purchased 160 acres one mile out of Firth,
Hay and Produce Bought and Sold. Dealers in Idaho and rented out the land. In 1911, at age 52,
GENERAL MERCHANDISE.” Peter left the Hoff Brothers Mercantile and moved
Peter loved his new wife and missed her and little Anna and his four children to the farm.
Rudolph. He arranged the construction of a new The Firth farm was the same size as the South
house for his absent family at 373 South Water Dakota homestead, but the soil was better. Even so
Street, in their growing town of Idaho Falls. The the size was marginal and it was difficult to raise
house was complete with running water, electricity, enough forage for the work animals, food for the
telephone, stable, and outhouse. As soon as it was family, and have enough left over to make the
complete he sent for his family and finally, he was payments. The prices during World War One were
complete. good and that helped.
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10. 90th Birthday Felix's Ancestors Peter Continued
The last member of the family, Joseph Felix, came to
the family on October 9, 1914 when Peter was 55
and Anna was 41.
Alvin had been born January 16, 1898,
Ruth on April 21,1901,
Elmer on January 15, 1905 but died October 8, and
Gladys on June 22, 1908.
Peter worked hard to make the farm produce, but the
yields just seemed to keep getting less and less as
the years went by. Some years he could not make
the payments on the land. To help with the income
he became an agent for the Farmers Mutual Fire
Insurance with the Shotten A. Irrs company in Idaho
Falls.
In 1929 Peter, age 70, had exhausted all his savings
and other resources and could no longer make the
payments on the farm. The bank asked for title.
Peter moved his family, Anna, Gladys, and Felix to a
small house in Firth and he continued to sell
insurance to provide for his family.
On Friday evening August 23, 1931 while attending
a directors meeting of the Shotten A. Irrs insurance
company Peter became ill and returned home. His
condition became steadily worse and the family took
him to the hospital in Shelly. After a week his
condition did not improve. On Saturday August 30,
1931 he died in route to the hospital in Idaho Falls.
He was 72. The cause of death was listed as
pneumonia and heart disease.
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