Huff Family

The immigrant ancestor of our Huff line was Andrew Huff (1814-1879), grandfather of Walter M. Huff, who came to America about ????.

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Engelhardt plot. Includes their 3 children.

Andrew Huff was born in Bavaria, Bayern Germany in 1814 to John and Mary Huff. At the time of his birth Germany was not a nation but many small entities often fighting each other. They were just concluding their mostly losing wars with Napolean. We don't know anything about Andrew's parents or if there was any military service, but they were Roman Catholic.

Andrew married Mary Lurer about 1836 when he was 22 and they had five children.

They immigrated to America about 1838 and settled in the Paterson, NJ area. In 1850 Andrew, age 36, and Mary, age 35 were living in Aquackanonk Township. He was working as a laborer and they had four children at that point including Jacob who was 7 and Philip who was 3. The children were all listed as having been born in New Jersey, although parents often listed foreign born children as having been born here to establish citizenship rights. The oldest child was Jane, 12 at the time such that she would have been born here about 1838.

The 1860 census spells the name as Hough. They were still in Acquaknowk with children Jacob 17, Philip 14, Joseph 9, Mary 3. He is 50 and ha real estate wrth $600.

In 1870 they lived in the Ninth Ward in Paterson. Now 61 Andrew is still a laborer. He owns real estate valued at $2,000 and notes he was born in Bavaria. Only their youngest sons live with them - Philip at 23 is a machinist, while Joseph at 19 is not working. Both Andrew and Philip are working at LMS, perhaps a local mill.

Andrew dies in 1879 at age 65 so is not in the 1880 census. Per Ancestory he died on June 17, 1870 at 50 Canal Street in Paterson of Tuberculosis and is buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Ancestry also lists Andrew Huff as being born in 1808 and living at 50 Canal Street in Paterson. This is different than the census age.

Per the 1885 city directory after Andrew's death Mary lived at 47 Canal Street in Paterson. Her son Philip lived with her as a machinist and Joseph lived at 22 Court Street as a carpenter. These are the only 3 Huff's in Paterson at the time.

One record says that Mary Lurr Huff immigrated in 1848.

Descendants

Andrew and Mary Lurer Huff had five children. We are descended from Joseph, but some of the other sons and grandsons played roles in the Huff family's life. As with the Englehardt and Kettman families of Catholic German heritage that the Huff's intermarried with they all had in common worshiping at Saint Boniface and burial at Holy Sepulchre Roman Catholic Cemetery. The German Catholic families in the Paterson area were educated, joined the church, met their spouses, were married and raised their own children.

1- Jane Huff (1838-???) - There is no record of what happened to Jane. She is listed in the 1850 census at 12 years of age, but not in the 1860 census when she would have been 22. She likely married and moved away.

2- Mary Ann Huff (1841-1858) died young at 17 and didn't marry.

3- Jacob Hendrix Huff (1843-1931) joined and fought in the Union Army, married Lourinda Ellen Link and moved to Missouri where they farmed, had ten children and are buried. The following is his biography posted on his Find A Grave Memorial by Barbara Jean Huff Burk.

"Jacob Hendrix Huff was born on May 25, 1843 to German immigrants Andrew and Mary Lurer Huff in Paterson, New Jersey. In 1862 at the age of 20, he signed up with the Union Army and served for 9 months with Company A of the the 25th Regiment, New Jersey Infantry under the command of Colonel Andrew Derrom; Lieutenant Colonel Enoch J. Ayres, and Major John K. Brown. His regiment fought at Fredericksburg Virginia on December 13 1862 and at Suffolk, Virginia on May 3, 1863. "Among the 9-months regiments sent to the field from New Jersey, few performed more signal service or made a finer record than the 25th."

"Afterwards, Jacob joined the police force in Passaic, New Jersey and on July 20, 1865, married Lourinda Ellen Link in St. Louis, Missouri. Their union was blessed with ten children; six boys and four girls. Early in his marriage he moved his growing family to Roubidoux in Texas County, Missouri near Lourinda's family and built a farm where he lived until his death on December 19, 1931 from liver cancer. He was 88 years old."

The Missouri Huff's were occassionally mentioned around Janet & Nora Huff as children, but they didn't understand the relationship. In the late 1940's Walter M. and Marie took their sons Joseph and Walter J. on a road trip to visit the midwestern relatives in Missouri. We don't know who they met with or what happened on the visit.

There is another family story that at some point a Missouri cousin wrote to Walter M. asking for financial help as they were in a time of need. We may have the letter.

4- Phillip Huff (1847-1898) born in Paterson in 1847 lived with his parents until he married Elizabeth Lunbrecht (1847- ) on May 2, 1874 in Paterson when he was 27.

He was a grain dealer in 1880 at age 33 and living at 353 Marshall Street. At that point he had two children Benjamin 4, and Louisa 2.

He is listed as being in the military in 1887.

He died May 16, 1898 in Paterson. At the time of his death he was a letter carrier living at 47 Canal Street. In 1900, shortly after Phillip's death, Elizabeth is living on 47 S. Canal Street. Ben is a butcher at 463 Main.

Benjamin Philip Huff (1876-1951) married Sabina Naumann, lived in Paterson and went to Saint Boniface. He went into business - first owning a Catholic bookstore with his wife near St. Boniface and then built a successful bus company in Paterson after which Sabina ran the book store. Benjamin was competitive rising to president of the New Jersey Bus Operators Guild. He was also involved in a number of lawsuites involving bus accidents and one in which he was accused of physicaly harrassing other drivers. Sabina was an exellent soprano at St. Boniface and frequently sang at church weddings and funerals.

Benjamin gave his nephew Walter M. an engraved gold watch for his 21st birthday in 1901??. The watch has passed down through the family and was recently given to Mark Roe, Walter M. great-great grandson.

Engelhardt plot at Holy Sepulchre where Joseph & Barbara Huff are buried.

5- Joseph Huff (1852-1892) was born ??? He was a carpenter by trade and in 1880 lived at 22 Court Street in Paterson. He married Barbara Engelhardt (1859-1925). They had just one son - Walter Michael Huff in 1885. Joseph died young in 1892 at the age of 40 leaving his wife Barbara to raise their 6 year old son.

Joseph and Barbara accumulated quite a bit of property on Court and Sussex Streets in Paterson including a 3 story tenement on the corner. After Joseph's death BArbara contginued to manage the property.

Barbara died at St. Joseph's Hospital in 1925 at age 66 on December 30, 1925. Her 100-year old mother Cornelia Engelhardt was at the service. At the time she lived with her son Walter at 445 Marshal Street. She was a member of St. Boniface and is buried in the Englehardt family plot at Holy Sepulchre. She left a will which was probated leaving her estate to her son Walter M.

Walter Michael Huff (1885-1956) was the only child of Barbara and Joseph. He married Marie Kettman, who he probably met through the Saint Boniface Church community. They had two sons Joseph and Walter John Huff. Walter was a carpenter who lived 445 Marshall Street until his grandmother Cornelia died in 1927 and he inherited much of her property and moved to 187 Sussex Street.