Page 85 - United Brethren Preachers
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Volume 9 Preachers of U.B. and EUB Virginia Conferences December 26, 2024
HOENSHEL: Elmer Ulysses Hoenshel (b. Apr. 13, 1864; d. May 2,
1940; mar. Laura N. Holland) was born in Westmoreland County, Pa.,
being one of the nine sons of George and Mary Hoenshel. He was
converted at the age of 19 and decided to be a teacher. But he received a
license from a quarterly conference in 1889, was licensed in the Allegany
Conf. in 1890, joined the Alleghany Conf. in 1891, was a graduate of
Shenandoah Seminary in 1892 and Union Biblical Seminary in 1892, and
was ordained in Allegheny Conf. in 1892. In Va. Conf. he served Dayton
Circuit, 1903-04. He also served Tyrone Second, 1982-94; Mt. Pleasant,
1894-96; Principal, Shenandoah College Institute and School of Music,
1896-09; and President, Brandon Institute, Waynesboro, Va., 1909-20. During 1928-38 he was a lecturer,
and in 1938 he retired. He dedicated Donovan Memorial Church in 1906. Prof. Hoenshel was very well known
in the Valley of Virginia as an educator and lecturer, and also as an author. He traveled in Europe and
Palestine. Prof. Hoenshel died in 1940 at age 76 and is buried at Riverview Cemetery, Waynesboro, Va.
Note: E. U. Hoenshel founded Brandon Institute in the former Brandon Hotel, which had opened in 1890. The
building became Fairfax Hall, a finishing school for women, from 1920 to 1975. He is the author of the travel-
oriented books, My Three Days in Gilead and By the Overflowing Nile, and the historical work, The Cruise of
the Neptune. His memoir, as well as Laura’s, is provided in Section II.A (below). The picture at the left is
from [United Seminary Yearbook 1907] and [U.B. Yearbook 1908]. The picture on the right is from 1928,
when E. U. Hoenshel visited the U.B. Church at Staunton on its 40th anniversary and gave the principal
address. [Funkhouser 1921, p. 222; see also pp. 201, 221, 294-299, 301-302, 306-307; Glovier 1965, pp.
111, 155, 238, 333; Lycoming 2013]
HOFFARD (HOFFER, HUFFER): John Hoffard (b. 1770; d. Jul. 23, 1842) became a member of Conference
in 1821; ordained 1829; died 1842, aged 42; and interred at Rohrersville, Md. [Funkhouser 1921, p. 125,
138, 233 (“Hafford”); 232-233 (“Hoffer”); and 250 (“Huffer”)]; [Glovier 1965, p. 88] has him as John
“Huffer.” [Lycoming 2013] has him as John “Hoffer.”
HOFFARD: John Hoffard was (another) member of Conference in 1823; ordained 1831 [Funkhouser 1921,
p. 138; Glovier 1965, p. 88]
HOFFMAN: George Hoffman (b. June 21, 1775, Millerstown, Pa; d. Apr. 1, 1839, Little York, Ohio; mar.
Elizabeth Catherine Limbert) was licensed and became a member of Conference in 1808; ordained 1816. He
served Pfoutz Valley Circuit, 1810-11 and founded Concord Methodist Church, Englewood, Ohio, where he was
interred (his obituary is in Miami Conf. Journal of 1892, p. 8). Note: George Hoffman is the brother of John
Hoffman and Joseph Hoffman. Mrs. George Hoffman is believed to be a sister to Mrs. John Hoffman and Mrs.
Joseph Hoffman. George Hoffman helped organized Methodists in Randolph Township (Montgomery County,
Ohio): The Methodists had no organized society in this [Randolph] township until 1819. In that year an
announcement was made, and the following named members of that faith assembled at the house of the Rev.
George Hoffman and formed a class: Rev. George Hoffman, Jesse, William and John Farmer, Stephen Bender,
Mr. Kennedy, John Waymire, and Mr. Hollingsworth. They held their meetings at the house of the Rev.
George Hoffman until 1823, when the Concord Meeting-House was built, which yet retains that name.54
[Funkhouser 1921, p. 124, 138, 227; Glovier 1965, pp. 29, 87; Lycoming 2013]
HOFFMAN: George Hoffman (b. in 1780s?) lived in Rockingham Co., Va., and his home was an early
preaching place and a site for camp meetings. Christian Newcomer preached at Hoffman’s barn in Oct. 1802,
where a quarterly meeting began—“Never have I witnessed the power of God in so great a degree among so
many people; the meeting was protracted till late at night and many found peace.” Newcomer also preached
there in Sep. 1803. Apparently the first U.B. Church in Virginia, Whitesel’s Church, grew of out of meetings
held at the Hoffman’s and Peter Myers’ homes. Camp meetings were held with Christian Newcomer in
attendance at Hoffman’s home in Aug. 1820 (“delightful weather the whole week”), Aug. 1821 (“many will
remember it”), and 1828 (on his last trip through Virginia) [Funkhouser, pp. 50, 59-60, 64-65]. It is unlikely
this George Hoffman is the same person as the one immediately above, since this George Hoffman was
(apparently) never ordained (at least not itinerating). The following reminiscences are by John W. Fulkerson,
a contemporary [Funkhouser 1921, pp. 76-77]:
In 1847 George Hoffman was still a local preacher, though still an elderly man. He was the senior member and had
traveled a circuit before the old conference was divided. He did not now go home and do nothing, but regularly attended
the quarterlies and the annual conferences, preaching whenever asked. For some years he was the conference book agent,
serving without a salary and getting only a small commission on his sales. He thus made himself a most useful man and
was much a factor in shaping the policies of the church. Hoffman had little education and was not a great preacher, yet he
had great influence, having the faculty of impressing himself and his opinions most powerfully on both ministers and laity.
He had very decided convictions as to what was right in the affairs of the church, and he had the backbone to stand up to
54 [Warner 1882]. 73
Biographical Sketches
HOENSHEL: Elmer Ulysses Hoenshel (b. Apr. 13, 1864; d. May 2,
1940; mar. Laura N. Holland) was born in Westmoreland County, Pa.,
being one of the nine sons of George and Mary Hoenshel. He was
converted at the age of 19 and decided to be a teacher. But he received a
license from a quarterly conference in 1889, was licensed in the Allegany
Conf. in 1890, joined the Alleghany Conf. in 1891, was a graduate of
Shenandoah Seminary in 1892 and Union Biblical Seminary in 1892, and
was ordained in Allegheny Conf. in 1892. In Va. Conf. he served Dayton
Circuit, 1903-04. He also served Tyrone Second, 1982-94; Mt. Pleasant,
1894-96; Principal, Shenandoah College Institute and School of Music,
1896-09; and President, Brandon Institute, Waynesboro, Va., 1909-20. During 1928-38 he was a lecturer,
and in 1938 he retired. He dedicated Donovan Memorial Church in 1906. Prof. Hoenshel was very well known
in the Valley of Virginia as an educator and lecturer, and also as an author. He traveled in Europe and
Palestine. Prof. Hoenshel died in 1940 at age 76 and is buried at Riverview Cemetery, Waynesboro, Va.
Note: E. U. Hoenshel founded Brandon Institute in the former Brandon Hotel, which had opened in 1890. The
building became Fairfax Hall, a finishing school for women, from 1920 to 1975. He is the author of the travel-
oriented books, My Three Days in Gilead and By the Overflowing Nile, and the historical work, The Cruise of
the Neptune. His memoir, as well as Laura’s, is provided in Section II.A (below). The picture at the left is
from [United Seminary Yearbook 1907] and [U.B. Yearbook 1908]. The picture on the right is from 1928,
when E. U. Hoenshel visited the U.B. Church at Staunton on its 40th anniversary and gave the principal
address. [Funkhouser 1921, p. 222; see also pp. 201, 221, 294-299, 301-302, 306-307; Glovier 1965, pp.
111, 155, 238, 333; Lycoming 2013]
HOFFARD (HOFFER, HUFFER): John Hoffard (b. 1770; d. Jul. 23, 1842) became a member of Conference
in 1821; ordained 1829; died 1842, aged 42; and interred at Rohrersville, Md. [Funkhouser 1921, p. 125,
138, 233 (“Hafford”); 232-233 (“Hoffer”); and 250 (“Huffer”)]; [Glovier 1965, p. 88] has him as John
“Huffer.” [Lycoming 2013] has him as John “Hoffer.”
HOFFARD: John Hoffard was (another) member of Conference in 1823; ordained 1831 [Funkhouser 1921,
p. 138; Glovier 1965, p. 88]
HOFFMAN: George Hoffman (b. June 21, 1775, Millerstown, Pa; d. Apr. 1, 1839, Little York, Ohio; mar.
Elizabeth Catherine Limbert) was licensed and became a member of Conference in 1808; ordained 1816. He
served Pfoutz Valley Circuit, 1810-11 and founded Concord Methodist Church, Englewood, Ohio, where he was
interred (his obituary is in Miami Conf. Journal of 1892, p. 8). Note: George Hoffman is the brother of John
Hoffman and Joseph Hoffman. Mrs. George Hoffman is believed to be a sister to Mrs. John Hoffman and Mrs.
Joseph Hoffman. George Hoffman helped organized Methodists in Randolph Township (Montgomery County,
Ohio): The Methodists had no organized society in this [Randolph] township until 1819. In that year an
announcement was made, and the following named members of that faith assembled at the house of the Rev.
George Hoffman and formed a class: Rev. George Hoffman, Jesse, William and John Farmer, Stephen Bender,
Mr. Kennedy, John Waymire, and Mr. Hollingsworth. They held their meetings at the house of the Rev.
George Hoffman until 1823, when the Concord Meeting-House was built, which yet retains that name.54
[Funkhouser 1921, p. 124, 138, 227; Glovier 1965, pp. 29, 87; Lycoming 2013]
HOFFMAN: George Hoffman (b. in 1780s?) lived in Rockingham Co., Va., and his home was an early
preaching place and a site for camp meetings. Christian Newcomer preached at Hoffman’s barn in Oct. 1802,
where a quarterly meeting began—“Never have I witnessed the power of God in so great a degree among so
many people; the meeting was protracted till late at night and many found peace.” Newcomer also preached
there in Sep. 1803. Apparently the first U.B. Church in Virginia, Whitesel’s Church, grew of out of meetings
held at the Hoffman’s and Peter Myers’ homes. Camp meetings were held with Christian Newcomer in
attendance at Hoffman’s home in Aug. 1820 (“delightful weather the whole week”), Aug. 1821 (“many will
remember it”), and 1828 (on his last trip through Virginia) [Funkhouser, pp. 50, 59-60, 64-65]. It is unlikely
this George Hoffman is the same person as the one immediately above, since this George Hoffman was
(apparently) never ordained (at least not itinerating). The following reminiscences are by John W. Fulkerson,
a contemporary [Funkhouser 1921, pp. 76-77]:
In 1847 George Hoffman was still a local preacher, though still an elderly man. He was the senior member and had
traveled a circuit before the old conference was divided. He did not now go home and do nothing, but regularly attended
the quarterlies and the annual conferences, preaching whenever asked. For some years he was the conference book agent,
serving without a salary and getting only a small commission on his sales. He thus made himself a most useful man and
was much a factor in shaping the policies of the church. Hoffman had little education and was not a great preacher, yet he
had great influence, having the faculty of impressing himself and his opinions most powerfully on both ministers and laity.
He had very decided convictions as to what was right in the affairs of the church, and he had the backbone to stand up to
54 [Warner 1882]. 73
Biographical Sketches
