Reverend John Hoffe 1841-1909

*  *  *  Photographs as named in the Fetherstonhaugh Family Album  *  *  *

Here we have another family who lived on Achill Island for some years and who would have known the Nangles and possibly the Pikes too, again I’ve found no direct relationship link to the Fetherstonhaughs.

John Hoffe, son of John Hoffe & Louisa neé Blake, was born in Fareham, Hampshire and baptised in the Holy Trinity Church there on 1 Apr 1841. On the 4 Jun 1867 he married Susan Aitken Conby in Ireland.

Their first child were born in Dublin, second in Dugort on Achill Island, third in Dublin and the last four were all born in county Wicklow, they were:-

John Aitken 1869-1932; Susan Jessie 1876-1958; Henry Thomas Sandford 1879-1908; Thomas Mitchell 1880-1917; Louisa Sophia 1883-?; Kathleen Frances 1888-1956 and Philip Brodie 1888-1902.

So these two of their children look to be their eldest two, John Aitken and Susan Jessie. I thought at first these two photos were taken on the same day because of the same chair, but as John was 7 years older than Jessie perhaps not as it certainly doesn’t look like there is that large a gap between them. Maybe there were other children born during the 8 years (1870-1878) they were living on Achill, apart from Jessie, that either died young or I haven’t yet found, the young boy named ‘J’ could very well be another son.

The Rev’d John Hoffe died on 6 Nov 1909, his wife Susan Aitken on the 7 Nov 1931 and are buried along with several of their children in the Kilbride Cemetery in county Wicklow where John was the Rector for nearly 30 years.

References: Ireland Genealogical Project-County Wicklow Page; ancestry.com.au; Google

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Dawn Scotting
pandora[at]kc.net.nz