JUDGE CALEB HOFFNER, farmer, P. O. Wetaug, is one of the old and respected residents of Pulaski County. He came from Rowan County, N. C., where he was born May 11, 1814. His parents, John and Catharine (Powles) Hoffner, were natives of the same county. The father was a tiller of the soil. He died in 1841. His noble wife survived him until 1879, having passed her ninety-first birthday. The union of the old couple was blessed with ten children, only three of whom are living — Catharine, Sophia and Caleb. The latter received the meager education that the old subscription schools of Union and Pulaski Counties afforded, his parents having removed from North Carolina when he was about six years old. He assisted his father on the home farm in early life, but becoming desirous of more active fields of operation, he sought life on the Mississippi, and from about 1836 to 1844 he was engaged at trafficking in produce between Cairo and New Orleans. He returned at the latter date, and located in Pulaski County, where he has since resided. His present farm consists of 300 acres, about one half of which is in systematic cultivation. He was united in marriage in 1838 to Amelia Knupp, born November 18, 1818, a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Powles) Knupp. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffner are the parents of six children, two of whom are living — Amy, wife of William T. Freeze, of Mound City, and Henry A. In 1861, our subject was elected Associate Judge of Pulaski County, and he served a term of four years. He was re-elected to the same position in 1869, serving a like period. He is a man who has always held an enviable position in popular esteem, having administered the affairs of over twenty estates. He is a man who strives for good churches, good schools, good roads, and he always takes a deep interest in all enterprises calculated for the good of the people. In politics, he has been a Republican since the organization of that party.
Extracted 02 Nov 2014 by Norma Hass from 1883 History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part V - Biographical Sketches, page 321-322.
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