Jonathan J. HOFIUS

                   1888 History of Mercer Co., Pa, pp 866-867 states he resides at
Sharpesville, Pa & is with the iron industry.

Jonathan's name in published data is listed as J.P., J.J.,Jonathan, Jonathan A. and John P.  He like his brother Seth was with the iron industry.

In the 1870 census he was living in Hickory Township with his wife.  His occupation was listed as a Bricklayer.

On May 23, 1879 Fire broke out in the his Steam Soap Works at the foot of South Penn Street, Sharon, Pennsylvania shortly before five o'clock AM and before the fire department reached the scene the establishment was a mass of worthless ruins.  Owing to the earliness of the hour and the dense fog that prevailled at that time the fire was not discovered until it had gained an irreversable headway, and the tardiness shown in sounding the alarm rendered the presence of the department almost useless since the flames having extended beyond all control in a few minutes after breaking out.  A consicerable number of men living in the neighborhood of the works were on the ground before the alarm was given from the engine house, and succeeded in saving a large quantity of soap, that had been stored in a shed adjoining the main building, but beyond this and some few other articles of portable property including a horse, wagon, harness and the like, from the stable, nothing was saved.

The origin of the fire is uncertain, and will likely never be definitely know.  The flames seem to have broken out in or near the engine room at the rear end of the works and as there had been fire under the boiler the day previous, it is more than probable the fire started from the ash-pit.  Mr. Hofius had been at the works a very short time before the flames broke out, attending to his horse which he kep in a stable adjoining, and when he left to go to his breakfast there was nothing about the premises to indicate the prescence of fire.  It is most likely, therefore, that the fire had its origin in the smouldering embers in the ash-pit.

The loss is heavy, though at present it is incapable of a correct extimation. The buildings,machinery and stock on hand at the time of the fire, were worth about $7,000, and are almost a total loss.  The insurance amounts to $3,400 in companies represented by Service Bros & Co.  The works were the property of Mr. J.J. Hofius, of this place save an interest of $1,000 owned by Mr. W.D. Hofius, of Sharpsville.  They did a large business and a day or two ago made a lot of soap amounting to upward of 10,000 pounds all of which was destroyed.  The fire was the most destructive that had occurred in Sharon, Pennsylvania for a long time.

When he passed away he was living in Sharpsville on the north west corner of Ridge Avenue and Sixth Street.

In the 1900 census his father is listed as born in Pennsylvania and mother born in Ohio.  Jonathan's occupation in this census was listed as a Landloard and living in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania.

His death notice has his age as 73, one of the most prominent citizens of Sharpsille.  He died of paralysis of the heart, superinduced by neuralgia of the stomach.  Prior to being engaged in the iron business he conducted a soap factory in Sharon at the foot of South Penn Street, which had long since been abandoned at time of his death.  He was Superintendent of the erection of the old Allen and Douglas frunaces and was afterwards employed as manager of the furnaces then owned by the Shenango Furnace Company at Sharpsville.