Christian Hoffmeister immigrated to the U.S. from Hanover, Germany, and settled in St. Louis in 1844. In 1858, Christian established the Great Western Livery Stable at 7800 Main Street in Carondelet, catering especially to doctors and clergymen making calls. Over time, he was asked with growing frequency by friends and neighbors to provide horses and carriages for funeral processions.
Just before the Civil War, Christian became a funeral director. In 1904, he opened Hoffmeister Broadway Chapel located at 6809 and 7814 South Broadway, and utilizing the original livery stable.
In 1938, Christian’s grandson, George Hoffmeister, opened Hoffmeister Colonial Mortuary in St. Louis Hills at 6464 Chippewa Street, and in the 1950s and 1960s, Hoffmeister Colonial expanded under the direction of Christian’s great grandson, Richard Hoffmeister.
In 1991, Hoffmeister South County Chapel opened at 1515 Lemay Ferry Road, adjacent to Mount Hope cemetery. Two years later, in 1992, Hoffmeister became part of the Dignity Memorial network of funeral, burial, cremation, and cemetery providers.
The company continues to operate at two locations: 6464 Chippewa Street and 1515 Lemay Ferry Road.
Hoffmeister Funeral Home provided the following records that were compiled by the Whittmore Funeral Home. The Hoffmeister family purchased Whittmore and changed the name of the mortuary.
The information includes the date of death, name of the deceased and age, the residence or the name of a relative, and the name of the cemetery. Cemetery and church records provide further information.
Virginia Guinther and Jacqueline Whitworth provided this information for publication in the 1990 St. Louis Genealogical Society Quarterly, volume 23, number 3, pages 81–83; number 4, pages 108–110.
Hoffmeister Funeral Home Records, 1884-1895
Last modified: 12-Sep-2026 16:30
