It remained in the family for several generations and a second inn was later built. Jacob also donated the land and money for a church to be built, the cornerstone of which still stands today. The small town that built up around the Eoff tavern was called Pluckemin,supposedly so named because of Jacob's talent at 'Plucking them in'... The most famous patron at the inn was George Washington, who used it as a headquarters during the Revolutionary war.

The surname Eoff was actually an accident... one of those odd things that happen with people trying to communicate despite a language barrier. The name was actually Off, pronounced similar to Oaf with an umlaut over the O, however, when the first Eoff family arrived, due to much confusion and tragedic circumstances, the name was written as Eoff, and has been carried as such ever since. This is one sure way of knowing, if you have the Eoff surname,that you definitely decend from Jacob the Immigrant!

Most of the Eoff family stayed in the New York/New Jersey area up until right after the Revolutionary War, but by the late 1700s almost all the Eoffs, with the exception of the Cornelius Eoff line, were moving south! Cornelius, a decendant of Garret, was not only the last owner of the family Inn, he also followed in his father's famous footsteps and had his own silver smith company. When his family left New York, they moved to Ohio. All the rest of Jacob the Immigrant's children moved south, first stopping in South Carolina and West Virginia.

They apparently stayed just long enough to make strong bonds with the Knox, Elliott and Shepherd families and marry into those clans, and they were on the road again, finally settling in Arkansas (the Knox and Elliott families came with them!) Arkansas is still home for many of the Eoff family, but after a while in Arkansas the travelling bug bit and some members were once again on the move.

A small contingent went to Hardin County, Tennessee and spent their lives going back and forth between Tennessee and Arkansas. Another branch settled in Missouri and then continued on to Texas. Now there are significant groups of Eoffs also in Oregon, California and many other places!

I now have over 13,000 souls in my Eoff family data base, all descendents of an immigrant 8 year old boy. I'm sure if Jacob could see his family today, he would be amazed and proud. Three of his sons and one grandson fought in the American Revolution. Atleast one member of the family fought in the War of 1812. Many members fought in the Civil War on both sides, one of which reached the rank of General and Hiram Eoff was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Eoffs fought in WWi and WWII and William Bradford Eoff died in Vietnam and is listed on The Wall. The most common professions among Eoffs are in law enforcement (we have had many sheriffs, deputies and even a few judges!) and education. There are at least five Professor Eoffs right now!