"PORTALS OF THE PAST:

Marty Allhoff was a Coloma pioneer. He was born in Coloma, raised in Coloma and buried in the historic Coloma cemetery, within sight of his good friend, James Wilson Marshall. His life was the life of the town. Martin and Louisa Allhoff came around the horn from Milthouser, France, to Coloma in 1850. Theystarted the Coloma Vineyard and grew a variety of choice grapes brought from the old country.

Martin, or "Marty" as he was known to his friends, was born in Coloma on November 21, 1858, next door to the cabin of James Wilson Marshall. As Marty grew up they became fast friends -- a friendship that lasted until the discoverer's death in 1885."

Placerville, California
Mountain Democrat
September 27, 1902 Courtesy of: C. J. Egetter

"Mrs. Kate Saettle [sic] and Mrs. Eggetter [sic] and son, of Dayton, Ohio, arrived in Placerville last Saturday evening for a brief visit with M. J. Allhoff. The ladies are cousins of Mr. Allhoff's mother, whom they had just visited at San Jose. The party visited Coloma Sunday as the guests of Mr. Allhoff and on Tuesday left for Sacramento, en route to Ohio."

[Note: Mrs. Kate Saettel was Catharine "Kate" Theodora (Zinck) Saettel, dau/o Celestine Zinck & Regina Rachel Lehmann and wife of George Saettel.
Mrs. Eggetter was Melania "Nellie"(Zinck) Egetter, dau/o Joseph Zinck & Theresa (perhaps Bechel) and wife of Martin Egetter.
Were the two Zinck ladies cousins between themselves and then with Mrs. Allhoff? If so, what was the three way relationship?
Mrs. Egetter's son was probably s/o Martin Egetter and Melania Zinck in the person of Charles Henry Egetter, gf/o C. J. Egetter, contributor to this biography. Charles would have been 24 years of age at the time, and perhaps Charles was influenced by the visit, for a few years later, Charles moved to California.
Mrs. Allhoff was Louisa (Weaver/Wever) Allhoff-Chalmers-Hardie, and M. J. Allhoff was her son. [Mr. Allhoff’s mother was a colorful character who played a major (and well recorded) role in the aftermath of the gold rush in El Dorado County, and the rise of the vineyard, wine, and hotel business in Coloma and vicinity. CJE]
However, the exact family connections are unknown.
1. Were Celestine Zinck & Joseph Zinck brothers?
2. How are Allhoffs and said cousins of Mrs. Allhoff related? ASH, CJE]

Joseph Zinck and wife, Theresa are buried at Calvary Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio, but their gravestones are not located in the same section as the Celestine Zinck family. Also, there is a huge section in the cemetery with many monuments devoted to the Allhoff family who are probably related.

The Sierra Nevada House located in Coloma, El Dorado County, California was owned and operated by Robert Chalmers who married as his third wife, Louisa M. (Weaver) Allhoff, widow of Martin Allhoff of the Vineyard House. The Sierra Nevada House was known in its heyday for its fancy parties and festivities. Robert Chalmers died in 1880. Destroyed by fire in 1902, having been quickly rebuilt, stood until 1925 serving as silent movie theater and community hall when completely destroyed by fire.