Hello Chris,
I maybe "all wet', but I wonder if the name was Americanize. Could it be Wilkenschauf? The story around here is about Ole Nordguardsson when he met the census taker - Milly O'Reilly of Boston.
Jim Danielsen
Unlikely, Jim.
The suffix -hoff could have been -hof, but usually not
-(sc)hauf or -(s)hauf
The name looks a composite of Wilken his estate - "Wilken's Hof" -
Wilkenshof(f)
Nordguardsson - is the "son of a man from a North City" - if my Norwegian
doesn't let me down.
Ta,
\Lars