Meixner Family History #16 - What Does Theresia Meixner Do Now?

In the year 1890 Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the U.S., was serving his second year in office, Idaho and Wyoming would become the 43rd and 44th states, and Dwight D. Eisenhower would be born.  Eisenhower would later become a five star general and the 34th president of the U.S.  During this year the first Army - Navy football game was played and the Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks were established in California.  But there was also the tragedy of the U.S. Calvary massacre of more than 150 captive Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. (1)

At the end of February of 1890, Theresia Meixner found herself alone in Bell County, Texas.  Theresia's husband had just died and she had five children still at home to care for, ages 17,16,11, 5 1/2, and 2 1/2.  Theresia spoke no english, she had no family to rely on, because all her relatives were thousands of miles away in another country, and she had no means of making a living.  The 1890 Bell County Tax Roll list shows she had a wagon, two horses and two head of cattle.

Bell County Tax Roll for 1890.  She is listed 16th as Meixner, T.  (2)

This would have been a very frightening position to be in.  I don't know how she survived for the next seven months but she did and on Oct 9th she married Rudolph Schleede.

Marriage Record of Rudolph Schleede and Theresia Meixner.

Unfortunately I don't have a lot to tell you about Rudolph. He was born in Germany according to census records.  I have done very little research on him.  Their descendants would be my (half) cousins so that is an area I need to work on.  I don't know how they met but I would assume that they lived near each other or possibly Rudolph worked with Frank or farmed near where Frank farmed.  I know that in an agrarian society as this was both women and men remarried quickly after losing a spouse.  The women usually had no means of income and had children to take care of and in the case of the man he had children and couldn't take care of them because he was working the farm.  Theresia was a 42 year old widow with 5 dependant children and no meas of support.  Rudolph was a 36 year old bachelor.  I admire the man for taking on this challenge.  Regardless of weather the marriage was born out of love or necessity it saved Theresia and her family.  We have to remember that things were a lot different in 1890 than they are today.

In March of 1892 a son was born to Rudolph and Theresia and was named William Rudolph Schleede.  The information I have is that he was born at Three Forks.  The only reference I have found on this location is in the history of Bell county that states:  "...the Leon, Lampasas, and Salado rivers, ... came together at historic Three Forks to form the Little River".

Map of Bell County, 1885.

This is consistent with where Frank and Theresia lived, between the town of Little River and the Leon river.  In the above image in the middle of the picture you can see Belton.  Just above is the Leon River, just below is the Lampasas River, and just below that is Salado Creek.  Just to the southeast of Belton you can see where the three rivers converge (which would be the Three forks area) and become the Little River.  Just to the right of this junction is the town of Little River.

In September of 1892 Rudolph Schleede purchased 113 acres of land close to Salado, TX and Theresia made another move with him and their children to their new home.

Record of transaction from Bell County, TX land records.

Salado, TX is 9 miles south of Belton in Bell County.  The town was founded by Sterling C. Robertson, namesake and son of the original founder of Robertson's Colony, who donated land around the springs of Salado Creek to layout the town.  (3)

In October of 1896 Theresia's daughter, Antonia, was married to Abraham "Doc" Reid.

Marriage Record of Abraham Reid and Antonia Meixner.

This picture of the family was probably taken at the end of 1896 after the marriage of Antonia.

In the picture from left to right:  Abraham Reid, Antonia (Meixner) Reid, Minnie Meixner, Rudolph Schleede, William Rudolph Schleede (on the rocking horse), Harmon Meixner, Theresia (Meixner) Schleede, Henry Meixner, Alvisa Meixner.

Tragedy for Theresia didn't stop with her move to Salado.  On May 17, 1899 Theresia's oldest daughter, 26 year old Alvisa, died.

Above is a copy of the 1900 United States Census for Bell County that lists Rudolph & Theresia Schleede, Harmon Meixner, Minnie Meixner, Henry Meixner, and William Rudolph Schleede.  (4)

The 1900 United States Census above is for Falls County, TX where Theresia and Frank Meixner's eldest son, Frank Jr., was living.  Falls County is just northeast of Bell County.  Frank, his wife Mary, and their first child Willie (Wilhelm) are listed.  (4)

Next:  The Meixner - Schleede families face the twentieth century.

References:
(1)  en.wikipedia.org
(2)  "Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VBMV-QGK : accessed 12 Nov 2012), T Meixner, 1890.
(3)  Elizabeth Silverthorne, "SALADO, TX," Handbook of Texas Online(http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hls05), accessed November 12, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
(4)  Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Meixner Family History #15 - Frank Meixner's Legacy

I suppose you could look at Frank's life and see a life of tragedy and misfortune.  He left his homeland, friends and family members, and sailed to a new land where he was swindled out of all his money.  He had to work on a plantation, lost at least two children to disease, scratched out a living, and died at the young age of 41.

I think looking at his life that way would be totally missing several very important points.  Here is the way I look at Frank's life:

First, just making that momentous decision to leave home with a wife and six children and go thousands of miles to a new land seeking a better life took a great deal of courage and determination.

Second, many thousands of immigrants were swindled out of their money and taken advantage of in many ways.  The fact that he overcame this extremely discouraging event of losing his money by coming up with an alternate plan and moving forward shows a lot about his character.  He didn't quit, he keep moving forward.

Third, he made a change after the loss of his little girls and his own illness and moved his family to a more healthy location with better opportunity.  He continued to improve their way of life.  He went from having no property at all on the 1884 tax roll to having a wagon, 2 horses, and 2 head of cattle at the time of his death in 1890.

The last point I would make is he had made his application for citizenship of the United States.  He achieved what must have been his dream ever since he made the decision to come to the United States years before.

Webster's New World Dictionary defines legacy as:  1) (law) money or property left to one by a will,         2) anything handed down as from an ancestor

Frank's legacy comes from the second, and I think most important, definition.  Part of the legacy is in the genes he passed down.  What I saw in my dad growing up was strength, both physical strength and strength of character.  I saw determination and a will to succeed.  I think that's what he got from his father, Harmon, and his grandfather, Frank.  I  can only hope I got a little tiny bit of that.

The other part of the legacy, again, much better than money or property passed down in a will, is each and every descendant of Frank and Theresia.  I am here because he brought his family here and started his  children out in a new life in this country. Five of them got married and had families.  One of those was my grandfather Harmon.

I am here and I am a citizen of the United States of America.  What better legacy could I have asked for?

 Next time:  What does Theresia Meixner do now?