Texas History, Family History, and Scratching the Itch - #3

                                        Day Three:  Meeting Bill Schleede

March 7th was the third and last day of my trip.  Today I was to visit with Bill Schleede.  I had contacted Bill the week before about getting together and I had called him Wednesday evening to set up a time to meet. He graciously invited me to have breakfast with him at his home.  William Rudolph Schleede #3 is my first cousin once removed. His grandmother and my great-grandmother is Maria Theresia (Eigel) (Meixner) Schleede. Theresia's first husband, Frank Meixner, died in 1890 and she married William Rudolph Schleede #1.  Their only child was William Rudolph Schleede #2 and he is Bill's father.  I used #1 etc. because I do not know if they actually had the designation of I, II, and III or first, second, third.  I'll have to ask Bill the next time I talk to him.

Bill is in his late 80s and still lives on and runs his farm, which is located near the old home place where he grew up.  He lived next door to his grandmother Theresia until he was eight.  The old home place was passed down to his father and then to him.

Bill Schleede in front of his home March 7, 2013.  Photographs property of Moody Meixner and are to be shared only by family.

I arrived at Bill's farm at 8:00 am as he had suggested.  His home is a very nice brick home he and his wife built.  Unfortunately his wife passed away several years ago.  Bill welcomed me and invited me inside.  Bill is slight in build, not as stocky as I remember my dad and granddad Meixner but about the same height. When I shook Bill's hand I could feel the strength in his handshake that only comes from a life filled with long days of hard work.  Also, I must say I was surprised when I met Bill because he does not look or act anywhere close to his age.

We drove by his old home place, but we were not able to drive out to it in my car.  You can see where his old house was located by the windmill right in the center of the photo, just above the tree line.

I expected that I would stay a couple hours at Bill's home but I ended up staying nearly six hours.  Bill busily worked at frying eggs and bacon and making toast while I sipped coffee.  Bill had many stories I had not heard before.  He is the only living person I know that knew great-grandmother Theresia personally. Theresia died many years before I was born.  I had always had the impression great-grandmother Theresia did not speak English, but Bill said she communicated with him in English quite well. He had many fond memories of his grandmother.  (I know it is confusing referring to my great-grandmother and his grandmother but hopefully you understand that I am referring to the same person, Theresia.

I have to say, Bill makes a great breakfast.  We ate and talked some more.  He talked about his grandparents and his parents.  Bill said his grandfather, William Rudolph Schleede #1, worked for my great-granddad Frank Meixner at Three Forks in Bell County.  He said Frank had been a butcher in the old country and he taught Rudolph how to butcher. From this story it makes sense to me that Rudolph was close to the family and it is easy to see why, when Frank died, Rudolph and Theresia married.  He was someone she knew and at this time in history a women's only avenue, after her husband died, was to get re-married as soon as possible.  Rudolph bought a farm soon after their marriage near Salado and the family moved there. Theresia and Rudolph only had one child together, Rudolph.  There were four Meixner children still at home.

In the coming years one daughter passed away in 1899.  As for the remaining children, Bill said, "The Schleede farm was small." and "There were few opportunities..." [there in Bell County].  Consequently, Frank (Jr.) had already left and moved to Elm Mott, sister Minnie married and moved to Levelland with her husband.  In Bill's words, "It was often in those days for young men to head for West Texas."  So Harmon went west to Concho County and Henry followed a few years later.  Bill also stated that it was not long before Harmon and Henry had a falling out and Henry moved away from Concho County.  All the Meixner children had left home by 1911 when Rudolph #1 died.  Rudolph #2 , only 17 years old, was the only child left at home.  Theresia was left with a farm with a mortgage and a 17 year old son to help her make ends meet. Rudolph #2 married five years later and lived, with his family, next door to his mother the rest of his life and took care of the farm.

As I stated earlier, Bill lived next door to Theresia and was present when she died in 1932.  Bill was only eight but still remembers it vividly.  Theresia had been working that day.  He said she shucked a whole tub of corn and was peeling pears.  She was standing at the door of her home with a bowl of pears in her hands. Suddenly she yelled and threw the bowl in the air.  Bill's dad ran to her and helped her to her chair and sent for the doctor.  Of course it took at least 45 minutes to notify the doctor and for him to get to the house out in the country.  Bill said, however, that she died in her chair long before the doctor arrived.  She apparently suffered a heart attack.  Theresia's funeral was held at the local Methodist Church.  A friend held the service and she was buried in the Salado Cemetery.

In 1934 Bill's dad used the lumber in Theresia's old house and built a new one for him and his family there at the same location.  This was the house Bill would grow up in.  He remembered it had no electricity and only cold water in the tub and sink.

Theresia Schleede's Family Bible.  Photographs property of Moody Meixner and are to be shared only by family.

Old tin match box.  Photographs property of Moody Meixner and are to be shared only by family.

Old lock.  Photographs property of Moody Meixner and are to be shared only by family.

Beaded piece with Rudolph Schleede's initials dated 1875.  Photographs property of Moody Meixner and are to be shared only by family.

Pair of old glasses.  Photographs property of Moody Meixner and are to be shared only by family.

Along with the great stories and conversation, Bill brought out his grandmother's old family bible.  It was so fragile I did not attempt to even touch it but it was very interesting to see.  He did however, have several pages from the bible with information about the family that Theresia had written.  The pages were laminated and I was able to capture the pages with my portable scanner.  He brought out letters Theresia had kept that she received from her grandchildren.  He very generously said for me to keep the Meixner grandchildren letters.  I am extremely proud to have them and I have shared some with my cousin Claudia.

Copy of pages from Theresia Schleede's family bible.  Photographs property of Moody Meixner and are to be shared only by family.

This is a sample of the letters written by Theresia's grandchildren that she saved.  Photographs property of Moody Meixner and are to be shared only by family.

I wish I had taken a tape recorder with me on my visit.  I know I did not get everything written down that Bill and I talked about.  I had a fantastic day with Bill and I hope to get by to see him again soon. We ended our visit by driving to the Salado Cemetery and visiting the graves of his grandfather, Rudolph, and his grandmother Theresia (our common ancestor).  

The old step stone from Bill's old home where he grew up.  Photographs property of Moody Meixner and are to be shared only by family.

William Rudolph Schleede on March 7, 2013.  Photographs property of Moody Meixner and are to be shared only by family.

I dropped Bill back by his house and he invited me in for a sandwich but I really needed to get going.  He showed me a rock on his front walkway that had been a stepping stone at his old home place.  I think it makes a nice reminder of his early life and I am sure it brings back many fond memories.  I took Bill's picture and shook his hand and headed out toward home.  I left with a great feeling. What a wonderful day!  So much great information, but most of all I had discovered a new relative and a new friend.

Texas History, Family History, and Scratching the Itch - #2

                             Day Two:  Liberty Hill, Georgetown, Belton, Temple

When I originally planned my trip, my second day included a stop in Georgetown and a short visit with a friend that I had worked with for many years at Mercedes Benz Credit. He retired the same year I did and I hadn't seen him in a long time.  Unfortunately he had already planned a trip out of town so I had to modify my plans.  As I was talking to Kay on the phone on the morning of day two, I mentioned to her my planned route.  This was March 6, 2013.  (The anniversary of the fall of the Alamo by the way.)  I told her I was going to go the back roads to Belton.  She looked at the route on her map and suggested I go a different route, one that led directly to Georgetown and then up I35 to Belton.  As I looked at the map I agreed that would be a good route.  I could stop off in Georgetown as originally planned but instead of a visit I could do a little family history work.  Georgetown is where my dad went to college at Southwestern University, completing both his undergraduate and Masters degrees there.  This is where my mom lived and worked and where mom and dad met, fell in love, and got married.

So as I looked along the route on the map, a funny thing happened, or as I like to say, I experienced a case of serendipity.  I like this word because it is fun to say:  S-e-r-e-n-d-i-p-i-t-y!  But, also, it is one of the most fun and exciting things that happens once in a while in genealogy.  Per Merriam-Webster the word means: "luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for", or as Wikipedia puts it: "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise".

At any rate I saw on the map the town of Liberty Hill.  I knew mom had graduated from Liberty Hill High School but in the back of my mind I had always seemed to think of it as the name of a high school, but not the name of a town.  Well, there it was, located right on my route to Georgetown. Now I could stop there and spend some time as well.

I had spent the night in Marble Falls, so Liberty Hill was only a short drive away.  Located on Highway 29, about halfway between Burnett and Georgetown, Liberty Hill seemed to me to be one of those small towns that was in that in-between stage of being small but being transformed into being large.  It is 15 miles from Georgetown and 33 miles from downtown Austin.  In the last 15-20 years it has grown from a population of 300 to around 1600 and is home to a 3-A high school and lots of construction.

The old downtown area of Liberty Hill.  I didn't visit the new area but I'm sure they have one.

As I drove past the city limit sign, I realized I had no idea where to go or what to do. Luckily I wandered into the old downtown area.  Of course other areas are growing and the old downtown is standing still.  I took some photographs of the old buildings and continued on.  A small sign on the side of the road alerted me to the direction of the United Methodist Church so I headed that way.  Founded in 1854 on a site a short distance away, construction started on this beautiful building in 1870 with additions being made in 1905, 1916, and 1954.  (Information from the Historical Marker.)  I'm thinking mom and her family went to church here.  There were some beautiful old homes around as well.

Liberty Hill United Methodist Church.  

Beautiful old home located in Liberty Hill, TX.

I tried to find the high school but I didn't have any luck.  Actually that isn't true, I did find the high school.  It was a big beautiful new high school and definitely not the school where mom went in the 1930s.  So, I gave up, thinking that the old school was most likely gone anyway, and started toward Georgetown.  But then I thought better of it and pulled to the side of the road.  I thought, "Darn it, I am here so I should work harder to find the school."  I turned around and headed back to town.  Just approaching town from the east I noticed a real estate office on the left side of the road so I pulled in.  What better person to know where things are than a real estate person.  I walked in and two very nice young ladies greeted me and asked how they could help me.  I told them that I had a strange request.  I said I was looking for the old high school where my mom (and some of her siblings) had attended high school back in the 30's.  One of the ladies said she would call her mom at home, saying she had lived there a long time and might know where the school had been. Indeed her mom did know and she gave me the information and the directions.  In addition they gave me directions to the library and said the librarian would have information about the history of the town.  It is always so nice to encounter friendly, helpful people.  I did not retain their names but if you every need help with real estate in Liberty Hill, stop by that little office on the south side of the road on the east side of town. It is right near the new high school.  You can't miss it.

Site of the old Liberty Hill High School in the 1930s.  In March of 2013 it was an Intermediate School.

The site of the old high school was the site of the present day Intermediate School.  They were still using this school in March of 2013.  In looking at the web site for Liberty Hill ISD it appears they have opened up a new intermediate school now.  I could not tell if there were any parts of this school that might have been a part of the building from back in the 1930s.  The main part of the school looked like it had been constructed maybe in the 50s but I am not much of a historian of architecture so I don't know for sure.  Maybe that first picture above is from the old building.  Frankly I didn't hang around the school taking pictures but only a few seconds.  I wasn't sure how it might appear for some old man to be loitering around the school all alone like that.  I could just see the police screeching up at any second.  It was still satisfying to just feel like I was at least at the location where mom went to school.

My mom's (Avis Galbreath) graduation announcement from Liberty Hill High School. Her brother G.J. Galbreath graduated the same year.

Liberty Hill High School Senior's class play, May 5, 1934.  Mom was Leonora Blackstone, a medium, per the above program.  Her brother G.J. was William Grayson, a millionaire broker.

Commencement and Baccalaureate programs for Liberty Hill High School, 1934.

Next I went by the library and had a very nice conversation with Sandy, the librarian.  She introduced me to a lady that was there working on genealogy.  This lady's brother was kind of the unofficial historian of Liberty Hill. She said she would have him look to see if he had an annual from that time frame when Mom was in hight school.  (Unfortunately this wasn't to be.)  I later sent them scans of graduation programs etc. shown above.  I hope they will become a part of the historical items they are gathering.

All in all a very nice morning in Liberty Hill, Texas.  I enjoyed very much being where mom spent part of her growing up years and visiting with the friendly people of Liberty Hill.  

Then I was off to Georgetown.  I located the courthouse and the square.  I ate a late lunch at Gumbo's at 701 South Main Street, on the northeast corner of the square.  (If I remember correctly.)  The food was excellent and great service.  Having been revived with a full belly of good food, I then toured the beautiful old courthouse.  I also visited the Williamson County museum located on the southwest corner of the square.

Williamson County Courthouse.

Williamson County Courthouse.

Williamson County Courthouse.  I wonder if my parents didn't have to come to the courthouse to get their marriage license.  I would think that they did.

Four sides of the Georgetown downtown square around the courthouse.  If I remember correctly, the top photograph shows the museum, which is located on the West  side of the square in the building on the far left.

Next I found Church Street and attempted to locate the house where mom lived with her family. Unfortunately, at the address for the house a new house had been built.  I must say it was not nearly as pretty and interesting as the old one.  Nor did it have any character.  Oh well, time moves on.

Galbreath family photograph in front of the old house on Church Street, Georgetown, TX. circa late 1930s.

Next I drove onto the Southwestern University campus and took some photographs. Also, went by and looked at the beautiful United Methodist Church.  Southwestern was the catalyst for my mom and dad meeting and eventually getting married.  Mom worked for a professor at Southwestern and dad was working on the campus when they first met. Dad also went to school with and was friends with some of Mom's brothers so he new they family as well.  Mom also worked at a Federal Government Sewing Room project and for a burger joint called Uncle Ed's.  I wish I could find these two locations but for now I have no idea where they are located.

Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX.

First United Methodist Church in Georgetown, TX.  Founded in 1849, this building was built in 1891-1893.  (From the Historical Marker above.)

Avis Galbreath and Harmon Meixner above on a date at the San Gabriel River in Georgetown, TX, in 1940.

Mom and Dad, Harmon and Avis (Galbreath) Meixner, on their wedding day 1940.

I made one last stop at a coffee house, again back on the square, (north side) called Cianfrani Coffee Company and picked up some coffee to go.  Sandy had recommended it to me when I told her I was going to Georgetown when I left Liberty Hill.  The coffee was good and kept me going strong the rest of the day. Now it was time to head north to Belton.

I can't resist taking a photo of the great old courthouse in Belton anytime I drive through downtown.

Belton is about 33 miles north of Georgetown.  I cruised into Belton and went downtown. I walked around a little taking some photographs and then I accidentally discovered the Bell County Museum.  I took a tour through the museum and found it to be very interesting.  By chance there was a traveling exhibit on President Abraham Lincoln at the museum that was down to the last day or two to be there.

From Belton I headed out on the 8 mile trip to Temple.  I checked into my hotel and decided I had not had enough for the day so I grabbed a bite to eat and some how found my way to the Temple Library.  Kay will be laughing as she reads this.  She knows that I never know where I am going, have a terrible sense of direction, and hate to stop to ask for directions. It was night and it took some doing for me to find the library but I did.  I had been told by some reliable folks the Temple Library had a good genealogy department and it did not disappoint.  I gathered some really good information on my Whiteley ancestors and kept at it until they shooed me out the door at 9:00 pm.  Well, actually they didn't have to run me off.  I was really tired by this time and I was ready to hit the hay.

Next time I will tell you about day three and my visit with Bill Schleede.  

Texas History, Family History, and Scratching the Itch

                            Day One:  The Alamo and The Travis Letter

I have found that my passion is History.  This encompasses Texas History, U. S. History, and of course Family History.  I've had this yearning, this itch, if you will, to see, experience, read about, document, and share history, especially family history.  (That sharing thing is much to the chagrin of the family sometimes - in other words I tend to go on and on and on ....... but I digress.)

Now that I am retired, I am finding more time available for my passion.  Last year I made a visit with some of the family to our grandparent's home in Concho County.  I've been to Virginia with Kay and her cousin Tom to visit the place where their great-grand parents lived and I visited Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown and other historical sites while in Virginia.  I've been to Washington-on-the-Brazos and other historic places in Texas.  I'm starting to really pursue my passion or "scratch the itch".

Last February 22, 2013, I was reading the newspaper and came across an article about the letter Lt. Col. William Barret Travis wrote at the Alamo, Feb 24, 1836.  Travis sent the letter out by a courier, Albert Martin, who slipped through the Mexican Army lines that encircled them.  Travis addressed the letter to "The People of Texas & All Americans in the World".  He then asked for reinforcements and concluded the letter with his now famous "Victory or Death".  Of course sufficient help did not come.  On March 1st, John Smith led 32 brave men from Gonzales into the fort but the large numbers hoped for and needed by Travis never came. On March 6, 1836, the fort was overrun by the Mexican army and all the brave defenders of the Alamo were killed.

Now, here it is, the letter was was going to be returning to the Alamo for the first time in 177 years.  It was to be on display for a very short time.  My first thought was "I've got to see this letter!  If I don't go see it now I may never get another chance."  Since we were traveling to California to see Wes and Jeoffery and the grandchildren the next weekend, I only had a limited window of opportunity, March 4th - 7th, to go. I asked Kay if she wanted to go to San Antonio.  She said she was working that week, so I started my plans to go alone.

I set out early on Tuesday, March 5th, heading to San Antonio.  We had just gotten back from California on Sunday and the exhibit ended on Thursday.  I didn't want to go on the last day and Wednesday, the 6th was the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo, so I thought those two days might be really busy.  That left Tuesday the 5th as the day to go.

As I drove closer and closer to San Antonio I got more and more excited.  I found my way downtown and cruised into the parking lot behind the Alamo.  Kay would have been shocked to know I made it there so easy.  The lot was not packed and I quickly found a place to park, so I was feeling good about my prospects.  As I walked around the corner to the front of the Alamo, my heart sank a little seeing the long line.  My first thoughts were to hit the restroom, skip lunch, grab a candy bar, and get in line. I took care of that as quickly as I could (or as quickly as a 62 year old man can, if you know what I mean) and got in the line around 1:00 pm and was ready to go.

Waiting in Line in front of the Alamo Church, March 5, 2013.  The really long part of the line is off to the right side and not in view in this photo.

It took a few minutes standing there chatting with other people in line and looking around before I fully grasped the situation regarding the length of the line.  I had not paid close enough attention to where the line actually went.  This long line I thought I was in was only a small part of the actual line.  Instead of going straight ahead and then turning toward the door, the line traveled to the edge of the Alamo Church and disappeared back into the deep recesses of a covered area, where it wound like a snake, back and forth, back and forth, before re-emerging to head toward the door.  Okay, add at least another hour to my 30 to 45 minute estimated wait time.  (A guide later said the wait was more like 2 to 2 1/2 hours.)  I wasn't sure the old bladder could hold out that long.  Just as I was starting to despair about getting half way through the line and then needing to go to the restroom, thus losing my spot in line and having to start all over, I caught a lucky break.  A man standing by a small kiosk was explaining to the lady in front of me that if you were a member of "Allies of the Alamo" you received expedited entrance to all Alamo exhibits, including this one. "How much?",  I asked.  "Forty dollars," he said.  I handed him my credit card, became a member, and headed to the front of the line.  Within 10 minutes I was inside.  Man, best 40 bucks I ever spent!  I went through the exhibit, toured the grounds, spent money at the gift shop, and was heading to the parking lot, all before the time that it would have taken me just to get through that long line.  It was a fantastic deal!!

Next in line at the door with mounting excitement, March 5, 2013.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  I was excited as I stood before the door, waiting behind only a couple people, for my turn.  Finally, I was ushered through that big wooden door that leads into the Alamo Church. I got that same feeling I get every time I go there.  It is a feeling of pride mixed with a sense of recognition of the ultimate sacrifice that brave men made there. There is even a feeling of reverence for what this shrine means to Texas, and many more feelings that are just too hard to explain with my limited writing ability. When you walk in, there is a quietness that overtakes you.  People are asked to remove their hats.  Everyone speaks in hushed tones.  You are not allowed to touch the walls or any part of the structure, and of course there are no photographs allowed.

Most of us think of this building as "The Alamo", but this is really only one small part of what the Alamo Fort actually consisted of in 1836.  This iconic building, that is so widely recognized, is the Alamo Church.  This and the long barracks are all that are left of the original Alamo which consisted of the outer walls and cannon placements, the men's quarters, Travis' quarters, the low barracks, cattle pens, the long barracks, and the church.

Source:  "The Alamo". The Portal to Texas History. http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth30285/. Accessed January 20, 2014.

I added the location of Lt. Col. William Barret Travis' headquarters and the location where he was killed.

Once inside the Alamo Church, there was an exhibit of various period artifacts as well as some of Lt. Col. William Barret Travis' personal items.  I couldn't help but be transported back in time as I tried to imagine things as they were then.  It was all very interesting and my excitement increased until at last I was in front of "The Travis Letter".  If you don't like history it's okay to tune out now, because you will think I am crazy when you read what I have to say next.

Standing a couple feet away from this 177 year old letter, I tried to let my mind imagine the scene on Feb 24, 1836.  Lt. Col. Travis was sitting in the Alamo with a hand full of men surrounded by Santa Anna's Mexican army of one thousand or more.  Santa Anna had sent Travis a command to surrender or be put to the sword There would be no surrender, no survival if he lost the battle.  Col. Travis had this very piece of paper on his desk in front of him, pen in hand.  What thoughts must have been racing through his mind?  Did he realistically think they would be able to survive this siege and fight their way out?  Did he believe help would come?  I think he new exactly what was going to happen, though I do believe he held on to a small glimmer of hope by writing the letter.

As I stood and looked at this creased, faded, aged, and fragile, 177 year old piece of paper, I could feel a presence that is hard to describe. This is the very place, the Church, where the women and children found safety in the Sacristy, the very place where the last defenders of the Alamo made their last stand and died. How can one not feel their lingering presence?  Realizing Travis had handled this paper, as well as other great men of that time in Texas history who would handle it later, and that Travis had written these words that would be read and quoted for 177 years, by thousands of people, these words that would take on such deep meaning for Texans.  Travis' letter to the world, along with the martyrdom of the men at the Alamo, became the catalyst that ignited the people of Texas to fight and eventually win Texas' freedom.

I only took a few minutes to read and ponder the letter before I moved on outside the church into the bright sunshine that greeted me.  I walked around but my mind was still inside the Alamo Church, inside with the subdued lighting and quiet stillness, reflecting on Travis' words.  His words took on so much greater and deeper meaning to me as I stood there reading, inside the Alamo Church, 177 years after Travis wrote:

Commandancy of the Alamo
Bejar, Feby. 24th. 1836 -

To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world -   

Fellow citizens & compatriots-

I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna - I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man - The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken - I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls - I shall never surrender or retreat.  Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character to come to our aid, with all dispatch - The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days.  If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country -  Victory or Death.

William Barret Travis.
Lt. Col. comdt

P.S. The Lord is on our side - When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn - We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves -

Travis

William Barret Travis' letter from the Alamo, Febuary 24, 1836.  Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/texas175/travisletter-2.html

The content that is published on or collected via our (TSL) Web site is public information as described in the Public Information Act. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission Web site: Effective Date: April 22, 2013.  See website for full disclosure. 


I will continue with day two of my trip in another post.