My Paint Rock Excursion

"Hundreds of Indian Pictographs are found along a Rock bluff overlooking a once widely-used Indian camp ground.  One mile northwest of Paint Rock on U.S. Highway 83, the site is easily accessible..."  This is a quote from the brochure of "Paint Rock Excursions".  This tour takes place on the Sims/Campbell Ranch in Concho County.

Brochure for "Paint Rock Excursions".

D.E. Sims came to Concho County in 1876 and by 1886 he had amassed some 14,000 acres of land and had built a large ranching operation.  His ranch spanned the area just north of Paint Rock, TX along the Concho River.  This area included a rock bluff that was home to over 1500 Indian pictographs.

I knew that my granddad, Harmon Meixner, worked for D.E. Sims in the late 1800s and early 1900s and that my father, Robert Harmon Meixner, worked for Mr. Sims' son, Benjamin Victor Sims, during the depression years (probably around 1930-32).  So for those two reasons I had wanted to visit the Sims ranch for some time.  When I discovered a site on the Internet about tours to the pictographs, I decided a tour would be a great way to be able to visit the ranch and to see the pictographs as well.

The current owners of the ranch are Kay and Fred Campbell.  Kay inherited a portion of the original ranch owned by her grandfather, D. E. Sims, that included the area around the pictographs.  After varied careers, Kay and her husband decided to move back to the ranch when they retired several years ago.  A small snapshot of the family tree looks like this:  Dunlap Edward Sims married Ella LeCompte and had five children.  They were Orland LeCompte Sims, Dunlap Sims, William Sims, Benjamin Victor Sims, and Walter Sims.  Walter died at the young age of 14.  Benjamin Victor Sims married Ellen Hartgrove in 1920.  They had four children:  Dunlap Sims, Benjamin Orland Sims, William McKinnie Sims, and Cora Ellen Sims.  Cora Ellen Sims was called "Kay" by the family and has been known by that name ever since.  She married Fred Campbell and this couple, Kay and Fred Campbell, are the current owners of the ranch with the Indian pictographs.  I explained the family a little so you can see the relationship my family had with the Sims family.  (1)

Photographs of the Sims family at the Visitor's Center.

On Feb. 19, 2013 (which is also my mother's birthday - she would have been 96) I met for lunch with my sister, Oneta, my brother Harmon and his wife Tanya, and my brother Jack and his wife Bobbie in Ballinger, TX.  After lunch and a nice visit, we headed to the Sims/Campbell Ranch in Concho County to tour the pictographs.

Here we are at a restaurant in Ballinger for lunch and visiting before we head out for the tour.

The ranch is a mile northwest of Paint Rock.  To get there just head north on Hwy 83 out of Paint Rock, TX, cross the bridge over the Concho River, and look for a brown sign on the left that says "Indian Pictographs".  Turn in at the dirt road and proceed to the Visitor Center.

As I traveled up the dirt road that day, I saw what I considered typical pasture land for livestock but then the next thing I saw were two not so typical buffalo off to the right.  These are truly beautiful animals.

Buffalo on the Sims/Campbell Ranch.

I had called ahead of time and talked to Kay (Sims) Campbell by phone to set up our appointment.  (Making an appointment by phone is the preferred way to set up a tour.)  I had a wonderful visit with Kay by phone.  I found that not only had our father and grandfather worked for the Sims family but that the Meixner and Sims families had been lifelong family friends.  In fact Kay told me a bit of family history I had not known before.  She told me my uncle Victor Meixner was named after her father, Benjamin Victor Sims.  This is the same Ben Sims my Dad worked for during the depressions.

The Visitor's Center on the Sims/Campbell Ranch.

As we approached the Visitor Center I was excited about finally meeting Kay in person.  As it turned out my experience exceeded my high expectations.  Kay welcomed us warmly.  We had a nice though brief meeting with her husband, Fred Campbell, before he headed out to take care of ranch business.  Kay is a very warm, friendly, and interesting person.  Her knowledge about the pictographs and the various Indian tribes that painted them is extensive and her unique presentation was witty and charming.  I thoroughly enjoyed her account of the Indians that roamed the area, her discussion about current interpretation of the pictographs, and what part the pictographs played in the Indian's spiritual ceremonies.

Kay (Sims) Campbell showing a picture of the Concho River and the cliffs where the pictographs are located.

The family listening to Kay's presentation and passing around artifacts she showed us.

She also gave us an informational demonstration of how the Indians probably made the paint that was used in painting the pictographs.

Kay's presentation of how the paint was made and a demonstration of pictograph painting on her arm.

Our time at the visitors center took a little longer than it normally would because we talked about our two families and the relationship they have had over the years.

After her presentation, Kay gave us a brochure titled "Along the Trail".

Along the Trail brochure.

We then proceeded to our cars to drive down to the cliffs and view the pictographs.  I jumped at Kay's invitation to ride with her to the cliffs so that I could continue our visit about our families.  We had a great visit riding down to where the pictographs were located but I was shocked and saddened to hear that one of her sons had passed away suddenly just the week before.  Yet, here she was welcoming us and making sure we had an enjoyable experience just a few days after this tragic event.

Upon arrival we departed our cars and worked our way by foot along the line of cliffs.  Kay pointed out and explained the various pictographs and gave us great insight into each one.  Be sure to refer to and follow along in the "Along the Trail" brochure.  It also gives a good explanation of the paintings.

Kay pointing out the pictographs to the family.

A small sampling of the many pictographs.  The last two photographs of our family group were taken by Kay (Sims) Campbell.

Upon completion of the tour we returned to the Visitor's Center.  We took pictures and examined the various artifacts, arrow heads, and pictures on display and then it was time to go.

Top two pictures are artifacts and arrow heads found on the ranch.  The next two are family members checking things out and looking at pictures with Kay.

I could have spent several more hours visiting with Kay.  She is a living symbol of that pioneer spirit in Concho County.  She is a wonderful lady that gave a gift of what, to me, was a magical afternoon.  In addition to that, my generation of the Meixner family re-connected to Kay's Sims/Campbell family.  A connection that started over 110 years ago.

Here I am visiting with Kay (Sims) Campbell about our families before the tour (above) and after the tour (below).

I highly recommend a "Paint Rock Excursions" tour.  Set up a time with Kay and then take the day and drive down for the tour.  It will be well worth your time effort.

After we left the Sims/Campbell Ranch, we proceeded to the old house where my father grew up.  I will make a separate post about this experience.

References:
(1)  http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/mar/17/local-ranch-displays-history-citys-namesake/

Meixner Family History #21 - Epilogue Part 4

During the first decade of the Twentieth Century Theodore Roosevelt was President from 1901 to 1909.  Howard Taft became the 27th president in 1909.

President William Howard Taft (1)

Many events occurred during this decade that have impacted our lives even to this day.  The first powered flight made by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, N.C. in 1903 propelled us toward commercial airlines and a way to cross he country in hours instead of days.  Also in 1903 the Ford Motor Company was formed.  In 1908 Ford introduced the Model T Ford, which would drastically change the automotive industry.

Wright brothers first powered flight. (2)

Model T Ford. (3)

Construction of the Panama Canal was started in 1904.  In 1905 Albert Einstein proposed the Theory of Relativity, which would have a profound and long lasting effect on the scientific world.

Albert Einstein. (4)

In the world of college football the first Rose Bowl game was played in 1902, starting a long tradition and spawning dozens of bowl games today.

East-West Football Game, Jan. 1, 1902 at the Rose Bowl. (5)

Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907 and over the last three years of the decade the FBI was established, the NAACP founded, and the Boy Scouts of America and Camp Fire Girls were chartered.

During this time Concho County grew rapidly in population.  This increase had its beginnings in the previous century with men like D.E. Sims, J.E. and Sam Henderson, R.T. Trail, and many others.

In 1876 Dunlap Edward Sims left his home in Missouri and traveled by train to what is now Fort Worth, Texas.  He then headed south by wagon into the heart of Texas.  At some point he bought some sheep and established a sheep camp near Brady in McCullough County.  He decided to continue his exploration so he headed northwest from Brady into Concho County.  Daughter-in-law Ellen Sims explained it this way in an interview for West Texas Business Journal in May 1983, ..."when he traveled farther and laid eyes on the Concho (River), that, to him, was paradise". (6)  Sims' son, Orland L. Sims, said in his book: "I can picture him taking off his hat and reverently intoning 'Amazing Grace' as was his wont when well-pleased.  He had found his home." (7)

Mr Sims soon started buying land in Concho county and by 1886 he had amassed about 14,000 acres.  This acreage included the area just north of Paint Rock along the Concho River.  This area included a rock bluff  that was home to over 1500 Indian pictographs.  These paintings were what inspired the name for the town of Paint Rock.  Mr Sims started out raising sheep and then later moved into raising cattle as well.

J.E. Henderson was another early arrival in the county.  In 1876 he established himself and built a large herd of cattle.  His brother, Sam Henderson, followed him to the county in 1878 or 1879.  Sam Henderson bought some cattle from his brother and settled along the Kickapoo River.  He began to purchase land and would own close to 100,000 acres of land in four counties before he died. (8)

Another early rancher was Richard T. Trail, who settled a few miles south of Paint Rock and developed an extensive ranching operation there.

The Concho Herald newspaper in 1890. (9)

These ranchers figured prominently in the story of my granddad, Harmon Meixner.

Last week I had an opportunity to travel to Concho County with a few family members and take the "Paint Rock Excursions" tour on what is now the Sims/Campbell Ranch.  We wanted to visit the ranch where our granddad had worked as a young man  and also see the Indian paintings.  We were treated to a guided tour by a wonderful lady by the name of "Kay" (Sims) Campbell.  She and her husband Fred Campbell own the ranch and have preserved the pictographs.  They have facilitated bringing in experts to study the paintings, determine their age, origins, etc.

Kay (Sims) Campbell.  Photograph taken Feb. 19, 2013 by Moody Meixner.

Kay was born Cora Ellen Sims in 1927 but the family always called her "Kay".  Her father was Benjamin Victor Sims.  Her grandfather was the Dunlap Edward Sims I wrote about above and Orland L. Sims was her uncle.  I plan to write a separate post with more details about this most enjoyable afternoon spent with Kay Campbell and my family members on the Sims/Campbell Ranch.

Next time I will relate some stories about Harmon Meixner and his "cowboy" days in Concho County.

References:
(1)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WmHTaft.jpg   photo of taft from wiki
(2)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers
(3)  http://wyrk.com/first-model-t-rolls-off-the-assembly-line-dale-daily-data/
(4)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Einstein_(Nobel).png
(5)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1st-Rose-Bowl-game-1902.jpg
(6)  http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/mar/17/local-ranch-displays-history-citys-namesake/?print=1
(7)  Sims, Judge Orland L., Cowpokes, Nesters, & So Forth, The Encino Press, Austin, TX 1970, pg 94
(8)  //www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/mar/17/local-ranch-displays-history-citys-namesake/?print=1
(9)  Huston, Gerard, editor. The Concho Herald. (Paint Rock, Tex.), Vol. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 2, 1890, Newspaper, October 2, 1890; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth235645/ : accessed December 17, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, Austin, Texas.

Meixner Family History #20 - Epilogue Part 3

By the late 1800s the railroads were snaking their way west, facilitating the westward movement of the U.S. population.  People in the East were moving west to Texas.  People in East Texas were moving west to Central and West Texas.

Train in Texas. (1)

Cattle ranchers moved large herds of cattle into areas of open range land in Texas to freely pasture their cattle.  Eventually any Indians in the area would be driven out, then the smaller ranchers and farmers would move in, put up fences and put down roots.  This was the process that occurred in Concho County and this pattern was repeated in several other areas of Texas.  In 1895 the Texas Legislature lowered the price of it's public land for sale and made available loans for 40 years at 3 percent interest.  This combination of lower prices and easier and cheaper financing helped fuel the migration of farmers to new areas of Texas.

The first decade of the twentieth century was a period of growth in most of the counties to the west.  Concho County recorded the fastest growth in it's entire history.  The 1900 U.S. Census showed a population of 1427.  This number exploded to 6,654 in 1910, almost 5 times the 1900 number.  The Meixners and Armisteads were a part of this growth.  Similar growth was experienced in nearby counties such as Runnels County (4 times it's 1900 population) and Tom green County (2 1/2 times it's 1900 population) as well as many other counties across the state.  After Concho County was organized as a county and Paint Rock was established as the county seat in 1879, other towns started to spring up.  Eden was established about 20 miles south of Paint Rock in 1882.  Eola, Lowake, and Millersview were all in existence by 1910.

After he moved to Concho County in 1901, my granddad Harmon Meixner "...worked at a variety of jobs, such as riding wild horses, breaking young horses to work for purposes of pulling wagons, buggies, hacks, and plowing.  Of course there were cattle to look after and fences to repair and build.  The cowboys worked large herds of cattle.  Often they would drive them at night" (2)  In the early years he worked for ranchers in the area such as D.E. Sims and Sam Henderson.  Both were pioneer ranchers in Concho County.

 Cowboys in Texas (3)   

Only a short post today.  Just a tease to get you to come back in a few weeks.  I am planning a trip to Concho County to do a little research so I will wait to write about these ranchers after I return.  Hopefully I will have more facts and maybe a few photographs to share in my next post when I continue talking about Harmon Meixner in Concho County.

If any of the family would like to join me please let me know.  I've talked to a couple of you about going so we'll see what happens.

References:

(1) American Lumberman. [Texas South-Eastern Railroad Engine 4 - Broadside], Photograph, 1907; digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth204445/ark:/67531/metapth204445/ : accessed January 29, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The History Center, Diboll, Texas.
(2) Memoirs of Robert Harmon Meixner, Sr., July 10, 1910 - June 13, 1994.
(3) Crews Ranch Cowboys, Early 1900's], Photograph, n.d.; digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth34628/ : accessed January 29, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Childress County Heritage Museum, Childress, Texas.  Picture of cowboys early 1900s

Meixner Family History #19 - Epilogue - Part 2

By 1901 Harmon Meixner was ready to move west permanently.  He moved to the Concho county area to work for ranchers in Concho and Tom Green Counties.  In 1900 the population of Concho County was 1427 and the town of Paint Rock had a population of 323. (1)

                                        Bell County to Concho County on a present day map.

Why did Harmon choose Concho County?  I don't know the answer to that question.  Was it possibly due to a connection to the German community or perhaps some influence by a relative?  Maybe it was just because it was the next frontier and that's where he could go and find work and a place to make a living.  First I'll examine the opening of this area to settlement.

In the book A New Land Beckoned the authors stated "The largest colonization project in Texas history was the mass immigration of Germans to Texas in the years 1844-1847."  On April 20, 1842 the "Verein zum Schutz deutscher Einwandrer in Texas" was organized by a group of German noblemen.  Known by it's shorter name "Verein", it was created for the purpose of facilitating the immigration of Germans to Texas. (2)

                                                                 Symbol of the Verein. (3)

The Verein sought land grants from the Republic of Texas without much success so in June of 1844 it purchased an interest in the Fisher-Miller colonization contract.  Henry Fisher and Burchard Miller originally made application with the Republic of Texas in 1842 for this land grant.  This grant was known as the Fisher-Miller grant and was for 3,800,000 acres of land between the Colorado and Llano Rivers.

                                 Approximate area of the Fisher-Miller Grant on a present day map.

Shiploads of immigrants arrived in Texas in the fall of 1844.  "Each verein immigrant had signed an Immigration contract (Einwanderungs Vertrag) in Germany at the port of embarkation before he boarded the ship on which he would make the journey to Texas.  This contract entitled him to 320 acres of land if he was a married man and 160 acres if he was single."  Between the years of 1844-1847 there were more than 7,000 German immigrants to Texas. (4)

There was a problem with the Fisher-Miller grant, however.  It was nearly 300 miles from the coast, the land was not fertile and the Comanche Indians still roamed the area.  Extreme difficulties were faced by the Verein in trying to transport the immigrants inland.  Their route took them from Indianola up to Victoria and then through Gonzales and Seguin, finally arriving at a location along the banks of the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers where they established the town of New Braunfels.  The immigrants suffered greatly from disease and the elements.  Hundreds died.  Some of the immigrants would push on farther up to establish the town of Fredricksburg. (5)

Route from Indianola to Victoria, Gonzales, Seguin, New Braunfels, and Fredricksbug that I traced on a present day map.  Source:  A New Land Beckoned.  (6)

Poor planning, unexpected expenses, and the extreme difficulties encountered all contributed to the Verein going bankrupt and ceasing operations.  Few of the original immigrants settled beyond Fredricksburg.  In 1858 the Texas Legislature would carve 10 counties out of the Fisher-Miller lands:  Llano, San Saba, McCulloch, Mason, Menard, Kimble, Sutton, Tom Green, Schleicher, and Concho.  Though the original German immigrants did not settle in these counties, many of the descendants of the German immigrants did settle there in years to come in towns such as Mason, Boerne, Comfort, Llano, Brady, San Saba, and Paint Rock.  (7)                                      

                        The 10 counties carved from the Fisher-Miller Grant on a present day map.

An intriguing side note to this story is that on one of the early immigrant ships that came in 1844 was a man named Andreas Meixner.  He brought with him his wife, Marianna (Pohlert/Bohlert) Meixner, and three children.  They were listed as being from Forcheim, Bavaria.  He was one of the group that founded New Braunfels.  He is listed in the 1850 census in New Braunfels and died there in 1855.

                                       1850 United States Census for Comal County, Texas.  (8)

A listing of the original grantees in Concho County shows two sections, #30 & #31, as being granted to Andreas Meixner.  So I assume this was his original land grant from the Verein.  He most likely never set foot in Concho County.  Most of the immigrants sold their land grants for small sums of money and did not go further into that area because it was still inhabited by Comanche Indians.  I have not been able to trace his ancestors in Germany nor have I made any connection to him with my Meixner family.  Andreas' descendants lived in San Antonio and other areas and some probably still reside in Texas.  I think it is very interesting that a Meixner owned land in Concho County 45 years before Harmon Meixner arrived on the scene.  Who knows, maybe they are long lost cousins and I just have not found the connection yet.

                                       Map of Original Grantees of Land in Concho County.  (9)

Concho County was formed by the Texas Legislature in 1858.  It's name is derived from the Concho ("shell") River which is named for the large number of mussels found there.  Large-scale cattle ranchers, such as John S. Chisum and others, began to establish cow camps along the Concho River in the 1860s.  Settlement didn't begin in the county until after Ranald S. Mackenzie's campaign in 1874 drove out the remaining Indians and forced them onto reservations.  (10)

In 1879 Concho County was finally organized and the site for a county seat was selected on the Concho river "twelve miles west of the confluence of the Concho and Colorado Rivers and five miles south of the Concho-Runnels County line".  The county seat was named Paint Rock after the nearby Indian pictographs. (11)

Harmon Meixner moved to Concho county in 1901.  The swiftest population growth in Concho County history occurred between 1900 and 1910 when the number of farms went from 119 to 865.  More than half the farms in 1910 were tenant farms.

One of the ranchers Harmon Meixner worked for, according to my Dad, was D.E. Sims.  Next time I'll have more on him and some of the stories Harmon told about his adventures as a cowboy.

References:
(1)  www.texasalmanac.com/topics/population
(2)  Geue, Chester W. & Ethel H., A New Land Beckoned, German Immigration to Texas 1844-1847, Baltimore, Maryland:  Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1966. pg ix.
(3)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelsverein
(4)  Geue, pg 7.
(5)  Ibid. pg 13.
(6)  Ibid. plate #8.
(7)  Ibid. pg 14-15.
(8)  Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.  Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
(9)  Dietz, O.. Concho County, Map, March 1862; digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth88451/ : accessed January 09, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas General Land Office, Austin , Texas.
(10)  Mary M. Standifer, "CONCHO COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online(http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcc21), accessed December 12, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
(11)  Ibid.

Meixner Family History #18 - Epilogue - Part 1

My first project was to write about Frank and Theresia Meixner and their journey from Bohemia in the Austrian Empire to Texas in the United States.  That journey was brought to a close with the death of Theresia.  But before I move on to chronicle other lines of my family tree I want to spend a few weeks writing about my grandfather Harmon Meixner.  I will end all my lines at the grandparent level because I do not want to get into talking about anyone that is still living.  At some point I also want to write about my father, maybe in conjunction with quoting from his book about his life.  That will be down the line however.

I'm going to back track a little with Harmon.  I've already talked about his early years but I'm going to go back and add some stories from that time.

You read about Harmon's battle with the big catfish at the age of 7 or 8 in an earlier post.  Another story dad remembered about granddad at around this age was as follows:  "My Dad occasionally visited in the little town of Belton.  I am sure that he went for haircuts, on errands and for other reasons.  He said that there was a large boy that made it a practice to shove any young boy off the sidewalk that came down his way.  Dad said that he was walking down the sidewalk and the big boy gave him a terrific shove and he went sailing out into the street.  He said that his hand happened to fall on a right smooth rock about the size of a hen egg.  He said that he grasped the rock in this hand, rose up, and hurled the rock at the big boy.  He hit him right square between the eyes and knocked him cold.  Pa said that it broke the young rascal from shoving people off the sidewalk."

In my post on Oct 22nd I mentioned Harmon worked for a wealthy family that lived near Little River, TX by the name of Wallace.  Harmon had to work for other people to help contribute to the livelihood of the family.    Most likely he was 10 or 11.  Joseph and Eliza Wallace had a daughter, Miriam, born in 1875.  In his book Dad said that granddad rocked Miriam on his knee when she was little and granddad worked for the Wallaces.  However, it turns out Miriam was actually older than Harmon so that probably didn't happen.  I don't know what work Harmon preformed but probably worked helping do odd jobs around the house.  Eventually Miriam would go on to Salado College and Baylor Female College.  A future husband, fame and prestige in the state of Texas were in her future. (1)(2)

Several years later, after Harmon and the family had moved to Salado, Harmon met a man named Jim Ferguson.  My dad stated in his book that Harmon "palled with Jim. They often went hunting together.  Jim was a rough and tumble type of fellow.  I guess that is the reason my Dad liked him."  Jim was several years older than Harmon having been born in 1871 near Salado, TX.  He left home at 16 and traveled around several states in the far west before returning to Bell County to farm and work with a railroad-bridge gang.  He also studied law and was admitted to the Bar in 1897.  Around this same time Jim Ferguson and Miriam Wallace's paths crossed in Bell County.  It is said that it took a couple of years of pursuit by Jim, before they were finally married in 1899.  (Their first child was born in 1900.  Dad remembered in his book that Harmon rocked little Miriam on his knee but I think it was probably Miriam's baby that Harmon rocked.)

After a number of successful years in banking, Jim Ferguson became involved in politics.  He was elected governor of Texas in 1914.  He won a second term but was impeached in 1917, well before his second term was completed.  Several years of near poverty followed before they decided Miriam should run for governor.  In 1925 she became the second female governor but the first woman to actually be elected as governor in the United States and the first female governor of Texas.  They became known as "Ma" and "Pa" Ferguson.  Miriam would serve a second terms as governor from 1933-1935.  My dad said in his book that granddad Harmon was "a staunch supporter of the Fergusons during their campaigns an during their terms in office."  It is interesting to think of granddad hanging out with two future governors of Texas. (3)

"Ma" and "Pa" Ferguson.  Former Governors of Texas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam_A._Ferguson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E._Ferguson

I posted this family picture once before of the Meixner-Schleede family.  It was probably taken at the end of 1896.  Standing in the center of the family, between his mom and step-dad, is Harmon Meixner.  Probably at the age of 17.  Certainly a grown man in those days.  This would also be about the time he was "palling around" with Jim Ferguson.

My dad remembered another story about granddad from around the late 1890s.  It goes like this:  "Dad told me of an incident that was rather funny.  He was plowing with a double shovel hooked behind a mule.  Every time that Dad went to turn the mule around on the turn row the old mule would come right back down the row that they had come up on.  That means he came back over the row that my Dad was standing on.  Dad finally got mad and when the mule came back over him he hit the mule up beside the head with his fist.  The mule fell to the ground as though he were dead.  The step-dad was watching, so he came running to give my Dad a dressing down.  He accused Dad of hitting the mule with a club.  The fact was that no sticks, clubs or anything of that kind could be found in the area."  Strong enough to stun a mule!  That's pretty strong.

Double Shovel Plow
http://n5tjt.tripod.com/yesteryear.html

Granddad Harmon Meixner made a couple of trips from his home in Bell County west out to Concho County to work on ranches in the area.  He returned home each time and was listed as living with the family in the census of 1900.  But by 1901 it was time for Harmon to strike out on his own for good.

Next time:  Harmon moves west to Concho County.

References:
(1)  http://www.bellcountytx.com/about_us/county_history/index.php

(2)  John D. Huddleston, "FERGUSON, MIRIAM AMANDA WALLACE [MA]," Handbook of Texas Online(http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06), accessed December 17, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

(3)  Ralph W. Steen, "FERGUSON, JAMES EDWARD," Handbook of Texas Online(http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe05), accessed December 17, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

Meixner Family History #17 - The Meixner - Schleede Family in the 20th Centruy

The year 1900 closed out the 19th Century (or began the 20th if you prefer), but the year of 1900 also made it's mark in a very tragic way. A massive hurricane slammed Galveston, Texas on Sep 8, 1900 with winds of 145 miles an hour and a storm surge that measured 15 feet. Galveston, which only had an elevation of 8.7 feet at it's highest point, was devastated.  Over 3600 homes were destroyed and between 6,000 and 12,000 people were killed. (1)

Photographs from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Galveston_hurricane

In 1901 the country suffered another tragedy when president William McKinley was assassinated.  This was the second assassination of a United States president in 20 years.  Vice President Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th president.

Photographs of President McKinley and President Roosevelt from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McKinley and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt

At the Meixner - Schleede household in 1901 the oldest child remaining at home, Harmon Meixner, decided to move out for good and go further west.  My dad said Harmon had gone out west several times before relocating permanently.  He worked for ranchers located in Concho County and Tom Green County which are located in what I would consider the western edge of Central Texas.

Map image from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concho_County,_Texas

In November of 1902 the remaining daughter living at home, Minnie Meixner, was married to William Penn Wheeler and in October 1904 the youngest Meixner, Henry, was married to Mable Ditto.  This left only William Rudolph Schleede still at home.

I mentioned in an earlier post that the Armistead family settled in Bell County.  Robert Stewart Armistead arrived in Bell County in 1872.  He married Virginia Texas Whiteley in 1878 and they had a daughter, Alice, in 1881.  The Armistead family moved to near Paint Rock in Concho County in 1904.  (Paint Rock and Concho County are located about 180 miles north west of Salado.)  Shortly after the move Alice started teaching at a little school located at what is present day Lowake, Texas.  Harmon was working on a nearby ranch.  The story goes that they had not met when they were in Bell County but were introduced at a mutual friend's home in Concho County.  Harmon Meixner and Alice Armistead (my grandparents) were married on Dec 25, 1905.

In July of 1911, after nearly 21 years of marriage to Theresia, Rudolph Schleede died in Bell County.  Theresia's last child, William Rudolph Schleede, married Maye Porter in January 1916.

There are stories within the family about some of Theresia's grandchildredn being teased in school as being "German Slackers" because they didn't have much money.  When Theresia heard this she said "We are just as American as they are: we have our papers.  We left Germany behind to come to America and we left behind our German ways."  My dad also tells of an encounter during World War I (1914-1918).  He said Theresia was in downtown Belton doing her shopping and was speaking German (it was said she never learned to speak English).  Dad continued:  "Some of the authorities there heard her speaking German.  They went to her and told her that if they ever heard her speaking German on the streets of Belton again they would put her so far back into prison that she would never get out."

In the 1920 US Census for Bell County Texas Theresia was listed living next to her son William Rudolph Schleede.  I'm sure this had been the arrangement since William's marriage in 1916.  In the 1930 census William and his family were living with Thereisia.  She is listed as owning the property and William Rudolph Schleede was renting from her.

Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database online].  Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.  Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920.  (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA. Note:  Enumeration Districts 819-839 are on roll 323 (Chicago City)  (2)

Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:  Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.  Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls. (3)

The 1920 and 1930 US Censuses for Bell County are shown above.  If you click on any of the pictures in my posts they will be enlarged so you can see them better.

Maria Theresia (Eigel) (Meixner) Schleede lived to be 84 years old, survived two husbands that she was married to for 18 years and almost 21 years respectivley, gave birth to 10 children (possibly more), had the last child at the age of 42, and buried two husbands, and four children.  I'm sure Theresia participated in the decision to leave their homeland to come to the United States, and she was shrewd enough to stash away $40 so they didn't lose every penny to a swindler at Castle Garden.  She endured at least four moves and difficult living conditions including the events described above.  I can't think of Theresia without thinking toughness, strength, and perseverance.

On Sep 1, 1932 Theresia died in Bell County and was buried in the Salado cemetery next to her second husband.

Photographs taken by Moody Meixner May 5, 2008 at the Salado Cemetery.

Theresia's death brings to an end the Meixner Family History story from the perspective of Frank and Theresia Meixner.

I will talk a little bit about my grandfather Harmon Meixner in my next post in a couple weeks and then move on to other lines of my family tree.  Stay tuned.

References:
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Galveston_hurricane
(2) Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database online].  Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.  Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920.  (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA. Note:  Enumeration Districts 819-839 are on roll 323 (Chicago City)
(3) Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:  Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.  Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.

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?