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Ielklere,
los Bffie Cowan,
McLennan ceanty, Texas,
District 8.
Pile NO. 240.
Page NO. 1
NO. of Words,I,‘oo
Reference,
Interview with Max Richter, German Pioneer, Riesel, Texas.
I was born in Saxony Germany in the year 1864 I was a cabinet maker.
My father was a baker. Most of the people were farmers where we lived
in the saxony part of Germany. The highest wages paid for the -farm band
was three dollars a week and his Jiving expenses had to ohme oat of this.
To care fine wood each as black walnnt it took from two to three years
therefore we bad to be very saving with our wood. The prospect for
getting ahead being very small and then every male bad to serve a time
out in the army I decided in the year 1881 at the age of 17 years to
try my fortune in the new country many of my comprAy-man wive seliiing to
America. So I embarked on the passenger boat,optthe riftiepia, and in
19 days I Landed in Kew xerk. ;rem there I went by boat to Galveston,
Texas then moved to Austin county, Texas.
I farmed and raised stook here but as there were very few of my
nationality at this place and we were anxious for our comrades from the
old country we then moved to kiounty, texas and lived near the
town of tredericksbarg. This was a good sized place and bad good schools
and chnrches. My neighbors were Mir grederick, for whom the town was named.
4r Fisher, for whom gisber county was named I understand, and Mr &wards
for whom Rdwards county was named. They were fine neighbors and friends*
Other of my friends and,44ighbors were Frieyer, Miller, and Ktretat,
Rdmond and Reins on.
Folklore,
MISS Effie Cowan,
MoIennan uoanty, Irexas,
Distrioi 8.
File NO. 240,
Page NO. 2.
While I lived near Frederickshrg the farmers worked their land with
axon there were no roads bat just trails and we had to oat the brash
from them to get thre'. .This was mostly a German settlement. BO JIM
kept up oar way of getting together which we had in 4ormany. 16 had oar
song -feats and our meetings and schools entertainments. A Mr Kleberg of
San Antonio was the first man to bring a piano to Texas from 4ermanY. Re
lived on a ranch to the north of an Antonio. We celebrated the fourth
of July withlbe Arrican people and trained our children to know about
the American holidays,just as we did in uarmany for the German celebratioM!,
only we were not as free in Germany as in America. Truly we found this
new country of America to be thenland of the free."
Afterd had liaddOlTaxas4awhilei married Mien Minna Brase in Brew,
ham 2rairierWashington County. She was born in 1869 and we bad nine chi1l.
iron, five boys and three girls. We moved to the Riesel settlument in
1922 While I lived near .11'rederisoksbarg we carried our produse to
Houston and San Antonio, doaston being close to the gulf we took our prodseo
therVto be shipped to the forIgn countries, The neighbors went together
and made up wagon trains tOlake these trips in order to help each other
if there were any trouble on the way. The country was still infested with
robbers and many Mexicans who did not hesitiate to' rob these trains, We
would be from six weeks to two months on a trip We had no horses, just
oxen Moen and they were slow to travel.,
"Fredericksburg was a wonderful place for wild game, there were deer
and wild turkey plentifaltas well as wild'hogs We used dogs to bunt
Aiss AaTfie Cowan.
Miss Nffie Cowan,
McLennan County, Texas,
District 8.
Pile NO. 240.
Page NO. 3.
with as fire arm* was scarce, Then when we wanted to kill a beef all
we bad to de was to go out on the range am' shoot a maverick. They were
the calves and cows which did not have a brand. It was not considered
to be stealing at that time to do this, they were looked upon as the
wild deer and bogs and turkeys.
w While we lived near fredericksburg we also drove oar oxen to the
wagons over to Austin, Texas,a distance of around seventy five miles,
the trip would take as ten days or two weeks there and back,- and if
the creeks were up or the rains came down the mountains we had to camp
and wait for the water tolgo down. Austin being situated on the Colorado
river it was the largest of the rivers which we bad to cross and we did
this by ferry. Sometimes the produce was rafted down it and by boat when
the river was high enough.
If Austin situated on the left bank of the river was one of the most
beautiful town towns we bad the good lack to trade. The country around the
town is rolling and picturesque with a stinkling of wood over bills.
When the CapiAi!zs built it was and still is one of the at shawc,
placesgEtLIA-Tart—Ur-tancntre7. It Jelin imposing building of-liwimem-1-
*eine and stands upon a billtorowl4om the broad street on which it is
situated) the avenue stretches to the river and is lined on each side with
the main buildings of the business part These buildings from the
log hoagies of the. first settlers to the stone like the governors mansion.
"There was one little German church with a ierman turrett, and another
of stone. there were a number of saloons. It was our great pleasure to
visittthe legislature when we were in the city. There was mach oratory
and argument displayed over the iiprovemeht of the State and the quest-
ions of the day.
Folklore,
Miss Effie Cowan,
moLennan county, Texas,
District 8.
File NO. 240.
'Page O. 4.
Fredericksburg bad one long main street where business was conduct..
-tad.. When I first went there on my arrival from Germany, the
drawn wagons still were the chief modes of freighting. While the stage-
coaches passed through on their way north and south, and east to
Austin and west to licrrville. One of the busiest places was the
bakery of Conrad Webmeyer who had operated it for over thirty years
from the early fifties to 1886. Re and Mr Mitzfeldjwho was a cabinet
makerldecided to go Into butanes together and for awhile they operated
their business together bat later Mk mitzfeld operated a saloon and
Mr Webmeyer a merchandise and" bakery store.
He had hip trials it was said in the days of reconstruetion, as
he was eounty treasuhbv daring the days of the Uivil War and so when
the times were so troablsome afterward a band called the wbanger
0
bandeweremaskAil and bung those they thought to be traitors, and
'Mr Wehmeyer's name was found in a list of those to be bung. no had to
A
bide out and his family bad to ru be business with Mr Wehmeyer bit
In the attio and his'friends stool guard at night. Fully armed they
would wkit at night until the outlaws bad let the men they bad warned
alone in peace.
w Another story of mr nehemeyer was told Of bow the soldiers who were
stationed at Port Scott( which was about two miles from fredericks-
burg, came and would buy up all the bread be had on band bat, would
have him to bake several bakings a day for them. One of the army cooks
brought him his first yeast cake. Until this time be hut made his
yeast
folklore,
Miss Effie "swan,
oliennan County, Texas,
District 8.
tile NO. 240.
Page NO. 5.
from bops be had secured from Probst's brewery. be bakery was the
only place where confections of that day was sold and the soldiers
made themselves at home and considered themselves priviliged charac-
ters. It was not uncommon for Mr Wehmeyer to have to pat them out of his
place, It was told that after the Civil War how he bad trouble with
tthe Union soldiers in this way. They would go in and belp-themselves
the drunken ones especially were a trial.
Living onihain street Mrittehemeyers children told of how they could
recall the torch light procession which the people of i'rederioksburg eel*.
-ebrated in 1871 when the news that the war between dermany and Prance
was over and Germany bad been ceded. Alsace Lorraine. The whole town took
part and was ablaze with light of torches. Singing shouting firing
their guns the people went up and down the streets carrying lighted
torches and stocks, the ends of which -were dipped in tar before being
lighted. While in far away Saxony where I was at this time we too had
our celebration much the same way over the glad news of the end of this
war. mow many years later we who are in America are hoping that there
will be no more war between kiermany and rance. The bakery of Mr Web
mayor brings back many happy memories and a description .would take too
much time. Many orders came from the near by towns in later years *ason
LLano and other llaces. He continued his baking until he was seventy
years old and did it on his old Dutch oven 9 During his last years, be
only baked on special request and usually for Dr Albert Keidel who pre-
scribed his b;scait and mike:back to his patients. Me was 82 years old
when he died in 1898.
FOLKLORIC
Wigs Effie, Cowan,
MoMennan L'ounty, Texas,
Dibtrict 8.
File NO. 240,
Page NO. 6.
While Mr wehemeyer had his cabinet maker in Predericksburg, we often
traded with Ur Dial preaux,of San Antonio,when we carried our produce
there for trade and to sell. Being a cabinet maker myself I was interested
in Mr Maareaux business. It is worthy of ones reading as the story
goes of how he came to San Antonio when it was a little village in
1852 ,with some immigrants who drove from the port of -Indianola, Texas
which was later washed away by a tidal wave and storm) finally after
two months of travel reached the an Antonio country.
This older ulanreaux built his first cabinet making shop on West
CommercestreetnearNavarrowtmatnearwherenolengg"ailding
e,
stood. He learned of a sectien of land on Which grew a fine grove of
blakt walnat about 200 miles soaiiast of an Antonio. Itealizing the
opportunity of securing this fine wood for his shop he set out to make
the trip and buy the wood and have it freighted to San Antonio. He found,
it already under ownership but managed to buy the wood, and after six-
-teen weeks be finally reached San Antonio on his return with the pre-
cious cargo of wood.
"To show how in those days one was content to take flip for his work
to be done sight he had to wait for two years for this walnut to care.
He had to do the work with old fashioned hand saws but the work was
done well, showing the fine workmanship of the early day cabinet maker's.
His first p4A.ce of furniture was an old time high teaster top bed, and
it was placed in his shop on West ommerce Street after three years
since he secured the .walnut groVe of trees.
Folklore,
Xi's Bffie CoWan,
el'ennano County, Texas
Fistrict 8.
file NO. 240.
Page NO. 7.
"The new hand made furniture created quite a stir in the city and
even to the near by towns. 4't was far more refined in quality and
lines than the old type of crude furniture then used. So the story goes
of how the wealthier homes gave orders for these beds and he. was kwpt
busy for months and had to makeftwther trip to his grove to fill the
demand It/was said the first beds sold for $150.00 each., Could these
old beds be found today they would have a huge value.
those days there was no such thing as the manufactured coffin,
and the people from iredericksburg and near by towns sent to San Ahto-
-cnio for the coffins if they were able to have them made, and Ar Aaaream
wag the official undertaker of the city Years later when the furniture
business 114,ent out of the hands of the cabinet maker Mr Aaraeaux
opened up a furniture store and when I came to this country he had his
business at West Uommeroe and Peoos streetsynow the site of the store
owned and oilrrated by his son Paal Jr.
wtt is a long road whichwrime has travelledlfrom the oxen drown
4
wagons with thPir clanking chains slowly winding their way along the
Main street of 4'redericksburg, then the big maroon colaued stage
coaches as they galloped thropthe old town, and later the buggies,
hacks and carriages stirring up the dust as they drove thwagh the
streetsm.to the steady stream of automobiles tracks and busses —as
they too 'speed by.lrom the radians galloping dmoon the.street onAhar
Prixas mustangs ponies as the dimly lighted windows lit by a tallow
candle cast it shadow into the night.
Zolklore,
iss Affie Cowan].
A
:cLennan Connty, Texas,
patriot 8.
Aria. iO, 240o
Page No. 80
"sow the service stations with their, electric signmybright fOr the
basses and tracks whose heavy tires bear down on the tarviated stweet0
7
-4* the same corners and Main thorough -fares of Main street to which
the Indians came bringing their deer skins filled with bear fat and will
honey)peOple still come in their automobiles) tracks and wagons to park
at the trade centers But now they shop at the big glass front with
its bright signs and other means of advertising to the world the wares
and supplies for which they represent*
*On the one half acre ef lana which was alloted to Conrad Whemeyer
when the first division of lots to the German settlers was made in 1846,
now various business houses extending from Stehling Brothers store to
&tenger and Oohs have comnletely buried in the dust of time all trace
of the house and yard of Conrad goh0411A.and the bakery as he operated it
Mixing those early days and down until my own timelhas been kept onl y
in the memory of the older settlers and his own family.
As this is true of the Wehemeyer place so it is of many others. Time
has claimed for its own many of these old landmarks,and one returning
after being away as I have beenlwould no doubt find it difficult to
locate where once the hitching post for the oyen in those days stood.
Teat the memory of the families as they visited back and forth and the
evenings as they reaa aloud the latest "Die Spinn Stabe" and the news
from far away 4ermany still linger in the mind of one who has wandered,
to other times and other places.