52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 17): War - Jordan Ham: A Life Etched in History (Civil War)

 By now, you can probably see that I'm jumping around in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks posts. This week I'm writing about my second great-grandfather, Jordan Ham. 

This picture is of Jordan, his wife, Fannie Parker Ham, and their grand-daughter, Bertha Teel. Bertha was the youngest child of their daughter, Jennie Ham, and her husband, William Perry Teel. After the birth of Bertha, Jennie died and Bertha eventually lived with her grandparents and her uncle, John D. Ham. 

I mention young Bertha because in this blog post we learn that Jordan Ham was not a financially well-off man in his older life. Family stories passed down tell us that he and his wife cared for Bertha when she was a baby, and as she grew older she went to live with her uncle, John D. Ham. 

This is just a part Jordan's story, a man I heard referred to as "Grandpa and Grandma Ham/Hamm" from Indian Territory, Tishomingo, Johnston County, Oklahoma, as I grew up. 

William Ham, Bertha Teel and Francis "Fannie" Parker Ham

In Alabama's Bibb County, during the spring of May 1844 (some records have him born ca 1839-1840), Jordan Ham took his first breath as a son of William and Charlotte Wheeler Ham. A few years later, in January 1849, Francis A. “Fannie” Parker was born. She was destined to become an integral part of Jordan's life.

As a young man of 18, who was probably filled with the ideals of his time, Jordan enlisted in the Confederate army. It was the 7th of May 1862, in Centreville, Alabama, when he joined Company “H” of the 44th Alabama Infantry. The 44th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, was organized in May 1862 in Selma, Alabama, and by July 1, 1862, had reached Richmond, Virginia. 

The war, unforgiving and brutal, surely tested his resolve and he was probably homesick. By August and September of 1862, Jordan found himself battling not just enemy soldiers but his own health, enduring sickness in Manassas, Virginia, and Sharpsburg, Maryland. His journey through the war also saw him hospitalized in Richmond and Danville, Virginia. Later records, and family stories, indicate he suffered injuries, and not just sickness.

 

Despite the adversities, Jordan was present at key locations during significant battles, stretching from Suffolk, Virginia, to the Battle of Darbytown Road in Virginia on October 13, 1864. His service culminated at Appomattox Court House on April 10, 1865, where he was paroled as a prisoner of war, a testament to his resilience and the tough fibers of his being.

 

Post-war life brought new beginnings. On October 16, 1866, Jordan married Fannie in Bibb County, Alabama. Together, they embarked on a journey of family life, marked by the births of their children: Mary, William, Jennie (my great-great-grandmother), John D., Marvin Clarence, Luther Martin, Minnie Bell, and Lea.

 

Seeking prosperity (which included land and bigger spaces, my opinion here), the Ham family moved westward, first to San Saba County, Texas, and later to the Chickasaw Nation in Indian Territory, now known as Johnston County, Oklahoma. There, Jordan continued his life as a tenant farmer, his days marked by the quiet dignity of hard work.

 

In his later years, Jordan's service to the Confederacy would give him a chance to ask for some financial help. Between 1915 and 1917, he applied multiple times for financial relief due to his deteriorating health and economic hardship, a poignant reminder of the long shadow cast by war. He’d been wounded in the left hip and knee and time had taken its toll on his old body. His three living sons, two in Oklahoma and one in Texas, were not in financial situations to help him and Fannie out. Despite being denied relief, he applied again, and in July 1917 he was approved to receive financial help in the amount of $5.00 (per month).  

Jordan's life journey ended on December 19, 1919, in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, with Fannie passing away eight years later. Their story reflects the resilience and enduring spirit of a family shaped by love, war, and the pursuit of a better future.

- Revis

Sources: 

U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865, Ancestry 
Alabama, Select Marriages, 1816-1957, Ancestry
Oklahoma, U.S., Confederate Pension Index, 1915-1955, Ancestry
Board of Pension Commissioners, App #A2282, Pension #P2001, OK State Arch
U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, Ancestry [Index to Compiled Confederate Military Service Records; Southern Historical Society Papers: Appomattox Paroles ANV
NARA
Pastorayres, "William Ham Family Tree," Tree Number 196977914, Public Member Trees, Ancestry, accessed July 22, 2024
RCaubleLeonard, "My DNA Family Tree," Tree Number 53508674, Private Member Trees, Ancestry, accessed July 23, 2024
Census records, Ancestry 

This content was crafted for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, focusing on the theme "War" this week. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 21): Nickname

 "Their real name is what?" 

The writing prompt for Week 21 in Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is titled "Nickname". 

That word brought back a flood of memories for me and the people in my mother's family. It wasn't until I was in college that I knew the real names of some of mother's first cousins. 

It seems that mother's grandmother, Mamie TEEL Stuart, loved to give nicknames to her "kids". Well, at least to a son or two, and most of her grandsons. 

Mamie (TEEL) Stuart, Fisher Co., Texas

I knew these family members as "Chine", "Puggin", "Shorty", "Jug", "Scooter", "Frog", "Jimbo", "Chick", "Pookey", "Tadpole", etc. when I was growing up.

As I got older (college aged), my mother would call them by their birth names, and I often asked, "Wait?? Who are you talking about?" 

I asked more than one time, "Why did she give them nicknames like that?" No one could answer that question.

Years later, I still don't know the answer to "why", but I have learned from my mother, obituaries and genealogy research, what their birth names are/were. 

Was giving nicknames common in your family? My dad's family didn't seem to give nicknames. Was this a tradition in some families and not in other families? 

Let me know if your family gave nicknames, too. 

 - Revis 

This content was crafted for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, focusing on the theme "Nickname" this week. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 16): Step - A Step-Parent and DNA

 Step by Step: mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) and auDNA (autosomal DNA) 

Participating in Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge has been an enlightening journey, and this week's prompt, "Step," brings a multitude of meanings to mind. Whether it's taking a physical step, progressing through tasks, or the steps in musical scales, the concept of "step" resonates in diverse ways. However, for this blog post, I'm exploring a more personal dimension of "step" — my experience as a stepmother.

In late 1986, I married a young widower, and embraced the role of stepmother to his daughter, who was just shy of her fourth birthday, having lost her mother in 1985. Our family included my biological daughter, making our household a blend of laughter, challenges, and sisterly bonds.

As the girls grew up, the advent of DNA testing added a new layer to our family's story. Initially, my interest in DNA testing was sparked by a desire to learn more about my own roots. Through mtDNA testing at Family Tree DNA, I discovered that I belong to the rare Haplogroup I, a group intriguingly nicknamed "Iris".

The real surprise came when we learned that my stepdaughter also belonged to Haplogroup I, though she is Haplogroup I2. Considering we're both this rare mtDNA haplogroup, I couldn't help but wonder about the odds of such a coincidence. 

Though she and I are both I's, there is a difference because my Haplogroup I includes some mutations that aren't found in other "I's". My mtFull Sequence test was completed in July of 2014 at Family Tree DNA, and we had no matches until December of 2014. As of the date of this blog post, that match in December 2014 is the only Genetic Distance - 0 match on our match list.  

Over the years, DNA testing has not only fascinated us with such revelations but also united us in unexpected ways. Our family now boasts several "Irises," including six granddaughters and a grandson, who also carries his mother's mtDNA haplogroup.

Another surprise was in the early days of auDNA (autosomal DNA), she shared small segments of DNA with my father. I believe that I know where the connection is, and one day I will write about it. 

This journey through genetics has redefined what family means to us, blurring the lines between step and biological relations. Our journey is also a testament to the fact that family isn't just about DNA; it's about the steps we take to embrace, love, and understand each other, making every discovery a step toward greater unity.

- Revis 

This content was crafted for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, focusing on the theme "Step" this week. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 15) School Days: Ringing the Bell at Sylvester School (TX)

This week in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge of Amy John Crow's is "School Days". What do you think of when you hear the words "School Days"?

When I saw the word "school" I immediately thought of one of my favorite old pictures in my scrapbook album. The sons and daughters of Jefferson Davis Stuart and Mamie (Teel) Stuart, including my grandmomie, Eva Nell, attended school at Sylvester, Fisher County, Texas. 

The page from my album below includes a picture of one of the Stuart sisters ringing the bell at the school. She has the biggest smile and is probably pulling the rope as hard as she can. It also looks like she's getting help from the man standing close by. 

Eva Nell and sister, Lucille

Old Sylvester, Texas, schoolhouse in 2019

- Revis 

This content was crafted for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, focusing on the theme "School Days" this week. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 14) "Favorite Recipe": Black Cherry Salad

My family had – and still has – a lot of good cooks. What I remember most as a child was my paternal grandmother Cauble’s “Chocolate Pie”! Yum!! And then my “Mama Stuart” (my maternal great-grandmother) made a “Big Ben Cake”. 

How can I choose a favorite as asked to do in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 14) "Favorite Recipe"? Don’t make me, please. I'll try, but honestly, there is not one favorite recipe for me. 

My maternal grandmomie Dennis made the following BLACK CHERRY SALAD. It was one of my favorites as a kid growing up so I'll put it in the spotlight in this blog post.

Black Cherry Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 package black cherry Jell-O
• 1 can black cherries
• 1 can pineapple
• 1 small package cream cheese
• ½ pint whipping cream
• 1 cup pecans
• Miniature marshmallows

Instructions:

1. Drain the juice from the canned cherries and pineapple.
2. Prepare the Jell-O according to the directions on the package, substituting the cherry and pineapple juice for the liquid.
3. Dissolve the cream cheese in the warm Jell-O mixture.
4. Add the drained cherries, pineapple, miniature marshmallows, and pecans to the Jell-O mixture.
5. Whip the cream and fold it into the mixture.
6. Refrigerate until set.
7. Serve chilled and enjoy!

It's easy to make and a cool, refreshing dessert. With the hot southwest Texas heat we're having right now, this Black Cherry Salad may be on our table this weekend. 

I asked ChatGPT 4o to put the ingredients and instructions into recipe form. Above is it's format. And I got something extra. Here's a little limerick ChatGPT 4o wrote for me: 

"In a dish of black cherry delight, 

With fruit, nuts, and cream pure white, 

Mix Jell-O with care, 

Marshmallows in there, 

A salad that's truly a bite!"    

- Revis 

This content was crafted for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, focusing on the theme "Favorite Recipe" this week. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 13) Worship: A Mix of Traditions

Week 13 of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks has us looking at "Worship". 

My ancestors come from a variety of religious traditions. Here's a quick glimpse into the different denominations some of my ancestors were affiliated with in records. 

Ancestor/Family	Church Affiliation
Kolb (Palatinate, PA, SC, GA, TX)	Quaker, Mennonite, Welsh Neck Baptist, Unitarian Universalist, Methodist
Ziegenfuss (Prussia, TX)	Evangelische (Protestant), Lutheran, Methodist
Wright (CT, GA, TX)	Congregationalists, Baptist (early missionaries into TX)
Clower (PA, VA, NC, GA, AL)	Presbyterian, Methodist
Musgrove (MD, VA, SC, MS, TX)	Church of England, Baptist
Ham (SC, AL, TX, OK)	Baptist

 Where did your ancestors worship? Did they attend church, temple or synagogue? 

Keep looking and learning! 

- Revis 

This content was crafted for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, focusing on the theme "Worship" this week. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 12) Technology: What I've Seen

 When I think about technology, I usually go straight to my parents' childhood and the changes they've seen in their lifetime. Then it dawned on me. ME! What about me? I should be included in the "changes seen" regarding technology. 

As a child, we had a television that was in a piece of furniture like a dresser. My parents bought Magnavox TV's over the years. We had one TV, and it was in the living area in the 1960's, that opened into the kitchen. There was no remote control. The channels I remember were ABC, NBC and CBS. My favorite show was "Wild Kingdom", but I rarely got to see it because it came on during evening church service on Sundays. 

Phone service back then was a "party line". Several households used the same line. I remember our phone having a certain ring, and when you answered your ring, you often could hear when someone else in another household picked up the phone to listen in on your conversation. You could hear the click when they hung their phone up. As soon as private lines became available, my parents had one. 

 I learned to type on a small blue-green typewriter when I was about 8 years old (ca 1966). I remember being happy when Wite-Out, a liquid corrector came out.  

In high school typing class, etc., we learned to use carbon paper. I did my best to not make any mistakes because that meant typing the entire paper over. 

My first fulltime job was at a retail store in San Angelo, Texas, in the office (about 1978). The office manager was excited about the new typewriter they were getting. It was an IBM Memory Typewriter. I worked on that typewriter. I remember learning to program the settings to fit into the blank spaces in the store's statements. When it was time to send out statements, I just typed in a name, account number, and the amount due, hit a button, and the typewriter filled the statement in. I was around 20 years old at the time. 

The first cell phone I ever owned was around 1980 or so. It was in a huge bag and it was heavy. To think that that heavy phone has evolved into a small phone that can fit in the pocket of jeans or a purse and you can now access the internet like on a computer is pretty awesome. 

With regard to cell phones and how things have changed, I spent many hours on the weekends riding my horse out in a rural area of "The Big Country" area of Texas. My friends and I would meet up and ride miles in a day. No cell phones. No way to contact our families if we needed them other than riding (or running) through miles of cotton fields to the nearest house we could find. 

I didn't work on computers until the 1980s in a bank, and though they took up a good part of a desktop, they were nothing compared to the size they were in the early days. 

 Lastly, I think of vehicles. Whether I was driving a standard or automatic transmission vehicle after I got my driver's license at age 15, I was just happy that we had an air conditioner and a radio. We always had a map, too, and it would be years later when most of all of us would be using a GPS system to help us find our way. 

Technology has changed just in my lifetime and as I look back on the "old days", I do miss them at times, but I sure like the advances that have been made in technology. 

- Revis 

This content was crafted for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, focusing on the theme "Technology" this week. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 11) Achievement: James Campbell Stroud, inventor

James Campbell Stroud (born 21 May 1833-Butts County, GA - died 25 Mar 1922-Devine, Medina County,TX) was my third great-grandfather in my mother's lines of her father. 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge (Week 11) of Amy John Crow is "Achievement." 

What do you think of when you think of an ancestor's achievement? Raising a family amidst poor living and working conditions? During war? Being honored for outstanding volunteer work with those less fortunate? Or maybe being the first to finish high school or obtain a college degree?

The list could go on and on and on, couldn't it? 

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, achievement can mean: "the act of achieving something"; "a result obtained by effort (accomplishment)"; "a great or heroic deed"; or "the quality and quantity of a student's work."  

My thoughts went directly to J.C. Stroud, blacksmith and inventor. According to family stories, some recorded at Jasper Native Sought Fortune in Texas by John Harvey J.C. Stroud made his own liniment to help with the pain in his legs, and it was patented and sold in the United States. I have not found a patent for this liniment yet, but I will continue to search for it.  

An "Improvement in Cultivators" patent was created on September 29, 1868 by J.C. Stroud of Lockhart, Texas. Patent No. 82, 562. 

I know what a cultivator is because I'm the daughter of a dry land cotton farmer in the rolling plains of Texas. For readers who don't know, Oxford Learners Dictionaries describes it as follows: "a machine for breaking up soil and destroying weeds (= plants growing where they are not wanted)."

The patent, according to The Portal to Texas History, was "for a new cultivator in the form of a wheel, which includes instructions and an illustration." 

Page 1 of 2

Stroud, J. C. Improvement in Cultivators., patent, September 29, 1868; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth165158/m1/1/?q=J.C.%20Stroud,%20Lockhart: accessed March 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.

Page 2 of 2

Stroud, J. C. Improvement in Cultivators., patent, September 29, 1868; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth165158/m1/2/?q=J.C.%20Stroud,%20Lockhart: accessed March 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.

Thanks, James Campbell Stroud, for being 

an inventor! You're my "Achiever" for this challenge. 

- Revis

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 10): Language - The Kolb-Kulp-Culp's of Pennsylvania

Continuing on with the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, this Week 10 challenge of Amy John Crow relates to “Language”.

The lines of my paternal and maternal ancestors are a mix of peoples. The languages my ancestors spoke include German, Welsh, Irish, Portuguese, French, and more. In this blog post, though, I want to focus on my paternal grandmother, Neoma Ann Kolb’s (m. Lois Cauble), father's line, the Kolb’s of Pennsylvania. The Kolbs have stayed close to their Mennonite roots since the early 1700s.

Grandmother Neoma descends from Johannes Kolb, born ca 1683, a son of Dielman Kolb and wife, Agnes Schumacher, who were Mennonites. It was in 1707 that Johannes and two of his brothers, Martin and Jacob, left Wolfsheim, Hess, Germany and headed for America. The Kolb brothers were part of a people who were seeking freedom to worship and make a living as they saw fit.

Their maternal grandfather, Peter Schumacher, had come to America in 1685, and he died in 1707, the year the three brothers came to America. Peter had been a Mennonite, but had converted at some point in his later life to the Quaker faith.

The brothers came to Germantown, Pennsylvania, and then moved over to Skippack, Montgomery, Pennsylvania by 1710 where they owned land.

In 2007, I made a trip to Skippack to attend a family reunion which celebrated the 300^th anniversary of the Kolb brothers coming to America. See The Kolb-Kulp-Culp Family Association.

The reunion was held at the Lower Skippack Mennonite Church. I learned that for more than two hundred years the Kolbs and other Mennonite families had spoken and written mainly in the German that we know now as Pennsylvania Dutch (influenced by William Penn’s colony). I also learned that some of our Kolb families anglicized their names and to this day use the spellings of Kulp and Culp. It was surprising to me that our Johannes Kolb, who left Montgomery County to go to Chester County, Pennsylvania, and ended up in South Carolina in 1737. Johannes joined the Welsh Neck Baptist church and lived on the Pee Dee River in South Carolina. His land in Darlington County has been an archaeological site for many years (not active at this time). Site No. 38DA75. The Johannes Kolb Site 20th and Final Field Season | News and Press – Darlington County Historical Commission & Museum (dchcblog.net)

Just a few years ago, I was contacted by a cousin’s wife about a bible she found on Ebay. The old German bible was from a family in Indiana and their spelling was Kolp. Yes, inside that old bible included information that led right back to my common ancestors of Dielman Kolb and his wife, Agnew Schumacher. Speaking of that bible, I still have it stored away and would love to pass it on to anyone that descends from that family.

At that long ago family reunion celebration of the Kolb brothers coming to America, I heard distant kin speak and sing in Pennsylvania Dutch (or Pennsylvania German, as some called it).

The language of my ancestors, and those of my family in Pennsylvania who still spoke it, was beautiful.

-Revis

This content was crafted for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, focusing on the theme "Language" this week. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 9) Changing Names: My Daddy

When I saw the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge was “Changing Names”, I had several that came to mind, but the one that was most surprising was my daddy’s name change.

My daddy was born Harvey L. Cauble in 1933 in Jones County, Texas. I was joining the NSDAR (National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution) when I discovered his amended birth certificate which his father had signed and his name was legally changed to Kiefer Calvin Cauble. What????

I asked him about the name change. After all, I’d only heard him called “Kiefer Calvin”. Nothing else. Ever.

He laughed and said, “Oh, you knew that.” My reply was, “No, I don’t know this story.”

He proceeded to tell me that he was named Harvey L. at the hospital. Shortly after his parents got home, they decided they wanted to name him after “Doc Kiefer” (I may have identified this man recently). From then on he was known as Kiefer Calvin Cauble.

He used his “new name” without having had his birth certificate amended from 1^st grade to 12^th grade of high school, and then until his sophomore year of college at Texas Tech College (now Texas Tech University).  When he went into the military, his father signed an affidavit changing his name from Harvey L. Cauble to Kiefer Calvin Cauble on February 3, 1953. He was discharged from the military in early 1955 and returned to college as a Junior. He married my mother not too long after in November of 1955.

An interesting fact to me is that my mother knew his parents had changed his name, but she thought they had changed his name legally when he was a child. She was as surprised as me to learn that his name had been amended on his birth certificate when he was going into the military.

Daddy’s name change has caused family tree researchers to be baffled, especially at FamilySearch. For several years, he was listed as having a twin, and after repeatedly changing the information and adding notes that he did not have a twin, I’m hoping that it’s finally corrected. I'm crossing my fingers on this one. 

No twin. Same person. Two names. Thanks to my Grandmother and PawPaw Cauble’s delay in officially changing his name, my daddy became a "twin" at times. 

-Revis

 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 8) Heirloom: The Piano of my childhood

Memories can surprise us, emerging when least expected. The prompt "Heirloom" from the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge instantly brought the sound of my daddy playing the piano to my ears—the piano that was a cornerstone of my childhood, adolescence, and college years.

Countless mornings as a child in west Texas, I found myself seated at that piano, fingers dancing over the keys in the quiet hours before the school bus arrived. Even after 60+ years in my parents' home, its black walnut frame remains as stunning as ever. This piano, once owned by my great-grandmother Nina Ada (Baldridge) Dennis—whom I affectionately knew as “Mama Dennis”—was a cherished gift from my great-grandfather, Oran Martin Dennis, during their time in San Angelo, Texas.

The piano passed down to my mother and is destined to be inherited by one of my sister’s sons.

Mother's piano today

I can still hear my daddy playing Mama Dennis' piano, the joy of music from that magnificent piano echoing as a daily presence. Can you hear it too? It’s my daddy playing, weaving a tapestry of memories.

If only that old piano could sing...if only....💗

- Revis

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 7) Immigration: Gottlieb Ziegenfuss

 It's Week 7 of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.

This week the challenge is to write about immigration. I'd like to focus on my more recent "in our time" Prussian roots, and give a shout out to Gottlieb Ziegenfuss for bringing his family to the United States in 1885. 

Gottlieb Ziegenfuss was my 2^nd great-grandfather. Stories in my family are varied about him. The Ziegenfuss family told that he was a jӓger-hunter. The Caubles said he was a forester. His occupation on the ship’s manifest for the Moravia in 1885 stated “Landmann”.

Gottlieb was the son of Johann Gottlieb Daniel Ziegenfuss (1787-1868 Mützel) and Marie Elizabeth Frӓsdorf (1786-Zerbst, Saxony-Anhalt - ? probably Mützel). He was born 16 Aug 1820 in Mützel, and baptized 3 Sept 1820-Evangelische Kirche Genthin (Kr. Jerichow II), Genthin, Sachsen (Saxony), Deutschland (Germany). 

Gottlieb Ziegenfuss (1820 - 1890)

Gottlieb's father, Johann Daniel Gottlieb Ziegenfuss, was an urban forest keeper, according to the Genthin Local Family Book. 

Below is a quick timeline of Gottlieb's life of what we know about his life after his birth (1820) described above: 

14 Jan 1844 – Marriage to Dorothee Caroline Wilhelmine Hildebrandt at Evangelische Kirche zu Sylvestri und Georgii, Wernigerode Parish.

15 Jan1844-1869 - Unknown if Gottlieb and Dorothee Caroline had children. Year of her death is also unknown. 

12 Oct 1868 - Death of his father, Johann Daniel Gottlieb Ziegenfuss, in Mützel.

abt 1869 - Marriage to Friederike "Freda" Sophie Louisa Trenkman (1846-1920). No marriage record has been located.

Children of "Freda" and Gottlieb listed below. No birth records found as of this date:

1870 - Birth of daughter Louisa Ziegenfuss.

1872 – Birth of son Otto Ziegenfuss.

1875 – Birth of son Benno John Ziegenfuss.

1876 – birth of son Bruno Hugo Ziegenfuss.

1878 – Birth of daughter Mathilda Augustine “May” Ziegenfuss.

1879 – Birth of son Ernst Rufe Ziegenfuss.

1882 – Birth of Helena Olivia “Lena” Ziegenfuss (my great-grandmother).

5 Aug 1885 - Departed on the ship Moravia (with family) from Hamburg. Residence listed was Weferlingen, Provinz Sachsen.

18 Aug 1885 - Arrived New York. Destination on ship's manifest was Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas.

*Arrival to Texas: Stories relate that Gottlieb had been sending money to a friend who was already in Tarrant County. Land was purchased. When the family arrived, he expected to see a house built and ready for his family to live in. Instead, the friend had absconded with the money. Some of his grandchildren that I talked to many years ago said that he had basically lost all desire to live after arriving in Texas and learning that his friend had deceived him and stole his money.  

1888 – birth of daughter Rosa Ziegenfuss in Tarrant County, Texas.

20 Jan 1890 – Gottlieb died in Tarrant County, Texas, and was buried in the Watson Cemetery, Arlington, Texas. 

ca 1891 - Gottlieb's family in Texas (below). Rosa, front right, is probably 3 or 4 years old. By this time, Gottlieb has died. 

14 Aug 1895 - Widow Freda marries fellow Prussian Fredrich Auguste Grӓfe in Eastland County, Texas. 

Gottlieb and Friedrike Sophie Louisa Trenkman Ziegenfuss family ca. 1891

- Revis

 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 6): Earning a Living: Pa Jim Cauble - Cowboy and Farmer

Continuing on with Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, this newest post is about how an ancestor made a living. This was a hard one to decide. Among the varied occupations in my families are potters and wheelwrights (Oliver, Yates) from South Carolina to Alabama to Mississippi; mill owners (Musgrove of South Carolina); milliner (my great-grandmother Baldridge-Dennis' sister at Comfort, Texas); mercantile owners (Baldridge); and even one known as a schoolteacher (old Peter Cauble of Peach Tree Village, Texas). 

In the heart of Texas, where the plains stretch as far as the eye can see, my lineage runs deep with farmers and ranchers. Among them, "Pa Jim" Cauble, my great-grandfather, stood tall—a testament to the Texan spirit. Born on March 18, 1880, in Eastland County, Texas, and passing on May 20, 1962, in Fisher County, Texas, James Andrew Cauble's life was as rich as the soil he farmed, and the horses and cattle he rounded up on various ranches. 

Jim's legacy was rooted in agriculture, a tradition proudly carried on by his son, Lois, and grandson, Kiefer, my father. I, too, share this legacy, having worked in the cotton fields of our family farm(s) near Roby, Texas. This land, nestled in "The Big Country" area around Abilene, Texas, was more than just a place; it was a testament to the enduring spirit of Texas farmers and ranchers.

Pa Jim's journey began as a cowboy in Eastland County, where fate would have him meet Helena Olivia Ziegenfuss, a Prussian-born girl who later taught him to read and write. Their love story, starting with their marriage on March 9, 1897, was as enduring as the land they would come to settle in Fisher County in 1901.

The United States Federal censuses for 1900 (Eastland County, Texas), 1910, 1920 and 1930 (Fisher County, Texas) would name his occupation as “farmer”, but he was known as a cowboy in the places he lived. Like many other Texans, he did, of course, farm the land he rented or owned. 

Jim's work on the Newman Ranch in Nolan County was the stuff of legend, from jockeying in horse races (which was illegal at that time) held on the ranch to his uncanny ability to detect screwworms in livestock—a trait both admired and a bit unsettling. The cowboys would say “he could smell a screwworm before you could smell or see it”. The first day or so there's no detection of the nasty parasites. Do a google. It's gross. He was one of the first cowboys on the Newman Ranch (see his obituary below). His legacy is recorded in the Abilene Reporter-News (Ablene, Texas) on Monday, May 21, 1962, page 13. 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/761655429

Jim Cauble wasn't just any cowboy or farmer; his choice of hunting companions, greyhounds over the more typical bloodhounds, spoke to a man who valued speed and grace in the rolling plains of Texas (now known as “The Big Country” area).

James Andrew "Pa Jim" Cauble with his greyhounds

 As I reflect on the stories passed down from my grandfather and father, I feel a deep connection to this land and the ancestors who shaped it. Pa Jim's life, marked by hard work, innovation, and a deep love for Texas, continues to inspire those of us who follow in his footsteps.

- Revis 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 5): Influencer: Professor Leonard of the Texas School for the Blind, Austin, Texas

 

For the Week 5 challenge of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I’m going to focus on an influencer in my husband’s family.

William Robert Leonard (May 1853-Drogheda, Louth, IRE – 22 Feb 1905-Austin, Travis County, TX) was my husband’s great-grandfather. His father, also named William (1817-1853), died a few months after William Robert was born. The older William was a teacher, having been the master at St. Peter’s Parochial Schools in Drogheda, County Louth, in 1846, and later, in 1853, at the Mechanic’s Institute in Drogheda before he died.

William Robert arrived in America on 2 Feb 1874 on the ship, Canadian, which came into the port of Baltimore, Maryland. He had traveled with his school friend, Isaac Gillespie, and Isacc’s brother. At Baltimore the trio split up and went different ways.

William Robert Leonard (1853-1905)

The story is long as to how William Robert Leonard made his way to Texas, and I’ll save that for another time. Many of his years were spent in Austin, Travis County, Texas, where he taught in the public schools, and went on to become principal of the Texas State School for the Blind (15 years).

Why did I think of him as an influencer when I saw this challenge? It was his gravestone that told a story all its own.

In the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Texas, he is remembered by his former students. They put up a gravestone in his honor.

The front of the stone reads: “William Robert Leonard, April 30, 1853, Feb. 22, 1905, Principal of the Texas State School for the Blind from Sept. 1890 to Feb. 1905.”

On the back of his stone, the former students had these words engraved: “This stone is Erected in loving memory by his former pupils to commemorate his excellent leading and his many Virtues.”

 I can't help but think that Professor Leonard, as he was called, was there for his students when they needed them, encouraging them as they studied at the School for the Blind, and maybe, just maybe, after their graduation from the school. We'll never know for sure, but upon his death their words were etched in this stone for his family and others to see that he was an "influencer" in their lives. What a legacy he left behind. 

"Thank you" to Professor Leonard and those other teachers who are influencers in the lives of their students.  

- Revis 

#52 Ancestors

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 4): Witness to History - Catherine and The Great Hangings

  If you've read my blog posts, you know I’m participating in Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52Weeks challenge. The writing prompt for Week 4 is Witness to History. I could think of several ancestors to write about, but one really stood out for this challenge. Her name was Catherine (Petell) Teel. 

First, let's take a look at the background of the people and places leading up to The Great Hangings. 

Catherine (Petell) Teel (1853-1929)

My 3^rd great-grandmother, Catherine (Petell) Teel, experienced the horrors of an event in Texas history that isn’t well known to a lot of people. Whether Catherine was there in person or at home, this event must have had a profound impact on her life.  

Catherine (a/k/a “Kate” or “Kathleen”) and her siblings were all born in Texas, according to records. Her siblings were Malinda (1854-1928), Manuel (1856-1870), and John Hoosier F. Petell (1860-1930). Stories passed down by her descendants – families that had not been in touch for many years - relate that their parents were killed by Native American Indians, and the Cockrum family that raised them were “no kin”. DNA testing, however, shows the Petell children are related to their “guardian” (Henry and Elizabeth Cockrum) family.

Henry Cockrum (1832-1862)

Henry Cockrum was probably born in Illinois (where his parents lived at the time of his birth, according to records). He married Elizabeth Jones on 19 May 1849 in Fannin County, Texas. Elizabeth Lackey (1822-1906) had been married twice prior – to John Petell and a Jones.  By 1858, Henry had moved his family to Cooke County, Texas.

1850 U.S. census, Fannin, Texas, population schedule, not stated township, p 142 (stamped), dwelling 1, family 1, Harry Cockrum; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 13 Jan 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 910. 

By the 1860 (13 Oct) census, Henry and family were in the Choctaw Nation (Indian Lands) Arkansas and are found on the census not far from Boggy Depot, now Oklahoma. Today the drive from Gainesville, Texas to Boggy Depot (Atoka County, Oklahoma) is about 90 miles. Henry’s household includes his and Elizabeth’s children, and Catherine and her siblings. 

1860 U.S. Census, Atoka County, Choctaw Nation, Indian Lands, Arkansas, population schedule, not stated township, p. 15 (penned), p. 1211 (stamped), dwelling 171, family 169, household of Henry Cockrum; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 13 Jan 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 52, Family History Library film 803052. 

By 1862, Henry had moved his large family back to Cooke County, Texas, and evidently (my assumption, no proof) he must have been part of (or associated with) the people that formed a group called the Union League. Members joined for varying reasons – to avoid the draft, to provide protection against the Indians, etc. For whatever reason, the Union League grew in numbers. Evidently it was too large a number (up to 1,700) of members and had the Confederates concerned.

Henry’s association with the Union League, or having friends or family who were members, led to him being a part of the “The Great Hanging”, and Catherine’s being a witness or in close proximity to that horrible event.

Reports and stories vary as to exactly how this event occurred. There are many sources for the story online, including McCurley Museum - The Great Hanging at Gainesville and Mass Hanging at Gainesville, Texas – Legends of America.

The Gainesville Hangings or The Great Hanging

* The Gainesville hangings took place in Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas, on October 12, 1862.

* This event was a mass hanging of 41 men and women, who were suspected Union sympathizers during the Civil War.

* The hanging was ordered by Confederate authorities in response to perceived Unionist sentiment in the region. The Confederates had captured between 150 to 200 men in Cooke County (or nearby towns and counties).

* Many of the suspects were tried by a “Citizens Court”.  7 of the 12 men on the jury were enslavers. At the time, the households that enslaved people were 11% in Cooke County.

* The victims were accused of supporting the Union or aiding Union soldiers and charged with insurrection and treason.

* 14 of the victims were lynched without a trial within 2 days of the trial on October 12 and 13, 1862.

* Henry Cockrum was one of the men hung on October 13, 1862. Stories passed down in the families of Amanda (Cockrum) Meler, Henry and Elizabeth’s daughter, state that Amanda said she watched her father hang. I know that hangings were a public event "back in the day". Can you imagine? I can't. The crowds were probably packed around the ‘hanging tree’. Was my own Catherine, age 9, there? Were Malinda, who had turned 8 a couple of months before, Manuel, around 6 years old, and 2 year old John Hoosier F. Petell there to watch their father-figure hang?  I have a sick feeling they were there with Elizabeth and her children, including Amanda, crying out for their daddy.  

* Mob pressure prevailed, and another 19 men who had been acquitted were brought back into court, convicted with no new evidence, and hung on October 16, 1862.

* Three other men were shot to death.

* The exact details and circumstances surrounding the hanging vary in historical accounts.

* It remains a tragic and controversial event in Texas history, highlighting the tensions of the Civil War era.

According to some reports, 42 widows and about 300 children were left without their husbands and fathers, and at least 2 families lost men and their wives. Elizabeth (Lackey) Petell Jones Cockrum now had to fend for her own 4 children and the 4 Petell children who had been in her and Henry’s care since October 1860.

I put myself back into time on those days in October 1862. I can hear Catherine, Elizabeth and the children crying, along with the children of the other men who were hung that day. It breaks my heart. 

I wondered about the bodies. What happened to them? Some reports say they were thrown into a mass grave. Some say family members were able to get possession of their family members after paying a fee. What happened to Henry Cockrum's body? The Lackey-Cockrum researchers say he was buried in the mass grave.

I talked with some of the older members in my family years ago. No one, including ones who had known Catherine's husband, T.A. Teel, had ever heard of Catherine’s story of Henry Cockrum and The Great Hanging at Gainesville, Texas. 

Even if Catherine was not a witness to the hangings, she knew about it. Those days in October 1862 changed the Cockrum family forever, as well as their friends, neighbors and other family members.

I truly hope she wasn’t there in person. 

- Revis 

#52Ancestors

Reports and sources vary on the story of this sad event. I make mistakes and if you have researched this event and are an expert on it (which I am not), and see facts or statements I need to correct, please contact me.