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.