In the year 1825, there were 182 houses in Lichtenau, Lower Silesia (nowadays village Zaręba, Poland). It included an Evangelic school, church, 4 water mills, a windmill, and a sawmill (1).
August Hoffmann was born on 9 December 1842 in the village of Lichtenau to parents Traugott Hoffmann (linen weaver) and Christine Simten. Little August learned to weave and operate shuttles at an early age. The boy made 4 napkins a week. Weaving was an important cottage industry in the region, however, in the middle of the 19th century, it gradually declined. Very likely, August's father lost his source of income then as well. Lichtenau/Zaręba became the coal mining center later, and some of the ex weavers could probably find a job in a coal mine. Needless to say, the early mines were not a safe work environment.
In 1846, the family arranged their trip to Texas on the vessel Johanna, nonetheless, had to postpone their journey due to Christine's illness. Sadly, in 1851, August's mother passed. Three years later, his father sold all they had and the father and son traveled to New Orleans on Friedrich der Grosse.
Traugott and August worked in the city for two months - the father made for a living as a carpenter, the son as a pin boy in a local bowling alley. Their intention was to reach Fredericksburg in Texas, where the family of Karl August Arlt - their former friends and neighbors had already lived.
Later, the two came by ship from New Orleans to Indianola. Since at that time there was no transport available which could take them to Fredericksburg, Traugott, and August decided to get there on foot. Luckily, after some time, they came across a wagon trail heading to Fredericksburg thath they joined. After three weeks of the journey full of hardship, the father and the son met their friends. The Arlts accommodated the two at their family home.
When Traugott Hoffmann received a land grant in the area of South Grape Creek, Gillespie County, he built a log cabin there. The man also cleared the land and made it ready for farming. Young August worked as a wagoner for Konrad Welgenhauser (who was only four years older than his employee). Together, the boys freighted along the way from Fredericksburg to Fort McKavett. August also made some money helping (for 8 months) Mr. Heinrich Habenicht with clearing the man's land. Since he was a dedicated worker, August was employed by W. Mogford, H. Basse, and R. Frantzen too.
One day in 1858, when August came back from a freighting trip, he found out that his father had passed. Traugott was buried at Luckenbach. The William Keller family took the orphaned boy to their home and treated August as a family member. He called Mrs. Clara Feller "Mutti" Feller. The lady taught the step-son to read and write in English.
When the Civil War started, August Hoffmann was 18, and he was still formally a German citizen. He decided not to join the Confederate Army. To avoid repercussions, August chose to leave for Mexico with a group of other German (and not only) men who resided in Gillespie and Kendall County. On 1 August 1862, led by Jakob Küchler, the conscientious objectors left the area. Not knowing that they were being followed, the refugees decided to stay for a night by the Nueces River. It was 9 August. During the early morning hours on 10 August, their camp was attacked by a group of Confederates commanded by James Duff - the so-called "Nueces massacre" started. Many refugees were killed, their bodies were left unburied by the river. The men who managed to escape were caught later, brought to Fredericksburg, and shot there. All in all, 47 refugees were killed and 18 wounded, 12 Confederates, and 18 were wounded as well.
The men of the Jakob Küchler's group killed on 10 August 1862 were:
Leopold Bauer, F. Behrens, Ernst Beseler, Louis Boerner, Albert Bruns, Hugo Degener, Hilmar Degener, Pablo Dias, Adolph Vater, Fritz Vater, Johann Georg Kallenberg, Heinrich Markwart, Christian Schaefer, Louis Schierholz, Heinrich Steves, Armey Schriener, Wilhelm Telgmann, Michael Weirich, and Heinrich Weyerhausen.
The ones who were captured and killed:
W. Boerner, Theodore Buckisch, Conrad Bock, F. Tays, Herman Flick, August Luckenbach, Louis Reubsamen, Adolph Reubsamen, and Heinrich Stieler.
A group of men was killed when they tried to cross the Rio Grande River on 18 October 1862. The ones who fell on that day: Joseph Elster, Ernst Felsing, Peter Bonnet, H. Hermann, Valentine Hohmann, Moritz Weiss, and Franz Weiss (2).
Some individuals, including August Hoffmann, managed to escape the tragic fate of the massacre victims. After a terrible ordeal, August finally managed to come back to the Fellers' home. The persecution time was not over, yet. on 9 March 1864, Mr. William Feller and his neighbors, Mr. Blank and Mr. Kirchner were hanged by so-called Hängerbande. More about that in the post regarding the Feller Family.
A year later, on 5 April 1865 (3), August married miss Sabine Stalp (b. 9 January 1850), daughter of Heinrich W. Stalp and Julianne Stalp Loeffler (nee Jung).
After the death of her father, Heinrich Stalp, Sabine's mother married Mr. Johann Martin Loeffler on 25 November 1859 (4). The couple had 9 children.
21 October 1865 - son Wilhelm was born (5).
Auguste - born 11 May 1868.
Emil - born 27 October 1870 (6).
Ludwig/Louis - born 25 November 1873 (7). m. 1894
Gustav Adolf - born 4 May 1876 (8).
Lina - born 10 August 1879 (9, 10) - died when she was little (on 30 August 1883).
Otto - born 28 September 1822 (11).
Emma Anna - born on 3 January 1886 (12).
Hermann Charles - born 19 February 1890 (13).
Mr. August Hoffman was a farmer. The man was granted the US Citizenship on 6 August 1867. Sadly, his wife Sabine passed a few month after giving birth to their youngest son Hermann. She died on 20 June 1890.
- 17 March 1891, Auguste married Mr. Karl Otto Barsch (14), son of Karl Friedrich Barsch and Anna Rosine Wiehman.
- In 1891, William married miss Henriette Krieger (b. 14 March 1871), daughter of Ludwig Krieger and Johanna Kensing. The couple lived in August's house in Justice Precinct #3, Gillespie, Texas (15).
- Louis married Miss Minna Hengst in Fayette, Texas on 8 November 1894 (16).
- 17 April 1897 - Emil married Miss Anna Haufler (17).
- 7 February 1901 - Gustav August married Miss Martha Ahrens (18).
- 14 February 1903 - Otto married Miss Hulda Luersen. In 1920, he married Iva Belle Robinson - I have not found a record of the marriage, though.
- Emma married Ernst Bohnert in 1908. He was the son of Anthon Bohnert and Friederike Schellhase.
August was also a member of the Grapetown Shooting Club and a co-organizer (and vice president) of Gillespie County Rifleman's Association. He enjoyed reciting monologues and dramatized reading of the poetry for the public.
On 4 March 1935, August Hoffmann reached the age of 92 years, 2 months and 22 days. It was the last day of his Earth life. August died at his home at 11 45 A.M.
UPDATE:
In May, we visited Comfort, TX, where the monument dedicated to the victims of the Nueces massacre had been erected.
Resources:
1. Zaręba - woj. dolnosląskie, Wikipedia
2. "German Pioneers in Texas; A Brief History of Their Hardships, Struggles and Achievements" by Don H. Biggers, Press of the Fredericksburg Publishing Co.,1925.
3. "Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VXGC-LZ9 : 17 January 2021), August Hoffmann and Sabine Stalp, 05 Apr 1865; citing Gillespie, Texas, United States, county courthouses, Texas; FHL microfilm 982,801.
4. "Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VXGC-L3D : 17 January 2021), Johann Martin Loeffler and Julianna Stalp, 25 Nov 1859; citing Gillespie, Texas, United States, county courthouses, Texas; FHL microfilm 982,801.
5. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K39L-MB3 : 13 March 2018), Wm Hoffmann, 31 May 1947; citing certificate number 83201, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,218,827.
6. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3Z3-FZ1 : 13 March 2018), Emil Hoffmann, 05 Apr 1952; citing certificate number 16003, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,075,021.
7. "Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6P9-5TY : 13 February 2020), Louis Hoffmann, 1873.
8. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K391-N9Y : 13 March 2018), Gustav A Hoffmann, 27 Mar 1949; citing certificate number 10665, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,223,203.
9. "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVG-TSSR : 27 July 2019), Lina Hoffmann, 1883; Burial, Fredericksburg, Gillespie, Texas, United States of America, Der Stadt Friedhof Cemetery; citing record ID 20461487, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
10. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFN8-K4J : 14 November 2020), Lina Hoffmann in household of August Hoffmann, Gillespie, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 154, sheet 287C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,305.
11. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3HM-N1K : 13 March 2018), Otto Hoffman, 22 Feb 1961; citing certificate number 06637, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,116,622.
12. "Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6PM-683 : 13 February 2020), Emma Anna Hoffmann, 1886.
13. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KS1C-NN7 : 13 March 2018), Herman Charles Hoffmann, 14 May 1968; citing certificate number 36745, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,137,028.
14. "Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK8T-9JY1 : 17 January 2021), Otto Barsch and Auguste Hoffmann, 17 Mar 1891; citing Gillespie, Texas, United States, county courthouses, Texas; FHL microfilm 982,802.
15. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3GC-BT5 : accessed 5 February 2021), William Hoffmann in household of August Hoffmann, Justice Precinct 3, Midland, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 33, sheet 1B, family 19, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,638.
16. "Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV14-43PW : 7 December
2020), Mr Louis Hoffmann and Minna Hengst, 08 Nov 1894; citing Marriage,
citing Fayette, Texas, United States, Texas State Library, Archives
Division, and various Texas county clerks; FHL microfilm 966,867.
17. "Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK8T-9285 : 17 January 2021), Emil Hoffmann and Anna Haufter, 17 Apr 1897; citing Gillespie, Texas, United States, county courthouses, Texas; FHL microfilm 982,802.
18. "Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV14-8CSN : 7 December 2020), Mr G A Hoffmann and Martha Ahrens, 07 Feb 1901; citing Marriage, citing Llano, Texas, United States, Texas State Library, Archives Division, and various Texas county clerks; FHL microfilm 982,995.
- "PIONEERS IN GOD'S HILLS" : a History of Fredericksburg and Gillespie County People and Events", Part 1, Gillespie County Historical Society, 1960.
- Findagrave.com
epic story
ReplyDeleteQuite a life he had indeed.
DeleteOtto Hoffman was remarried to Iva B Sanders (Robinson) in Bexar county. You can access the license through their public records search. Her name is on Otto’s headstone but she is buried near Houston where she was residing at the time of her death and where her family was.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the info, Katie!
Delete