After Otto von Donop's death, Mina (Wilhelmina), his widow, married Otto von Plehwe. It happened on 26 January 1880.
Mina's second husband Otto von Plehwe was born on 26 August 1844 in Berlin. However, his family town was Bruehl. Otto joined the German Army in Cologne, on 1 May 1865. He served as aide de camp (confidential secretary of a high-ranking commander) in the 4th Army Corps, Regiment Number 30. Later, from 1866 to 1868 it was the 8th Army Corps, Regiment No. 33.
Otto's brother Capt. Karl Felix Georg von Plehwe was probably one of the officers who assisted J. O. Meusebach during his trip to the Comanche area to prepare the ground for the peace treaty.
Otto von Plehwe relocated to Texas in 1868 (1). Sometime later, Otto settled in Mason. The man joined the Methodist Episcopal church in 1881. He and his wife bought a general store from Mr. Anton Hoerster, which was situated at Upper Willow Creek. In 1886, Otto started a post office in the store and became the first post office master of Plehweville.
Mr. Otto von Plehwe was also a music teacher, and was elected Justice of the Peace, Precinct #6 twice, in 1882 and 1890.
Otto passed on 29 May 1916. It was on Monday at 8 a.m.
Plehweville was later renamed and was called Art.
Wilhelminna Deinnheim Donop von Plehwe died on 19 September 1920.
Otto von Donop Jr. turned 17 on 22 June 1875. In the very same year, on 5 October, his father died.
Five years later, on 4 September, Otto Jr. married Miss Suzanne, the daughter of Konrad Meckel and Gertrude Merbreurinn. Suzanne was born on 16 September 1859 in Fredericksburg, TX. The two built their family house made of rock within a year after the marriage. In 1908 the family got a windmill and they did not have to haul water from a well anymore.
Otto Jr. was a rancher. He grew cattle including milch cows, chickens. The family was self-sufficient regarding making food - meat, sausages, eggs, vegetables (they had a vegetable garden), fruit, and so on. The items which they needed to buy were flour, sugar, and coffee.
Otto von Donop Jr. had a telephone installed in the house in 1910. He bought a car in 1919.
Otto Jr. and Susanne were members of the Methodist Church. Otto taught at the Sunday school for many years.
The couple had seven children
- Amanda Bertha (b. 21 Feb. 1882) - married Hermann Neu,
- Alfred - died when he was 7 months old,
- Cora (b. 5 Jan. 1886) - married Ernest Willmann,
- Lena Wilhelmina (b. 16 Nov. 1888) - married Louis Jordan,
- Edwin Otto (b. 3 July 1891) - married Hulda Jordan,
- Charles (b. 27 June 1894) - married Bertha Fischer,
- Susanna died at the age of 4 months.
When the children were little and after the retirement, Otto and family lived in Mason, besides that, they lived in the Art area.
Emma von Donop and Peter Jordan (b. 17 January 1852, Fredericksburg) were married on 6 September 1877. Peter was the son of Ernst Jordan and Lisette Bickenbach. When Peter was four years old, his father bought land in Mason County and the family settled at Upper Willow Creek. Peter Jordan helped his father and was a driver in Jordan Sr.'s freighting business. In 1873, he worked at the family ranch as a cowboy and foreman.
Peter built a log house for his wife and himself. The furniture for the house he hauled from Austin.
In
1900, Peter Jordan's family was recorded in the Census (2). The family (Peter, Emma and their 11 children) lived in Justice Precinct #6, Mason,
Texas.
Nine years later Peter built a house in Mason and they all moved to town.
Peter and Emma Jordan had fourteen children:
- Reuben died when he was nine,
- Minnie - married Emil W Kothmann,
- Emma (b. 17 April 1880) - married Alex Durst,
- William E - married Ida Sophie Lehmberg,
- Ella (b. 30 January 1883) - married Daniel Friedrich Julius Lehmberg,
- Benjamin P,
- Louise (b. 5 January 1887) - married George Charles Stengel,
- Eli Ernst (b. 1 January 1889) - married Elna Louise Grote,
- Elizabeth (b. 11 November 1890) - married Samuel August Hoerster,
- Bertha - married Ben Grote,
- Pearl - married Daniel J Hoerster,
- Peter A (b. 14 July 1896) - married Foncine Robinson,
- Helen Jennie Esther (b. 9 June 1904) - married William Harold Zesch.
Emma Donop Jordan died on 29 June 1941 (3). Her husband passed about a year later, on 20 August 1942.
Bertha von Donop married Egon Hoermann on 19 October 1883 in Hilda Bethel Methodist Church, Mason (4).
They had two daughters Emilie Wilhelmine, b. 6 Dec 1889 (5) and Hedwig, b.16 Nov 1887 (6), and a son, Charles Moritz Kottke, b. 29 Aug 1891, Oakland, Alameda, CA (7).
In 1900 Bertha, Egon (a druggist), and the children mentioned above lived in Precinct # 3 Fruitvale town, Alameda, California, they had a boarder Christian Elnef, born in Germany. The record tells that Egon emigrated in 1885, Christian in 1878. The latter appears in the Census record as a bartender (8).
Egon and Bertha most parted their ways (?). Egon died in 1937 so the first marriage probably ended with a divorce. According to the information shared on Findagrave.com, Bertha married Christian (the former boarder) on 9 Nov 1901.
Anyhow, ten years later In the Census of 1910, The Elnef family lived in Alameda Ward 1, Alameda, California. Chris was an
electrician, Hattie a tailoress, and Charles was a plumber (9).
I tried to find out more about Christian - on 17 Sept.
1898 Christian Hansen Elnef was registered as a voter - carpenter. He had blue
eyes, dark hair, was height 6 1/2, and he was naturalized on 7 December 1891 in Wyandotte (10).
Bertha passed on 21 July 1912.
I have not found any more information regarding Rosa Anna Emilie von Donop (besides her birth certificate record). Possibly the girl died young (?).
William von Donop was ten years old when his father and first school teacher, Otto Sr., died. After his death, the boy was a pupil of the Lower Willow Creek School. Later, Bill continued his education in Fredericksburg.
Afterward, William von Donop worked in his stepfather's freighting business as a wagon driver. They hauled the goods (such as dried hides, bees' wax, smoked and baked ham and bacon) to San Antonio and sold the products there.
Will's first cattle brand was T03 which was later replaced with W-.
On 11 April 1893, William von Donop married Auguste Bertha Kensing (11), the daughter of Friedrich Kensing and Mathilde Lemburg.
Auguste Bertha (Bertha) became a member of the Methodist Church in 1891.
At first, William and his wife lived in Otto Sr.'s house at Upper Willow Creek. The following children were born there
Minna Bessie, b. 9 December 1894 (married Dr. Baze on 7 November 1917),
Esther, b. 17 June 1898 (married Arch Reichenau in 1931),
Lilian, b. 12 May 1900 (married William Splittberger in 1928),
Susanne, b. 15 July 1902 (married Emeth Keller in 1923),
William Reuben (12), b. 2 Sept 1904 (m. Mary Kirkpatrick in 1931).
About 1899,
William built a house on the Llano River, west of Mason. A baby girl,
Mathilda Bertha was born in the new home on 19 January 1911. Sadly, the
child died in infancy. Sometime after the girls' death, William sold
their house and the family moved to Gooch Addition, Mason.
Olivia Vivian, another daughter was born there on 3 March 1913 (13) - she married Milton Zesch in 1935.
Three
years later in 1916, Will purchased the OK Wagon Yard. He ran the business with
his son William Jr. Besides stabling and taking care of the horses,
they also sold food to traveling people passing Mason. They kept the
Yard until 1918.
The William von Donops attended the Methodist Episcopal Church in Mason.
William passed on 2 May 1945 in Mason, TX (14).
Caroline Louise von Donop married Richard Ernest Grosse on 22 July 1886 in Hilda Methodist Church, Mason.
They had children
- Willie Mae (15), b. 25 May 1904 (married Harris Mohler),
- Richard Alfred (16), b. 2 Feb 1889 (married Mea Lyn Cox),
- Mina Laura (17), b. 6 Jul 1887,
- Alfred R (18), b. 2 February 1889,
- Alexander Egon (19), b. 15 Nov 1891 (m. Bertha Ann Willmann),
- Laura M (20), b. 06 Jul 1888,
- Louise Antonia, b. 13 Oct 1897 (m. Max Theodor Pluenneke),
- Elsie E 1900, and another daughter
- Willie M., born in 1904.
Caroline died four years after that Census, on 21 October 1914.
Alexander Julius Friedrich von Donop died in 1890 of ptomaine poisoning.
August
Ernest von Donop was only 3 years old on the day when his father Otto Sr. left
this world. When the boy was growing up, he helped his mother in the
family shop in Plehweville. August attended a country school, later a
college in Fredericksburg.
He was also a driver of a horse wagon - he took the produce from the Plehweville store to San Antonio.
August married Marya Elizabeth Lifeste (Leihfeste) in Hilda Bethel Methodist Church on 12 October 1889 (22). Maria's parents were Johann Heinrich Leihfeste and Margarethe Rheinhard.
Maria and August's house was built between Llano Road and Willow Creek.
In
1900, August, Maria and their daughters, Hedwig, Pearl, and Mina lived in
Precinct #6, Mason, TX. Maria's father Henry (Heinrich, age 81) lived
with them as well (23).
Hedwig Emilie was born on 23 October 1890 (24).
Pearly Mathilda was born on 11 October 1892 (25).
Mina Viola - 27 March 1895 (26).
Perry Theodore - 11 May 1906 (27).
There is another record for the same day in May 1906. The boy's name is Perry Theophil not Theodore, though. Does it mean, twins were born to August and Maria? I am not sure (28).
Benjamin Elias - 13 January 1902 (29).
Tarney Gordon - 16 November 1910 (30).
The 1910 Census data states that August, Mary and children, Hedwig, Pearl, Mina, Ben and Perry lived in Precinct #6, Mason, TX (31).
A year later, a son, Gordon Thomas was born on 16 Nov 1911 (32).
August drove his cattle to Fort Worth (via Burnet and Brady) market.
After
Hattie's (Hedwig's) death, the family moved to Llano. Mr. August E von
Donop lived an active life till the ripe and old age. He was a religious
man, a Methodist lay minister. August helped to build quite a few
churches (in Art, Hilda, Hoersterville, Mason, and Llano), he hauled
lumber for their construction and support the churches financially.
August Ernest (von) Donop passed on 20 Sep 1956. He was buried in the Llano cemetery. His wife Mary lived till 17 Jul 1945.
More about their children
Hattie (Hedwig) married John Henry Emil Willmann, she died at childbirth on 10 May 1924.
Pearl married Miles Elliott Buttery.
Minnie married Edwin George Beerwinkle.
Ben married Willie Lee.
Perry T married Edna H. Buerschwake.
Gordon T married Lugenia Stribling
Resources:
"Mason County Historical Book", Mason County Historical Society, Mason County Historical Commission, 1976.
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plehwe_Complex
2. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3PK-DJ5 : accessed 1 November 2020), Emma Jordan in the household of Peter Jordan, Justice Precinct 6, Mason, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 52, sheet 1B, family 9, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,658.
3. "Texas
Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7DC-TMQ : 13 March 2018), Emma
Jordan, 29 Jun 1941; citing certificate number 28693, State Registrar
Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,138,612.
Her husband passed about a year later, on 20 August 1942.
Bertha von Donop married Egon Hoermann on 19 October 1883 in Hilda Bethel Methodist Church, Mason.
5. "Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4L27-D5PZ : 14 February 2020), Bertha Donop in the entry for Emilie Wilhelmine Hoermann, 1889.
