August, the youngest child of Anton Willmann and Theresa Knolle, was born on 2 October 1851 in Rauschwitz (Ruszowice), Silesia, then Prussia, now Poland.
The boy was about two when the family came to Texas. Not long after that, his mom died. In 1860, the census found them in Comal County, where August lived with his father, stepmother, and sibling, Hermann, Theresa, Pius, Maria, Wilhelm, Johanne, and Anna. Mr. Anton was a farmer, Hermann worked as a wagoner (1). Ten years later, the Anton Willmanns still lived in Justice Precinct 2, Comal County. 19-year-old then August had more siblings. Mathilda, Heinrich, Emilie, Louise, Caroline, Anton, and Christine had joined the family as well (2).
The young men farmed with his father, the younger children helped with the house and farm work too. At that time, August left home and worked at other farms for about $12 per month. He met a Mr. Fischer of Fredericksburg who were visiting New Braunfels. The man asked August to work for him and the two went to Fredericksburg. While staying at Mr. Fischer's, August Willmann rode horseback to the Llano River Valley and Upper Willow Creek where he participated in church services. One of the families who attended them also were the Ernst Jordans. Since there was a lot of work in the area, the young man relocated to Mason County and stayed with the Jordans.
On 28 November 1878, August married Miss Sophie Jordan, the daughter of Ernst Jordan and Lisette Bickenbach. The bride was born on 23 March 1854. At first, the newlyweds rented a farm. After a year, August purchased 400 acres, and with the help of his brother-in-law Peter Jordan built a house. The construction was based on a wooden frame and had stone walls. With the time passing by, the house was gradually expanded and in its final version had 10 rooms, including a bath, cellar, and porches. The family got the water from Willow Creek and from a small well drilled near the house.
In 1880, 29-year-old August and his wife Sophie were registered in Precinct No. 1, Mason County, during the census (3). August raised livestock. He fenced his land with rail fences. After some time, t man bought some more land. Life and farming were good there so soon, other August's family members came to Mason County and settled there as well.
August and Sophie had six children.
Three years later, the family was recorded during the census in Justice Precinct #6, Mason County. August, the father, was 49, Sophie, his wife 46. The eldest son Louis was 19, the youngest child Lillie was 3. Louis worked with his dad at the family farm (9). Other kids - Ernest, age 16, Emil, age 13, Mina, age 10, and August age 5, also helped their parents to do everyday chores. However, they did that before and after school hours.
The children did their primary education at the Plehweville school. Their parents taught them all they needed to know about house and farm/ranch work. They also received religious instructions at the German Episcopal Methodist Church South.
♡ ♡ 1906 - Louis married Miss Ida Durst, Ernest married Miss Cora Donop, daughter of Otto von Donop Jr. and Suzanne Meckel.
1910 census - by that time, Emil and August were fully involved in running the family farm. The August Willmanns had a live-in servant in the person of 26-year-old Miss Lizzie Bickenbach (10).
♡ 1913 - Minnie married Rev. E W Dechert, born in 1888.
♡ 1 June 1916 - John Henry Emil started his own family. His bride was Miss Ida Louise Erck (11), born 3 June 1888. She was the daughter of Ms. Lizette Klingeman.
Emil had already worked in San Antonio as a bookkeeper. Sadly, Ida got sick with influenza two years later. It developed into pneumonia and within 19 days of sickness, Mrs. Ida Louise Willmann passed on ♦ 26 March 1918, she was 30 years old (12).
On 12 September 1918, Ernest Fritz was registered during the WW1 draft. The man worked as an assistant cashier at the Mason National Bank then (13).
Some time after his wife's death, John Henry Emil devoted himself to the studies at Georgetown Southwestern University, and later, became a Methodist preacher. On ♡ 4 January 1921, Emil married again. His second wife was Miss Hedwig (Hattie) Emilie Donop, born 23 October 1890, to August Ernest Donop and Maria Elizabeth Leifeste. In 1924, after the three-year trial period, J H E Willmann started his career as a religious Minister and served the Methodist congregation in Harper. On 10 May 1924, a daughter (Mary Nell) was born to Emil and Hattie. The mother passed over on the very same day, due to child birth-related complications. She was interred at the Art East Cemetery in Mason County.
♡ 1926 - J H E remarried. His third wife was Miss Nettie Hereford (born on 30 October 1886), the daughter of Hardin Staples Hereford and Sarah Minerva Meers.
♡ 21 March 1923 - August Anton married Miss Clara Mathilda Leifeste born on 30 December 1895, to Wilhelm Leifeste and Mathilda Ernesting Brandenberger. I will write more about August Jr. and Clara in another post, sometime later.
♡ 9 August 1923 - Lillie married Mr. George Heinrich Daniel Eckert, son of Ludwig Bernard Eckert and Mathilde Leifeste, born in beaver Creek Community on 15 March 1895. Lillie and Dan had two daughters, Roscoe Ryland and Odessa Maxine.
On 1 March, August Willmann was struck by cerebral hemorrhage, he also suffered from nephritis. After about a month time, on ♦ 4 April at 6 a.m. August's life ended. He was buried on the next day at Art Cemetery (14).
Sophie Willmann, August's wife, lived 5 years longer. On 10 January 1937, the lady was taken ill with influenza. ♦ Seven days later, at 1 p.m., apoplexy took her from this world (15).
Resources:
"Mason County Historical Book", Mason County Historical Society, Mason County Historical Commission, 1976.
"Look Unto the Hills". The Leifeste Family in the United states" by Ruby E and Julius E DeVos, 1985,
Findagrave.com,
1. "History of New Braunfels
2. "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXG5-4TT : 29 May 2021), August Willmann in entry for Anton Willmann, 1870.
3. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFJM-LHY : 20 February 2021), August Willmann, Precinct 1, Mason, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 103, sheet 476A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,319.
4. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K781-13L : 20 February 2021), August Willmann in entry for Lewis C Willmann, 06 Oct 1965; citing certificate number 66015, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,117,865.
5. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSBS-1M7 : 20 February 2021), August Willmann in entry for Ernest Fritz Willmann, 18 Jan 1966; citing certificate number 05524, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,117,922.
6. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3SC-FRX : 20 February 2021), August Willmann in entry for John Henry Emil Willmann, 23 Mar 1968; citing certificate number 21213, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,138,979.
7. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K36F-8GN : 20 February 2021), August A Willmann in entry for Minnie A Dechert, 18 Aug 1971; citing certificate number 66619, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,223,316.
8. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3D1-P56 : 20 February 2021), August A Willmann in entry for August Anton Willmann, 19 Oct 1970; citing certificate number 74531, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,218,909.
9. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3PK-DKB : accessed 7 August 2021), August Willman, Justice Precinct 6, Mason, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 52, sheet 2A, family 15, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,658.
10. "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2QH-63C : accessed 7 August 2021), Lizzie Bickenbuch in household of Aug Willmann, Justice Precinct 6, Mason, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 202, sheet 1A, family 3, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1576; FHL microfilm 1,375,589.
11. "Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K612-DK9 : 23 February 2021), J H Emil Willmann and Ida Louise Erck, 01 Jun 1916; citing Marriage, citing Bexar, Texas, United States, Texas State Library, Archives Division, and various Texas county clerks; FHL microfilm 24,938.
12. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K389-QT3 : 20 February 2021), Ida Louise Willman, 26 Nov 1918; citing certificate number 47585, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,073,412.
13. "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZX2-YVD : 23 February 2021), Ernest Fritz Willmann, 1917-1918.
14. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K33K-YL1 : 20 February 2021), August Willmann, 04 Apr 1932; citing certificate number 17881, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,135,872.
15. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3HV-5XC : 20 February 2021), Sophie Willmann, 17 Jan 1937; citing certificate number 4044, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,117,126.
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