Social media has connected our world in ways never thought possible. Facebook Memories pulls up events we attended, dinners we ate, and visits to friends going back a decade or more. Instagram allows us to tag our friends and mark our location. For those with Smart phones with digital cameras, all we need to do …
Author: George Z.
Secretary of the Jaeger Witte Heritage Cemetery Association.
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Courting
Henry C. Jaeger & Lillie Neumann's Wedding My grandparents, Henry and Lillie, were married on September 18, 1929, one day after Grandpa’s 19th birthday. Granny was 16. They were married, in Shelby, Texas at the home of Granny’s father and step-mother, Theodore and Selma. Because Granny spoke only German, Pastor Henry Brunotte of Martin Luther …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Landed
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Landed Christine Haun (née Doehring) sailed from Germany to Texas in 1853. She departed the port of Bremen on October 1st and arrived in Galveston on November 28th. From there, she went on to Round Top. A few years ago, I received a translated copy of a 68-page record she …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Maps
I've been interested in learning about the origins of the family cemetery as long as I can remember. As a child, I used to walk along the graves in the historic Witte section and wonder about the lives of those buried in the ground. When the Jaeger Witte Heritage Cemetery Association was still in its …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Water
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2 (KJV) My mother’s aunt Hertha was very fond of this verse from the Bible. You …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: In the Kitchen
Elsie Teufel (née Jaeger) was Grandpa Henry's older sister. She married Henry Teufel in 1914 and lived in Balaton, Minnesota, which was Henry's hometown. After deciding that it was too cold to stay, the couple and their son Earl moved to Port Arthur, Texas, where Henry took a job working in the Gulf Refinery with …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Stormy Weather
Stormy Weather From 1949 until 1957, severely deficient rainfall plunged Texas into a devastating water shortage. Wells and reservoir dried up, crops withered, and thirsty cattle bawled in the scorching heat. The number of farms and ranches shrank from 345,000 to 247,000 and the rural population declined to just one fourth of the state population …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Preservation
Preservation "Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have." Benjamin Franklin. There's an estimated 50,000 cemeteries in Texas, ranging from the 419 acre Houston National Cemetery to those located on family farms and measured in square footage. While large cemeteries are governed by paid directors who monitor all levels of operation, the smaller …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: In the City
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: In the City Throughout our nation's history, families living on small, diversified farms struggled to make ends meet. Farming was labor intensive work and one bad season could ruin the entire operation. Many households, therefore, supplemented their income through working outside of the farm. In extreme instances, the land was …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Favorite Name
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Favorite Name Have you ever had a family member with an unusual name? A cousin named after their parent’s favorite car? Or maybe a nephew named after an obscure prophet from the Bible? In my family this honor goes to my uncle, Lanis Llayne Jaeger. Uncle Lanis, born on January …