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 …
Author: George Z.
Secretary of the Jaeger Witte Heritage Cemetery Association.
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 …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Brick Wall
An oft-repeated story in the Jaeger family is that of Peter Jaeger finding a black child along the Brazos River. In The Early Pioneer Families of Winedale, volume 1, Peter's great grandson Henry C. Jaeger Jr. tells the story: Another story of the freight line that my grandfather told me began with a load of …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Success
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Success Karl Emil Edwin Alexander Lorenz Hermann Rogalla von Bieberstein was born on March 12, 1823, in Brieg, a town in the province of Silesia in Prussia (present-day Poland). He was the son of Royal Prussian Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Rogalla von Bieberstein and Auguste Lorenz. Bieberstein studied law, finance, and …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Loss
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Loss Louis Lane Teague was born in Eagle Lake Texas on December 9, 1952 to Willie Vester and Rita Fern Teague. Little Louis was the great-great-great grandson of Carl and Marie Louise Hagedorn and his lineage is as follows: Carl + Marie Louise (née Knipping) Hagedorn Anna Marie (née Hagedorn) …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Transportation
Transportation My mom drove a 1977 sky blue Pinto. The dents and scratches gave it the unfortunate shape of a worn out June Bug. Since the car had no air conditioning and we live in Houston, all four windows had to be down if we were to tolerate a drive. And heaven forbid we had …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Small
Ferdinand Hagedorn was the third child of Carl and Marie Louise Hagedorn. He was born on September 23, 1833 in Hannover, Germany. Ferdinand sailed on the Neptune to America, along with his older sister and brother in law Anna Marie and Victor Witte, and their children Marie Lissette and baby Helene. They left Bremen, Germany …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: William and Marie
William Henry Brandt was born October 4, 1853 in Shelby, Texas, to Henry Brandt and Bertha Brandt (née Giesecke). William had an older brother named Rudolph, a younger brother named Edward, and three younger sisters, Marie, Pauline, and Elise. His father was a farmer from Hessen and his mother was from Hannover. The 1860 …
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