Der Stadt Friedhof (Fredericksburg, Texas) Information
Der Stadt Friedhof (the city cemetery) is a pioneer cemetery established in 1846 along Barons Creek on the corner of East Schubert Street and Lee Street, in Fredericksburg, Texas. It is the oldest known cemetery within Fredericksburg and is the final resting place for many of the original German colonists who arrived when John O. Meusebach opened up the area to settlement.
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Background
When Herman Wilke laid out the town, a plot of land was set aside for the cemetery.[1] The various denominations who worshiped in the Vereins Kirche were responsible for cemetery maintenance. In 1850, the Catholics broke away and started their own church, establishing their own cemetery, now known as the Old Pioneer Cemetery.[2] There are upwards of 5,000 graves in Der Stadt Friedhof, not all of them currently marked, many unidentifiable due to the passage of time. Some of the graves had only wooden markers which rotted in time, and some graves were obliterated whenever Barons Creek overflowed its banks. During cholera epidemics many people were buried in mass graves. Rather than being grouped in family plots, the deceased have been buried in chronological order according to when they died. The oldest readable grave marker is dated 1849. Many of the tombstones are written in German.[3]
The graves in Der Stadt Friedhof are noted for their artistic carvings and sculptures. What is possibly the last known work of sculptress Elisabet Ney, that of a tousled haired cherub resting over a grave and known as the 1906 Schnerr Memorial, can be found at Der Stadt Friedhof .[4]
Notable burials in Der Stadt Friedhof
- Joseph Wilson Baines (1846–1906)[5] Grandfather of Lyndon Baines Johnson[6]
- Ruth Ament Huffman Baines (1854–1936)[7] Grandmother of Lyndon Baines Johnson[6]
- Thomas C Doss (1822–1873), co-founder of Doss, Texas[8]
- Amanda Julia Estill (1882–1965) Educator, writer, and folklorist[9]
- Lieutenant Louis J. Jordan (1890–1918) First Texan killed in World War I. Football player for the Texas Longhorns. The Louis Jordan Post of the American Legion in Fredericksburg is named in his honor.[10]
- Hugo Emil Klaerner (1908–1982) Chicago White Sox pitcher[11][12][13]
- John Peter Tatsch (1822–1907) Master cabinet maker. Tatsch's work is prized by collectors of Texas primitive furniture. His home is listed in the Historic American Buildings Survey of the United States Department of the Interior and its plans placed in the Library of Congress[14][15]
Signers of petition to create Gillespie County buried in Der Stadt Friedhof
- Daniel Arhelger (1821–1909)[16]
- Jacob Arhelger (1817–1894)[17]
- Henry S.W. Basse (1804–1865)[18] (School examiner)
- Johann Wolfgang Brautigam (1829–1884)[19] (Murdered at Fort Martin Scott)
- Johann H. Dietz (1800–1891)[20]
- Wilhelm Feller (1826–1864)[21]
- Johann Heinrich Rudolph Habenicht (1826–1903)[22]
- Hermann Fritz Hitzfeld (1803–1857)[23]
- John M. Hunter (1821–1870)[24] (Gillespie County Clerk)
- Heinrich Jordan (1812–1879)[25] (County Commissioner)
- Ludwig Jung (1828–1908)[26]
- Friedrich Kiehne Sr. (1811–1898)[27]
- Friedrich Lochte (1809–1867)[28]
- Louis (Ludwig) Martin (1820–1864)[29] (First sheriff of Gillespie County)
- Johann Nicholas Mosel (1828–1904)[30]
- Heinrich Mueller Sr. (1826–1915)[31]
- Jacob Neffendorf (1821–1910)[32]
- Charles Henry Nimitz (1826–1911)[33] (Grandfather of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz)
- Peter Schandua (1816–1896)[34]
- Emil Heinrich Wahrmund Sr. (1828–1901)[35]
- William Daniel Ferdinand Wahrmund (1824–1890)[36] (Gillespie County Chief Justice)
- Johnann Jacob "John" Weber (1831–1913)[37]
See also
Notes
- ^ Morgenthaler (2007) p.58
- ^ "Der Friedhof Cemetery Records 1846-1996". Gillespie County Historical Society. http://www.txgenweb2.org/txgillespie/dsf.htm. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ Unruh, Leon (2000). "Straight and Narrow is the Path in Fredericksburg". Final Destinations: A Travel Guide for Remarkable Cemeteries in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. University of North Texas Press. pp. 84, 85, 86, 87, 88. ISBN 978-1-57441-085-3.
- ^ Elizabeth Emma Schneider Schnerr at Find a Grave
- ^ Joseph Wilson Baines at Find a Grave
- ^ a b Woods, Randall Bennett (2006). Lyndon Baines Johnson. Free Press. pp. 16, 17. ISBN 978-0-684-83458-0.
- ^ Ruth Ament Huffman Baines at Find a Grave
- ^ Thomas C Doss at Find a Grave
- ^ Amanda Julia Estill at Find a Grave
- ^ Lieutenant Louis J. Jordan at Find a Grave
- ^ "Baseball-Hugo Emil Klaerner". Tex Gen Web. http://www.txgenweb2.org/txgillespie/AlthausRe/BaseballHugoEKlaerner.html. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ "Facts and Rumors from Major-Minor League Ball Marts". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 8 February 2011.
- ^ Hugo Emil Klaerner at Find a Grave
- ^ John Peter Tatsch at Find a Grave
- ^ "THC-John Peter Tatsch". Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. Texas Historical Commission. http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5171010121&site_name=Tatsch%2C%20John%20Peter&. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
- ^ Daniel Arhelger at Find a Grave
- ^ Jacob Arhelger at Find a Grave
- ^ Henry S.W. Basse at Find a Grave
- ^ Johann Wolfgang Brautigam at Find a Grave
- ^ Johann H. Dietz at Find a Grave
- ^ Wilhelm Feller at Find a Grave
- ^ Johann Heinrich Rudolph Habenicht at Find a Grave
- ^ Hermann Fritz Hitzfeld at Find a Grave
- ^ John M. Hunter at Find a Grave
- ^ Heinrich Jordan at Find a Grave
- ^ Ludwig Jung at Find a Grave
- ^ Friedrich Kiehne Sr. at Find a Grave
- ^ Friedrich Lochte at Find a Grave
- ^ Louis "Ludwig" Martin at Find a Grave
- ^ Johann Nicholas Mosel at Find a Grave
- ^ Heinrich Mueller Sr. at Find a Grave
- ^ Jacob Neffendorf at Find a Grave
- ^ Charles Henry Nimitz at Find a Grave
- ^ Peter Schandua at Find a Grave
- ^ Emil Heinrich Wahrmund Sr. at Find a Grave
- ^ William Daniel Ferdinand Wahrmund at Find a Grave
- ^ Johnann Jacob "John" Weber at Find a Grave
References
- Jefferson, Morgenthaler (2007). The German Settlement of the Texas Hill Country. Mockingbird Books. ISBN 978-1-932801-09-5.
External links
Categories:
- Cemeteries in Texas
- German-American history
- Germans in Texas
- Protected areas of Gillespie County, Texas
- 1846 establishments in the United States
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