Galveston County, Texas - The whole text, 1895 (part 21 of 26)

He entered the Confederate army in July, 1 861, enlisting in Company A, Captain W. B. Botts, Fifth Texas Infantry, commanded by Colonel Archer, with which command, after spending the winter of 1 861-2 near Alexandria, he began active service in Virginia in the spring of 1862. From the battle of Williamsburg on to second Manassas he took part in every engagement in which his regiment participated. At the last named place he was severely wounded in the thigh and foot. For a year he went on crutches, but in the meantime rendered the best service he could to the cause he had espoused. At the close of the war he turned his attention again to sawmilling, and for twenty-odd years followed this actively and successfully. Some six or eight years ago he withdrew, in a measure, from business life, but still retains an interest in the milling and lumber business, and has considerable investments in real estate in Houston and in timber lands in Harris and adjoining counties.

Mr. Hewes married Elizabeth Moore, of Houston, in 1864, Mrs. Hewes being a native of Harris county and a daughter of Luke Moore, who settled on Buffalo bayou and in the vicinity of the afterward famous battlefield of San Jacinto in the early '30s. Mrs. Hewes remembers hearing the guns at San Jacinto, her father being with Houston's army, but on detached service. Mr. and Mrs. Hewes have had five children, four of whom are now living: Harry, Amy, Cora, and Annie.

1'''''^ ists may deer)- the habit of money- \ ^P getting, that habit, when formed under the guidance of an intelligent mind and directed by an honest purpose, represents the essence of some of the best virtues attributable to man. Money is a good thing, and the man who is capable of making it, who does make it and uses it wisely, is a valuable citizen in any community. The subject of this sketch is a money-maker. His right to be so designated is unquestioned. Landing in Houston twenty-two years ago without a dollar, he has by his own unaided efforts accumulated what would, by many, be considered a fortune. Patient industry, constant application to business and faithfulness in the discharge of all duties, great or small, are the qualities which, combined with keen practical insight and a certain confidence in self and the future, have raised Mr. Freund to the position he now occupies, and which promise to make him one of the really wealthy men of the city of Houston.

Henry Freund is a native of Bavaria, Germany, born in the city of Munich in 1850. He was reared in Munich, in the excellent schools of which place he received a fairly good education. His parents being poor he began managing for himself as soon as he quit school, entering a mercantile house in Munich, where, until coming to this country, he served as clerk and bookkeeper. He came to the United States in 1871, and after several months sjient in the North, durinf^- which time he was strug.t,ding for the means of subsistence, he drifted to Texas, reaching Houston early in the spring of 1872. \Mien he stepped from the boat at the foot of Fannin street Mr. Freund says that he had just thirt_\'-five cents, and that he did not know a soul in the place. He could speak but little English, and for three daj-s he walked the streets of this city in search of something to do, sleeping of nights under dry-gootls bo.xes and subsisting on cheese and crackers, never enjoving a full meal even of these for fear his money would give out before he could get work. He finally found employment with the City Railway Compan}', and, proving his value by his sober, industrious habits, he remained in the employ of this company for a period of eighteen 3'ears, rising from the position of hostler, through all the successive gradations, to that of general superintendent. After quitting the ser\'ice of this company, associatetl with others, Mr. Freund organized the Bayou City Street Railway Compan3',of which he became vice-president and general manager, and assisted in building twenty-one miles oi road, which was operated successfully until the company sold its franchise to the Houston City Street Railway Company, and the lines thus constructed became part of the general system operated under the latter name.

For two years past, since severing his connection with the street-railway business, Mr. Freund has given his attention to realestate matters, being the owner of a large amount of city property, the improvemeivt^' of which, and the handling of property in general, both for himself and others, occupies his entire time and is the source of considerable remuneration to him. In April, 1887, Mr. Freund was elected Alderman of the cit)- from the Second ward, and he has been a member of the City Council since, having been twice re-elected. He has been very active in matters pertaining to the city government and is considered one of the most efficient members of the Council. He is a Democrat in politics and frequently goes as a delegate to county, district and State conventions, and alwa}'s turns out and works for the success of his ticket when his services are needed. He lielongs also to a number of social orders, among them the American Legion of Honor, the Chosen Friends, the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith, and the Woodmen, in each of which he takes an active interest.

Mr. Freund married Miss Malina Rosenfield, eldest daughter of the late Joseph Rosenfield, of Houston, in May, 1877, his wife being a native of this city, and by this union he has five children; Sophia, Risa, Fannie, Louis and Simon.

aHARLES BENTE. - Among the sons of Germany who brought with them to the United States the enterprise and thrift which have ever distinguished the native German, it is a pleasure to be able to name Charles Bente, whose walk through life has been one of the utmost circumspection.

He was born in Saxony, May 14, 1S38, and in the land of his birth he was reared to a knowledge of useful employment, and, as is usual in that country, up to the age of twelve years was an attendant of the public schools. In 1 860 he accompanied his father, Frederick Bente, and his brothers and sis- ters, to America, the voyage hither occupying two months, and, after landing at Galveston, he came directly to Houston. Here he secured work as an ordinary laborer on the railroad, and to his credit be it said that he never hesitated to put his hand to any honorable employment that he could find to do in order to make his own living. In 1863 he went to Me.xico, and thence, after a residence of about si.\ months, to St. Louis, Missouri, where he remained until 1866, when he returned to Houston. Here he shortly afterward opened a boarding-house on Congress avenue, between Milam and Louisiana, now known as the old Te.xas House, which he conducted up to 1870. In 1880 he opened a second-hand store, loan office and jewelry establishment, and that business has occupied his attention since, much to his benefit financially. He has become well known for the honorable basis on which his business affairs are carried on, he being one of the thoroughly honorable and reliable men following this line of business in Houston. His investments in real estate ha\'e proved profitable, he now being the owner of much valuable property. He owns the place where his business is carried on, No. 910 Preston avenue, and he has a comfortable, commodious, and tasteful home. For what he has he is indebted to his own exertions, and deserves much credit for what he has done, from the fact that he came to this country laboring under the disadvantages of poverty, an imperfect knowledge of the English language, and without friends, and has attained a solid footing and good standing among the business men of this city.

In 1868 he was married to Miss Minnie Rojowsky, by whom he has five children: Mary, wife of Ed Reardon, of Galveston; Annie, Lizzie, Charlie, and Minnie. In his

Wpyrw^lLLIAM SAMUEL NAPIER. - MA I The philosophy of success in life '(^JL^ is an interesting study. In whatever pursuit individual effort is directed, it is not always necessary that it should be entered with a theoretical knowledge acquired at the proper schools, followed by a practical application, to prepare one successfully to assume responsibilities that follow. In choosing a pursuit in life, taste, mental gifts, opportunity and disposition to labor should be considered, as any young man who has an ambition to become a respectable and useful citizen desires 10 succeed therein, A narrative of success in life affords a lesson from which others can profit. In the list of prominent and substantial citizens of Houston, Texas, stands the name of William Samuel Napier, general baggage agent for the Houston & Te.xas Central Railroad. He is a man of e.xcellent business acumen and has made a success of whatever occupation he turned his hand to. Mr. Napier was born in La Grange, Alabama, May 19, 1849, to the marriage of John S. Napier and Mary C. Myatt, the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of Raleigh, South Carolina. The father followed the occupation of a farmer, before the late civil war, and by industry and good management accumulated a very large fortune. He was one among the most extensive planters in that famous section of north Alabama, known as the "Tennessee valley," and during the war supplied, "without money and without price" hundreds of families from ad- joinin<;' counties with the necessities of hfe, who were left helpless and destitute by the absence of fathers and sons \\\\o were enlisted in the Confederate army. In i 869 he moved to Waco, bought cit)' projierty extensively and retired from active life. He always pursued a correct course through life, and for honest integrity, thrift and philanthropy, set a good example to his children. Full of honor he died in Waco, Texas, at the ripe age of eighty-two years. The mother died in W'aco, Texas, when fifty-two years of age.

\\'illiam Samuel Najiier, the subject of this notice, secured a fair education in the schools of north Alabama, among them the renowned military college of La Grange, and W'hen but nineteen years of age he opened a drug store at Mount Hope, Alabama, in company \\ith Dr. J. M. Clark, under the firm name of Clark l\: Napier. From the first he showed abilit_\- as a business man, and was thus engaged for about two years. In 1869 he went with his parents to Waco, Texas, and at once opened a grocery store, which he conducted successfully in that city for two years. From there he went to Peoria, Texas, and gave his attention to the milling and cotton-gin business, and in this, as in his other enterprises, met with an unusual degree of success. Two }ears later he sold out and entered the drug business at Peoria. After a successful career of four years in this line, he sold out and accepted the position of bookkeeper for A. L. Westbrook, an extensive grocer doing business in Whitney, Texas, in uhich capacity he was engaged for two years. During this time he joined a compan}' of Texas Volunteer Guards, organized in Whitney, and a few months later was honored by O. M. Roberts, then Governor of Texas, with the

After leaving the service of Mr. Westbrook he accepted the position of Deputy Sheriff under John P. Cox, of Hill county, serving in that capacity for six months, when he resigned and returned to Waco, where, f(.ir a few montlis, he did not follow any particular line of business. Soon, however, he entered the employ of the Houston & Texas Railroad as train baggage-master. At that time the baggage-master had to handle the express and the United States mail, but Mr. Napier was soon promoted from that position to assistant tie and fuel agent. He traveled all over Texas, Louisiana, Indian Territory and Colorado, looking after ties and fuel for the railroad, and so well did he fill this position, and so reliable and trustworthy did he become, that he was promoted to the important and responsible position of general baggage agent, and this he still holds. He has never attempted any enterprise of .which he has not made a success, for he always gives his undivided attention to the business in hand. Mr. Napier possesses unusual perseverance, energy and integrity, attributes which are everywhere, and under all conditions, the stepping-stones to prosperity, and which have been the means of placing many a struggling young man in an independent financial condition. In his present position, as in every other that he has filled, he has shown himself to be a man of excellent abilities, having worked hard, not only because work was a necessity with him, but also because it was a pleasure, and whatever he has accunnilated in the way of worldly goods has been acquired through persistent labor. In all his \'entures his sound judgment has ever been his aid and guide, and upon everything to which he has devoted his attention he has left the impress of his personahty and the marks of study and thought. In 1 86/ he married Miss Mattie P. Morehead, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, and daughter of John \V. and Harriet A. Morehead. To his happy domestic relations, the counsel, advice and prayers of his Christian wife he attributes, in a large measure, whatever he has accomplished in life that is noble or good. Two living children have blessed this union, Lena Wilkes and William Samuel, Jr.

Fraternally Mr. Napier is a Knight Templar in the Masonic order, and member of the Woodmen of the World. He is an upright, industrious citizen, and has proven a valuable addition to the city.

been employed as locomotive engineer by the Houston & Texas Central Railroad Company foi" thirty-five years, was born in Warren councy, middle Tennessee, December 7, 1838, a son of Thomas F. and Angelina (Boyd) Hicks. Mr. Thomas F. Hicks, a native of North Carolina, moved to Tennessee in an early day, locating in Warren county. He was a tailor by trade, but also had a general store and a farm. He was married December 4, 1832, and died July 31, 185 i, and his wife died in 1863. Their children were: Mar}' E., born December 15, 1834; Martha E , December 24, 1836; Thomas B. ; William, September 5, 1840; Angelina, January 28, 1843; Edward F., November 10, 1844; and Catharine, August 8, 1845.

of the family, and employed himself at anything he could find in order to earn an honest dollar. Thus the reader can see how little opportunity he had for obtaining a school education. In 1856 he secured a position as locomotive fireman on the old McMinnville & Manchester Railroad, now a branch of the Nashville & Chattanooga system. His engineer was E. Muzzy; and his conductor, Thomas Comer. In 1858 he came to Texas, with Captain H. C. Lyon, with a wagon and team, locating first in Ellis county. In the fall of 1859 Mr. Hicks came to Houston, where he at once began as a brakeman for the Houston & Texas Central Railroad, but within three months he was placed on an engine as a fireman, and in six months after that was appointed engineer. For the last twelve years he has been engineer for the pay car, the officers' cars and special trains. The imposing of this responsible duty upon him is a conspicuous evidence of the confidence which the railroad company has in him. Whenever there is anything special to be taken out, "Tom Hicks," as he is called, is asked for. He is the oldest engineer in the employ of this company. He is perhaps as well known along the lines of this company as any man on the road, is a great favorite with all the railroad "bo\'S," and a polished gentleman. By his energy he has made himself a good scholar, having learned what he knows in the literary line at nights after his day's work was done. He owns a nice residence on Washington street in Houston, is an enthusiastic Mason, having taken all the degrees of the Ancient York rite up to and including that of Knight Templar, being a member of Gray Lodge, No. 329, Washington Chapter, No. 2, and of Ruthven Commandery, No. 2, - all of Houston.

kY^ OBERT BREWSTER was born at I /"^ Glen Hall, nine miles from Giant's \ ,y Coifin, in the picturesque county of Derry, north Ireland, on thc/thof March, 1812. He is not of Irish blood, however. His parents. Jose]ih and Nancy Weir Brewster, were both natives of Glasgow, Scotland, the father coniint; of a long line of Scotch ancestors, and the mother being of Welsh extraction. Robert Brewster was reared in the city of Glasgow, in the schools of which city he received his education. His father was a farmer by occupation, but the sons, four in number, either by chance or from natural inclination, all entered mercantile pursuits, Robert learning the business of linen merchant, which he followed in youth and early manhood in Scotland, north Ireland and England as an itinerant.

In 1840, his father having died and his widowed mother and two brothers and a younger sister having emigrated to America, he decided to come to this country also, and sailed in March of that year from Liverpool, England, by the packet ship Sheridan, of the Black Ball line, reaching New York twent}'-eight dajs later. The spring and summer of that year were spent b}- him with his people in New York. An older brother, ^Andrew, who had been in the mercantile business for three or four years at New Orleans, had but a short time previously settled in Houston, and, learning of this, Robert came to Texas in November (1840), and took up his residence in this city. Being still single and in sympathy with the adventurous spirit of the times, he was easily interested in the Santa Fe expedition, which was set on foot the following spring, and but for the timely interference of his brother Andrew he would have joined the expedition and would of course have shared the fate of its members. Embarking in the mercantile l)usines3 in Houston in 1 84 1, he was so engaged for about seven years. ' In the meantime, having decided to make this his home, he married Jul}- 8, 1846, taking for a companion Miss Mary C. Andros, then a resident of Houston, but a native of Niagara Falls, New York.

In 1858 Mr. Brewster became Assessor and Collector of Taxes for the city of Houston and held this office until the opening of the civil war. He then ga\'e it up, and, not having any particular fondness for public position, has not held any other since, except that of Alderman of the city. He is a Democrat in politics, and, beginning with Lewis Cass in 1849, has voted for the regular Democratic nominee in every presidential election since, as well as for the nominees of his party in all State elections.

In 1 844 Mr. Brewster was made a Mason, joining Holland Lodge, No. i, at Houston. He is also a member of Washington Chapter, No. 2, Ruthven Commandery, No. 2, and San Jacinto Lodge of Perfection. He is an enthusiastic Mason, having taken all the degrees in the Ancient York rite up to and including that of Knight Templar, and also those in the Scotish rite up to and including the thirty-second. He became Secretary of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter in 1863, at which time he was also made Grand Recorder of the Grand Commandery of the State, both of which positions he held continuously up to January i, 1S94. At that date he was relieved of the former office, but is still Grand Recorder of the Grand Commandery. He has attended the triennial conclaves of the Grand Commandery of the United States for twenty-odd years, and has a personal acquaintance with

With his faithful companion, who is still spared to him, Mr. Brewster resides in his large and elegant home, on the corner of Milam street and Walker avenue, where the house, the grounds and all of the appointments are suggestive of the well-ordered lives, the intelligence, good taste and generous hospitality of the occupants. Mr. and Mrs. Brewster have had six children, four of whom died in infancy or early childhood. They have a daughter, Mrs. Jane Hart, living in Galveston, and a son. Rev. Mathew D. Brewster, an Episcopal minister, residing in New Orleans, where he holds a charge in his church. Mr. Brewster has but few other near relatives. His mother died at the residence of her son in New York city. New York, in 1865; his eldest brother, Andrew, died in Houston in 1S41; his second brother, Joseph, still lives in New York, where he settled in 1835; Sarah, his eldest sister, died in Philadelphia, in 1840, the wife of Hugh Mclntyre; Elizabeth died in New York, in 1841 ; Abram also died in New York, where he had settled many years ago, and Jane died unmarried, in the same State, in 18S0. All of the family were communicants of the Episcopal Church.

Now, in his eighty-second year, Mr. Brewster presents the appearance of a man whose life has been well ordered. His temperate and moral habits are unexceptionable. He never indulged in the ruinous pastimes of youth, and, hence, has reached and enjoyed manhood in health, superadded to a sound and practical mind. In disposition he is genial and lively, sanguine in temperament and full of pleasantry; as the old Roman wrote, "a man, and as such interested in all things that concern his kind."

>^ONATHAN HARRIS. - This enteral prising Anglo-Saxon was born No- /§ 1 vember 22, 1S22, in Cumberland county, England, within six miles of the spot where the grandmother of our first president still sleeps. He is a son of Joseph and Dinah Harris and traces his genealogy to the island of Harris, in the Hebrides. When King Harris abdicated he traveled through Scotland on a Shetland pony, crossed the Solway and landed on the English borders at the same point as Mary, Oueen of Scots, and Prince Charles Stuart, when at different times evading their pursuers. Garrisoned on this self-same spot where the noble Agricola disciplined his legions, the Naval Reserve of Great Britain is now stationed, and the salute of Victoria's ordnance booms over the adjacent waters where Marcus Maenius Agrippa commanded the Roman fleets of 1,800 years ago. It was here or hereabouts, that the Emperor Hadrian projected the construction of his defensive wall, which Severus subsequently fortified and rebuilt, and which Constantine the Great \'isited and inspected still later on. This Campus Martius of Agricola flourished over 300 years, but was finally overthrown by the Picts in the decline of the Roman Empire. It was here where Theodosius, a century or so afterward, recruited his veteran legions with the stalwart Dalmatian, Spanish and Mauritanian auxiliaries. Tottering Rome for the last time had turned to bay, and the expedition was mobilized with a view of accomplishing the utter subjugation of the resistless Picts.

Here beneath the streaming banners of ancient Rome mighty men have stood, men that have made history and whose names will never die. It was here where Calphurnius dwelt, and where his son, St. Patrick,

"The Light of the West," was born, - the same liistoric spot vvliich, after a lapse of many consecutive centuries, Mary, Queen of Scots, and old King Harris of the Hebrides at different eras embarked. From this point King Harris traveled on foot twenty miles inland and settled down as a shoemaker, environed by the lakes and mountain wilds of West Cumberland. The intimacy George Washington's parents, who lived near the Harris estate, is still traditional in those parts.

In October, 1854, Mr. Harris married Frances Alexander, a nati\-e of Manchester, England, and a daughter of Hugh and Sarah Alexander. Mr. Harris emigrated to Canada in 1S56, and, gradually working his way to a place more congenial to his tastes, landed at the foot of Main street, Houston, Texas, in 1S59. As a school teacher, section foreman, as a wanderer, engaged in the transportation of cotton during the war, and as a Confederate soldier, he gathered no moss.

Having begun life on the oldest railway that ever transported freight or passengers, and when railroading was still in its infancy, he was more in his element when occupied in the supervision of public works. As a street contractor, and for three years subsequently street superintendent by appointment, he reflected great credit on the administration in reclaiming the city from much of its malaria by an efficient system of drainage.

He constructed the Harrisburg road, the finest highway in the State. He has been the builder of all our street railways from first to last, with but little exception. He has recently discovered new water-bearing strata, water flowing to the surface from deep down beneath Houston, with hydraulic apparatus adapted to the purpose. He has taken a conspicuous part in our re-enfranchisement, and strongly advocated the restoration of our municipal privileges in the several j(Hirnals of the city, and through long and indefatigable industry has- attained an ample competency. His mathematical acquirements in early youth have found ample scope for application in the various works under his supervision, and without such acquisition his success would have been uncertain.

Mr. Harris is of a sanguine, nervous temperament, and highly progressive in his ideas, as is self-e\'ident by his writings and actions. Beyond and above all other considerations he seeks the advancement of Houston. In his contributi(jns to "The West Cumberland Times," of his native county, he alludes very flatteringly to Houston, when he says that "there is no place to me like that consecrated spot, where my own homestead sprang to structural dimensions by the sweat of my own forehead."

With men in our midst gifted with such elevated sentiments as these, men, in short, whose solid worth is recognizable bj' the results, there is little to be wondered at in the present rapid increase of our population, the demand for skilled and unskilled labor in every branch of industry, the extension of our railroad system, and that prosperity on every hand which has no parallel in the annals of our city.

Mr. Harris and wife have had two children, a son and daughter. Their son, Henry, has been twice married, wedding first Miss Annie Smith, by whom he had two children, Henry and Athene. His second wife was Emelie Kolbow.. Mr. and Mrs. Harris' daughter, Minerva, was married to Nelson Clemow, and the offspring of this marriage has been three children: Fannie, Harris and Daisy.

aHy\RLES F. WINKLER, the present Count}' Clerk of Harris county, was born at Rose Hill, this county, April 10, 1856. His parents were Charles F. and Catherine (Theis) Winkler, both of whom were born in Germany, - the father in Saxony, and the mother in Hesse. They emigrated to the United States in 1848, settling in Harris county, Texas, where the mother died ten years later; the father is still living, being a resident of Montgomery county, this State. He lived in Harris county till 1S72, and is well remembered by the citizens in the neighborhood of Rose Hill, where he spent twentyfi\'e jears of his life. His children were: Elizabeth, born November 7, 1850, is now the widow of Pleasant Parker and makes her home with her father; Pauline, born January 14, 1852, died November 23, 1879; and Charles F. , whose name introduces this sketch.

Mr. Charles F. Winkler was reared in Harris county, dividing his time between his duties on the farm and his attendance at the local schools. His early educational advantages were unusually limited, his boyhood and 3^outh falling on the troublous times of the late civil war and the worse times which followed during the period of reconstruction; but he managed, by industry, to master the elementary course of the common school, and attended, for two terms, an academy at Plantersville, Grimes county.

Soon after his marriage, in 1874, he moved to Waller county, this State, locating at a small place called Cross Roads, where he purchased sevent}- acres of land and engaged on a small scale in farming, and also in mercantile business; but before he was well established in his new home he was induced by his father to return to Rose Hill and take charge of the latter's interests at that place. About a year after his return his mother-inlaw, Mrs. Voebel, died, and he became guardian for the minor children, and as such took charge of a store left by her near Rose Hill.

After winding up this estate he moved to St. Elmo, in Travis county, where he began business in lumber, grain, general merchandise, butchering, farming and dairying, and made money; but disaster overtook him, in the shape of fire, which destroyed several thousand bushels of his grain, for which he had just exchanged a large quantity of lumber, and also destroyed the store and its contents, and the lumber j'ard, - all without insurance. This entirely broke him up, and he moved to Austin, where, in partnership with his brother-in-law, Fred Hartkoff, he was engaged in the liquor business a short time. Not liking this, he sold his interest to his partner, and moved to Cypress Top, a small place in Harris count}', on the Houston & Texas Central Railroad, \\here he embarked in general merchandismg and in keeping hotel. While there he was induced by his friends to become a candidate for County Commissioner, to which position he was elected in November, 1886, and reelected in November, 1888, - thus serving two terms of two years each. His performance of official duty was so faithful that he was regularly nominated and elected County Clerk near the close of his term as Commissioner, namely, in November, 1890. Before the convention his opponent for nomination was a popular man and successful politician, and the contest in the convention was a spirited one, not being decided until the seventeenth ballot was reached. Mr. Winkler's opponent then went before the people as an independent candidate for the office, but fell behind Mr. Winkler in the election by 800 votes. In November, 1892, Mr. Winkler was again nominated and elected by a vote of 6,027, against 357.

Mr. Winkler is a stockholder in the American Brewing Association, the Te.xas Messenger Publishing Company, and is a member of Lodge No. i, Knights of Pythias; of Humboldt Lodge. Knights of Honor; of the Houston Turn Verein, and of the Houston SiEiigerbund.

July 21, 1874, he married Miss Louisa Voebel, a daughter of Jacob and Frances Voebel, who came to Te.xas in 1850 from New York, in which State Mrs. Winkler was born. She was brought up in this State, however, being only a child when her parents settled in Harris county. They resided here during the remainder of their li\-os. Their children were: Mrs. Louisa Winkler; George, a resident of Houston; Bertha, wife of H. Fehlau, living near Hockley in this county; and Mary, now Mrs. Fred Hartkoff, of Austin, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Winkler have had four children, namely: George Henry, born January 31, 1877; Fred W., born September 27, 1879; I3essie, July 23, 1 88 I ; and Ida \'alentine, February 14, 18S3.

HW. McKINNEY, the present Assessor of Harris county, was born in Alexandria, Rapides parish, Louisiania, August 15, 1842, and is a son of' Mercer and Sophronia McKinney. Mercer McKinney, a native of Georgia, was reared in Tennessee, and by occupation was a farmer. He died in Harris count}', Texas, January 11, 1863. He was an active politician, but never asked office for himself. At the beginning of the late war he opposed secession and used his influence to keep his State in the Union, but after it seceded he went with it, and gave it his active sympathy and support until his death. His wife, whose name before marriage was Miss Sophronia Winkles, was a native of Natchitoches parish, Louisiana, and a daughter of Abraham Winkles, who was for man)' years a prosperous planter of that State. She died in Harris county, Texas, June 7, 1892, at the age of sixty-nine j'ears. Her children were: Albert W. , whose name initiates this biographical notice; Gilbert A., a farmer residing at Crosb}-, Harris county; Mary E. , the widow of J. E. Pace, in Houston; Mercer L. , deceased; David A., a resident of Crosby; Fannie E., of Houston; Ella, deceased; and Sallie E., also of Houston.

Albert W. McKinney was brought to Harris county by his parents in 1856. His early youth was spent on the farm and in the public schools of this county until the opening of the late war. He enlisted in the Confederate service when the first call was made for troops, entering a company called the "Galveston Rifles,'' commanded by Captain McKeen, with which he served only a short time, when he joined Company K, in Colonel E. B. Nicols' regiment, for six months. At the expiration of this time he re-entered the service as a member of Company B, Twenty-fourth Regiment of Texas Dismounted Cavalry, with which he served until February, 1864, and then he was transferred to the Texas Rangers, and remained with this celebrated command until the close of the war. He was captured at Arkansas Post, January 11, 1863, and was held in prison at Camp Butler, near Springfield,,, Illinois, until April following, when he was exchanged at City Point, Virginia. Arriving at Richmond, he was ordered to join the Army of Tennessee, and after entering this he was in the engagements at MacLemore's Cove, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Ringgold, Dalton, Calhoun, Resaca, Golgotha Church, New Hope Church, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy's Station, Decatur (Alabama), Columbia, Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville (Tennessee), and winding up at Bentonville, North Carolina, where the army under Joseph E. Johnston, to which he then belonged, surrendered to General Sherman. Through all this army experience Mr. McKinney passed, faithfully performing the soldier's duty, as a private, and received but one wound, and that a slight one, in the flesh only, at Arkansas Post.

Returning to Texas after the close of the war, he resumed work upon his father's farm. December 20, 1 867, he married Miss Jane Singleton, of Harris county, and the same year settled on a farm thirteen miles east of Houston, where for sixteen 3'ears he was engaged in agricultural pursuits.

In November, 1884, he was elected Assessor of Harris county, and, the duties of this office requiring his constant presence at the county seat, he moved to Houston, and has since resided in this city. In 1886 he was not re-elected to the office, but was in 1888, and has ever since then held the position by successive re-elections. Previous to his first election to this place he had been Deputy Sheriff of the county and Constable of the precinct in which he lived, and altogether he has served the people in one capacity or another for twelve or fifteen years. He is a careful, painstaking and impartial officer, and on account of his accurate knowledge of values and extensive acquaintance, both with the people and with the country, he has made a most acceptable Assessor, and his popularity has been attested by his frequent re-elections and the high terms of praise in which all classes of people speak of him. Of course, in his political views he is a Democrat; and, as often as the question of politics has entered into any election at which he has been a candidate, he has submitted his claims to the decision of his party. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Sampson Lodge, No. 231, at Lynchburg, Harris county, and has represented this body at the Grand Lodge.

By his marriage Mr. McKinney connected himself with one of the oldest families of this county, his father-in-law, James W. Singleton, moving to this county as early as 1826. Mrs. McKinney was born and reared in this county. The children in their family are: Mary F. , the wife of R. E. Dunks, of Crosby, this county; Edna, now Mrs. H. B. Cline, of Houston; Georgia F., who married Henry M. Curtin, of Houston; Gilbert A.; and Albert W., Jr.

@EORGE W. ELLIS, Sheriff of Harris county, Texas, is a native of De Soto county, Mississippi, born January 29, 1845, a son of George W. and Martha Mildred (Tucker) Ellis. The mother subsequently married Judge W. Ellison. By her first marriage she had five children, of whom three are living, namely: George W., of this sketch; Jerry J., and C. O. ; and by her second husband there were three children, Clifton, Itasca, and Albanus, two of whom, Clifton and Albanus, are still living. The daughter, Itasca, and the mother died in 1884, in Caldwell county, this State.

Mr. Ellis, whose name heads this sketch, entered the Confederate army September 18, 1 86 1, at Galveston, under B. Du Bray, and after serving two years in the coast defense, he was transferred with his regiment to the forces operating along the east line of tlie State and in Louisiana, and was in the series of engagements following Banks' raid up the Red river. He was in tlie service continuously from the date of his enlistment to the close of the war, being mustered out at Alexandria, Louisiana.

After the general surrender, Mr. Ellis returned to Texas and settled at Houston, where, in July of the same year (1S65), he secured employment as a fireman on a locomotive on the Houston & Texas Central Railroad. His engineer was T. B. Hicks, who took a personal interest in him, and, learning that he had never had any school advantages, undertook to leach him at night. For two years he worked all day, and, with Mr. Hicks' help, studied at night. His teacher took as much pains with him as he would have taken with a son. What education Mr. Ellis received was ol)tained in this way, and, very naturally, he feels profoundly grateful to Mr. Hicks.

From the position of fireman, Mr. Ellis was transferred to that of brakeman on a freight train, next he was made baggagemaster, then freight conductor, and finally passenger conductor, quitting the road in the fall of 1876, after eleven j'ears' service.

In the meantime, October 20, 1869, he married Miss Louisa Warren, of Harris county, a native of England, and daughter of John Warren, who emigrated to America in 1850, locating in Harris county, where he still resides.

and ranch, which latter had been established at Hockley, Harris county. In 1882 he was elected County Commissioner of this county, and re-elected in 1884, serving till 1886, being one of the Commissioners when the present court-house was built, in the erection of which he took an active interest.

In 1886 Mr. Ellis became a candidate for the office of Sheriff of Harris county, was made the regular nominee of the Democratic party and was elected, and m 1888 was re-elected. During each canvass he had opposition, and the fact that the people chose him, twice in succession, too, is a satisfactory testimonial to his character as a faithful officer and an honorable gentleman. In 1890, however, he was elected without opposition. In 1892 he had two opponents, one receiving 184 votes and the other 364, while Mr. Ellis received over 6,000.

During his eight years' service Mr. Ellis has had a great deal of experience in dealing with criminals of all classes, and has made a number of important arrests. One of the most noteworthy was that of W. H. Bohanan, who escaped from the Texas penitentiary in 1890. In addition to the proclamation and reward offered by the authorities. Governor Ross, then the chief executive of the State, sent Mr. Ellis a special letter and private proclamation, urging him to take the case in hand. Mr. Ellis complied, and within thirty days from the time Bohanan made his escape he was captured by Mr. Ellis, at Omaha, Nebraska. Another important case was that of Clarence Skipper, a postoffice employe, charged with robbing the mails in the Houston postoffice. Through a confidential friend of Race, the postmaster, Mr. Ellis learned that the absconder was about to leave the city; and the fellow boarded a sailing vessel for Galveston, when Mr. Ellis, knowing that a certain tug was on the river that could overtake the sailing vessel, would; at a given time, pass Lynchburg, which was thirty-six miles distant by water and onl}' twenty-one by land, jumped upon his horse and made that point fifteen minutes before the tug arrived. Chartering that vessel, he soon overtook the sailer and caught Skipper in less than forty-eight hours after his crime had been discovered.

Mr. Ellis is one of the most popular and efficient officers Harris county has ever had. He is a Knight Templar Mason, and also a member of the A. O. U. W.

He has eight children : William E. ; Itasca, now the wife of E. Cole; John J.; Maggie; George W. , Jr.; Louisa; Waldo, and Henry. Besides, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis have the care of two adopted children, Minnie and George R.

aOLONEL PHILIP VV. HUDSON. - The philosophy of success in life is an interesting study, and affords a lesson from which others can profit. In choosing a pursuit in life, taste, mental gifts, opportunity and disposition to labor, should be considered, as any young man who has a disposition to become a respectable and useful citizen desires to succeed therein.

On January 21, 1842, a boy was born in Manchester, Hartford county, Connecticut, who grew up to sturdy manhood, ambitious to excel, and possessing much energy and determination, attributes which are essential to success in anj- calling. This boy was Philip W. Hudson, his parents being Melancthon and Mary C. (Austin) Hudson, who were born in the same county as their son, the former of whom followed in the footsteps of his worthy sire, Henry Hudson, and became a paper manufacturer. The paternal great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch was Brazillia Hudson, an officer of the Revolutionary war. The maternal grandparents, George and Mary (Olmstead) Austin, were born in the city of New York, but afterward became residents of East Hartford, Connecticut.

Philip W. Hudson was the elder of two children, the other being William E., who is the owner of a large orange grove near Orlando, Orange county, Florida. He received a high-school education, and in his business career was reared in his father's paper mill, the details of which business he very thoroughly learned, and to which his entire attention was given up to 1879, with the exception of the time when he was a soldier in the Union army during the civil war. He made the first sample of postal cards that was ever made in the United States, and so satisfactory was his work that he was given the contract for four years. He also made bank-note paper and paper for Government bonds, and his work showed a degree'of artistic finish that made it very popular. When the great civil war came up he cast aside personal considerations to espouse the cause of the Union, and in April, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company A, First Connecticut Regiment of Infantry, for three months, and after serving his time re-enlisted in Company B, Tenth Regiment, with which he served until the war closed. Through his own merits he rose to the rank of Captain, and made a brave, faithful and efficient officer. After the war closed he became Colonel of the First Connecticut Militia, and is now Post Commander of Geoi^ge B. McClellan Post,

In 1879 Mr. Hudson came South, and until I 883 was a resident of Dallas county, Texas, then came to Harris county, and purchaseil a farm of about 3,000 acres near Ljnchburf^', where he has since given much of his attention to the raising;" of blooded stock, making a specialty of fast trotting and pacing horses and Polled Angus and Jersey cattle. He has done much to raise the grade of stock in Harris county, a fact for which he deserves the greatest credit; and in numerous other ways he has done herculean work in making Harris county one of the most important and prosperous counties in tlie Lone Star State. Mr. Hudson resided on his farm until 1889, when he moved to Houston to educate his children, since which time he has been extensi\elv and successfully engaged in the real-estate business, and has shown his confidence in Houston and Harris county by investing largely in country and city property. He has infused into his work the enterprising and energetic spirit inherited from his Northern ancestors, together with their practical and shrewd business views, and naturally there could be but one result, - that of success.

He has shown such undoubted pulilic spirit that the citizens of Harris count}' have come to repose the utmost confidence in him. He has never been known to \iolate his word, and, as he is of a kind and generous disposition, his friends are legion. He has ever been active in the political affairs of the section, is a Democrat in his views, and, while he has never held any political office, he has been chairman of the county and cit}- committees, and is a well-posted man on the political questions of the day.

He is a Ivnight Templar in the Masonic order, belongs to the Knights of Pythias, and the Woodmen of the World. In every respect he has proved an acquisition to the section in which he resides, and is himself much pleased with the people, climate, and prospects of Harris county. He has a family of three sons and three daughters.

>^AMES M. BOYLES, M. D. - The m value of a professional man to any A 1 community is marked not merely by his learning and skill, his proficiency in medical and surgical practice, but also by his character, both private and professional, his honorable adherence to medical ethics and his personal integrity and benevolence of purpose. The aim of the modern physician is high, and it is no longer possible for a person to pick up a smattering of medicine here and there, nail up his shingle and strike out, hit or miss, when called upon to prescribe in cases of illness. The demand of the age is for gentlemen of culture, refinement and scholastic finish, who shall add to literary education a thorough course of professional education in some established institution of recognized authority.

Dr. James M. Boyles, of Houston, Texas, has met these requirements most fully and beyond what is expected or fulfilled in most cases. This intelligent young practitioner has prepared most fully for the noble profession, having, in fact, used every possible agency for the equipment of himself for the successful practice of medicine, and has already built up a desirable practice as the result of his superior attainments.

Boyles, having been born in the Palmetto State, and died at the ages of forty and fiftynine respectively. The father was a minister of the Baptist Church, and in this faith he reared his children, four of whom survive him at the present time: Laura, wife of J. M. Earle, of Baldwin county, Alabama; Nannie, widow of Dr. O. S. Holmes; Thomas H., a resident of Baldwin county, Alabama; and Dr. James M., the subject of this sketch. Dr. Boyles was reared to the happy and healthful, even if rather arduous, duties of farm life, and in addition to obtaining a good scholastic education in the district schools near his home, he learned lessons of energy, economy. and perseverance while following the plow and wielding the hoe on his father's farm in Alabama. In iS8o he removed to Houston, Texas, and began the study of medicine under Drs. Stuart & Boyles, with whom he continued to pursue his studies, and practiced in their infirmary until the winter of 1882-3, when he went to Mobile, Alabama, for the purpose of taking a course of lectures in the Alabama Medical College. In the spring he returned to Houston, resumed his practice in the infirmary and his medical investigations until the next winter, when he again went to Mobile and took another course of lectures. At the close of the term of 18S4 he returned to Houston, resumed his former occupation and continued to remain there until the fall of 1884, when he once more entered the Alabama Medical College, from which he graduated in March, 1885, having attended three full courses, and practiced the medical profession in the meantime. He gave special attention to surgery, and immediately upon his graduation he opened an office in Houston, where he now commands a satisfactory patronage. From 1890 to 1892 he was City

Health Officer under Mayor Scherffius and rendered valuable service to the city by his strenuous and successful efforts to keep the smallpox from becoming epidemic in 1890, there being a number of cases in the city at that time.

On the 17th of February, 1887, Dr. Boyles married Miss Maggie Campbell, a native of Walker county, Texas, and daughter of Dr. F. Campbell, who is now deceased, but who was for many years one of the eminent physicians of that county. To their union two little children have been given, - Edward and Ella. Dr. Boyles is of a social and friendly disposition, and has shown his approval of secret organizations by becoming a member of the Knights of Pythias, in which he has attained to the Uniform Rank ; the Modern Woodmen of the World, and the Chosen Friends. He and Mrs. Boyles are worth\- members of the Presbvterian Church.

BRANCIS M. COLLINS, who has been a locomotive engineer for thirty-six years, and has been running an engine on the Houston & Texas Central Railroad for twenty-three 3'ears, was born in Allegheny Cit}', Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, October 2, 1840, a son of James and Susan (Thompson) Collins, both natives of Glasgow, Scotland. James Collins emigrated to the United States in 1829, and after remaining here about seven years, returned to his native land and married. In 1836 he came with his wife to the United States, settling in Allegheny City. Afterward he moved to Clarington, Monroe county, Ohio, where he died in 1865. His wife then returned to the old home in Pennsylvania, and died there, at the age of seventy -one years.

Mr. Francis M. Collins, the second of six children living (Robert, Francis M. , Jennette, Ella, Mary Jane, and Calvin), left home at the age of sixteen }"ears, went to Nashville, Tennessee, and November 28, 1857, began as a locomotive fireman on the old Nashville & Chattanooga Raih'oad, now the Nash\'ille, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad, and remained in the employ of thecompan_\- to the breaking out of the war. He then joined Company F, in the Confederate service, under Captain Butler, and among other engagements he participated in the battles of Shiloh, Stone River and Perr}ville, but was ne\'er wounded or captured.

After the close of the war he returned to work on the road mentioned as engineer, and had charge of an engine until 1871, at which time he came to Houston. In the fall of that year he began running an enj;ine for the Houston & Texas Central I\ailroad Company, and for the last twenty years has been running a passenger train. It is greatly to his credit that it can be said that during the long thirty-six years of his lift' as engineer, no one has ever received an injureby his oversight, he has never been in any serious wrecks, and in the comparativeh insignificant accidents that have happened in connection with his train, no one has ever been hurt; and besides, not as much as $50 damage has been caused to the railroad property in his charge by an_y inattention on Ills part. This is a record of which any engineer woukl be proud. Mr. Collins is a member of Gray Lodge, No. 329, F. & A. M., and of the Brotherhood of Engineers, Division No. 139. Mrs. Collins' social relations are in the Presbyterian Church.

P. H. and Rebecca R. (Moore) Achey. Her father was born in Harrisburg, Penns) Ivania, in 1 817, and died in 1890; and his father once owned land where now stands the great city of I^hiladelphia, Pennsylvania. Rebecca \\. Moore was born at Orange Court House, Virginia, near Richmond, March 21, 1 82 I , a tiaughter of \\'illiam and Susan (Day) Moore, her parents having married June 2, 1803. Concerning the death of Mrs. Rebecca R. Achey, a Chattanooga, (Tennessee) paper had the following:

"Rebecca R. Achey {ncc Moore), was born in 1821, February 15, at Orange Court House, near Richmond, Virginia. Mrs. Achey was a direct descendant of President Madison, a cousin of President Taylor and a relative of Jefferson Davis' first wife. Her parents removed to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was quite young. The 14th day of May, 1846, she married P. H. Achey, the pri\'ate secretary of Governor Andrew Johnson. She was the mother of five children. One son, the eldest, lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is an engineer on the Lookout Mountain Broad-Gauge Railroad. She had been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, for fifty years. Her death occurred at the home of her son, in St. Elmo, Thursday, June 6, and she was buried in Forest Hill cemetery Friday, June 7, 1889. Rev. J. Wesley Smith preached the funeral sermon."

Mrs. Collins has three brothers, - William H., John H., and James M. The last named is an engineer on the Austin branch of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have had five children, namely: John T. , born September 27, 1878; Francis Moore, March 11. 1880; Earl Wilbur, born January 14, 1884, and died April 5, 1887; Allen Bruce, born June 25, 1886; Robert \., born .August 7, 1889, and died June 21, 1891.

BRITZ ROHDE, the subject of this sketch, was bom in Prussia, Germany, March 5, 1845, and is a son of Anton and Christina Rohde. The father came to the United States in 1849 and settled at Houston. In his native country he was a brewer, but after coming to this country he worked as a laborer. Earning money in this way, in 1853 he sent for hisfamilj', consisting of a wife and two young children. The mother died and the father brought up the children, training them to habits of industry and usefulness and giving them such educational advantages as his limited means would allow. The eldest daughter, Frances, was married to Louis Tail and resides on a farm in Harris county. The other daughter, Tena, was born in Houston, and died in infancy.

Fritz, the only boy of the family, and the subject of this sketch, was a lad only eight years old when his parents settled in Houston. At the age of thirteen he began to learn the butcher's trade under Henry Schultz. He worked at this trade until the closing years of the war, when he entered the Confederate army, serving in the Home Guards. Resuming work at the butcher's trade at the close of hostilities, he worked on a salary for two years, when he embarked in business for himself, opening a butcher's shop in Houston, in the old city market house. Through all the business changes, trade depressions, fires and financial disturbances, he has steadily pursued his calling, and by industry, economy and method has gradually accumulated from year to year, until he now owns between 400 and 500 acres of land in Harris county and valuable city and suburban property in and around Houston. He still gives his personal attention to business, having for twenty-seven years had a stall in the market house, where for six days out of every week in these twent}-seven years he has been, rain or shine, hot or cold, excepting only when prevented by sickness, ready to supply his customers. He has established a reputation for honesty and fair dealing second to none, and has risen from the position of a common apprentice to that of a man of solid means, and from poverty to a place of ease. Mr. Rohde has made it a rule through life to consider well before taking a decisive step, especially has he found it advantageous to act on his own judgment, holding himself responsible in all cases for the consequences of his actions and accepting all results uncomplainingly.

In 1867 Mr. Rohde married Miss Mary Froenn, of Houston, and by this marriage has had four children, the eldest of whom, Tena, is deceased. The three remaining children, John, William and Joseph, are associated with their father in business and render him valuable assistance.

Mr. Rohde is an enthusiastic Mason, having taken all the degrees in the ancient York rite, up to and including that of Knight Templar, being a member of Gray Lodge, No. 329, F. & A. M., Washington Chapter, No. 2, R. A. M., Ruthven Commandery. No. 2, and is also a member of the A. O. U. W.

Although Mr. Rohde weighs 230 pounds, he is as active as a boy yet in his 'teens, and is the picture of health. He accounts for his well-preserved condition by saying that he has ahva\'s led an active out-door life, abstained from the runious practices by which so many young men break down their constitutions, and has lived a moral, temperate life during his mature years. He is in every way a worthy representative of that

,y^ ANIEL C. SMITH, present Post- I I master at Houston, ex-Ma\or of /^^^ the cit_\', and for thirt\'-si.\ \'ears a resident of Harris countv, is a nati\'e of Carroll ccjunty, Ohio, where he was born April 30, 1836. His bo\hood was passed on the farm, and his early educational advanta.yes were restricted to tlie local schools. In 1H52, just after having turned into his sixteenth year, he \\'ent, at his own suggestion, but in accordance wiih the wishes of his father, to Cincinnati, where he was duly apprenticed to the trade of a machinist, in the Niles Locomotive Works, of that place. His apprenticeship was to last four years, which period he served out faithfull}- to the end. In the meantime, by attending night schools, he supplemented the meager mental training which he had received in the schools of his native county, so that, by the time he had mastered his trade, he was also master of a good share of practical knowledge in the way of mathematics, book-keeping, business forms and the like. He remained about a year as a journe>'man in the Niles Locomotive Works after completing his apprenticeship, when he accepted a position as locomotive engineer on the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad, which he held until August, 1858. At that date he came to Texas, and, locating at Harrisburg, in Harris county, - then the end of a division of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railway, at which were located the machine shops and roundhouses, - he secured employment, where he worked till the opening of the war.

When hostilities were declared between the North and South he entered the Confederate army, enlisting in Company B, Second Texas Infantry, with which he reached the field in time to take part in the battle of Shiloh, and was in all the subsequent operations in Mississippi, up to and inclucfing the fall of Vicksburg. Being paroled at that place he returned to Texas, and was placed on detail dut)' as master mechanic of the Buffalo BayoLi, Brazos & Colorado River Railway, now part of the Southern Pacific system, wdiere he remained until the close of the war. With the disintegration of th; Confederacy, and the unsettled condition of the railway business which followed, he gave up active connection with the railway interest for a time, and, coming to Houston, formed a partnership with B. C. Simpson and C. C. Wiggin, with whom he established the machine shops here, which were conducted by them until 1874. At that date Mr. Smith sold his interest in the business to Messrs. Simpson & Wiggin, and became manager of W. G. Bagby's foundry in this city. He held this place for six years, when, in 1880, he received the appointment of master mechanic for the Louisiana division of the Southern Pacific Railwa}", holding this place also for six years.

In the nieantnne, and in fact from the date of his first settling in Houston, he had taken an active interest in matters pertaining to the welfare of the city, had always been known as an advocate of liberal measures with respect to the city's development, and had testified to his faith in the future of the place by investing his earnings in real estate, which he improved in accordance with his means and the demands of the property. His friends and those interested in a good city government saw fit, tlierefore, in the spring of 1886, to have hina made the Democratic nominee for the office of Mayor, to which office he was elected in April of that year. He served from that date until 1890, being re-elected in 1888. It is the general judgment of the thoughtful, law-abiding people of this city that he made one of the best Mayors Houston ever had. While his administration was vigorous and progressive, and was especiall}' marked for the many improvements set on foot and carried through, the rights of property owners were duly protected and the public welfare promoted in every fair and reasonable way. It is a fact that the city's finances were in a deplorable condition previous to his election as Mayor, the city bonds being quoted as low as sixty cents on the dollar and payment of the interest on part of the city's indebtedness having been entirely stopped. The administration of which he was the head took hold of the finance question, and before the expiration of the four years the city's credit had been fully restored, and to-day its bonds are quoted at 106. It ^^'ould be folly, of course, to say that this, as well as all the other important acts of reform, adjustment and improvements, was due to Mr. Smith's unaided efforts. He had the hearty cooperation and assistance of an earnest, intelligent and public-spirited Board of Aldermen, with whom it is proper to say that a number of the most important measures originated. But the general direction of the work, of necessity, fell to the Mayor, and it was his unliagging zeal for the public good and his sincere desire to see the city placed on the high vantage-ground of perfect solvency and general efficiency in all departments that prompted his action as here indicated.

In November, 1893, Mr. Smith was appointed Postmaster at Houston, and his friends make the statement without any hesitancy that his administration of this important office will be quite as successful as was his administration of the office of Mayor. Certainly in a city the size of Houston and grow ing at the rapid pace it is, there will be plenty of room for the exercise of executive ability of the better sort, and for the display of zeal in the public service such as has heretofore characterized his public career.

Mr. Smith has been a Democrat from his earliest years. He has taken an active interest in politics for the last quarter of a century, having served on local committees and as delegate to the usual number of county, district and State conventions. He recalls the fact with some pleasure that he was a delegate to the Congressional convention at Waco, in 1870, that nominated Hon. Roger y. Mills for a seat in the lower house of Congress the first time, and cast his vote for that gentleman.

In 1867 Mr. Smith married Miss Lydia Barnard, then a resident of Galveston, but a native of England, reared in New York city. The result of this union has been four children; Sidney]., Edward C, Ella M., and Daniel C. , Jr. Mr. Smith's immediate family constitute all of his kin that reside in this State. His parents died in Ohio, where they settled in the early half of this century. His father, Patrick V. Smith, was born in north Ireland in the year 1793, and was brought to America some three 3''ears later, being reared in Philadelphia. Mr. Smith's mother's maiden name was Sarah Trotter, and she was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, of Scotch ancestry. Mr. Smith had two brothers, John C. and James T., who were early immigrants to California, the former going in 1848, the latter in 1853. Both died there and were buried in Sutter county. Another brother, Robert W'., after serving in the Union army tliroughout the war, as Colonel of the Sixteenth Illinois Cavalry, engaged in the practice of his profession - the lav.- - at Ciiicago until his death at thai place in 1887. Joseph, another brother, is a practicing lawyer at Bcllaire, Ohio. Leander L. is a farmer, residing at Tipton, Iowa, which ])lace was also the home of Sarah \\'., now deceased, formerly the wife of [udge Sylvanus Yates. Lueila J. resides in Cleveland, Ohio, unmarried.

Mr. Smith has been a Mason since 1871, having taken all the degrees in the blue lodge, chapter, council and commandery. He is also a member of the Elks.

>T^AMKS H. PKUETT, the present m popular antl efficient Marshal of the /O J city of Houston, was born in Midwa}-, l:>ullock county, Alabama, August 16, 1855. His parents are Alvin H. and Frances (Mealing) Pruett, both nati\es of Georgia.

James H. Pruett, whose name heads this biography, was reared on a farm in Bullock count)', Alabama, and received but limited educational advantages, having to work during the summer and attend school through the winter. He made his home with his parents and gave them the benefit of his hil)or until he reached his majority. At that time he rented land and engaged in farming for himself for four years. In 1880 he came to Te.xas, and locating in Palestine began work for the International & Great Northern Railroad. He worked for this road as brakeman and conductor for somewhat over a year. Then in July, 1 88 1, he came to Houston and began work for the Texas & New Orleans Railroad as freight conductor and brakeman, which position he held for two years. From 1883 to 1S85 he was again with the International & Great Northern, part of the time as conductor on a freight train. In 1885 he began v\ork on the Houston, East & West Texas Railroad, and was with this company four years, three and onehalf \-ears of which time he was yardmaster at Idoiistou. In Fel)ruary, 1889, he was appointed Deputy Sheriff under George Ellis, and tilled that office until April, 1894, when he was elected Marshal of the city of Houston, a position he continues to hold.

On the 0th of November, 1878, Mr. Pruett married Miss Sallie M. Turner, then of Barber county, Alabama, but a native of Ge(jrgia and a daughter of Anderson and Julia (Merritt) Turner. The issue of this marriage has been nine children, six of whom are living: Maud I., Bessie T., James H., Harry D., H. Brashear, and Norman. Mr. Pruett's parents reside at Columbus, Georgia. His brothers and sisters in the order of their ages are as follows: Bessie, the widow of John Geotzen, of Hamburg, South Carolina: Jacob H., a physician of Etifaula, Alabama; Mealing E., a merchant of Midway, Alabama; John K. , an attorney of Stephens county, Texas; Mary, the wife of Mark Bradford, of Columbus, Georgia; Alvin E., deceased; Fannie, the wife William Douglas, of Midway, Alabama; Nathaniel, deceased; and William L. , of Pine Grove, Alabama.

Mr. Pruett is a member of the Knights of Pythias, being Grand Representative of Virginia Lodge, No. 65. He is also a member of Pioneer Assembly, Knights of Labor, a zealous and useful member of the Baptist Church, and a prominent Sundayschool worker, ha\'ing been Superintendent of the Second Baptist Sunday-school for the past three years.

BEV. W. M. TRYON, the pioneer Baptist minister and leader in the organization of the first "Education Society" organized under the auspices of the Baptist Church of Texas, was born in the city of New York, March lO, 1809. Losing his father when he was only nine years of age, his boyhood and youth werecarefull)' watched over by a pious Christian mother. Part of his early life was spent in Connecticut, but at the age of nineteen he moved to Savannah, Georgia. Having received a thorough collegiate education at Mercer University, at Penfield, Georgia, he was ordained in 1837 by Elder Jesse Mercer and others. He served as pastor at Eufaula and Wetumpka, Alabama, until January, 1841, at which time he came to Texas under an appointment as missionarj' of the Triennial Convention.

He first settled in Washington county, between the towns of Independence and Washington, and devoted all his powers to the ministry and to works of Christian endeavor.

During the term of the Congress of the Republic that was held in the old town of Washington, in 1843 ^'t' '844. he served the bod}' as chaplain by consent of his churches when the financial condition of

In the winter of 1846 he moved to Houston and took the pastoral oversight of the little church in this city, and here performed the last and crowning work of his life. The Baptists of this place then were few in number and without a house of worship, but under the fervor of his ministry the small congregation increased to a large number and the little church soon contained almost a hundred communicants. The church, under his ministr}', put forth an organized activity, and in a short time erected a very creditable building, since succeeded by the present handsome edifice.

The influences for good wielded by a man like the Rev. Mr. Tryon in the formative era of a great State like Texas can hardly be estimated. He was well equipped for his work and entered into the spirit of it zeal and understanding. He was a man for any field. As pastor few excelled him, as missionary he gathered all classes, from the poor to the rich, and from the most illiterate to the most refined and cultivated about him; and when he espoused the cause of education he was master of the field and moved the Baptists of Union Association to rally around the infant institution at Independence and labor industriously to provide means for the education of the rising ministry of Texas. As an orator he had few, if any, equals in Texas. He was well-versed in the history and principles of the church, and when his powers were brought to bear on this and kindred subjects the charge of bigotry and ignorance so often brought in an earlier day against the Baptists was hurled to the ground. His career of usefulness in Texas was short. The last time the denomination was permitted to sit with him in council was at the session of Union Association held with the Houston Church, in October, 1847. At that meeting he was elected and served as moderator. There were a few cases of yellow fever in the city at that time. After the adjournment of that body and the fever was declared epidemic, he preferred to remain among the people whom he served and who loved him, notwithstanding the dangers that surrounded. On the i6th day of November, 1S47, he died, after much suffering, from a violent attack of yellow fever. His remains were deposited near the church edifice that he had labored so hard to erect. His loss was deeply felt by the church at Houston and sincerely mourned by all who knew him. He is still pleasantly remembered by many old citizens of this city and locality, and every student that has been educated in Baylor University owes him a debt of gratitude.

William A. Tr\'on, son of the foregoing, was born at Longpoint, Washington county, Te.xas, September 14, 1842, and was reared mainly in the city of Houston. His education was obtained in the schools of this city and Osnabruck, Hanover, Germany. He read medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, under Dr. Thomas Buchanan, and attended lectures in the University of Nashville. He began the practice of his profession in Houston at the age of twenty-one, and has since been engaged in professional and business pursuits in this cit\'. He married Miss Alice Cushman, of Houston, and by this union has five children ; Leona, John L., Carrie, Joseph, and Armistead.

Joseph M., the only other son of Rev. W. M. Tryon, died a few years ago in Houston; and Ella, the only daughter, wife of William Clark, died about the same date, in Austin.

Vj'OHN H. LANG. - Integrity, intelli- gence ami sj'stem are characteristics A 1 which will ad\ance the interests of any man, and will tend to the prosperity to which all aspire.

Such arc some of the traits of the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. Born in Prussia, Germany, April 29, 1845, he has inheritetl the push and perseverance of his Teutonic ancestors, and his correct mode of living since coming to this country has gained him a popularity which is merited in every respect. His parents, Frank and Catherine Lang, were natives of the old country, and there the father followed the miller's trade until 1848, when he sailed for the United States. In February, of that year, he landed in Galveston, Te.xas, and for several years worked as a wagon-maker for a Mr. Benison. Later he embarked in the business for himself and followed it successfully until his death, which occurred in Galveston, August 12, 1884, when he was eighty-two years of age. Mrs. Lang is still living, makes her home in Galveston, and, although eighty-three years of age, time has dealt leniently with her, and she enjoys comparatively good health. To this wellrespected couple were born an old-fashioned familj' of eleven children, seven of whom survive, as follows: Louis; Lena, the wife of Peter Muller, of Fort Worth, Texas; Eveline, wife of Frank Hahn, of Galveston; Charles, who resides on a farm in Harris county; Kate, the wife of Martin Brcen, of Galveston; John H. ; and Henry, who lives in California. The four deceased were named Henry, Mary, Lizzie and Frank.

John H. Lang, of the above number, and the subject of this sketch, passed his boyhood and youth in Galveston, and received his scholastic training in the common schools.

When about seventeen years of age he began clerking in a wholesale and retail grocery store in Galveston, and then and there laid the foundation for his subsequent prosperous career. When the war broke out, he enlisted in the Confederate service as a member of the " Galveston Blues," and became a steward on a vessel loaded with cotton. This was trying to run the blockade for Mexico, but was captured by the United States sloop of war, " Brooklyn," and all the crew were made prisoners and the cotton confiscated. After twelve days' imprisonment, our subject, with the other members of the crew, was sent back to Galveston, but made a second effort at blockade running, which was successful, after which he saw ho further service in the Confederacy. After the cessation of hostilities, he opened a restaurant and oyster and fish house, carried it on for a short time, and in 1868 came to Houston, where he worked in the Houston City Mills, a cotton manufacturing concern. He then became fireman on an engine on the Houston & Texas Central Railroad, and later began running an oyster boat from Galveston to Houston. Following this, he opened a wholesale and retail fish and oyster stand in the old market house, and then moved to the brick market house, where he carried on the same business for some time. From there he moved to his present place of business on Travis street, and has one of the flourishing establishments of the city. Mr. Lang has proven himself a merchant of unbounded ability and integrity, and his success is a credit to his enterprise.

In his political views our subject is a stanch Democrat, and at one time was Alderman of the First ward. Socially he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Knights of Honor, Chosen Friends, and American Legion of Honor. On the 27th of March, 1877, he was married to Miss Ida Kumke, a native of Germany, and daughter of Carl and Annie R. Kumke, then living in Harris county. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lang, of whom John, Eddie and Dollie are living, and two, Charles and Alexander, are deceased.

HOMAS MARTIN. - The subject of this sketch, now one of the oldest settlers living in Houston, is a native of Pennsylvania, and comes of pioneer stock that has felled the forests, fought the battles and laid the foundation of the enterprises and industries of this country from the beginning. He is the elder of two sons born to Thomas and Jane Martin, both of of whom, like himself, were natives of Pennsylvania, born in or near the city of Philadelphia. The father was of English extraction, the mother of Scotch. The mother was a daughter of a Revolutionar}' soldier, John Herin, who served as a Lieutenant in General Washington's army and took part in the battles of Bunker Hill, Stony Point and the disastrons winter at Valley Forge, and in the battle of Lundy's Lane, in the last war with Great Britain. He lived to the great age of 114 years, dying January i , 1S60.

Thomas Martin, the subject of this article, was born in the town of Carhle, on the Cumberland river, Penns}-lvania, April 15, 1818. His parents dying when he was about two years old, he was taken into the family of his maternal grandfather, John Herin, to be reared, and to that patriotic old gentleman he was indebted for all of his training. His grandfather moved, late in life, to the western part of Pennsylvania, settling in Washington county, and there the boyhood and youth of Thomas were spent. He was apprenticed, while yet in his 'teens to the trade of a tinner in Steubenville, Ohio, and spent a considerable portion of his time in that place. His home, however, continued to be at his Grandfather Herin's, and hither he was wont to repair after regular intervals of absence. He had great veneration for his grandfather, antl learned many lessons of wisdom from him. With these lessons of wisdom he also received some romantic ideas from the stories of warfare and adventure to which he listened, and, as might have been expected, he longed in time to try the great world for himself and see if it had in store for him any of the thrilling experiences on which his fancy had been fed.

Accordingly, when he heard, in the early '30s, of the struggles then going on in the Southwest between a handful of brave, adventurous Americans and the Mexican Government, he determined to come to Texas and cast his lot with the people of this countr}-. He left his home in western Pennsylvania in the early spring of 1835 and began the long journey. His route was the usual one for those days: Down the Ohio river to the Mississippi, thence by that stream to New Orleans, and to Texas by the gulf. The trip occupied several months, two or three long stops being necessitated by the conditions of travel. But at New Orleans he found a strong feeling in favor of Texas, and he was soon offered an opportunity to join a company which was being organized to march to the defense of the colonists. He enlisted in this company, and, sailing in the schooner Urchin, in April, 1835, reached Matagorda bay a few days after the battle of San Jacinto had been fought. He did not get to share the glories of that great day, but inuiiediately entered the service, becoming guard over the prisoners taken in that battle, and continued in the service until the 4th of June, 1837, at which time he was honorably discharged. With most of the members of his company he immediately set out for the town of Houston, then but recently laid out, and reached this place on the 1 ith of the same month. From that time Mr. Martin dates his residence in this city. He is thus, as stated, one of its oldest living inhabitants, and has witnessed, practically, the making of its entire history.

Had Mr. Martin's tastes been different his life and fortunes might have been quite different, for he has enjoyed exceptional opportunities, both of a financial and political nature. But he has lived up strictly to the spirit of the old adage that "a shoemaker should stick to his last." He has followed his trade, in one capacity or another, during all the years of his residence in this city, being content with the living which his hands have earned without attempting "to woo Dame Fortune's golden smile, "or seek the "bubble, reputation," in political contests. Like many of the veterans of 1836, he opposed annexation to the United States in 1846, his being one of the sixty-one votes cast against that measure in Harris county, and he also opposed secession in 18G1 ; but he went in each case with Texas, and placing his heart and hopes with those of his country, gave it loyal support in every instance. He was too old for active field service during the late war, but he occupied the responsible position of Provost Marshal during the entire period of the war, the duties of which position he discharged cred- itably, and at the close received an honorable discharge, just as he had done twentyei^ht years before at the expiration of the term of his enlistment in the Texas army.

Mr. Martin has been a life-long Democrat, having cast his first presidential vote for Lewis Cass in 1S48, since which time he has voted the Democratic ticket in all elections, State and national.

In 1 849 Mr. Martin married Miss Martha Ann Trott, then of Houston, but a native of Tennessee, being a daughter of Henry Trott, who came from Tennessee to Texas in 1839, and settled in Harris county, where he and his wife subsequently lived and died. Mr. and Mrs. Martin have had three children, all sons: Thomas H., who is now chief of the Houston Fire Department; Alexander, who was killed in a railway accident some ten or twelve years ago; and John, a contractor and builder of Houston. While Mr. Martin's people were Presbyterians in religion, he has so far departed from the religious faith of his fathers as to become a member of the Methodist Church, having been a consistent member of this church for many years.

Thomas H. Martin, eldest son of Thomas and Mary Ellen Martin, and the third to bear the name in as many generations, was born in the city of Houston February 4, 1855, 'I'ld has spent his entire life in this city. He learned his father's trade, that of tinner, and worked at it for a number of years in his youth, but he abandoned it and learned the trade of a printer, which he followed for six years, but was compelled to give that up on account of his eyes. In 1874 he became a member of the Houston Fire Department, serving as fireman two years, when he was elected treasurer, driver in 1878, foreman in 1880, and chief in 1889, having held the last named position for the past five years. His ability and popularity are probably sufficiently attested by the brief foregoing statement, and need no comment.

BREDERICK "WILLIAM MALLY. - The subject of this sketch was born on a farm near Des Moines, Iowa, on November 30, 1868. He was educated at the Iowa Agricultural and Mechanical College, at Ames, Iowa, at which institution he graduated in the regular four years' science course, in 1887, and, having later completed the post-graduate course, received the degree of Master of Science in 1889. Shortly befo e finishing his collegiate education Mr. Mally was appointed assistant to the State entomologist of Illinois, who was also professor of zoology in the University of Illinois, at Champaign, which positions he held about nine months, when, in June of 1890, he was made assistant entomologist in the United States Department of Agriculture, and was at once placed in charge of the cotton boll-worm investigation inaugurated by the department that season. The field work of this special investigation was completed at the close of 1 89 1, and the laboratory work in July, 1892, at which time a final report was submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture, and published as "Bulletin No. 29," a previous report having been published as "Bulletin No. 24," Division of Entomology United States Department of Agriculture, in the same division.

After the completion of the work of this investigation Mr. Mally came to Texas in the capacity of manager of the Galveston Nursery and Orchard Company at Dick- inson, in Galveston county, at which place he took up his residence in June, 1H93. A short time after coming to the State Mr. Mally was elected a member of the Texas Academy of Sciences, and is now serving as chairman of the special commission of the Texas State Horticultural Society for the investigation and eradication of root diseases of orchard trees and nursery stock. His most immediate efforts for some months past have been directed to building up a wholesale and retail nursery especially adapted to meet the demands of the coast Country and of the State generally. In addition he and his associates in business, J. G. Berryhill, of Des Moines, Iowa, and F. M. Slagle, of Alton, Iowa, are planting extensive orchards, and have now in fine, healthy condition 30,000 trees in orchard, under a fine state of cultivation. Their ranch covers a thoroughly drained area of 1,000 acres, bounded b}' streams on the northern and southern extremities, the northern one being navigable, and is one of the most promising places in all of the fruitgrowing belt of the coast country.

The father of the subject of this brief notice is Frederick Henry Mally, and his mother bore the maiden name of Anna Catherine Stotzel, both of whom were born, and the latter, reared and educated, in Germany. His father was an early settler in Iowa, taking up his residence near Des Moines when the Hawke\'e metropolis consisted of a blacksmith shop and a boarding house. He still resides there, being a large and successful farmer and fruit-grower. The elder Mr. Mally is an enthusiast on the subject of education, having given his five children, of whom Frederick William is the the eldest, the benefit of the best schools in Iowa. His second son, a graduate and post graduate of the Iowa Agricultural and Mechanical College, at Ames, Iowa, holds the position of assistant entomologist to the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station, while of his three daughters, the eldest has almost completed the ladies' course at the institution just mentioned, and the two younger ones are also in school preparing themselves for usefulness in life.

aAPTAIN LAWSON LUTH was born in northern Denmark, September 28, 1852, and is a son of Terkel M. and Frederica L. Luth. His father being a seafaring man, the son took up the life of a sailor when a boy, which he followed along the coast of his native country some three or four years, when, in 1 866, he made his first trip as a sailor before the mast to the United States. For a little more than ten years he sailed out of the ports of Boston, Massachusetts, and Newport, Rhode Island, until i 877, when he came to Galveston. He was favorably impressed with this city on his first introduction to it, and after some reflection decided to make it his home. For about six years after coming to Galveston he ran on the bay in command of a steam lighter, then, in 1883, he became a member of the Pilots' Association, since which time he has discharged the duties falling to his lot in that capacity.

At Newport, Rhode Island, in 1879, Captain Luth was united in marriage with Miss Mary Ambrose, a native of that city, born October 13, 1856, and a daughter of Theodore Ambrose, who was a manufacturing jeweler. The offspring of this union has been six children; Anna L. , born November 14, 1880; Mamie R., born November 17, 1883; Lawrence M., born July 26, 1885;

Captain Luth has a pleasant home at 1 40 1 Postoffice street in Galveston, and has made many friends during his seventeen years' residence in this city.

HNDREW L. PIERSON, the subject of this sketch, was born in the town of Billibega, Sweden, November 6, 1852, where he was reared, corning thence in 1872 to the United States as a sailor, aboard the steamship General Sedgwick, and landed at New Orleans. From that place he came to Galveston in September of the same year. Here he abandoned seafaring pursuits and began work as a laborer about the wharf. For several years he was so employed, and by industry and economy managed to save some means from his earnings. After a time he was induced by his brother-in-law to engage in manufacturing ready-made clothing, such as pants, overalls and shirts, then and still in steady demand bj' the laboring classes. This venture proved disastrous, and after eighteen months, February 21, 18S3, the business was abandoned under the partnership management.

Less than a month later, however, Mr. Pierson opened a business of his own in the same line, securing, from a friend, goods on credit to the amount of $10, with which to begin anew. His start proving successful, he rented a storeroom at $20 per month, paying $2 down on the rent, and opened his modest establishment to the public, at 161 West Market street. He subsequently made two removals before locating at his present place of business at Nos. 2722 and

2724 Market street, where he purchased property in 1889. In 1891 Mr. Pierson equipped his establishment with machinery, which he found to greatly expedite his work. In 1892 he erected his present house, a substantial, tv^'o-stor}' brick structure 42 x 75 feet, and arranged for the convenient carrying on of his business. He employs twenty-three girls and two men throughout the year, and turns out annually a large amount of manufactured goods, which he finds a ready sale for in the markets of Galveston and Houston.

On the 22d of October, 1880, Mr. Pierson married Miss Maggie Williams, of Galveston, who from that time since has materially aided him in his business, being the efficient manager of his shop and giving her personal attention to most of the details of the business in that department. To Mr. and Mrs. Pierson six children have been born, four of whom are living: Andrew, Marcus, George, and Henry. Mr. Pierson is a member of Harmony Lodge, No. 6, A. F. & A. M.

>Y*OHN JACOB WEISS. - The thought m which presents itself to the far-seeing /- 1 and conservative mind when the question is propounded as to what essentials are necessary to a man's success in business, is that they are industry, sobriety, economy and honesty, and a history of all well-established firms will corroborate this. The business career of John Jacob Weiss was marked by the most upright business methods and by a success which was well desferyed and well earned; and, although he has ioK some time past been retired from the active duties of life, the business which he established is being successfully carried on

John Jacob Weiss was born in Bavaria, Germany, March ii, 1851, a son of John and Barbara Weiss, and grandson of Jacob and Ehzabeth Weiss, all of whom were born in Germany. On the 25th of December, 1867, John Jacob Weiss landed at Galveston, Texas, a stranger in a strange land, but ver)' soon after made his way to Houston, and began learning the baker's trade under Peter Floeck, with whom he remained four years, gaining a thorough insight into the business. After leaving his services he was for some time with WilHani Rumpel, then returned to Mr. Floeck and was with him for about one year. When this period had elapsed he and Adolph Heise went into the bakery business, under the firm name of Weiss & Heise, on the west side of Congress avenue, between Main and Travis streets, but after two years of successful copartnership, Mr. Heise died, after which Mr. Weiss continued the business alone some two j'ears longer. He then sold his business to Mr. Floeck, but later opened another establishment in the Priester building, subsequently buying thestock, fixtures and good will of William Rumpel. This business he conducted successfully for eight years, when, in 1892, he admitted to a partnership his son, August J. Weiss, and his nephew, J. F. Weiss, as above stated, the style of the firm becoming J. J. Weiss & Company. The management of the establishment \\as turned o\er t(j his partners, who are thoroughly competent to look after its interests, and Mr. Weiss devotes his own attention to looking after his real-estate interests. The firm of which he is the senior member is located at 314 Preston street, and the place is in every respect first-class. Mr. Weiss is at present engaged in no particular line of business, and it is not necessary that he should be, for his early years of labor resulted profitably, and he has an abundance of this world's goods. He has always made it a rule through life to consider well before taking a decisive step, and as a result his enterprises have seldom fallen short of his expectations, but on the contrary have usually resulted to his advantage. Through his own efforts he has made his way from the bottom to the top round of the ladder, but is by no means bigoted or self-assertive. He pursues the even tenor of his way, and his kind heart and many generous and disinterested deeds of charity have made him very popular.

He was married in 1872, to Johanna Koenig, a native of Houston and daughter of August Koenig, and by her is the father of two children: August J., of whom mention has been made, and Bertha, deceased. Mr. Weiss has a beautiful home at 1406 Edmonds street, corner of Hickory street.