Galveston County, Texas - The whole text, 1895 (part 23 of 26)

On March 10, 1870, Mr. Heiman married Miss Sarah M. L. Prosh, then of Galveston, but a native of Newark, New Jersey, who died December 15, of the same _\'ear. On December 23, 1871, Mr. Heiman married Miss Augusta Biehler, a native of Galveston and a daughter of Leopold C. Biehler, an old citizen of this place. There was no issue born to his first union, but of the last there are four: Emma, born October 16, 1872; Tillie, July 19, 187C; William, October 31, 1878; and Lena, born August 27, 18S4. On .\ugust 16, 1892, the eldest daughter, Emma, was married to Stephen

Tenbiish, of Galveston, and the issue of this marriage has been one child, Wallace A., born August i6, 1S92. Mr. Heiman's second daughter, Tillic, was married Ma\- 23, 1894, to Joseph Somcrs, of Gahcston, and they have one daughter, Alljne.

John J. Heirnan, second son of Antone and Ottelia Heiman, was born in the cit3'0f Galveston, Texas, on August 27, 1851, and was here reared, learning the trade of butcher, at which he is now engaged. November 2, 1873, he married Miss Catherine Jackson, of Galveston, but has no children.

Amelia Heiman, daughter of Antone and Ottelia Heiman, was married to Jacob Jacobs in 1872, and the offspring was seven children: Ottelia, born at Hempstead, Texas, in 1874; Augusta, l.iorn at Galveston in 1876; John, born at New Hamburg, Missouri, in 1878; Lizzie, born at Bernardo Prairie, Texas, in 1880; Emil, born at Bernardo Prairie, Texas, in 1882; Nettie, born at Bernardo Prairie in 1884; and Clara, born at Bernardo Prairie in 1886. Mr. Jacobs died in September, 1886, and in September, 1887, Mrs. Jacobs married Andrew Franz, by whom she has one child living, - Edwin, born in 1888; and two deceased: Antone, born in I 891; and Adulph, born in 1892.

Mrs Ottelia Heiman, no\\' the oldest living representative of this pioneer family, deserves more than passing mention in this genealogical roll. Without etlucation, without training of any kind, solely by her industry and native strength of character, she has accumulated a comfortable fortune, has reared her children and made ample provision for them in life. Her energy is unbounded, her strong common sense rarely equaled, and her executive ability of the first order. She has not only been a mother to her children, but has been their business adviser and counselor in all their affairs. Her case affords an excellent illustration of what a woman may accomplish against great odds, and is a wholesome, cheering example to the ambitious youth of her sex.

^y'^ AVID AYERS, a soldier of the war I I of 1812, married and settled in ^^^_^ Morristown, New Jersey, his native place, where he resided until 1832, when, becoming dissatisfied, he determined on making a business venture in the Republic of Mexico. Procuring a stock of merchandise, he set out for the nearest Province of that Republic, the States of Coahaila and Texas. He landed at the mouth of the Brazos ri\'er in Texas, and there sold part of his stock of goods to local merchants, after which, proceeding into the interior, he exchanged therest for a tract of land near the present site of the town of Longpoint, in Washington county. He at once began improving this place in order to provide a home for his family. He erected a stone dwelHng-house and other substantial impro\ements, and returned to New Jersey in 1833.

He, with other intending settlers, chartered a vessel in New York, and, loading it with household effects and provisions, set sail. They arrived off the Texas coast during a gale, which drove them to the westward and ultimately wrecked their vessel on Padre island, south of the entrance to Corpus Christi bay, in June, 1834. The passengers and crew were rescued with a portion of their household effects by Mexicans, and conveyed by them to the Irish-American settlement of San Patricio on the Nueces river. Going to Longpoint, then Austin's Colony, now Washington county, Mr. Ayers procured wagons and teams and returned for his famil}' and effects, whicli he mo\ed to his place on the Brazos, a distance of 1 60 miles, as the crcnv tlies. He resided there until the trouble of 1835-6 between the American settfers and Mexican authorities broke out.

Colonel W'dliam P). Travis, tlie hero of the Alamo, was a personal friend of Mr. Ayers, and, before leaving to assume command of the Texas troops at San Antonio, he placed his son, Charles Travis, in Mr. Ayers' care, in whose family he resided for nearly two years thereafter. Upou the organization of the Texan army, he, with other volunteers, joined the patriot band. His deafness forbade him serving in the ranks, and he was on that account detailed b}- General Houston to look after the families of soldiers during the " Run Away Scrape." He accompanied these as far as Robertson's ferrj' on the Trinity river, where the news of the l^attle of San Jacinto was recei\'ed. He returned, and, after the excitement had abated, settled at old Washington-on-thc- Brazos, where he resided over a }'ear, when he purchased a place at what is now Center Hill, near Bellville, in Austin county, to which he moved and there engaged in farming and merchandising until 1847, when he removed to Galveston.

Having acquired considerable land and stock interests during the preceding ten years he devoted his atteution chiefly to their management, serving also as United States Deputy Marshal for a time. He made Galveston his home until the opening of the late war. The period of 186 1-5 he spent in the interior of the State, mostly in Bell and Milam counties. Returning to Galveston at the close of the war, this city continued to be his home until his death.

He and his wife had six children, all of whom they saw live to be grown and married. These were Mrs. I.,. P. Moore, who died in April, 1893, in Temple, Texas; Mrs. Eliza .Alexander, wife of the well-known Methoilist di\'ine (Mrs. Alexander dying at Chapel Hill, Washington county, in 1874); Mrs. Sarah S. Park, widow of Moses Park, now residing in Galveston; Mrs. Caroline Campbell, of Burton, Washington county; Captain Frank H. A}'ers, who died at Temple, Texas, in Ueceud^er, i S92 ; and D. The. Ayers, of Galveston.

Mr. Ayers was a prominent and consistent member of the Methodist Church all his life. His house w'as a home for every minister of that faith that traveled through that part of the State in the earlier days, and s(j continued to l)e as Ii-)ng as he lived.

Ide was a liberal contributor to Methodism. His last donation was for the erection of the Methodist church on Post Office and Fourteenth streets, Galveston. He died in 1878, full of years, and honored by all who knew him, his wife having preceded him to the great beyond four years earlier.

,y^^ THE. AYERS, son of David and I I Ann Af . Ayers, was born in Ithaca, J^J New York, July 21, 1828. When he was in his sixth year his parents mo\ed to Texas and settled at Longpoint, in Washington county, at which place, and at Center Hdl, in Austin county, to which they subsequently moved, the early years of the subject of this sketch were passed.

He was educated in the local schools, chiefl}- at Rutersville Academy in Fayette county, and left home at the age of fourteen to go to live with his married sister, Mrs. Moses Park, whose husband then conducted a store at Independence, in Washington county. He lived with Mr. Park some four years or longer, assisting him in the store, when, in 1S47, he enlisted in Ben McCulloch's company. Hays' regiment, for service against Mexico, and was with the forces operating under General Taylor until the close of that conflct. Returning to Independence, he again clerked in the store of his brother-in-law a short time, when, becoming discontented and hearing of the discovery of gold in California, he decided to join the overland tide of emigration and try his fortunes in' the gold-fields of the Pacific slope. Mounting his horse, one of the best in the country, he rode to Corpus Christi, at which place he had heard that numbers of emigrants from the Eastern States were constantly landing and outfitting for the journey across the plains. He took with him a letter of introduction to Thomas H. Kinney, then the chief man of means in southwestern Te.xas, whom young Ayers took occasion to call on and ask some advice concerning his contemplated move. Mr. Kinney advised against the trip and suggested in its stead that Mr. Ayers turn his attention to the horse trade, just at that time a particularly remunerative business at that place, on account of the demand for teams by those daily leaving for California. Buying mustangs from Mexican ranchers from the southwestern frontier, young Ayers resold them at a good profit to the intending goldseekers, and followed this for some time. Later he brought a considerable band of wild ponies and took them into the interior for the purpose of trading with the settlers, and was equally fortunate in this as in his former operations. Being now fully laimched in the stock business on his own account, for several succeeding years he engaged in

In 1855 Mr. Ayers sold his stock, and, marrying the same year, moved to Galveston, where he embarked in the mercantile business as a member of the firm of Riddell & Ayers, and was in business in this city under that partnership for about a year, when he disposed of his interest here and moved to La Grange. There he formed a partnership with James A. Hanie, and was in business in that city for about a year and a half, when he sold out, and, returning to Galveston opened a grocery store in connection with John D. Perry, under the firm name of Ayers cS: Perry. He was successfully engaged at this when the war came on in 1 86 1, and he closed on account of the general stagnation in trade. Retiring to a ranch in Goliad county, he remained there till 1864, when he entered the Confederate army as a member of Captain A. C. Jones' company. Ford's regiment, with which he served on the Rio Grande until the close of hostilities, taking part in all the operations in that vicinity up to the firing of the last gun, which happened to be, as history records, the final act in the great military drama of that period.

Returning to Galveston after the w^ar Mr. Ayers again embarked in mercantile pursuits, and, guided by keen practical sagacity, rapidly made money in the then favorable condition of trade. He built up a large grocery business, which after several years' successful operation he sold, in 1880, to Moore, Stratton & Company. Since that time he has been engaged in the commission business first as a member of the firm of Miller & Ayers, and latterly as the head of the firm of Ayers, Gardiner & Company.

Thus for a period of over fifty years Mr. Ayers has been connected with the business interests of Texas, and lias met with noteworthy success. By tlie exercise of industry, strong practical sense and straightforward business methods he has accumulated a handsome fortune and won an honorable name.

Mr. Ayers has lived many 3'ears on Texas soil, has known many eminent Texans, and has witnessed the makinj:; of a threat deal of Texas history. In all that he has been called on to do he has striven to discharge his duty honestly, fairly, and intelligently, and that he has succeeded in fulfilling his ideal of what a citizen, man of business, husband, father and friend should be, is an honor uni\-ersally accorded him by those who have known him well in all the various relations of life.

Mr. Ayers married, in 1855, ^fi^s Mary E. Hall, of Goliad countv, Texas, a daughter of Campbell Hall, and the offspring of this union has been eight children, three of whom, two sons, Theo. C. and Walter F., and one daughter, Emilv, are living.

HE DIRKS FAMILY, Galveston. - Frank Dirks was born in \\'estphalia, Germany, in 1S22, and at the 3ge of eighteen (1S40) came to Texas and settled at Galveston. During the earlier years of his residence in this city he was engaged in different occupations, beginning, as did most of those in his condition, as a laborer, but rising with his opportunities and eventually coming to possess some means. He was in the commissary department. Confederate service, part of the time commanded a company of local militia, but was not off Galveston island, being engaged in defense of the city and island. He served as Sheriff of Galveston county from 1866 to 1S71, and after that, until i.S;;, followed mercantile pursuits, ha\ing a grocery store at Eighteenth street and avenue M, where he lost his property by fire in the \-ear just named. In 1840, he married Maria Franklin, then of Galveston, but a native of Germany, who came to Galveston in i 840, being a daughter of Casper Franklin and a sister of the present attorney, Josejih Franklin, of Galveston. Mr. Dirks died February 10, 1S87, and his wife on the 13th day of September, 1892. For a time in later life Mr. Dirks was active in the politics of Galveston count}-, and being a man of genial disposition, free with his money, was not without friends.

The offspring of Frank and Maria Dirks was five sons, - Henr\', Philip and Albert, living; and Joseph and George, deceased; and four daughters: Wilhelmina, deceased, wife of Joseph Koester; Theresa; Frances, wife of Louis Endell; and Josephine, wife of Fred Durst. All of these were born in Galveston, and four of them, - Theresa, Henrv, Philip and Albert, - still reside here, Mrs. Endell being a resident of the city of Mexico, and Mrs. Durst a resident of Denver, Colorado. Henry was born March 27, 1855, married Nellie Shook, July 19, 1894, and is Deputy Sheriff of Galveston county; Philip was born February 16, 1867. Albert was born August 17, i860, learned the plumber and gas-fitter's trade, which he followed a number of years; married Johanna M. Jacobs, of Galveston, December 25, 1863, by whom he has had three children: Gertrude, now deceased; Albert J., and May.

he is discharging with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of those interested in the same. Mr. Dirk's election to the office of Sheriff was a merited recognition of his worth as a citizen, and may be also taken as in some measure showing the appreciation of the people of Galveston county of clean, clear-cut business methods in politics; for it is well known that Mr. Dirks conducted his candidacy during the late election upon strict business principles, refusing on all occasions to barter for votes, even by the commonly accepted means, or to toady to those supposed to be in high favor with the sovereign people.

aEPHAS B. ADAMS. - When the measure of life has reached itsultimate limit of years, as well as its perfection in fulfilment of duty, a title to distinction is earned that men are naturally impelled to recognize and respect. One may not have aspired to public honors, may even have shunned all recognition of his gifts and achievements, j-et, if his lifework is closed, and he has in his day added his share to the sum total of humanity's possessions, it is right that a proper summary of his services be made and his memory honored for the good he has done.

Cephas B. Adams was one of the first settlers of Galveston, - in a sense one of its founders. He was born in Cayuga county, New York, in 1813, was reared there, and came thence to Te.xas in the fall of 1836. For a time he lived at Houston, but in the spring of 1837 he located in Galveston, with the history of which he at once became identified, and ever afterward in some capacit}' had to do. He was one of the first Justices of the Peace ever elected in Galveston county, and has served twice as a member of the City Council, - in 1849 and 1852. He was a member of the firm of Close & Adains, owners of the first foundry established on the island, and one of the first in Texas. He assisted in organizing the first fire company. Hook and L,adder Company No. I, and was a charter member of Union Fire & Marine Insurance Company, - the pioneer insurance company of Texas.

Mr. Adams was a large investor in real estate, owning property in Galveston and other cities of Texas, and large bodies of land, improved and unimproved, in different portions of the State. He also held stock in several local corporations and lent money to help develop public and private enterprises. He can hardly be said to have been a man of strong constructive ability, but was a great conservative power in all undertakings, and, on account of his means, was serviceable in carrying on the development of the country. His judgment on matters of business was good. He possessed a clear perception and a sound intuitive knowledge of the essentials of success in financiering. He lived up to the letter of his contracts and endeavored, under all circumstances, to meet the requirements of good citizenship. There was no sentiment in anything he did, his idea being to do a thing in the plainest, most practical way and with the least possible noise, ado and friction. He was imbued with a strong attachment for his family, and when not engaged in business spent his time at home.

Mr. Adams married at Galveston, in January, 1849, Miss Martha Ann Close, a daughter of his partner in business, Hiram Close, and a native of Cayuga county, New York. By this union he had one son, Charles C, and two daughters, Martha J.

KS. ANSON JONES. - On July J4, 1819, in Lawrence county, .\rkansas Territory, Mar)' Smith was born, the first in a family of five children. Her father was John Mc- Cutcheon Smith, a natixe of Rockbridge county, Virginia, and lier mother, Sarah Pevhouse, of west Tennessee. When Mary was three years old the family moved to Conway county, Arkansas, where they lived five years, and where the early childhood impressions of the beautiful scenerj- of that section were deeply engraved upon the little girl's memory. From the year 1827 until October 23, 1833, their home was near Little Rock, where such school advantages were enjoyed as the condition of the new country afforded.

Here the father died, and at the date mentioned the widnwed mother, with h.cr little family, resolved to come to Texas, as there was a large emigration from Arkansas at that time. On the i8th of November they reached the Sabine river, and found it swollen from recent heavy rains. A raft, constructed of mulberry logs fastened together with wooden pins driven into auger holes, was made by the immigrants, who were there waiting to cross into the promised land, and on this they all crossed, about twenty families, together with their household goods The journey was attended with much delay and suffering in consequence of excessive rains and cold weather, so that thev did not reach their destination, Brazoria county, until near the first of January, 1834.

In 1835 Mrs. Smith married John Woodruff, of Brazoria county, a widower with six children. The family was farther augmented by the birth of four children, all girls, the fruit of this marriage. Mary, being the eldest, naturally shared with her mother the care of the other children, and upon the mother's death in |une, 1845, 'i"'^' the stepfather's in March, 1847, the whole responsibility of caring for the little ones devolved upon her. She cherished tender recollections of her stepfather, and always regarded the sisters h\ her mother's second marriage with the same tender affection bestowed upon those of her own father; she raised two of them, one lived with her five years, and one until married.

Settled in Brazoria county, where a large number of colonists of Stephen F. Austin had made homes, there was little incident to disturb the routiue of family life. The ordinary condition of the colonists was their's; they encountered many hardships, and suffered many privations common to life in a new and unsettled country. They had few comforts, no luxuries, but life had its pleasures, and each day brought its interests and duties. "A true pi(.)neer does not think, nor care, much for money or luxuries. "

But before the clf>se of the year 1835, a storm which had been long gathering burst upon the colonists. The invasion of their homes by armed Mexican forces excited anxiety, but the success which attended all the early engagements between the troops of Texas and Mexico was reassuring, and, until the fall of the Alamo, thtre was little apprehension that tlie colonists east of the Brazos river would be disturbed. After this terribly disastrous siege, (ollovved closely by the massacre of Fannin and his men at Goliad, panic spread throughout the country. One division of Santa Anna's army had advanced to within six miles of the home of Mr. Woodruff. Most of the colonists prepared to move their families to the other side of the Sabine river. Many of the men who were in the Te.xan army returned home to provide places of safety for their dear ones. Mr. Woodruff's family, in company with others, set out on the march toward the Sabine. Having learned that Santa Anna's ' army had reached the crossing on the San Jacinto river where they intended to cross, they left the road and sought temporary shelter in the timber on Clear creek, where they remained until after the battle of San Jacinto was fought and won.

In their hasty departure from home they were able to take with them only the actual necessaries of life, and were considered fortunate in having an ox team for transportation; on this were loaded the bedding, or rather bed covering, and ticks which could be used for filling with straw or whatever could be had for that purpose, a few cooking utensils, the clothing of the family, and bacon, coffee, corn and a steel mill for grinding. All along the roads were to be seen vehicles of every kind, followed by women and children, many of them on foot. Some hastily put a few provisions and clothing on sleds or slides, some wagons consisted of wheels cut out of solid tree trunks with an axle; often camps seemed to have been hastily abandoned. In one instance, an open trunk that had been hastily rummaged for some essential article, a lookingglass fastened to the side of a tree gave testimony of the recent possession and hasty departure of campers. The news of the

Texan army having crossed the Brazos river warned them that unless they made all possible haste they were in danger of being left a prey to Mexican rapacity. So they fled as if fleeing for their lives.

While encamped at this place the cornmill, which had been so providently placed in their wagon, furnished grinding power for thirty families. On the road from Brazoria to this point for eight miles there was a constant stream of people, many on foot, on horseback and progressing by every kind of rude conveyance that could be hastily devised.

From the retreat on Clear creek, eight miles from the battlefield, the booming of the cannon could be distinctly heard by the camped colonists, but their hearts never for an instant faltered as to the certainty of a successful issue. When the news of certain victory came, they all returned to their desolate homes, to find that everything left there had been carried away or destroyed, and again the early hardships, which had begun to lessen with the rapid settlement of the country, were renewed.

In the fall of this year, 1836, the city of Houston was laid out, and in December of the same year, Mr. Woodruff and family moved to the new city. At that time there were no houses, not even tents; so they camped, where the city of Houston now is, until a house could be built for them. There was no house of any kind for the use of men of business, who were obliged to be there. At first houses were so few that it was a singular sight to look abroad in the morning and see so many people moving about; the wonder was where they all had accommodated themselves with shelter during the night. The first church service was held under the shade of a grove, where benches, which had been sawed by a whipsaw, were arranged for seats. Lyttleton Fowler and Mr. Hose were among the early preachers here. There was soon a town full of people, and all went to work with a hearty good will to build suitable shelter for tlu- numbers daily arriving and settling.

Here, in the spring of I1S37, Marv Smith became accjuaiuted with Hugh McCrory, who had come to Texas with General Felix Houston's \-olunteer connnand to aiif Texas in her struggle for liberty. In July, a marriage license issued to them was thf first in the book of records of Harrisbiug, now Harris county. They were married July 2.3. 1837. Witliin se\en weeks the bridegroom was taken ill and died, leaving Mary a widow at the early age of eighteen. She coutinuetl to reside in Hou.-^tiui wiih her parents until the early part of June, 1839, when, the seat (.)f government having been established at Austin, they mo\ed to the new town.

Here, far from any other settlements, the citizens were in constant danger from hostile Indians, who almost every full moon would \-isit the settlement, killing or carrying off some citizen, or perhaps capturing one or two children. On account of the terrible cruelties to which they subjected prisoniTS this fate was regarded as worse than innnediate death at their hands.

In the fall of 1S39, an accpiain'tance began between Mrs. McCrory and Dr. Anson Jones, in Houst(.)n; in the sunnnei' of 1838 was renewed at Austin, and in Maw 1840, they were married, at Austin

Dr. Jones was a native of Massachusetts. He came to Texas in 1S33 and began the practice of medicine at Brazoria. From December, 1835, when he took part in a public meeting at Brazoria, being chairman of a committee which drew up and offered resolutions advocating a declaration of independence from Mexico, till the day of his death, January y, 1858, he was prominently connected with the public affairs of Texas. He was Representative from Brazoria county in the; Congress assembled at Houston in 1838, and at about the same time was appointed Minister to the United States, and was absent at Washingtt)n in this capacity for about eleven months. During his absence he was nominated and elected Senator from Brazoria county to the Texas Congress for a term of two years to fill out the unexpired term of Hon. WillianTH. Wharton, who had been accidentally killed after serving oidy a portion of his term. This brought Dr. Jones to the new seat of government at Austin, where he and his wife C(jntinued to li\e until after the expiration of his term of office, when they moved to Columbia, twelve miles from Brazoria, in the eilge of Oyster creek timber, Brazoria county, his former home, and he there resumed the practice of medicine. From the time of her marriage Mrs. |ones' life became closely identified with the leading events of the coimtry, particularly with e\'er\' measure in which her husband took part, and he was continually holding important positions under the government of the Republic of Texas. A soldier as well as surgeon at the battle of San Jacinto, from the first organization of the government he was almost continuallx' in its service until the final act of annexation to the United States. Amiexation was a pet scheme of his, long before the measure became sufficiently popular to become a public measure of government policy. As Secretary of State under General Houston he fostered the measure, and finally it was under his administration as President of the Republic that the change of government took place. On the 19th of Februar}', 1846, President Jones in an impressive and touching address announced the change in these words, "The Repubhc of Texas is no more.'' At the same moment the Texas flag was lowered to give place to the Stars and Stripes. This occurred at the old log State-house at Austin.

The seat of government had been moved from Austin to Washington in the fall of 1843, and on January 29, 1843, Dr. Jones and his family moved there, or rather to a farm four miles from Washington on the road to Chapel Hill and Independence. This farm was called Harrington, Dr. Jones having named his home in honor of Great Barrington township, Massachusetts, where he was born. At Harrington their youngest child was born, the elder near the same place, and Mrs. Jones dispensed a liberal hospitality. Here she was known for her charities. Many a poor family migrating to Texas, with all their worldy goods hauled by a surly team, in need of medicine, clothes and food, has been supplied with all from her well-furnished stores. In those days and in that locality everything was brought in wholesale quantities, and trunks of dry goods, as well as barrels of all kinds of groceries were at hand to administer, if need be, to the wants of the destitute, and ever}' planter's wife knew enough of medicine to give from a simple laboratory such remedies as would relieve the diseases of the country. Mrs. Jones was truly a lady bountiful, and bestowed favors with a generous hand and sympathetic heart.

In January, 1858, Dr. Jones died, and on January 29, of the same year, just fifteen years after moving to the farm in Washington county, his widow and her four children moved to Galveston, where they lived nearly one year. In December, 1858, they moved to a farm in Harris county, situated on Goose creek, about ten miles from Lynchburg. From this place the children were sent to school in Galveston until the beginning of the civil war in 1861. when a school was established at a short distance by Mr. and Mrs. Kemp, who were in turn succeeded by Mr. Preston, who had a flourishing school there for some years.

In this quiet country home Mrs. Jones managed her Itttle farm with a skill born of practical knowledge, which made it a model in the neighborhood. An early riser, a keen observer, everything about house, garden, dairy and farm showed the result of her untiring industry and observant scrutiny; neatness and regularity pervaded every department. Her children's studies also claimed a .large share of her attention, and by her clear judgment, her careful training in distinct enunciation and exactitude of pronunciation in their school days, she not only aided their teachers, but gave them necessary training too often neglected by careless mothers and which in after years no education can supply. In the truest sense of the word she was a mother who appreciated the responsibilities resting upon her as the guardian of the moral no less than of the physical and mental well-being of her children, and her moral precepts carried with them the additional weight of example. It was from this country home that Mrs. Jones' elder sons, Samuel and Charles, went forth at the beginning of the civil war to join the Confederate army as members of Company C, Dr. Ashbel Smith, Captain, Second Texas Regiment cf Infantry, Colonel Moore commanding. Charles never returned, was mortally wounded at the battle of Shiloh, April 7, 1862; the date of his death and place of his burial were never known. The hope was long indulged that as a prisoner his wounds might heal and he he returned t<j his sorrowing mother; but time dispelled all such vain hopes. He was a youth of brilliant parts and great promise, and his untimelydeath filled to overflowing his mother's cup of sorrow, alread}' full Like nian_\- another brave Southern woman, at that time her life was sorrowful \et dutiful, and through her tears she saw the path that the living nuist tread beset with briars and thorns though it might be.

Her youngest son, Cromwell Anson, studious from his earliest childhood, determined to qualify himself for the practice of law, and in 1871 went to Houston for that purpose. Her only daughter, Sallie, having married R. G. Ashe, made her home at San Jacinto. Samuel als(j ha\ing married, Mrs. Jones left her lonely luime and moved to San Jacinto at a sliort distance from the battle-ground. la 1S75 she, together with her daughter's famih', moved to Willis, where they lived until December 16, 1879, when, after an absence of forty \'ears, Houston again became Mrs. Jones' home. Her son, Cromwell Anson, the young lawyer, had speedily acquired great popularity and had been for some years Judge of the County Court of Harris county, respected for his \'irtues, admired for his talents, endowed with gifts which would have guaranteed him a prominent place in the affairs of the State. Everything seemed to promise a tranquil, happ\- old age to his mother, whose delight was in his congenial society. But on January 19. 1888, death removed him from their family circle, where he was the idol. To use his m jther's own words, "In the midst of his usefulness, in the bloom of young manhood, he was called from labor below to labor above, in that better life. Oh, the blackness of that pall of sorrow I held in my heart of hearts, as one, ajiart from all other beings, so thoughtful, so gentle had lie ever been in bestowing filial care upon an aged mother."

Few women ha\e incurred greater hardships in eaiiv life, and not many ha\-e drained the cup of sorrow with greater fortitude than Mi"S. Jones. Truly her sorrows ha\'e been great, but the bitterness of grief have iKjt tainted the sweetness of her life. H,i\ing lived from childhood to old age in Te.xas, the sacred sentiment of patriotism is deeply rooted in her heart, and second only to her love for her own family may be ranked her pride in Te.xas and her love for its institutions. As president of the Daughters of the Republic, of Te.xas, she occupies a position which none other could fill with e(]ual fitness. But while febleness prevents her acti\'e participation in man}' of the affairs of the societ}', she inspires and advises.

Two children remain to comfort her declining }ears; Dr. S. E. Jones, the eldest son, a successful practitioner of dentistry, who with his son Elliott resides with her; and her daughter, Mrs. R. G. Ashe, who with her husband and interesting family live in the same cit}'. President Anson Jones, her husband; Cromwell Anson, her son; and Willie G. Ashe, a beloxed granddaughter, rest in Glenwood cemetery at Houston.

In all the \'aried experiences of Mrs. Jones' life she has sho\\n remr-rkable strength of character. A companion to her husband in e\'ery sense of the word, he made her acquainted with all tlie details of his business; these her quick mind grasped and compreh.'ndcd. so that, when his sudden death left h i the sole guardian of their family of four children, she found herself possessed of business qualifications of incalculable value in the management of their estate. At once the responsibilities of guardian, parent and teacher rested upon her alone, and she fulfilled the duties of each with a precision and exactitude to excite the admiration of her friends, and always with the welfare and happiness of her children the one object in view.

Mrs. Jones' character is shown in her strongly marked features, which are clear cut, her steady grey eyes, which express sincerity and decision, and the firmness of the tones of her voice, as well as in the distinctness of her enunciation; all these indicate that with her there is no wavering to this side or that, where truth or right is concerned. Her memory is good, exact even in minute particulars, and running over the events of her early life in Texas with the same exactitude as in regard to an occurrence of yesterda}-.

"' Ah iirbc condita" - "From the founding of the cit\-, " - ran the phrase by which the ancient Romans reckoned time. Historical events, the origin of their institutions, the genesis of their families and the rise of their great names, were all referred to the festal occasion on which the Sabine maidens were seized and the city was established by Romulus and Remus, The city of Houston was founded by two brothers, and while there is a tinge of romance connected with their scheme to lay out the capital of a new republic in a wilderness there is nothing obscure or legendary respecting their purposes or the manner in which they went at their work. Houston has no mythology.

Its architects vvere announced and their plans were known. Its foundation-stones were laid in the full blaze of the noonday sun, and the people of a whole republic were interested spectators. It was the conception of two enterprising New Yorkers, Augustus C. and John K. Allen. This city also became, a short time afterward, the home of the four remaining brothers of the family, and this led later to the parents' removal to Texas.

The father of the Allen brothers was Roland Allen, a native of New York, born in the village of Saratoga in the year 1780. He was of Scotch-Irish origin and reared an orphan. At about the age of twenty-five he married Sarah Chapman, also a native of Saratoga, New York, and a daughter of Benjamin Chapman, a Captain in the Revolutionary war. About 1S05 Roland Allen, accompanied by his wife, moved to the Indian village of Canasoragua, in what is now Madison county. New York, and was successively a resident of that place, Orrville, Chattanango, Mexico and Baldwinsville in the same State, in each of which places he was engaged at his trade as a blacksmith and manufacturer of fine edged tools. A man of industrious habits, enterprising spirit, clear-sighted and intelligent, he was instrumental in establishing a number of manufacturing concerns in his native State, in one or two of which he acquired considerable interest and made some money. He resided in New^ York until about the year 1838, when he came to Texas and settled on Galveston bay, where he died some four years later.

His wife's death occurred about a year before his, and the remains of both were buried at the old burying-ground in Houston. They were plain, substantial people, trained after the manner of training the young a centur}' ago, being thrifty, hard-working, economical, home-loving and God-fearing. Both were lifelong members of the Presbyterian Church. They were the parents of eight children, seven of whom, si.\ sons and one daughter, became grown. All of the sons, Augustus C, Samuel L., John K., George, Henry R., and Harvey, became early residents of this city. Full personal sketches of the eldest three will be found elsewhere in this \'olume. George Allen had issue: John I-C., Sam and George. Henry R. Allen had issue: Mary, wlio was married to Dr. M. Perl, of Houston; Roland, whcj died in Houston some }'ears ago, unmarried; Susie, who was married to Dr. A. H. Schildt, of Duluth, Minnesota; and Maggie, who was married to John Owens, of the same place. Harvey Allen had issue: Orcinth Fisher; Emmet, who died in Houston a few years ago; Myrtle, the wife of James Hancock, of Beeville, Texas; and Harve}', of Los Angeles, California. The only daughter of Roland and Sarah Allen, Mrs. Mary |ane Birdsell, left a son, since deceased, and a daughter, who is now Mrs. Hull, of Brookl}-n, New York.

George Allen, fijurth son of Roland and Sarah Allen, was born in New York and was rearecf in his native State, enjo3'ing but slender educational advantages, his boyhood and youth being taken up with industrial and mercantile pursuits. He came to Texas in the spring or early summer of 1836 and located at Nacogdoches, where he engaged in merchandising in partnership with John S. Roberts. He married Miss Harriet E. Fenly, of Nacogtloches, June 16, 1837, and in the fall of the next year moved to Houston, where he continued in the mercantile business up to the time of his death, in 1854.

He suffered heav}' financial losses, chief])' by becoming surety for others, but he discharged his obligations of every nature whatever, and died N\ith untarnished reputation. He left a widow anil three sons, the sons being John K., Sam and George. The widow subsequently marrietl again, and died in Houston in 1873, leaving one child, a daughter, by the second marriage. Of the sons John K. resides at Asia, Polk county; Sam at Houston; and George in McCulloch countv, - all in this State.

hs^_y the Bayou City's healthiest products, a thorough-going, self-made business man, is a representative of that large family of Aliens whose histor}' is so intimately connected the history of this city, and mention of whom appears so many times in the pages of this work. He is the second son of George and Harriet Allen (see sketch of the Allen family), and was born May 26, 1843. Reared in Houston he has passeiJ his entire life here, except the period covered by the late war, and has in one way and another become closely connected with the Social life and business interests of the place.

The first event of importance in his own career was his enlistment in the Confederate army, which occurred in the spring of 1861, he then being a few months past eighteen. He joined Company B, Second Texas Infantry, with which he began acti\e service in Mississip[ii in the fall of the same year. His connnand being part of the detachment of Texas troops sent east of the Miss'ssippi to assi.-;t in repelling the iiuasion of the Federal armies under Grant and Buell, he was in all the engagements fought by the western army, beginning with the battle of Shiloh and ending with the fall of Vicksburg. He was captured at Vicksburg with his command, but entered it again on its reorganization in Texas, after the paroling of the Confederate troops at Vicksburg, and served with it during the remainder of the war, exclusively in this State and mainly along the coast in the vicinity of "Galveston. At the close of the war Mr. Allen became clerk for his uncle, Samuel L , in the cotton and commission business at Houston, and was with him in this capacity for three years. In 1868 he opened a lumber-yard in Houston and began the lumber business. This business grew rapidl}' with the general growth of the cit\' which began about that date, and has continued to grow ever since. Mr. Allen owns an interest in sawmills at Asia, Corrigan, Mobile and Mulvey, in this State, besides large tracts of timber lands in different counties, and stock in manufacturing, commercial and financial enterprises in the city of Houston. He ranks as one of Houston's men of means, and every dollar that he has represents the result of his own labor since the close of the war.

He married, in Houston, February 20, 1867, Miss Frances lone Spence, a native of Robertson county, Texas, and a daughter of Isaac C. and Martha Ann Spence. Mrs. Allen's parents moved to Texas, about i 840, from Beardstown, Illinois, but were natives of Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Allen have had seven children, all of whom are living, these being Percy, Baltus, Hortense, lone, Eugene, Jennie, and Ruth L. Mr. Allen and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, and he is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Holland Lodge, No. I, of Houston.

1'^^ - After an active and useful life \ W he whose name heads this sketch was called from this world on the 1 6th of June, 1894, his death resulting from heart failure. He was born in Schleswig- Holstein, German)', and while growing up learned the trade of shoemaking. In 1852 he decided to seek his fortune in America, and brought with him quite a large sum of money, which, with the usual German thrift and foresight, he had accumulated, and was thus enabled to purchase some property and erect him a home on Seventeenth and I streets, in Galveston.

The first year of his residence in Texas was spent in La Grange, Fayette county, but the year 1854 was spent in traveling in the North with his family, and some time was spent in Terre Haute, Indiana. The climate of the North did not please him and he returned to Galveston, where he ever afterward made his home and with the interests of which he warmly identified himself. During the many years of his residence here he was in the employ of Messrs. Spooks & Leinbach, early boot and shoe makers of this city, and being a skillful, competent and faithful workman, his services were highly valued by his employers. In 1862 he joined the State militia raised in Galveston and participated in the recapture of the city, January i, 1863, as well as having helped to defend it in 1862. His good judgment and economical spirit led to the accumulation of considerable worldly goods, and in 1875 he was enabled to retire from the active duties of life and thereafter to enjoy the fruits of his early industry and the society of the many friends he had made.

daughter of John H. and Maria Ebeling, who were wealthy mill owners and reared to maturity the remarkable large family of twenty-three children. Mr. Ebeling was a shrewd and practical man of business, and established each of his sons and sons-in-law in business as soon as they were married. To Mr. and Mrs. Hansen five children were given, who were named as follows: Theresa (Mrs. Grimpczynski); George C. ; O. Fredricka; B. Setma (Mrs. Theodore Beng), and M. Thirza, - all of whom, with their widowed mother, are members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Hansen was an excellent citizen, provided well for his family, and, being quite domestic in his tastes, derived the greatest enjoyment from the society of his wife and children, and upon his death left to them the heritage of an honest name as well as a considerable amount of this world's goods. He enjoyed remarkably good health, was ne\-er sick a day in his life, and his sudden death was a severe blow to his many friends as well as to his ow'n immediate family. He was a worthy member of the church and was active in church work.

@USTAVE A. MEYER. - This free country of America affords numberless instances of men who have made their way alone in life, and such men are ah\'ays self-reliant, their necessities having taught them that what is done must be done through themselves alone. In considering the gentlemen of this class in Galveston the name of Gustave A. Meyer forcibly suggests itself, for the reason that he has made his way in the world by the force of his own talents.

and in that town, which is the principal seaport of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, he received the greater part of his education. In 1856 he accompanied his parents, John H. and Dorothea (Brandt) Meyer, to America, and for one year they resided on and tilled a rented farm near Cat Springs, Austin county, Texas. The following year the father purchased a farm of 200 acres of George Willrich, of Fayette county, and on this estate Mr. Meyer resided until his death in 1888, at the patriarchal age of ninety-one years. His wife was called from life in 1884. They reared a family of seven children, viz.: Charles, deceased; Louisa, widow of Herman Schroeder and now a resident of Galveston; Wilhelmina, wife of Fedor Soder, of Paige, Texas; Fritz, deceased; Sophia, deceased; Augusta, deceased; and Gustave A.

After coming to America Gustave A. Meyer remained with his parents on the farm for several years until 1864, when he removed to Brownsville, Texas, and while in that city the Federal troops invaded the State at that place. He was thus cut off from his friends and home, and so he made his way into Mexico, locating in \'ictoria. State of Tamaulipas, and was there engaged in merchandising up to 1867. He then returned to Texas b}' way of New Orleans, and for two years worked for the hardware firm of E. Schmidt & Company, of Houston, during which time two changes were made in the firm, although Mr. Meyer occupied the position of principal salesman until his departure in 1 869. He then started a brokerage business in the city of Houston, being one of the ver}' first to engage in this line of endeavor, and was principally engaged in buying and selling bonds and doing a small banking business.

came bookkeeper for the firm of Lowenstein & Elias, wholesale tobacco and sugar dealers, and was with this firm for two years. In 1S72 he established himself in his present business, continuing alone up to 1890, when he transferred the active transaction of the business to one of his nephews, Charles A. Schroeder, and J. A. Labarthe, who were associates for about one year. From May, 1890, until the fall of 1893, Mr. Meyer was engaged as a shipper, but in September, 1893, he again embai-ked in realty dealing by associating himself with his nephew, Mr. Schroeder, and the firm then became known as Meyer & Schroeder. However, in 1894 Mr. Meyer again took full charge of the business, in which he is now prospering. He is one of the best posted, experienced and reliable real-estate dealers in the city. During his residence in Houston he was an Alderman of the city for two years from the Third ward. He is a member of several social clubs, and has been a member of the Cotton Exchage since 1884, has been a member of the Chamber of Commerce almost ever since its existence, and is also an honorary member of the Washington Guards of this city.

He was married in November, 1880, to Mrs. Carolina (Kortegas) Koenig, a native of Brunswick, Germany. She and her sister came to this country in 1855, and in the Lone Star State she has since made her home. Mr. and Mrs. Mej-er have no children.

Mr. Henry Heyen, who is well and favorably known in the city of Galveston as a prompt and energetic, as well as a successful business man, carries on his meatmarket at the corner of Center street and avenue O.

His father, Henry Heyen, Sr. , now deceased, came to Galveston from his native country, Germany, at a very early date. He was born at Bremen and early in life entered upon seafaring life. Later he became master of a vessel and first visited Texas and the port of Galveston in the year 1839, when he put in here for repairs, having encountered a storm in the gulf while bound for Mexican ports. At that time a few cabins marked the spots where now stand some of Galveston's most imposing and costly public buildings and business blocks. After making the necessary repairs to his vessel Mr. Heyen continued on his voyage. In 1844 his ship once more headed for Galveston, where he landed a miscellaneous cargo and quit the sea. He was not only a navigator, but a practical mechanic as well, and had a thorough knowledge of the art of shipbuilding. Soon after locating" in Galveston he opened a yard for the building and repairing of small craft, and as this enterprise filled a long existing demand, he made money. At that time he was a comparatively young man, full of enterprise and ambitious for the future. His shipyard was located at the foot of Twenty-sixth street, and a number of years later he opened a store in the immediate vicinity and conducted both enterprises up to about 1849. He then removed to Velasco, but remained there only until about 1852, when he returned to the Island Cit}' and embarked in the grocery business, at the corner of Church and Twenty-sixth streets. There his death occurred in 1866.

Henry Heyen, the subject of this sketch, is the eldest son of Henry Heyen, Sr. , and was born at Velasco, November 10, 1S51. He learned the butcher's business at Galveston, and after embarking in that industry', in 1 88 2, has followed it since with more than an ordinary degree of success. In business matters he is trustworthy and reliable, and as a citizen is well liked. He was married November 16, 1883, to Miss Maggie Jack, a native of Londonderry, Ireland. They have one child, whose name is John Joseph Heyen.

\RCUS HAMMER is a native of Germany, born in 1850. Hisparents, Marcus and Metta Hammer, were natives of the same place. Young Hammer was educated at Flemsburg, and in 1865, when but a boy, started out in life for himself as a sailor on a German ship. In 1867 he crossed the ocean to New Orleans, on the ship "Wild Hunter," a Boston vessel. From New Orleans he came to Galveston on a coaster, and a few days after landing was taken with yellow fever. Recovering and liking the city he decided to remain, and he soon secured a position with Mr. Kruger in a restaurant in the coffee stands of the market. He remained with this gentleman until the spring of 1878, when he went to St. Louis, where he continued one year, returning to Galveston in the fall of 1S79. Here he accepted a position as bar-keeper for Peter Bock, but subsequently purchased a coffee stand in the market. Later he purchased Peter Bock's bar on the northeast corner of Market and Twentieth streets, where he controls one of the largest trades in the city. Mr. Hammer was married in 187 1, to Miss Louisa Fouser, a native of Germany, who came to Texas in 1 87 1. Of the ten children born to -this union only four reached mature years, namely: Katie, wife of Victor Vilas; August, who was drowned in the ba\', March 4, 1894, aged eighteen years; Marcus, fifteen years of age, drowned at the same time; and Marie. Mrs. Hammer, who was an earnest member of the Lutheran Church, died in 1883, when thirty-three years old. In the year 1884 or '5 Mr. Hammer wedded Miss Frederica Berlacher, a native of Galveston, and a daughter of Henry Berlacher, who came to Galveston in 1857. To this union only one child has been born, Edward, who is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hammer are b(.)th worthy members of the Lutheran Church.

Mr. Hammer has shown his appreciation of secret organizations by becoming a member of the I. O. O. F., Herman Lodge, No. 5; the K. of P., Schiller Lodge, No. 46; K. of H., Gah'eston Lodge, No. 774; and Sons of Hermann, Gulf Lodge, No. 36, of which Mr. Hammer is Treasurer. He is also a member of manj^ of the social clubs of the city. In 1872 he became a member of the Volunteer Fire Department, Washington, No. I, and continued as such until it became a paid department. At that time he was vice-president of the department. Politically Mr. Hammer has always advocated the principles of the Democratic party, but takes little interest, personally, in the politics of the day.

It is something to be proud of, and the world is better for the life of every successful man. P. S. Wren, chief clerk in the department of the United States Collector's office of the port of Galveston, and a capable and trustworthy official, has met with more than ordinary success in the various enterprises in which he has engaged, all the result of his industry and perseverance. He is a product of the grand old State of Virginia, born in Powhatan county, July 14, 1S42, and his parents, Joseph and Julia (Samson) Wren, were natives of the same State.

The Wren family came originally from Wales andsettled in this country at a period antedating the Revolution. The first member to reach this coast was the great-grandfather of our subject, who settled in Fairfax county, and there passed the remainder of his days. He was a soldier in the war for independence. His son, Robert Wren, the grandfather of our subject, moved to Powhatan county, that State, when a young man, and there married Miss Sublett. He followed the occupation of planter, but was also a minister of the Christian faith, and erected a church on his own land, preaching the gospel for thirty years. On the Sunday preceding his death, which occurred when he was eighty-four years old, he preached a long and learned sermon and his death occurred the following Wednesday. He left four sons and one daughter, - Joseph, James, William, Robert and Martha. Joseph Wren, the father of our subject, followed in the footsteps of his father as an agriculturist, but was a man of superior education for his day. He was a man of original mind, and possessed great ability to grasp a subject and present it in a logical and intelligent manner. Although too old to take part in the civil war, he espoused the cause of the

South. Like his father he lived to a good old age, dying in 1878, when eighty-two years old. His worthy companion had passed away in 1866. Their children, five in number, were named as follows: Peter R., of Lynchburg, Virginia, served in the Confederate army; Powhattan S. ; Martha C, now the wife of W. A. Heffewan, resides in Lynchburg; William H., deceased, was the proprietor of a popular hotel in White Springs, Florida, and for some time was Mayor of the town; Fannie L. , wife of R. B. Parrott, of Waco, Texas.

Mr. P. S. Wren diligently availed himself of all the advantages offered for an education in his native county, attending select schools, etc., and when thirteen years of age accepted a position in the shoe store of W. P. W. Taylor, at Richmond, Virginia. There he remained until April 21, 1861, when he was mustered into the Confederate service as a member of Company D, First Virginia Regiment Infantry, uncer Captain J. J. Griswold and Colonel P. T. Moore. Soon after this liis health failed and he was sent home, where he remained until a short time before the battle of Seven Pines, when he rejoined his company and participated in that battle. Later he was detailed for railroad duty on the Richmond & Danville railroad, and was made station agent at Danville until the close of the war.

On his return home he found his family at Manchester. Mr. Wren soon found a position on the Richmond cS: Danville railroad, a position he held until he came to the Lone Star State in the spring of 1867 (June 18). Locating first in Galveston, he remained there but a short time, and then went to Clear Creek, in Galveston county, Texas, where he was engaged in manual labor for one month, after which McNeil &

Company made him manager of their store and brick} ard. He remained at Clear Creek until 1S68, when he accepted the position as cotton clerk on the C, H. & H. Railroad, and continued to discharge the duties of tlie same until 1872, when he accepted a position with the Southern Cotton Press Manufacturing Company as clerk. After occupying this position for a year he returned to the G., H. & H. as down freight agent.

On the I 2th of November, 1S74, he was married to Miss Mattie Campbell, a daughter of Dr. Clark Campbell. In the fall of 1875 he became a member of the firm of Saady Hobart & Company, cotton buyers of Galveston, and in March, 1877, he was appointed City Clerk by the Mayor, D.C. Stone. So ably did he discharge the duties of that position that he was elected to the same four years in succession. In 1880 he was elected County Clerk, and resigned his former position to accept the latter. The office was one for which he was well qualified and he served si.x years, being three times elected. During the latter part of 1886 he accepted a position as Chief Clerk and Deputy Collector under C. C. Sweeney, the Collector of Customs at that time. During President Harrison's administration he was engaged m the real-estate and abstract business. He was appointed by Colonel George P. Finlay to the position of Chief Clerk and Deputy Collector of the Custom House, July 17, 1893, a position he now h(jlds.

He has been Notary Public for many years and was the first Register of voters after the registration law went into effect. He was elected a member of the Board of Aldermen in 1893, being elected Alderman at large, and shortly afterward resigned.

Eminently successful in all his undertakings Mr. Wren is a good type of that class of men, who, not content in remaining in the position to which they were born, have pushed forward, and l)y creating and becoming connected with enterprises of more than ordinary importance have become public benefactors. Though still in the prime of life he has become the recipient of repeated and well-deserved honors from his fellow citizens which mark the esteem in which he is held.

His marriage has lieen blessed by the birth of six living children, namely: Clark C, Powhattan S., Jr., Joseph Goree, Julia, Carnic and Francis J. Two children are deceased.

When liut twelve years old he went to Mobile, Alabama, where he made his home until 18G2, when he enlisted in the Confederate army and served during the war. He came to Galveston after the surrender, and engaged in handling cotton as foreman of a crew of screwmen until 1878, when he became a member of the firm of Man waring & Benson, stevedores. Some time afterward Charles C. Sweeney became a member of the firm and continued as such until after the death of Mr. Manwaring, when the firm was dissolved. For four or five years following this Mr. Benn had no settled occupation, but in 1889 he embarked in the business now carried on by his son, J. H. Benson, and carried this on with success until his death June 8, 1891. For nearly thirty years he has been connected the stevedore business, carrying on successfully and creditably this important branch of the shipping interest at Galveston. His wife, who, when he married her, bore the name of Amelia Blackman, maiden name Rickmers, died in 1887. She was a native of Galveston and of German origin, her parents having settled in this city over forty years ago. The nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Benson were named as follows: Joseph H., Thomas J., Robert, Katie (deceased), Ciiarles, Madaline, Adelia, Amelia and William (deceased).

Joseph H. Benn (called Benson) was born in Galveston, August 25, 1865, and he was reared and educated here in this city. On leaving the school-room he engaged in stevedoring, which has since occupied his attention. He succeeded his father in this business, and is meeting with the success which industry, integrity and faithfulness always command.

On the 2 1st of April, 1S91, Mr. Benn married Miss Annie Williams, a native of Galveston, and a daughter of William and Mary Williams, who came to Galveston soon after the war, Mr. Williams being engaged in the cotton business in the city until his death in 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Benn have one child, a son, named Joseph. Mr. Benn was reared in the Episcopal faith, Mrs. Benn in the Catholic.

aAPTAIN JOHN E. HELMER. - Although the life of this worthy man has not been without the substantial evidences of success, it has by no means been an uneventful one, and yet he has quietly and consistently pursued the even tenor of his way and has been a useful citizen. He is one of the oldest captains on the salt boats of the bay trade and has become well and favorably known, especially along the Texas coast.

He owes his nativity to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he was born in 1842, and in the high school of that city he secured an education of a practical and useful kind. At the very early age of six years he accompanied his uncle as a cabin boy on board the latter's sailing vessel and remained with him for four years, the first two years being under the immediate and kindly instruction of his relative. At the expiration of the four years he began attending school and continued to do so every year until he had reached the age of fifteen, when he became a sailor on board a Norwegian brig and followed this calling along the coast of Norway and Sweden until 1861, when he came to America, the voyage thither being made in the Peter Maxwell, belonging to the St. John and New Brunswick trade. He served as second mate on board this vessel.

A landing was made in Mobile bay, Alabama, and while in the city of Mobile he became an American citizen. The great civil war was in progress in this country at that time, and Captain Helmer was busily employed in running a boat from Mobile to Key West and New Orleans, and, like many others was engaged in blockade running. He was captured in 1865, shortly before the close of the war, and was held a prisoner until hostilities terminated, when he was released in the city of New Orleans. He immediately returned to Mobile, where he continued to live until 1872, in which year he came to Galveston on his own sailing vessel, and since that time has been profitably oc-

Realizing that "it is not good for man to live alone, " he was married in 1S69 to Miss Louisa Underwood, a native of Demopolis, Alabama, and they have had nine children. Two died in early infancy, and those living are named as follows: Charles A'.; Mollie, wife of W. G. Blagge; John E., Jr., Alexander, George, .\lbert and Cecilia.

M. JOIvDAN was born in the city of Galveston, on the 12th day of March, 1847. His father, Michael Jordan, was born in Cork, Ireland, and when but a lad came to the United States with his parents and settled with them in Boston. There he remained and attended school until about seventeen years of age, when he took passage on a vessel for Mobile, Alabama, but later landed in Galveston, when he was about eighteen years of age. From there he went to Houston, where he learned the baker's trade of John Kennedy. He served in the Mexican war as a regular soldier for some time, but subsequently was detailed as a baker, and remained in that capacity until the war ended. During a severe engagement he was taken prisoner by the Mexican forces, and was compelled to work on the streets of the city of Mexico with a ball and chain attached to him. Following the war he returned to his native city, and was there married to Miss Mary Cocoran. Their children, four in number, three sons and one daughter, were named as follows: Michael M. ; David Crockett, born October 10, 1849;

Michael M. Jordan, the eldest of the family, passed his boyhood and youth in Galveston, and after reaching man's estate engaged in the grocery business. This he continued for several years, or until 1873, when he received the appointment of Deputy Chief of Galveston's City Police Force, and served in that capacity for four )'ears. In the year 1877 he and his mother spent several months visiting friends and relatives in Wisconsin, and upon his return home, in 1878, he was appointed Chief of Police, a position he held until 1S79. He next embarked in the grocery business at Twentyfourth and Church streets, and continued in this until 1883, when he was again appointed Chief of Police. He held this position until 1893, displaying great circumspection, personal courage and wisdom in the discharge of his duties, Mr. Jordan has been one of the chief founders of the Volunteer Fire Department of Galveston and served as foreman of the same from 1 868 to 1877.

^VOHN H. SNEED, deceased. - In the m jear 1835 John Sneed, a native of A 1 Virginia, but for some 3'ears previous thereto a resident of Huntsville, Alabama, came to Texas, bringing with him his family, a considerable number of slaves and household goods, aboard the schooner Elizabeth, from New Orleans. The schooner was wrecked at the tnouth of the Brazos and most of its cargo lost. From that point Mr. Sneed made his way o\'erland with ox teams to the old Mexican town of Tenoxtitlan, in what is now Burleson county, and from there proceeded to San Felipe in Austin

He was living at San Felipe when the troubles broke out between the settlers and the Mexican authorities in the fall of 1835, and when the army began its retreat from the Colorado he was one of the number detailed by General Houston to look after the families during the historic ' ' Runaway- Scrape." It has been recorded that in that precipitate flight many were the mishaps that befell the frightened settlers. One of these, and a serious one for the time, came to Mr. Sneed, it being no less than the breaking down of the cart in which he was conveying his wife and children beyond the reach of the enem}\ Mr. Sneed was left by the other settlers on the roadside to repair his cart as well as he could in the general fright and confusion, while the others pressed on for the Trinity river. While so engaged he was overtaken by a band of Indians, who, learning of the runaway, had followed in its wake to pilfer and murder. For a time he was in great peril, the Indians threatening to put him and all his family to the tomahawk, but their lives were spared through the intervention of one or two influential members of the band, who recognized in Mrs. Sneed one who had several times befriended them, furnishing them with food and some trivial personal adornments when they were passing her home near San Felipe.

In 1837 Mr. Sneed moved to Houston, where his wife died the following year, and which place he made his home until his death in 1S52. He had been a man of considerable wealth in Alabama and brought some means with him to Texas, as already stated; but the unsettled condition of the country for three or four years after he came out prevented his carrying out his plans of opening a large plantation; and after his removal to Houston he lived modestly, but maintained to the end of his days the esteem and good will of those among whom he lived. To him and his wife six children were born, - four daughters and two sons. His eldest, Eliza Harvey, was married to Fielding Secrest, a Texas patriot who took part in the battle of San Jacinto, being a member of General Houston's staff. Mr. Sneed's eldest son, Farley Thompson Sneetl, became grown, settled on the Brazos river in Fort Bend county, where he was assassinated about 1840; Herman Bird Sneed, the second son, died on the Mississippi river of cholera in 1849; Sarah W. was married to James W. Wood, whom she survives and now resides in Galveston; Sophia W. died unmarried; Susan V. was three times married, - first to Erastus Webb, second to William Stephens, and th.ird to J. B. Sheridan, whom she survives and now resides in the city of Galveston.

aAPTAIN JAMES W. WOOD, deceased, a former well-known citizen of Galveston, was a native of Pennsylvania, where he was born in the j'ear 1808. He came to Texas in 1844, and in 1845 niarried Miss Sarah Williamson Sneed, a daughter of John H. and Elizabeth Sneed, then residing in Houston, who came from Alabama to Texas in 1835. See sketch of John H. Sneed elsewhere in this volume. In December, 1845, James W^ Wood and wife settled in Galveston, and for many 3'ears following that date Captain Wood was connected with the shipping interests of this port. He owned the boat Colonel Wood, which he brought with him to Texas, and placed in trade on Buffalo bayou, between

Galveston and Houston and Trinity and Brazos river points. He acquired an interest in several small craft plyinj; on Galveston bay and iii the coast trade, and held a prominent place among the business men of the community. He died at Galveston, July 4, 1858, a man of recognized worth and a much-respected citizen. Surviving him he left a widow and two sons, - John B. and James W., Jr. The elder of the sons died young, but the widow and the other son are still li\-ing, being residents of Galveston.

The present James W. Wood was born in the city of Galveston on the i ith day of April, 1853, and was reared in Galveston and Houston. He has held \arious clerical positions in these two cities during the past twenty-two years, and has an extensive business acquaintance in each, having been clerk for E. Mather, of Houston, bookkeeper for the Southern " Compress Company, of Galveston, and for the Houston Direct Navigation Company, five years Chief Clerk in the County and District Clerks' oi^ces of Harris county, for six years clerk in the offices of the Mallory Steamship Company at Galveston, impost clerk in the Galveston Custom-house during two administrations, and recording and shipping clerk for the Elder-Dempster Steamship line at Galveston.

^VOHN C. WORTHAM, present Tax m Collector of Galveston county, is a A 1 native of Texas, having been born in Palestine, Anderson county, August 22, 1853. His father was Thomas J. C. Wortham, and his mother bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Cash, the former a native of Tennessee, the latter of Louisiana. The senior Mr. Wortham emigrated with his family to Texas in 1849 and settled at Palestine, where he resided until the fall of 1853, when he moved to Galveston, at which place he died during the yellow fever epidemic of the following year. He was a merchant, a man of good business qualifications and a respected and useful citizen.

John C. Wortham was reared in Galveston and was educated in the select schools of this city, chiefly under the late Professor James P. Nash. In 1870 he entered the employ of P. J. Willis & Brothers, with whom he remained for a period of twentytwo years, working his way up from an errand boy to the position of manager of the notion department of that great establishment. In 1892 he became a candidate for the office of Tax Collector of Galveston county, was elected, and in 1894 was reelected. Mr. Wortham is a diligent, painstaking, honest and capable public official. His management of the office he holds has met with the general a]ipro\al of the taxpayers of Galveston cotuity and has won for him a large measure of personal popularity.

February' 12, 1879, Mr. Wortham married Miss Mary W. Root, daughter of John B. and Cornelia P. Root, and a native of Gaheston, her parents haxing come to this city in 1850. Her father was one of the early merchants of Galveston, engaged for many years in the fiu'niture business. Mr. and Mrs. Wortham arc the parents of four children: [ohn R. , Eliza, Harry W. and Neil.

emigrated in 1846 to Texas, settling in Galveston. The senior Mr. Kleinecke was a butcher by trade, and was engaged in the butcher business in this city for about twenty years, keeping a market at the corner of Winnie and Fifteenth streets. He was a man of industrious habits, and in every way a good citizen. He raised a large family of children, all of whom grew up in this city, where many of his descendants now live. He died in January, 1870, in the eightythird year of his age, his wife having died in 1865, aged sixty-five.

Herman F. Kleinecke, of this article, was only three years old when his parents settled in Galveston. Their large family and straitened circumstances did not allow them to do much for their children in the way of education, and he therefore began the struggle for bread and butter with only such preparation as was afforded by a two years' attendance at the public schools of this city. He was apprenticed to the butcher's trade under an elder brother, for whom he worked eight years, afterward working for Michael Kimley. He enlisted in the Confederate army in 1862, Company E, Cook's regiment, with which he served in and around Galveston until the close of the war, taking part in the battle at this place January I, 1863. After the war he engaged in the butcher business for himself, opening a stall in the old central market, which he ran for twenty-two years. During this time he enjoyed a good patronage and succeeded in accumulating some means. In 1889 he embarked in the retail grocery trade, which he followed for three years, when he retired from all kinds of business pursuits, and is now living on the fruits of his former labors.

Dorathea Hubele, a native of Houston, where she was born in 1850, her parents having come to Texas in 1840 and settled in that city. Mr. and Mrs. Kleinecke have had eight children, three of whom are deceased. Those living are: Edna, now the wife of August Wittig; Herman E., Albert, William, and Edward.

Mr. Kleinecke had eleven brothers and sisters, all of whom became grown. These were: Theodore, who is a resident of Galveston; Augusta, the widow of Charles Bang; Lena, the wife of Christopher Jancke; Louis, deceased; Fritz, who died in Mexico; Louisa, the deceased wife of John Ott; Henry, who died at Houston, Texas; Christiana, widow of C. Cassel, living at Galveston; August, who died at Galveston; Paulina, the wife of W. F. Crause, of Waco, Texas; and Louisa, the deceased wife of William Moffett. Of these Theodore and Fritz served in the war with Mexico from 1846 to 1848, and Louis and Henry served in the late war in the Confederate army.

aHARLES LUDWIG BEISSNER, deceased, was born in Welsede, Hessen, Germany, December 29, 1809. He was reared in his native place and went thence, when a young man, to Bremen, where he married Magdalena Dorathea Heidenreich in 1837, and there settled himself in the hotel business. From Bremen he came to Texas in 1842, locating at Galveston, where he was joined a few months later by his wife and two children, accompanied by his brother, George W. , and an unmarried sister, Charlotte, afterward Mrs. Fred W. Schmidt. Mr. Beissner immediately engaged in the hotel business in this city, on the south side of the Strand, near the corner of Twenty-second street. From that place he moved to the corner of Mechanic and Twentj'-first streets, on the site now occupied by the Cotton Exchange, where he purchased property and started the old Washington Hotel. He conducted this well-known hostelry for many years, until, having secured a competency, he sold out, in 1866, and a year later returned to Germany. He came back to Galveston shortly afterward, but, returning again to his nati\-e countr}', he took up his abode in I>remen, where he remained until his death, December I, 1882.

During his residence oi more than a quarter of a century in Galveston Mr. Beissner was prominently connected with the history of the city. He served seven years as an Alderman of the city, was almost an equal length of time a member of the Board of County Commissioners, and took an acti\e part in everything relating to the welfare of the comnnmity. He was a great conservative power in local politics, antl, it is said by old settlers still li\'ing, influenced more votes than any other private citizen, because he never sought office for himself and was known to be wholly unselfish. While manifesting a friendly interest in all public enterprises, he strenuously opposed the city's incurring any indebtedness for such, and with men of like character maintained a fund which was of great use in feeding the destitute during the war. He was never known t(_> turn anyone away from his house because unable to pa}', but received and cared for all wIkj came. He kept his hotel ojien throughout the entire period of the hostilities from 1861 to 1865, and literally fed hundreds without pay or the expectation of it, to say nothing of his charities in times of want and sickness.

On January 14, 1848, Mr. Beissner joined Herman Lodge, No. 5, I. O. O. F., at Galveston, and ever afterward during his residence here was an active member of the same, being also a member of and valued contributor to the German Lutheran Church after its establishment in this city.

Upon the receipt of the news of his death in Galveston the people of this city paid a marked tribute to his memory. Scarce a business house in the city that could float a flag at half-mast failed to do so. The city flag was lowered and over the custom-house the national colors were lowered on the line. The Morgan, Mallory & Houston Direct Navigation offices and a number of vessels in the stream and at the docks also rendered tribute.

Mr. Beissner's wife preceded him to the grave by several years, dying in Galveston, March 31, 1867. Of a family of four sons and two daughters born to them, three - Charles I^. , John E. and Frederick W. - are living, being residents of Galveston. The elder dau^htL-r, Caroline, was married to E. Niebour and died in Galveston in 1872; and the younger daughter, Sophie, was married ti) M. K. Canfield and died in this city in 1875, where also died the youngest son, E. August, in 1888. The eldest son, Charles L., and elder daughter, Caroline, were born in 15remen befure the removal of their parents from that jilace, the remaining four having l)een born in Galveston.

M SON, the distinguished subject of A 1 this memoir, was born in Charlottesville, Albemarle county, Virginia, December 8, 18 1 2. His father was William Johnson, and his mother bore the maiden name of Lucy B. Dabney, both of whom were natives of Virginia, the father a planter of means and the mother a lady of intelligence and refinement, being a member of the historic Dabney family, of Virginia and Kentucky.

The boyhood and youth of Robert Dabney Johnson were passed in his native place, in the select schools of which he received his early mental training, finishing with a course in the University of Virginia, where he was graduated in 1837. Almost immediately after his graduation, young Johnson came to Texas and settled at Galveston, taking up his residence here in the early spring of 1838, where he entered at once on the practice of law, which he had determined to pursue as a profession.

His ability and character were soon recognized, and on the organization of Galveston county, in 1839, he was elected the first Chief Justice of the county, a position which he held until the office was abolished by law in 1844, and that of County Judge created in its stead, when he was elected to that office and held it for a number of years. As the head of the justices' and commissioners' courts of Galveston county for a period of more than forty years, Judge Johnson exercised a wide and controlling influence over local affairs, helping to shape the destiny of the city of Galveston and of Galveston county, perhaps, as largel}- as any other man of his times. He seemed to appreciate the fact that first impulses in the formative era of a new community are long continued, and he always pursued an enlightened policy and was governed by the strictest sense of duty. He was a man who, whether in the discharge of his official obligations or in the ordinary affairs of life, made it his first concern to know the right, and, that ascertained, he did it without fear or favor. He possessed, in an unbounded degree, the confidence of those among whom he lived, and by reason of this fact and his known desire to do equal and exact justice between man and man, he became the general arbitrator of the community, settling in this way scores and scores of disputes without an appeal to law. It is also said that he married more young people during his term of office than did all the clergy of the city combined, and that the friendly advice which he was accustomed to impart to the sometimes too thoughtless ones for whom he tied the nuptial knot, was always of a most wholesome nature and had the effect of arousing in them the spirit of true manhood and womanhood, and making of them good citizens.

Besides the offices of Chief Justice and County Judge, Judge Johnson held other positions of trust, including that of Postmaster for several years and of Collector of Governmental Revenue during the late war. This last entailed on him the most delicate and difficult duties, but he discha.rged them with strict fidelity and to the satisfaction of all concerned.

Having been reared in a State, which, in his youth, was pointed to with pride as the "Mother of Presidents," Judge Johnson naturally entertained a warm feeling for the Union, and during the early agitation of the question of secession he was outspoken in his opinions against it; but after his native and adopted States both joined the Confederacy he cast his lot with his section and gave to the ' ' lost cause " an active and earnest support.

tiring in disposition. Still he always kept in touch with the great mass of his fellowbeings, and knew perfectl}' and appreciated fully the feeling and purposes by which they were moved. He was warm hearted, easily appoached, and actively interested himself in cases of distress where he thought his services were needed.

He was twice married. For his first wife he married Caroline Matilda Maffitt, a daughter of the great divine and orator, John Newland Maffitt, and a lady of superior intellectual endowments and acknowledged social prominence. She died in 1S57. His second wife's maiden name was Mary Ann Rodgers, a member of an old Alabama famih'. By his former marriage he had two sons: Frederick Dabney Johnson, who served through the late civil war in the famed Waul's Legion, and was lost un the illfated \'eruna in 1870; and \\'illiam R. Johnson, the well-known business man of Galveston. The issue of Judge Johnson's second marriage was si.\ children, namely: Philip Rodgers Johnson; Lutie, wife of Bleecker L. Morse; Mada, wife of Judge S. S. Hanscom; Albert Sidney Johnson; Fannie, wife of Grouer Reed; and H. Lamar Johnson.

Judge Johnson died at Galveston, October 3, 1883. If, to have passed forty-five years of an active official and business career in one community without reproach, may be accounted a success, then unquestionably Judge Robert Dabney Johnson achieved it.

of Jonathan and Sarah Sturgis Cluff, both of whom were also natives of Maryland, the father being a lawyer by profession and for many years Judge of the county in which he resided. Of a family of si.\ children the subject of this sketch is the only one now living. He was reared in his native place and received his early education in an academy at Washington, Maryland, from which institution he went to Jefferson College, at Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, where he completed his literary training, graduating with the degree of A. M. in 1839. Going West he located in Palmyra count)', Missouri, where he took up the study of medicine under Dr. Griffith, of that county; subsequently took one course of lectures in the old university at Louisville, Kentucky, after which he returned to Missouri and began the practice of his profession as a firstcourse student, in Marion count}-. In 1843 he graduated in medicine from the University of Pennsylvania, after which he practiced his profession in Marion county, Missouri, till 1 85 1, and in Lewis county, that State, till 1 86 1, moving thence to Harrisburg, Harris county, Te.xas. He was a resident of the last-named place for ten years, and of Austin, this State, for twelve years, at the end of which time he moved to Galveston (1883), which has since been his home. Here, as well as at the other places named. Dr. Cluff has been actively engaged in professional pursuits, having given his entire attention to the practice of medicine since first engaging in it, more than fifty years ago. Dr. Cluff is a member of the Texas State Homeopathic Societ}', to the proceedings of which he has from time to time contributed.

child, Mara M., now Mrs. T. D. Vanlicw, residing in Harrisburg, Texas. Mrs. Cluff died of yellow fever in 1867; and in 1869 Dr. Cluff married Mrs. Mary Gayle, who died ten years later, leaving no issue.

aAPTAIN JOE ATKINS. - The subject of this sketch, for more than forty years a resident of Galveston, belongs to the mmiber of manners, who, by the fair promises of health and prosperity, were induced to quit the sea and settle in the Island City, in the development of which he has borne a part proportioned to his opportunities and the requirements of good citizenship. He is a native of Maine, having been born in the city of Bangor, May 28, 1829. His father was Joseph Atkins and his mother bore the maiden name of Elizabeth -McCarty, the former a native of Ireland, the latter a native of Maine and of Irish extraction. At the age of thirteen Joe Atkins went to sea and served as midshipman in the East Indies for four years, being on a chartered ship of the East India Company, after which he entered the service of another company, and for a period of six years sailed the high seas, crossing the Atlantic many times and making several trips to the ports along the Gulf of Mexico. It was while on a trip of the latter kind that he first saw Galveston, this being in 1849. Captain Atkins fixed his residence in Galveston in 1852, engaging during the ensuing six years in steamboating on the bay and along the coast. In 1S58 he located permanently in the city and embarked in business at the corner of Twentieth and Mechanic streets, where he was engaged in business pursuits till the opening of the late war.

On March 14, i 861, Captain Atkins left Galveston with Captain J. L. McKeen as a member of the Galveston Rifles, Texas State service, with which he went to Brazos Santiago, and served about a month on the frontier. He then returned to Galveston, where some time later he joined Captain Medard Menard's compan\'. He helped to raise another company, of which R. L. Fulton was elected Captain and he was elected First Lieutenant, which became part of the Twent}'- sixth Texas Cavalry (De Bray's regiment), and with which he served during the war.

After the war he clerked for a short time for Pipkin & Woodyard, - until the fall of 1865, at which time he was elected Lieutenant of the city police; a few months later he was made Captain, and served in this capacity till remo\-ed by General Griffin, military commander of this district, as an impediment to reconstruction. Captain Atkins was elected Sheriff of Galveston county in 1872 and held this office for four years, having served as a peace officer in the city of Galveston altogether for a period of fifteen years. In April, 1885, he became a candidate for the office of Mayor of Galveston, and upon the face of the returns was elected, qualified, and served something over a month, when, rumors of irregularities having been set afloat respecting the balloting in one of the wards. Captain Atkins, not wishing to hold an office to which he was not fairly elected, consented to a new election, as the result of which his opponent got the office. Captain Atkins has always enjoyed great popularity, especially among the plain people, of whom he is one, and for the protection and promotion of whose interests he

In 1868 Captain Atkins married Miss Mary Bresland, of Galveston, and by this union had two sons, Henry and Florence. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and in politics is a Democrat.

^^ y^ILLIAM SCHADT. - The subject I °'^ '^'^'^ sketch was born in Prus- ^j^^J sia and was brought to Texas by his parents, Carl and Caroline Schadt, who immigrated to this State from Germany as members of the Fisher & Miller colon\', in 1 846, and settled at Galveston. The family then consisted of father, mother and six children. The parents and three children died in this city of yellow fever in 1847. The father was a carpenter and was at an early day in the employ of J. A. Sauter, a pioneer workman of Galveston. Of the three remaining children of the family, after the death of those from yellow fever, Charles entered the Confederate army in 1861, and was killed at the battle of West Point, Virginia, in 1862, being a member of Companj' L, First Regiment of Texas Infantry; Caroline was married to W. C. Ansell, and now resides in Galveston, where also resides William, the subject of this brief notice.

^^'illiam Schadt was reared in Galveston and entered the Confederate Army in 1861, enlisting in the Lone Star Ritfes (second command of this name raised in Galveston), with which he joined the army of Virginia, in Hood's brigade, and served almost continuously throughout the entire term of the war. He participated in all of the principal battles fought by the Army of Virginia and in some fought by the Army of Tennessee, - the most notable being those of West Point, Virginia, Seven Pines, Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, siege of Suffolk, Boonesboro Gap, Culpeper Court House, Chattanooga, Knoxville, the Wilderness, Newmarket Hill, and Darbytown. At the last named place he was captiu"ed, sent to Dutch Gap, and, in retaliation for supposed hardships imposed on the colored troops by the Confederates, he was put to work by General Butler at common labor, opening u channel through the gap. From this place he was subsequently sent to Point Lookout, Maryland, where he was paroled just before the close of the war. He was twice wounded, - first at the battle of Chickamauga, in the knee; and second at the battle of the Wilderness, in the right hij-).