52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 11) Achievement: James Campbell Stroud, inventor

James Campbell Stroud (born 21 May 1833-Butts County, GA - died 25 Mar 1922-Devine, Medina County,TX) was my third great-grandfather in my mother's lines of her father. 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge (Week 11) of Amy John Crow is "Achievement." 

What do you think of when you think of an ancestor's achievement? Raising a family amidst poor living and working conditions? During war? Being honored for outstanding volunteer work with those less fortunate? Or maybe being the first to finish high school or obtain a college degree?

The list could go on and on and on, couldn't it? 

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, achievement can mean: "the act of achieving something"; "a result obtained by effort (accomplishment)"; "a great or heroic deed"; or "the quality and quantity of a student's work."  

My thoughts went directly to J.C. Stroud, blacksmith and inventor. According to family stories, some recorded at Jasper Native Sought Fortune in Texas by John Harvey J.C. Stroud made his own liniment to help with the pain in his legs, and it was patented and sold in the United States. I have not found a patent for this liniment yet, but I will continue to search for it.  

An "Improvement in Cultivators" patent was created on September 29, 1868 by J.C. Stroud of Lockhart, Texas. Patent No. 82, 562. 

I know what a cultivator is because I'm the daughter of a dry land cotton farmer in the rolling plains of Texas. For readers who don't know, Oxford Learners Dictionaries describes it as follows: "a machine for breaking up soil and destroying weeds (= plants growing where they are not wanted)."

The patent, according to The Portal to Texas History, was "for a new cultivator in the form of a wheel, which includes instructions and an illustration." 

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Stroud, J. C. Improvement in Cultivators., patent, September 29, 1868; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth165158/m1/1/?q=J.C.%20Stroud,%20Lockhart: accessed March 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.

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Stroud, J. C. Improvement in Cultivators., patent, September 29, 1868; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth165158/m1/2/?q=J.C.%20Stroud,%20Lockhart: accessed March 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.

Thanks, James Campbell Stroud, for being 

an inventor! You're my "Achiever" for this challenge. 

- Revis

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 10): Language - The Kolb-Kulp-Culp's of Pennsylvania

Continuing on with the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, this Week 10 challenge of Amy John Crow relates to “Language”.

The lines of my paternal and maternal ancestors are a mix of peoples. The languages my ancestors spoke include German, Welsh, Irish, Portuguese, French, and more. In this blog post, though, I want to focus on my paternal grandmother, Neoma Ann Kolb’s (m. Lois Cauble), father's line, the Kolb’s of Pennsylvania. The Kolbs have stayed close to their Mennonite roots since the early 1700s.

Grandmother Neoma descends from Johannes Kolb, born ca 1683, a son of Dielman Kolb and wife, Agnes Schumacher, who were Mennonites. It was in 1707 that Johannes and two of his brothers, Martin and Jacob, left Wolfsheim, Hess, Germany and headed for America. The Kolb brothers were part of a people who were seeking freedom to worship and make a living as they saw fit.

Their maternal grandfather, Peter Schumacher, had come to America in 1685, and he died in 1707, the year the three brothers came to America. Peter had been a Mennonite, but had converted at some point in his later life to the Quaker faith.

The brothers came to Germantown, Pennsylvania, and then moved over to Skippack, Montgomery, Pennsylvania by 1710 where they owned land.

In 2007, I made a trip to Skippack to attend a family reunion which celebrated the 300^th anniversary of the Kolb brothers coming to America. See The Kolb-Kulp-Culp Family Association.

The reunion was held at the Lower Skippack Mennonite Church. I learned that for more than two hundred years the Kolbs and other Mennonite families had spoken and written mainly in the German that we know now as Pennsylvania Dutch (influenced by William Penn’s colony). I also learned that some of our Kolb families anglicized their names and to this day use the spellings of Kulp and Culp. It was surprising to me that our Johannes Kolb, who left Montgomery County to go to Chester County, Pennsylvania, and ended up in South Carolina in 1737. Johannes joined the Welsh Neck Baptist church and lived on the Pee Dee River in South Carolina. His land in Darlington County has been an archaeological site for many years (not active at this time). Site No. 38DA75. The Johannes Kolb Site 20th and Final Field Season | News and Press – Darlington County Historical Commission & Museum (dchcblog.net)

Just a few years ago, I was contacted by a cousin’s wife about a bible she found on Ebay. The old German bible was from a family in Indiana and their spelling was Kolp. Yes, inside that old bible included information that led right back to my common ancestors of Dielman Kolb and his wife, Agnew Schumacher. Speaking of that bible, I still have it stored away and would love to pass it on to anyone that descends from that family.

At that long ago family reunion celebration of the Kolb brothers coming to America, I heard distant kin speak and sing in Pennsylvania Dutch (or Pennsylvania German, as some called it).

The language of my ancestors, and those of my family in Pennsylvania who still spoke it, was beautiful.

-Revis

This content was crafted for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, focusing on the theme "Language" this week. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 9) Changing Names: My Daddy

When I saw the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge was “Changing Names”, I had several that came to mind, but the one that was most surprising was my daddy’s name change.

My daddy was born Harvey L. Cauble in 1933 in Jones County, Texas. I was joining the NSDAR (National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution) when I discovered his amended birth certificate which his father had signed and his name was legally changed to Kiefer Calvin Cauble. What????

I asked him about the name change. After all, I’d only heard him called “Kiefer Calvin”. Nothing else. Ever.

He laughed and said, “Oh, you knew that.” My reply was, “No, I don’t know this story.”

He proceeded to tell me that he was named Harvey L. at the hospital. Shortly after his parents got home, they decided they wanted to name him after “Doc Kiefer” (I may have identified this man recently). From then on he was known as Kiefer Calvin Cauble.

He used his “new name” without having had his birth certificate amended from 1^st grade to 12^th grade of high school, and then until his sophomore year of college at Texas Tech College (now Texas Tech University).  When he went into the military, his father signed an affidavit changing his name from Harvey L. Cauble to Kiefer Calvin Cauble on February 3, 1953. He was discharged from the military in early 1955 and returned to college as a Junior. He married my mother not too long after in November of 1955.

An interesting fact to me is that my mother knew his parents had changed his name, but she thought they had changed his name legally when he was a child. She was as surprised as me to learn that his name had been amended on his birth certificate when he was going into the military.

Daddy’s name change has caused family tree researchers to be baffled, especially at FamilySearch. For several years, he was listed as having a twin, and after repeatedly changing the information and adding notes that he did not have a twin, I’m hoping that it’s finally corrected. I'm crossing my fingers on this one. 

No twin. Same person. Two names. Thanks to my Grandmother and PawPaw Cauble’s delay in officially changing his name, my daddy became a "twin" at times. 

-Revis

 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 8) Heirloom: The Piano of my childhood

Memories can surprise us, emerging when least expected. The prompt "Heirloom" from the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge instantly brought the sound of my daddy playing the piano to my ears—the piano that was a cornerstone of my childhood, adolescence, and college years.

Countless mornings as a child in west Texas, I found myself seated at that piano, fingers dancing over the keys in the quiet hours before the school bus arrived. Even after 60+ years in my parents' home, its black walnut frame remains as stunning as ever. This piano, once owned by my great-grandmother Nina Ada (Baldridge) Dennis—whom I affectionately knew as “Mama Dennis”—was a cherished gift from my great-grandfather, Oran Martin Dennis, during their time in San Angelo, Texas.

The piano passed down to my mother and is destined to be inherited by one of my sister’s sons.

Mother's piano today

I can still hear my daddy playing Mama Dennis' piano, the joy of music from that magnificent piano echoing as a daily presence. Can you hear it too? It’s my daddy playing, weaving a tapestry of memories.

If only that old piano could sing...if only....💗

- Revis

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 7) Immigration: Gottlieb Ziegenfuss

 It's Week 7 of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.

This week the challenge is to write about immigration. I'd like to focus on my more recent "in our time" Prussian roots, and give a shout out to Gottlieb Ziegenfuss for bringing his family to the United States in 1885. 

Gottlieb Ziegenfuss was my 2^nd great-grandfather. Stories in my family are varied about him. The Ziegenfuss family told that he was a jӓger-hunter. The Caubles said he was a forester. His occupation on the ship’s manifest for the Moravia in 1885 stated “Landmann”.

Gottlieb was the son of Johann Gottlieb Daniel Ziegenfuss (1787-1868 Mützel) and Marie Elizabeth Frӓsdorf (1786-Zerbst, Saxony-Anhalt - ? probably Mützel). He was born 16 Aug 1820 in Mützel, and baptized 3 Sept 1820-Evangelische Kirche Genthin (Kr. Jerichow II), Genthin, Sachsen (Saxony), Deutschland (Germany). 

Gottlieb Ziegenfuss (1820 - 1890)

Gottlieb's father, Johann Daniel Gottlieb Ziegenfuss, was an urban forest keeper, according to the Genthin Local Family Book. 

Below is a quick timeline of Gottlieb's life of what we know about his life after his birth (1820) described above: 

14 Jan 1844 – Marriage to Dorothee Caroline Wilhelmine Hildebrandt at Evangelische Kirche zu Sylvestri und Georgii, Wernigerode Parish.

15 Jan1844-1869 - Unknown if Gottlieb and Dorothee Caroline had children. Year of her death is also unknown. 

12 Oct 1868 - Death of his father, Johann Daniel Gottlieb Ziegenfuss, in Mützel.

abt 1869 - Marriage to Friederike "Freda" Sophie Louisa Trenkman (1846-1920). No marriage record has been located.

Children of "Freda" and Gottlieb listed below. No birth records found as of this date:

1870 - Birth of daughter Louisa Ziegenfuss.

1872 – Birth of son Otto Ziegenfuss.

1875 – Birth of son Benno John Ziegenfuss.

1876 – birth of son Bruno Hugo Ziegenfuss.

1878 – Birth of daughter Mathilda Augustine “May” Ziegenfuss.

1879 – Birth of son Ernst Rufe Ziegenfuss.

1882 – Birth of Helena Olivia “Lena” Ziegenfuss (my great-grandmother).

5 Aug 1885 - Departed on the ship Moravia (with family) from Hamburg. Residence listed was Weferlingen, Provinz Sachsen.

18 Aug 1885 - Arrived New York. Destination on ship's manifest was Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas.

*Arrival to Texas: Stories relate that Gottlieb had been sending money to a friend who was already in Tarrant County. Land was purchased. When the family arrived, he expected to see a house built and ready for his family to live in. Instead, the friend had absconded with the money. Some of his grandchildren that I talked to many years ago said that he had basically lost all desire to live after arriving in Texas and learning that his friend had deceived him and stole his money.  

1888 – birth of daughter Rosa Ziegenfuss in Tarrant County, Texas.

20 Jan 1890 – Gottlieb died in Tarrant County, Texas, and was buried in the Watson Cemetery, Arlington, Texas. 

ca 1891 - Gottlieb's family in Texas (below). Rosa, front right, is probably 3 or 4 years old. By this time, Gottlieb has died. 

14 Aug 1895 - Widow Freda marries fellow Prussian Fredrich Auguste Grӓfe in Eastland County, Texas. 

Gottlieb and Friedrike Sophie Louisa Trenkman Ziegenfuss family ca. 1891

- Revis

 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 6): Earning a Living: Pa Jim Cauble - Cowboy and Farmer

Continuing on with Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, this newest post is about how an ancestor made a living. This was a hard one to decide. Among the varied occupations in my families are potters and wheelwrights (Oliver, Yates) from South Carolina to Alabama to Mississippi; mill owners (Musgrove of South Carolina); milliner (my great-grandmother Baldridge-Dennis' sister at Comfort, Texas); mercantile owners (Baldridge); and even one known as a schoolteacher (old Peter Cauble of Peach Tree Village, Texas). 

In the heart of Texas, where the plains stretch as far as the eye can see, my lineage runs deep with farmers and ranchers. Among them, "Pa Jim" Cauble, my great-grandfather, stood tall—a testament to the Texan spirit. Born on March 18, 1880, in Eastland County, Texas, and passing on May 20, 1962, in Fisher County, Texas, James Andrew Cauble's life was as rich as the soil he farmed, and the horses and cattle he rounded up on various ranches. 

Jim's legacy was rooted in agriculture, a tradition proudly carried on by his son, Lois, and grandson, Kiefer, my father. I, too, share this legacy, having worked in the cotton fields of our family farm(s) near Roby, Texas. This land, nestled in "The Big Country" area around Abilene, Texas, was more than just a place; it was a testament to the enduring spirit of Texas farmers and ranchers.

Pa Jim's journey began as a cowboy in Eastland County, where fate would have him meet Helena Olivia Ziegenfuss, a Prussian-born girl who later taught him to read and write. Their love story, starting with their marriage on March 9, 1897, was as enduring as the land they would come to settle in Fisher County in 1901.

The United States Federal censuses for 1900 (Eastland County, Texas), 1910, 1920 and 1930 (Fisher County, Texas) would name his occupation as “farmer”, but he was known as a cowboy in the places he lived. Like many other Texans, he did, of course, farm the land he rented or owned. 

Jim's work on the Newman Ranch in Nolan County was the stuff of legend, from jockeying in horse races (which was illegal at that time) held on the ranch to his uncanny ability to detect screwworms in livestock—a trait both admired and a bit unsettling. The cowboys would say “he could smell a screwworm before you could smell or see it”. The first day or so there's no detection of the nasty parasites. Do a google. It's gross. He was one of the first cowboys on the Newman Ranch (see his obituary below). His legacy is recorded in the Abilene Reporter-News (Ablene, Texas) on Monday, May 21, 1962, page 13. 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/761655429

Jim Cauble wasn't just any cowboy or farmer; his choice of hunting companions, greyhounds over the more typical bloodhounds, spoke to a man who valued speed and grace in the rolling plains of Texas (now known as “The Big Country” area).

James Andrew "Pa Jim" Cauble with his greyhounds

 As I reflect on the stories passed down from my grandfather and father, I feel a deep connection to this land and the ancestors who shaped it. Pa Jim's life, marked by hard work, innovation, and a deep love for Texas, continues to inspire those of us who follow in his footsteps.

- Revis 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 5): Influencer: Professor Leonard of the Texas School for the Blind, Austin, Texas

 

For the Week 5 challenge of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I’m going to focus on an influencer in my husband’s family.

William Robert Leonard (May 1853-Drogheda, Louth, IRE – 22 Feb 1905-Austin, Travis County, TX) was my husband’s great-grandfather. His father, also named William (1817-1853), died a few months after William Robert was born. The older William was a teacher, having been the master at St. Peter’s Parochial Schools in Drogheda, County Louth, in 1846, and later, in 1853, at the Mechanic’s Institute in Drogheda before he died.

William Robert arrived in America on 2 Feb 1874 on the ship, Canadian, which came into the port of Baltimore, Maryland. He had traveled with his school friend, Isaac Gillespie, and Isacc’s brother. At Baltimore the trio split up and went different ways.

William Robert Leonard (1853-1905)

The story is long as to how William Robert Leonard made his way to Texas, and I’ll save that for another time. Many of his years were spent in Austin, Travis County, Texas, where he taught in the public schools, and went on to become principal of the Texas State School for the Blind (15 years).

Why did I think of him as an influencer when I saw this challenge? It was his gravestone that told a story all its own.

In the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Texas, he is remembered by his former students. They put up a gravestone in his honor.

The front of the stone reads: “William Robert Leonard, April 30, 1853, Feb. 22, 1905, Principal of the Texas State School for the Blind from Sept. 1890 to Feb. 1905.”

On the back of his stone, the former students had these words engraved: “This stone is Erected in loving memory by his former pupils to commemorate his excellent leading and his many Virtues.”

 I can't help but think that Professor Leonard, as he was called, was there for his students when they needed them, encouraging them as they studied at the School for the Blind, and maybe, just maybe, after their graduation from the school. We'll never know for sure, but upon his death their words were etched in this stone for his family and others to see that he was an "influencer" in their lives. What a legacy he left behind. 

"Thank you" to Professor Leonard and those other teachers who are influencers in the lives of their students.  

- Revis 

#52 Ancestors