A Citizen of the United States of America

I payed $1 and a couple postage stamps last week to receive a copy of the naturalization record of my 3rd Great Grandfather, Fredrich Holzgrafe. I had hoped I would find out some new information, but unfortunately, the Vanderburgh, Indiana County court was rather vague and wrote. Still, I feel a new closeness to Fredrich Holzgrafe. Every document I uncover with his name on it makes him that much more real to me. Another brushstroke on the time-worn and faded canvas.

"Now here comes Frederick Holzgrefe, a native of Prussia, and makes application to become a citizen of the United States of America, and the Court being satisfied that he has complied with the Acts of Congress in each case made and provided, the said Frederick Holzgrefe is now here admitted to become a citizen of the United States and now here takes the final oath to support the Constitution of the United States and otherwise demean himself as a good and peaceable citizen thereof, and that he now renounces and abjures forever all allegiances and fidelity to any foreign Prince, Potentate, State and Sovereignty whatever, and more particularly to the King of Prussia of whom he was heretofore a subject."

Vanderburgh County, Indiana
8 September 1856

Holzgrafe Pioneer: Fredrich W. Holzgrafe

The 24th of July is known as "Pioneer Day" in Utah. Before I came to live here, I had never heard of such a thing, but it's quite the thing here in the Beehive State. This day celebrates pioneers of all kinds and so it is with great honor that I present to you the known history of my 3rd great grandfather, Fredrich W. Holzgrafe who is one of a handful of Holzgrafe Pioneers.

Fredrich W. Holzgrafe

Figure 1 Evansville, Indiana c1856

Fredrich W. Holzgrafe was born around 1828 in Prussia, a part of the German Confederation at the time. He immigrated to the United States in 1845 at the young age of 14 with his older brother, Henry August, who was just 21 years old. They set off on their adventure to America to escape the difficult conditions of the German Confederation.

Their travels landed them in a town on the banks of the Ohio River which means they probably traveled up the Mississippi River from New Orleans. The town, known as Evansville in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, was flooded with massive German Immigration around this time which must have helped Henry and Fredrich to feel at home in such a strange land.

Figure 2 Evansville and Lamasco City 1852

The first known records of Henry and Fredrich in America come from their marriage records in 1850. On 5 September 1850, Henry married a German woman named Caroline Baker and Fredrich married a German woman by the name of Caroline G. Kahle on 19 November 1850. Both Fredrich and his brother were married to their wives in the Trinity Lutheran Church in Evansville, Indiana by Reverend Andrew Saupert who served as Pastor of that church for 48 years.

Figure 3 Marriage Record of Fredrich W. Halzgrove to Caroline Ghale? 19 September 1850 and Trinity Lutheran Church

Henry and Fredrich quickly learned the skill of brick making and by 1860 Henry had his very own brickyard. With so many clay deposits along the Ohio River, Henry became one of the greatest brick manufacturers in a rapidly growing city. Henry built his first permanent home from his own brick. The structure, located at 312 W. Virginia Street stood for almost 160 years before the property was ultimately purchased by the Deaconess Hospital.

 

Figure 4 Henry Holzgrafe Home c1865

Together, Fredrich and Caroline had five children: Louis (1853), William Ferdinand (1854), Mathilda (1858), Henry Louis (1859) and Karoline Marie (1864) with one on the way. They raised their family in the Trinity Lutheran Church in Evansville until they moved with a part of the congregation to the Trinity Lutheran Church in Darmstadt a few miles to the north. Many of his descendants today still belong to this faith. It is still unclear as to why the family moved to the Darmstadt area in Scott Township. Perhaps Fredrich wanted to try his hand at farming. He purchased a small strip of land as soon as 1865 where the family lived for a few years.

Unfortunately, Fredrich did not live in Scott Township for long before he passed away in early 1867 at the young age of about 39. He must have died in Evansville for he is buried there in the Lutheran Cemetery and his death is not on the church records in the Trinity Lutheran Church of Darmstadt.

 

Figure 5 Head stone of Fredrich Holzgrafe in Lutheran Cemetery

He left his pregnant wife, Caroline, with their five very young children. He was the first of the family to be buried in the Evansville Lutheran Cemetery. Perhaps due to her progressing pregnancy or due to the recent loss of her husband, Caroline was unable to care for her children the way she wished she could. On July 10, 1867 at 10:00 am, her 3 year old daughter, Karoline Marie, died. The next day, at about 4:00 in the afternoon, little Karoline Marie was buried in the Church cemetery. One half hour later, at 4:30 pm, Johann Anton Heinrich Holzgrafe was born. The poor child's health waned quickly. Karoline had her newborn son baptized in her home on July 21, 1867. Johann Anton Heinrich Holzgrafe passed away the following day at 11:00 am and was buried alongside his sister on the 24th of July at 4:00 in the afternoon (The Worst Year of a Mother's Life).

Following the devastating death of her husband and two children, Caroline Holzgrafe remarried to a widower named Henry Shurmeier on February 18, 1868, in Evansville (The Great Merger). Caroline moved with her young children to live with the Shurmeiers in their home in Johnson, Indiana in Gibson County and a neighbor in Scott Township by the name of Fredrick Kohlmeier helped sell Fredrich Holzgrafe’s property in Scott Township.  

 

Figure 6 Marriage Record of Henry Schurmeier and Caroline Holtzgrafe 18 February 1868

                Henry Schurmeier immigrated to the United States in 1850. He was formally married to Wilhelmine Slotboom of Holland. Together they had five children: Louise (1855), Henry H. (1856), John (1859), Hannah (1862), and Wilhelmine (Minnie), (1865). To the new marriage of Henry and Caroline were born two more children: Fred Schurmeier, who settled in Elgin, Illinois and became a doctor, and Benjamin Schurmeier, who later went into the ministry and lived in West Salem, Illinois. This made a total of eleven children to handle at once earning Caroline the title of “Mother” as inscribed on her tomb stone. Henry Schurmeier was a farmer from Prussia and had lots of help. The three Holzgrafe boys all helped out on the farm before they left the home. Mathilda married a Frederick Bertram in 1876 and lived close by.

                Caroline Holzgrafe Schurmeier continued to live in the area with her family, raising her children in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. That the family was quite faithful in their religious activities seems evident by the lives of the children. At least two of them went into the ministry, Henry Louis Holzgrafe and Benjamin Shurmeier, half-brothers. It does seem as though William Ferdinand, known as Ferdinand or Ferd, did, however, become a Quaker when he moved to Santa Anna, California. 

                Having seen her children all grow up, most of whom began families of their own, Caroline passed away on June 21, 1899. Henry Schurmeier continued farming till he was too old and rented out his property to his grandson, Eli F Bertram, and his wife. He then moved to Gray, Illinois where he stayed with his daughter Hannah Griesemer who had married Ishmael Griesemer, a Methodist Minister. Henry passed away on April 13, 1915 and is buried near Caroline “Mother” Schurmeier in the Mount Tabor Cemetery in Johnson County, Indiana.

Figure 7 Headstones of Caroline and Henry Schurmeier in the Mt. Tabor Cemetery

The Worst Year of a Mother's Life

As of a couple days ago, I knew that my 3rd great grandfather, Fredrich Holzgrafe, died in 1867 at an early age leaving his wife, Caroline, with four young children to raise alone including my 2nd great grandfather, Henry Louis Holzgrafe. It seemed as though the family moved for some reason from Evansville, Indiana to the small town of Darmstadt just to the north just before Fredrich died. So, yesterday I looked at the records for the Trinity Lutheran Church in Darmstadt for the death record of Fredrich. At first I saw "Holzgrafe" in beautiful handwriting and thought I had found it! But when I looked closer, this was not a death record, but a birth record for another son in 1867. Under the parent's names of this child, I found Fredrich and Karoline, but under Karoline's name - the word "widow". Confused, I looked up the death records and found two individuals with the last name Holzgrafe, but neither were Fredrich. After piecing things together, this is the sad story of the worst year of a mother's life.

Life was normal. Karoline and Fredrich lived a happy life. They attended the Trinity Lutheran Church in Evansville, Indiana. Together they had FIVE children with one on the way. Fredrich worked with his brother, Henry August, in his brickyard making and laying bricks. Everything was fine until one day in early 1867 when Fredrich passed away for a reason unknown to me. Devastated and with five and a half children to care for, Karoline moved to Darmstadt to get help from her family and/or friends. There she attended another Trinity Lutheran Church. As her pregnancy progressed, Karoline could not take care of her children like she wished she could. On July 10, 1867 at 10:00 am, her 3 year old daughter, Karoline Marie, died. The next day, at about 4:00 in the afternoon, little Karoline Marie was buried in the Church cemetery. One half hour later, at 4:30 pm, Johann Anton Heinrich Holzgrafe was born. The poor child's health waned quickly. Karoline had her newborn son baptized in her home on July 21, 1867. Johann Anton Heinrich Holzgrafe passed away the following day at 11:00 am and was buried alongside his sister on the 24th at 4:00 in the afternoon.

What more could go wrong? In less than seven months, a happily married, pregnant mother of five became a widow of four young children. Though her trials and pain must have been very difficult to overcome, Karoline re-married the following year to a widower by the name of Henry Schurmeier in what I've called The Great Merger. Together, Karoline and Henry had two more sons who became a doctor and a pastor. I'm sure Karoline had many more hard years throughout her life, but I'm almost positive none came close to comparing with 1867, the worst year of her life.

Connecting the Dots: Indiana, Texas, and Germany

In researching the origins of my Holzgrafe ancestors, I came to a Fredrich Holzgrafe and what I assume is his brother, Henry August Holzgrafe both of whom were married in 1850 in Evansville, Indiana. Their marriage records are the oldest known records of my ancestors and may lead to unlocking their past. For a long time now, I have been puzzled by the immigration record of Conrad Holzgrefe and his family to Comal Co. Texas. On the same indexed record we find a John (22) and Henry (20) Holzgrefe who arrived in 1846 aboard the Gerhard Hermann - the same ship on which Conrad arrived. I was elated to find that the home town of Conrad was recorded as Eldagsen, Germany and quickly did loads of research on the Holzgrefe family in Eldagsen. I even found some Kohlmeyers in Eldagsen as well (Sarah Kohlmeyer marries Henry Louis Holzgrafe who is the son of Fredrich). In the 1850 census we don't find any John or Henry with Conrad in Texas or anywhere else for that matter. That would make sense because they would be up in Indiana by then! Henry August, who lived to see the year 1900, reported on that census that he immigrated to the US in 1845, the same year the Gerhard Hermann left port in Bremen, Germany. All these clues lead me to believe that the John and Henry on the Gerhard Hermann were indeed the (Johann) Fredrich and Henry August I've been researching in Evansville, Indiana. They must have left Texas for Indiana sometime between 1846 and 1850.

This theory was perfectly plausible until I stumbled upon this website. According to Chris Kneupper, an expert in the mass German immigration to Texas and author of the Holzgrefe family tree on this website, Johann Heinrich Ludwig Holzgrefe (b. 1830 in Eldagsen) was the son of Konrad Holzgrefe and died in 1852 in Comal Co., Texas. This was a problem. No Johann or Henry was supposed to exist in Texas after 1850. Because of this...my theory may have been flawed. I quickly wrote and e-mail to Mr. Kneupper and requested more information on the matter. He replied quickly stating that the source, as recorded on his webpage, was a church record from a church in New Braunfels, Comal Co. The record was a book listing the families of the German immigrants and included some information on each family. Johann Heinrich Ludwig Holzgrefe was listed in the family of Konrad Holzgrefe as was his death year of 1852.

The LDS archived and microfilmed original church records of the only church in Eldagsen, Germany only go back to 1853, long after Konrad and his family left Germany. I have sent an e-mail to the current Pastor of the church and received a quick reply with detailed information about some of the Holzgrefes of Eldagsen including a Henrich Holzgrefe after whom a street was named in the early 1900s. He also mentioned several church books written in old German script which contain records back to the dawn of time practically. I am very interested in what those books may reveal about all of this. Alas, the pastor is unable to dedicate hours upon hours searching, deciphering, and then translating the ancient records. For now, I have nowhere else to search. And so, as I try to connect the dots...it seems that they are all rather disconnected...for the time being.

Gerhard Hermann: The Eight-week Voyage from Bremen to Galveston

The Sophienburg, one of the Ships of the Adelsverein similar to the Gerhard Hermann

The Gerhard Hermann was a two-masted sailing vessel which set sail from the port in Bremen, Germany on 13 November 1845 carrying 153 passengers, among whom were John, Henry, and Conrad Holzgrefe and his family. The ship was a part of a mass emigration from Germany organized by the Adelsverein, a company owned and operated by several German noblemen. This was the fourth shipload of some 7,000 immigrants transported to Texas under the guidance of Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels who founded the town New Braunfels in honor of his home town. The eight-week voyage landed them in Galveston, Texas on 10 January 1846 (The Gerhard Hermann reportedly sank the next year on a similar trip just outside of the port at Galveston). Over the course of the journey, Texas became the 28th State of the United States of America.

Seal of The Adelsverein

It was recorded that "Luise Rüemker Fuchs, during her three-month long trip aboard the Gerhard Hermann in 1845-1846, made certain that she taught her children and other German youths among the passengers the English language. On this ship, the travelers faced the usual discomforts of seasickness, yet Luise realized that the children needed to have some basic understanding of the predominant Texas language despite how queasy their stomachs might feel. While not all women had the education or the means as this Lutheran pastor’s wife, many noted how they read English books and papers to learn that language and to remember what they had already learned". (http://www.txcwcivilian.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/german_lutheran.pdf)

The following is an account of the adventure as recorded by Ottilie Goeth in her memoir  (http://www.kenfuchs42.net/kfww/Ottilie%20Fuchs%20Goeth%20-%20Memoirs%20of%20a%20Texas%20Pioneer%20Grandmother.pdf)

"After arriving in Bremen, our departure for Bremerhaven, where our ship lay at anchor,
was postponed for another eight days. For us children this was our first opportunity to visit a
larger city. Of course we saw “Roland the Giant in the Market Square,” the interesting city
hall, and whatever else of interest the old Hansa city with its old churches and ramparts had to
offer. Meanwhile our cousin Heinrich Fuchs, a Theology student, had joined the group of
emigrants. Generously Father twice let us go to the opera with him where we heard Oberon
and Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber. Attending these performances always
remained an unforgettable experience to us. At Bremerhaven we again had to wait for several
days, and we used the time to take long walks into the interior. Then we embarked on the
Gerhard Hermann. (See Appendix A, No. 5.) Well do I remember my apprehensions as we
boarded this fearsome crate which was to carry us out into the new world. I might mention
that the Gerhard Hermann sunk on its next trip to Galveston. Fortunately the passengers were
rescued. Thus our former home and happy childhood now lay behind us, soon to be followed
by more serious times. Yet we were cheerful. There was no lack of singing, everyone
attempting to encourage the other, with probably many a secret tear falling into the waves.
We hurried towards the sinking sun, the magic West beckoning, as we wondered what the
future held in store."

"Our journey in the fall of the year was the worst imaginable time to sail. The food was
wretched, the water barely drinkable, and we were seasick throughout most of the voyage. It
was particularly rough in the North Sea, with its choppy green waves. Finally, the weather
became so bad that our two-masted vessel, the Gerhard Hermann, had to put into port during
the night at Dartmouth, England. As we came on deck the following morning, we were
delightfully surprised at the wonderful sight. Before us lay a steep and beautiful coastline,
gayly decorated in autumn’s colors. The apples were still on the trees, green hedges were
everywhere, every wall was clad in ivy vines, and above on the hill a hunt with its dogs and
other traditional trappings was in progress. To our delight, the ship remained there for several
days to take in water. We went on land and imagined that it was going to be just as lovely in
Texas. We children had already acquired some knowledge of English. Mine was very scant,
but I chatted with the innkeepers as best I could. Father was quite fluent in English and very
soon felt at home in conversation with the natives when we made some excursions further
inland."

"We could not stay in the pretty little harbor of Dartmouth forever; the anchors were pulled
up, and we headed into the ocean. The voyage lasting for weeks and weeks, seemed endless.
Constantly seasick, we lay around on the deck, our spirits greatly depressed; even Columbus
could not have looked more eagerly for land than did we hollow-eyed, half-starved, palefaced specimens. Finally, we reached the island of Puerto Rico where we lay for one week,
because of insufficient wind. This was most welcome to us children, for there we were not
seasick, and the natives brought us various exotic fruits and foods which tasted all too good
and somewhat revived our weakened vitality. It was now close to Christmas. Father made
some attractive little wagons out of dry palm leaves for the two smallest children. These were
taken on board and provided no small amount of entertainment for the two little brothers.
From there it probably did not take much longer until we arrived at Galveston. Of course the
city of that day, 1846, was not the large beautiful port city of today. It consisted of only a few
streets, and instead of the modern towers in the sky, there were only a few wooden houses."

"We had imagined it otherwise. After we had landed, it was found that reports concerning conditions for the immigrants sponsored by the Society were so discouraging that Father decided to drop out of the Society
and continue the journey on his own. The members of the Society were brought to Indianola
on small ships and from there transported in ox-drawn wagons across endless prairies to thelands purchased where the cities of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg are now located.
Many of the emigrants died from infectious fevers during the long journey. It now seems
quite impossible to me that my frail mother could have survived a trip of that kind. It appears
that even in this a lucky star governed Father’s decision."

As recorded in "A New Land Beckoned: German Immigration to Texas, 1844-1847", Conrad and his family came from the small town of Eldagsen in Hanover, Germany. Here is a picture of the town from Google Maps:

Eldagsen, Hanover, Germany

Notice the street highlighted? Holzgrefestraße (Holzgrefe Street)!!! Conrad and his family eventually made their way with the company across the plains to Comal County.

What became of John and Henry is somewhat of a mystery still; however, my hypothesis is that John and Henry are the same as Johann Fredrich and Henry August who are my ancestors who made their way to Evansville, Indiana. Perhaps they, like the woman in the previous memoir, decided to drop out of the society as it came to light that the noblemen had lots of money, but little business skills. It does seem strange to me that they would not stay with Conrad if they are indeed related, though the record makes no mention of any relation.

How did your ancestors come to America?

The Great Merger: Holzgrafe and Schurmeier

In searching for records of my second great-grandfather, Henry Louis Holzgrafe, I came across a very interesting situation. I can find Henry Louis in every US Census for which he was alive...except the 1870 census. At the time, he was about 10 years old and should be found with his family still. His father, Fredrich Holzgrafe, had passed away in 1867 at the early age of about 39 years. Henry Louis was only 6 years old at the time, although some accounts say he may have been younger. His mother, Caroline, was now the widow-mother of four young children. At about the same time as the death of Fredrich, another couple suffered a similar loss nearby. Henry Schurmeier, father of four, lost his wife, Wilhelmine in 1866. The two families, one fatherless, and the other motherless must have known each other well, for on 13 February 1868 Caroline Holzgrafe married Henry Schurmeier. The two families merged together. The list of children now included Henry jr., John, Hanna, and Wilhelmine from Henry Schurmeier and Louis, Ferdinand, Matilda, and Henry from Caroline Holzgrafe. Henry and Caroline eventually had two of their own: Fred and Ben.

Marriage Certificate for Henry Schurmeier and Caroline Holtzgraefe

Here comes the interesting part. In the 1860 census, we find both families separate and complete. In 1870, after the great merger, we find every one there...with a couple errors. First off, the surname is recorded somewhat awfully by the enumerator and appears as Shermin instead of Schurmeier. Then, all the children are listed with no last name, an indication that all had the same surname as the head of the household which was not true. In the 1870 census, there was no place to record the relationship of the individual to the head of the household; however, we do find written vertically aside the names of Matilda (Holzgrafe) and John (Schurmeier) the word "Twins". Indeed it can be found that they were about the same age, but why would they list them as twins? Also (and here's the big mystery) we find a 10 year old Charles in the household...but no Henry Louis. I searched long and hard everywhere I could think of for Henry Louis in the 1870 census with no luck.

Then it hit me. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong and I wasn't sure what it was, but Henry Schurmeier and Caroline both knew what it was. Perhaps they wished to avoid paying extra taxes or perhaps they wished to keep this merger a secret. For whatever reason, it seems as though whoever reported the family's information to the enumerator lied. If you think about it, everything would work out just fine...except for the fact that each spouse had a child about the same age. There was no way around the awkward questions so they simply said that Matilda and John were twins. Also, why would you name two of your children Henry? So, after reporting the oldest son, Henry Jr, whoever was reporting this to the enumerator had to make up a name for Henry Louis. Since both Henry and Louis were now taken, Charles made it on the census and stayed. There never was a Charles Shermin. It was Henry Louis all along! Very curious. Why would they pretend the merging of the two families never took place? By the 1880 census, all of Caroline's children had left the home and kept the surname Holzgrafe (Except for Matilda who married a Bertram and eventually had 11 children).

Considering all the evidences, there is no doubt in my mind that the 'Charles Shermin' reported in the 1870 census is in fact Henry Louis, my second great-grandfather.

Cross-Sourcing

To discern the truth in regards to most mysteries, it is always a good idea to do what I call 'Cross-Sourcing'. This technique includes analyzing the same situation from multiple angles or sources. It is always easier to see with two eyes rather than just one.

I was able to use this technique today actually while researching the Texas Conrad Holzgraf clan on Ancestry.com. I had found the name Christine Holzgrafe in the past as a 58 year old 'servant' in the house of Louis Mittendorf. Who was she? How did she get there? I could find no other records for a Christine Holzgrafe anywhere on Ancestry.com.

Utilizing the cross-sourcing technique, I got on to familysearch.org where I looked up more information on Conrad Holzgraf. To my surprise, I found something I hadn't seen before: the marriage record of Conrad Holzgreve to Christine Spicker, 19 April 1857. According to a family tree on Ancestry.com, Johanna, Conrad's first wife, had died on 28 September 1856. Since Conrad himself passed away on 16 January 1858, neither Conrad nor Johanna appear in the 1860 US Census with their children. Instead we find Christine Holzgrafe, the second wife and widow of the late Conrad Holzgrafe.

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Corinthians 13:1).