Collecting Memories

Posted on December 1, 2014 by admin
Ruby Laura Seay Coffman at age 12. Quite a young lady and always full of fun.

Ruby Laura Seay Coffman at age 12. Quite a young lady and always full of fun.

This is the time of year for families, friends and good memories. And a perfect time to collect memories of others, to be inspired by the trials and triumphs of our loved ones. Do you know where your parents spent their first Christmas? What about the Christmas when you were born? Did Santa Claus ever really visit you? What about Christmas parades, band and choir concerts, and Christmas pageants at church? Or maybe your family had completely different traditions. Believe me, if you haven’t done so before, it is now time to share those memories with others.

About thirty years ago, I interviewed Ruby Laura Seay Coffman, the younger sister of my grandfather. Aunt Ruby was born in 1897 in Chickasaw Nation of Indian Territory where her father owned and “ran” the ferry across the Red River to the village of Red River Station in Montague County. Texas. Her father, Jeff Seay, and his brother Oscar Seay ranched on both sides of the Red. Before Oklahoma statehood, Jeff Seay moved his family back to the ranch in Texas while Oscar and his family remained in Oklahoma.

The Seay family arrived in Texas from Whitfield County, Georgia, in 1872 as poor as church mice. With lots of hard work and perseverance, the families became successful small ranchers along the Red River. Aunt Ruby had four brothers, including my grandfather Virgil. Ruby was the chatterbox of the family so when I visited her one time, I asked about holidays on the Seay Ranch. They were not the answers I expected.

Celebrating the Fourth of July was absolutely out of the questions, not because the family was unpatriotic; but because Vicksburg fell on the Fourth of July 1863. No true Southerner celebrated the Fourth in those days, and Aunt Ruby was a true Southerner.

So next I asked about Thanksgiving. Nope! There was always work to be done on the ranch. Her mother Laura Hardy Seay fixed a nice meal, but no turkeys or pumpkin pies, and taking off the whole day was unheard of.

So then I ventured into Christmas memories. At that point I hit the jackpot. After finishing chores and milking the cows, Jeff and the three older boys saddled up their horses, hitched the horse to the buggy loaded with Laura, the girls, and little brother along with lots of presents. They went all the way into Belcherville, a small community about ten miles away to attend Christmas Eve services. Jeff and Laura were some of the more prosperous and generous members of the community. They brought each person in the congregation a gift, nothing expensive but a gift. Everyone got a piece of fruit, each child got a toy. The toy might be a wooden top, or some jacks, some little something. You see, the country was recovering from another depression and drought and money was hard to come by.

Aunt Ruby did say that Santa Claus arrived at the Christmas Tree at church. The next morning, everybody was up doing chores. But Christmas Day was the one day of the year that work was a little lighter.

You may hear about the depression of the 1930s, life during World War II, hard times, or wonderful happy family gatherings. Every family will have different stories, but your family story needs to be told and remembered. It’s part of your heritage.

Posted in Genealogy, Historical tidbits, North Texas History | 4 Comments

Butterfield Overland Mail Trail

Posted on November 29, 2014 by admin
"The Old Stage Coach of the Plains," painted by Frederic S. Remington, can be seen at the Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas.

“The Old Stage Coach of the Plains,” painted by Frederic S. Remington, can be seen at the Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas.

When I was in elementary school in Jacksboro, my parents took my brother and me to the steps of the First Presbyterian Church to watch the Stage Coach come through town. Since he and I were avid Lone Ranger fans, we thought this was special. In case you wonder, Jacksboro had and still has a population of about 4,000 souls. A stagecoach coming down the street was about as exciting as things got around there.

Earlier this fall, I went back to Jacksboro to do oral history interviews with some old cowboys and ranchers. As we drove through the ranch we saw what looked like a sunken road for about 100 yards. Having never given it much thought about how the stagecoach appeared on Main Street, I suddenly realized this was part of the Butterfield Overland Mail Trail from Memphis to San Francisco by way of San Diego.

The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was authorized by the US government on March 3, 1857 to meet the need for better communication between the East Coast and California. At that time, the stagecoach was the most practical and effective means of providing such service. John W. Butterfield and his associates won the contract for a stage line that crossed the western part of the nation from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean. They chose a southern route that would be operational in winter, much like the Bankhead Highway did fifty years later. This leg became known as the Ox Bow Route.

The trail connected with eastern lines in Little Rock, moved southwesterly to Preston Crossing on the Red River, across the Texas frontier to the Rio Grande just north of El Paso and west to San Diego. This route was 600 miles longer than the Central and Northern Routes, but was viable year round. The first stage to leave San Francisco for St. Louis made the trip in 23 days and four hours.

The Butterfield Stage Route carried passengers, freight and an average of 12,000 letters from Little Rock to the West Coast twice weekly for a fare of $200. It was one of the earliest routes used primarily for commercial purposes. The Butterfield Stage Route employed 800 men, had 139 relay stations, and owned 1800 head of stock, primarily mules and horses. At any one time, there would be 250 Concord stagecoaches in service. The federal government closed the Ox Bow Route in the summer of 1860 as a precaution against possible outbreak of Civil War. After that time the Central and Northern Routes were used until the mid-1860s.

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The Home Front

Posted on November 14, 2014 by admin
One of many posters created by George Creel and his staff for the War Food Administration.

One of many posters created by George Creel and his staff for the War Food Administration.

This month I have been asked to present a program I call “The Home Front” to a couple of audiences. By the Home Front, I mean the United States from 1914 through 1918, the period then known as the Great War, but today referred to as World War I.

While the United States did not enter the war until April 1917, news of the horrors of war was widely disseminated in our country. The vicious invasion of Belgium enraged a vast majority of Americans. The German Kaiser and his war council notified the neutral Belgium government that they would soon be passing through the small kingdom to invade France. Furthermore, the Belgians were told not to resist, to get out of the way, and that when the war was over, they could have their country back. The young Belgian King Albert I responded that Belgium would indeed defend itself. With a very small army, the Belgians were almost defenseless against the huge German army. Yet, England, France and even Russia came to their defense militarily.

The United States made it a priority to ship food to the small nation. The plight of the Belgium people really tugged at American hearts. Actually America became the breadbasket for all Allied nations. U. S. citizens were encouraged to partake of “wheatless” and “meatless” meals, to preserve extra food they grew, and to grow Victory Gardens. Once the United States was officially in the war, President Wilson hired George Creel, a mastermind at public persuasion, to lead the nation in a campaign to share food with the rest of the world. The national food administrator Herbert Hoover told Americans “food will win the war.”

Hoover immediately began means to curtail anxieties over food shortages and counteract the impulse to hoard food. In the March 30, 1917, issue of the Greenville Messenger was a recipe for baking a cake without eggs, flour or butter, commodities already in short supply. Every available empty spot of land was commandeered for Victory Gardens. Even the Greenville High School football team tried their hand at farming in the backyard of a local banker. No mention was made of the results of the garden.

Local newspapers advised farmers to diversify, even to the point of suggesting celery become a specialty item from Hunt County. At the time, there was a group of small truck farmers in the area. Newspapers suggested they begin processing and canning their produce for export to Europe.

At the 1917 North Texas Fair, held annually in Greenville, a large tent was erected. Housewives from Hunt County and neighboring areas gathered to learn how to can beans, peas, corn, and other locally produced vegetables. Later the women met a rural schools, local churches, and homes to can their produce.

The sad news is that while thousands of tons of these locally preserved produce found their way to the docks where departing U. S. ships were loaded with men and supplies, the vast majority of food was left on the docks to ruin. There was such a rush to get the American Army to the front, that jars of green beans were at the bottom of the packing order. Hopefully, the women who worked so hard did not know the fate of their canning.

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The First World War in Colour

Posted on November 12, 2014 by admin
The First World War in Colour by Peter Walther

The First World War in Colour by Peter Walther

Once again I have discovered something I consider extremely interesting, although I am not certain how many others will. Yes, it’s that fascination I have with World War I. We can all probably rattle off at least five or ten items created as a result of World War II, such as penicillin and synthetic rubber and the atomic bomb. There’s even a website that lists the ten most significant discoveries in someone’s opinion.

But I have, and many others before me, found very significant items and events we take for granted that came about between 1914 and the 1919 victory celebrations. A book I recently purchased inspired this new interest. It is The First World War in Colour by Peter Walther. No, that’s not a misspelled word; it is the British version of our word color. Since the book was published in Great Britain, I felt I should use their spelling.

It seems that as early as the 19th century the technique for making photographic prints in color was somewhat well-known but the process was extremely time consuming and expensive. By 1902, professional use of color photographs was more common in large cities. A new technique developed in 1907 called autochrome would be used by amateur photographers, including those soon off to the European battlefields. The process was still lengthy and many of the images were composed rather that spontaneous. Capturing colored images must have taken longer than black and white, although some of those were staged. However, the extent of wartime devastation was so appalling, no matter how long it took to develop the film or how staged the photograph was, the person looking at the photograph was shocked.

In the last few years Peter Walther collected more than 320 colour photographs from archives in Europe, Australia, and the United States for his book. Two photographs really surprised me. I was always under the impression that the United States wanted no part in the war, citing the Monroe Doctrine. However, we sent U. S. ambulances to the Western Front for the Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia) as early as the Battle of Verdun. The participants fought from February to December 1916 and neither side gained significant ground.

So what are other significant new inventions created in the period of World War I? Try wristwatches, no one had time to pull out a pocket watch when he could look on his arm. Pocket hankies or tissues we use so often, sun lamps to treat children with rickets, and daylight savings time were new and probably the greatest things around at the time. Other new inventions include tea bags, zippers, and stainless steel as used in eating utensils and many more important items. The list is much longer.

What new customs or policies were introduced here in the United States? Two issues actually led to Constitutional Amendments. The United States had very few military training posts. Ones built quickly were not in the better parts of towns. Mothers who worried about their young sons morals were highly enraged to find liquor and red light districts readily available around the military bases. This led to legislation outlawing prostitution. It added fuel to the continuing arguments for Prohibition.

The second issue was women’s suffrage.  In some states during World War I, married women could vote for their husbands.  Once those women were able to cast their ballots there was no turning back.  Both Prohibition and Suffrage Amendments were passed shortly after the end of the war.   Out of tragedy of war often comes some good.

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A Distinctly Unique Courthouse Dedication

Posted on October 28, 2014 by admin
Jack County Courthouse as seen in 1940 after the dedication and re-enactment trial of Satanta and Big Tree, Kiowa Chiefs convicted of murder in 1871. The original verdict was commuted. Descendants of the original jurors and defendants participated, with Native Americans finally allowed to tell their version of the event.

Jack County Courthouse as seen in 1940 after the dedication and re-enactment trial of Satanta and Big Tree, Kiowa Chiefs convicted of murder in 1871. The original verdict was commuted. Descendants of the original jurors and defendants participated, with Native Americans finally allowed to tell their version of the event.

County courthouse dedications were times of great celebration throughout the state of Texas. Everyone in the county turned out for the occasion that usually included lengthy speeches by prominent speakers, lots of food and reminisces, and local entertainment. They lasted at least one full day and sometimes extended over two or three days. In 1940 Jack County held a most unusual courthouse dedication for a crowd estimated to be between 20,000 and 30,000. Since there were only 10,206 people living in Jack County according to the U. S. Census in 1940, that was quite a celebration.

At the time of the dedication, newspaper accounts reported traffic was six cars wide around the square. Traffic into Jacksboro was backed up six miles to the community of Maryetta. What drew such attention throughout the nation to this small town in north central Texas? Simply put, the dedication included a re-enactment of a famous trial held sixty-nine years earlier. That was the first trial of non-citizen Native Americans with the rank of chief for the murder of seven teamsters killed in the raid west of town.

In the spring of 1871 General William T. Sherman with his entourage of seventeen Buffalo Soldiers passed Cox Mountain near Salt Creek four miles west of Jack County in Young County. On the last leg of an inspection of conditions of the Texas frontier, no one noticed the large band of Kiowa Indians hidden among the brush. Indian depredations caused evacuation of the area some five or six years earlier. All records from Young County were now in Jacksboro, home of Fort Richardson and county seat of Jack County. By dark, Sherman and his men arrived at the fort only to be shocked by two survivors bringing the tragic news of the massacre of seven teamsters in a wagon train. The raid occurred within a few hours after Sherman and his men passed there.

Sherman immediately ordered Colonel R. S. McKenzie and twenty troopers to search for the miscreants. Twenty days later McKenzie and his men arrived empty-handed at Fort Sill where Indian Agent Laurie Tatum learned that Satanta, Satank, and Big Tree, all Kiowa chiefs led the raid on the wagon train. All three were taken back to Jacksboro for trial; however, Satank was killed on the way while attempting to escape.

The trial began on July 7, 1871. The jury found the men guilty and sentenced them to hang. But Texas Governor E. J. Davis computed the verdict, saying it would incite more deadly violence in the region.

Jack County citizens wanted the Kiowa descendants to have the opportunity to tell the Native American side of the disaster. The Kiowa people faced descendants of the original jurors and told the other side of the story. In the end, event planners felt the re-enactment “marked the beginning of an era of better relationships” according to local newspaper accounts.

Today Jacksboro is a quiet, small community between Wichita Falls and Fort Worth. The courthouse still reigns over the commercial district as it has since 1940. Located in the center of town surrounded by a spacious lawn and wide streets, the structure is the work of Herbert Voelcker and Jesse Dixon of Wichita Falls, a well-known architectural firm involved in the design of public buildings and individual homes beginning in 1918. Listed today on the National Register of Historic Places, the building is an outstanding example of Modern Classical architecture.

Fort Richardson is just south of town, partially restored to its original state. However, you will need a good compass, map and GPS to locate Cox Mountain. A small bronze plaque does mark the site of the Warren Wagon Train Massacre.

Posted in Historical tidbits, North Texas History, Texas | 2 Comments

Odds and Ends

Posted on October 26, 2014 by admin

Occasionally I find myself with great materials that are too brief to incorporate into a whole article. Today is one of those articles where I try to include a few different topics in this space.

The lovely Methodist Church in Lone Oak. This structure was completed in 1889. (Photo courtesy of Rev. Lowe, pastor of the church.)

The lovely Methodist Church in Lone Oak. This structure was completed in 1889. (Photo courtesy of Rev. Lowe, pastor of the church.)

The first item involves the Lone Oak Methodist Church that will celebrate its 160th Anniversary on Sunday, November 2, 2014. In 1854 eleven charter members gathered in a private home at Sabine Forks with the intent of creating a new Methodist Episcopal Church South in Hunt County. No need to look for Sabine Forks on a map; it is under Lake Tawakoni today. Four years later, the community of Lone Oak was chosen as a permanent site for the small band. After meeting in a schoolhouse until 1871, the congregation joined forces with the Lone Oak Masonic Lodge to build a two-story square building with stairs on one outer wall leading to the second floor. The Masons met upstairs and the Methodists met downstairs. This was a common arrangement on the American frontier.

Not only did the Methodists use the Masonic Lodge for worship, but also several other denominations followed suit until that structure burned in 1884. A new site was purchased on Main Street where the present vernacular Gothic Revival structure featuring twin bracketed towers and lancet windows opened its doors in 1889. Originally lighted with kerosene lamps and heated with wood burning stoves, the town and church had electricity by 1914-1915 and water in 1925. Stained glass windows were installed in 1971. For its centennial the church was completely renovated and modernized in 1986-1987.

I am aware that this is not an appropriate time to introduce the next topic but here goes. At the end of October 1914 the Greenville High School football team had not lost a game. Not only that, they had not been scored on. Three young men from Greenville played on the Texas A&M College football team. Football was a really big deal around town.
Public school football was completely different than it is today. Not only were the uniforms and protective gear completely deficient, the rules of the game varied. Greenville’s green jerseys were abandoned in 1917 because of World War I. Green dye was a wartime commodity and reserved only for the Army.

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) did not come into being until 1917. Teams made up their own schedules, usually with other nearby schools. In 1919 Greenville High School was again a powerhouse that claimed the state championship without the blessings of UIL. We won’t mention football and Greenville in the same breath over the last few years.

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The Hawkins Ranch in Texas: From Plantation Times to the Present

Posted on September 30, 2014 by admin
Cover of the book by Margaret Lewis Furse

Cover of the book by Margaret Lewis Furse

Margaret Lewis Furse, in writing about her family ranch in Matagorda County, has created a unique entry in the traditional agricultural histories often published by university presses. Ms. Furse, traces the evolution of the Hawkins Plantation from its beginning in 1846 to a working ranch after the Civil War and on to an investment portfolio in 1991. Along the way she interjects two very interesting and relative concepts. What is the significance of place relevant to agricultural use over several generations? How did the role of women influence the direction the Hawkins family ranch followed?

When James Boyd Hawkins, his wife Ariella, six of the nine children born to the couple, and thirty-four slaves arrived in Texas they were prepared to operate a sugar plantation. While it was difficult, tedious, labor-intensive work, the plantation thrived until June 1865 when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas. With no bonded labor, Hawkins turned to former slaves who chose to remain with the family. At the same time, Hawkins and his son Frank transformed the sugar plantation into a working cattle ranch.

James Boyd Hawkins was a prosperous cattleman and merchant who at the time of his death in 1896 passed the management of the ranch to his son. Along the way the younger Hawkins and his brother-in-law established a bank in the new town of Bay City. Shortly before his father’s death, Frank Hawkins lost his young wife in childbirth leaving him with five young children under the age of eight. Then five years later, Frank Hawkins died. The five children went to Bay City to live with their uncle, the banker, and his family.

But the place, the ranch remained in the hands of the five children, albeit under the care of their guardian. When the youngest sibling reached the age of majority, the five requested they be made joint managers of the family property. The four girls took an active lead and became known as the Young Lady Ranchers following the goals of their former grandmother Ariella Hawkins. At a time when women were often shunted to the parlor for card games and pursuing progressive ideas, the four Hawkins girls continued to uphold the family tradition under such adverse conditions as the Great Depression.

Only two of Frank Hawkins’ children had children of their own. As the young lady ranchers aged, the management of the ranch was taken over by Frank Hawkins Lewis, the author’s brother. His sister and cousins retained a strong interest in the ranch. By 1991 the ranch was incorporated with all adult heirs sitting on the Board of Directors.

Ms. Furse debates the importance of place in the continuance of the ranch. The young lady ranchers chose to preserve the old ranch house at a time when cash was not easily available for such endeavors. Other decisions made by the family were tinged with a regard for the preservation of the historic ranch. Place is definitely important, but will it remain that way as younger generations with fewer ties to place join the board?

Posted in Historical tidbits, Recommended Reading, Texas | 2 Comments

Water Elevators

Posted on September 28, 2014 by admin

 

An old Champion Water Elevator was once located in 2600 block of Johnson Street in Greenville. It stood in front of the Armistead and Ende building completed in 1903. It is not known when the water elevator was installed. The cistern was uncovered in the 1950s or 1960s but nothing indicated if the water elevator was still there. Imagine getting drinking water or watering your livestock from such a marvelous invention. (Photo courtesy of author.)

An old Champion Water Elevator was once located in 2600 block of Johnson Street in Greenville. It stood in front of the Armistead and Ende building completed in 1903. It is not known when the water elevator was installed. The cistern was uncovered in the 1950s or 1960s but nothing indicated if the water elevator was still there. Imagine getting drinking water or watering your livestock from such a marvelous invention. (Photo courtesy of author.)

Fires were the cause of so much damage and destruction of towns and cities throughout history.  The other night I watched a PBS special on Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament in London.  What we know today as Parliament with the Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben was built after a destructive fire in 1834.

Greenville has had its share of disastrous fires.  Between 1881 and 1883 two fires swept away a courthouse and the entire west side of the square as well as the new Ende Hotel located on the southeast corner of the square.  Without a fire truck, the Greenville mayor telegraphed the fire department in Sherman for help.  They loaded their fire truck, horses, and men on a special Katy train that sped to Greenville.  Shortly thereafter, the town of Greenville ordered a new horse drawn fire engine, and built four cisterns at each of corner of the new courthouse.  These cisterns became the fire hydrants of the day.

You may want to know what a cistern is.  Today we call the process harvesting rain.  Good gardeners put a large barrel at the corner of the house or other location to catch rainwater.  The cistern collects the water for later use on plants.  Old timers used cisterns to collect drinking water; my mother’s generation thought having rainwater to wash their hair was “the cat’s meow.”

One of those four cisterns the city built was located in the 2600 block of Johnson Street on the east side.  Today the red brick Ende Building built in 1903 some years after the tragic hotel fire on the same location is the home of My Sisters’ Closet.  Then it was Armistead-Ende Store that sold everything from farm necessities to the latest in cook stoves.  As a marketing ploy, James Armistead who owned the business after the death of Fred Ende in1897 decided to install a water elevator on top of the cistern.

The water elevator and purifying pump was made of Japanned Cast Iron with an iron spout, a cast iron crank with hardwood handle and a small hole at the bottom for water to drain out to prevent freezing.  It stood 41 inches high, 22 inches wide and about 8 inches deep.  The interior was hollow to allow a chain mechanism to lower galvanized buckets into the cistern where water was brought up and dipped out into a flue that led to the spout.  The spout was about 16 inches off the ground.  The red frame proclaimed it a Diamond Water Elevator and Purifying Pump in black letters.  James Armistead had “Armistead & Ende, Greenville, Texas” stenciled at the bottom.  He probably ordered one from the Shapleigh Hardware Company of St. Louis at a cost of $19.50.  There is no date on the water elevator or on the catalog from Shapleigh.

While the cistern was primarily for fire prevention, local citizens made use of the water elevator to pump water for their own use, for household use, and a nice cool drink for horses and mules.  I read once that a major concern of the progressive women’s clubs was the “nasty” horse troughs around the square.  The good ladies suggested a large watering place for all livestock well off the square.  Whether the water elevator was an irritant to the women is not known.  But it is certainly a wonderful piece of Greenville memorabilia.

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Hunt County

Posted on September 26, 2014 by admin
In 1996, the newly renovated Hunt County Courthouse was rededicated. The Hunt County Historical Commission recreated the "living statuary" of 1929 dedication for sesquicentennial celebration

In 1996, the newly renovated Hunt County Courthouse was rededicated. The Hunt County Historical Commission recreated the “living statuary” of 1929 dedication for sesquicentennial celebration

I recently made an interesting discovery that supported a couple of ideas I have held for sometime now. First, Hunt County is a fairly good-sized area. But most importantly, it is full of history. There are more than a few historical surprises around us that I know I never knew about. My revelation began when I received an inquiry from a historical architectural firm in Austin.

The woman wanted to know about the school in Fairlie that was designed by C. H. Leinbach. While I knew there was a school at Fairlie, I was completely unaware of its history. I drove up there to look around. The school is gone but as I went by the Baptist Church I spotted a couple going into the church. I stopped, introduced myself, and explained my mission. We had a delightful chat; I discovered that another architect, anonymous at present, designed the Baptist Church of Fairlie. Walking into the church, I realized it was a hexagon shape structure. They told me of someone who is still living and knows a lot about the Fairlie School.

Over the years, I have discovered many outstanding structures throughout the county. The Methodist Church at Lone Oak is a jewel in my opinion. The Clendinning House near Merit is a great example of Victorian architecture. Of course, Central Christian Church in Greenville is well known. But Victorian Architecture is not the only style with historical significance.

William R. Ragsdale designed the Hunt County Courthouse and the Greenville Municipal Building. But I suspect that few people know the Greenville Middle School was the work of the same architect who designed the replacement of the New London School in East Texas. His work is noted for safety.

Lindsey and Kilmer were noted architects in the early part of the 20th century. Much of their work can be seen throughout the county, including the first President’s Home on the TAMUC campus.

All of this leads up to an invitation I would like to make to my readers. The Hunt County Historical Commission is charged with historic preservation here in the county. We are probably best known for historical markers; but we need to be made of aware of these wonderful structures and events of the period from 1846 through World War II. After the Second World War, our local history has been fairly well documented.

The Commission is composed of mostly Greenville residents, but we need more of you out there in the rural areas and in Commerce, Lone Oak, Quinlan, Merit, Caddo Mills, and Wolfe City to join us. We meet the fourth Thursday in January, March, May, July, and September. In November we move our meeting back to the third Thursday. However, this month our meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 30. Our meetings are held at 7:00 P.M. at the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum. So I hope to see several new faces then. There is no charge, it’s a really laid back group, and we all love history. And you don’t have to have been born here, or even raised here. After all, I’m from Jacksboro, three hours west of here on Highway 380.

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Saving German Records

Posted on September 8, 2014 by admin
The castle of Neuschwanstein was the key Nazi repository for the greatest works of art stolen from France. It contained so many stolen works of art that it took the Monuments Men six weeks to empty it. The extreme vertical height and absence of elevators required most of the works to be carried down innumerable flights of stairs. (Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History.)

The castle of Neuschwanstein was the key Nazi repository for the greatest works of art stolen from France. It contained so many stolen works of art that it took the Monuments Men six weeks to empty it. The extreme vertical height and absence of elevators required most of the works to be carried down innumerable flights of stairs. (Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History.)

On Monday, the 16th of September 1751, Christian Nagel and other male passengers aboard the Ship Nancy were taken upon arrival in the Port of Philadelphia to the office of The Worshipful, William Plumsted, Esquire, and Mayor of the City of Brotherly Love. Here the citizens Germany were required to deny their allegiance to their Homeland and swear allegiance to King George II of Great Britain. Ironically, George II was born in Hanover, one of the countries that would later comprise the German state.

Nagel, whose name meant “maker of nails”, was my only immigrant ancestor. No, I have no Native American ancestry; all the others came from Great Britain before the American Revolution when arrivals in the British colonies were simply moving to a new home. It was like moving from Greenville, Texas to Greenville, South Carolina. German ancestry is quite a coup for genealogists who have very little evidence of those Englishmen and women who braved so much to settle the American colonies.

In 1983 Julia S. Sherer of Shelbyville, Indiana composed “The Families of Henry Nail and Thomas Ray: Pioneers of Shelby County, Indiana.” In the preface, Ms. Sherer included information available only in Wurttemberg, Doffingen, and Renningen, cities in Germany.

I have always been curious how genealogists, art historians, and museums, among others, obtained old papers, paintings, sculpture and other relics after the horror of World War II. Starting on D-Day in June 1944, the Allied troops met unbelievable resistance from the German army. Not only that, Hitler and his followers were intent upon creating a museum of the finest of European Art; collected (stolen) from museums, governments, and individual collections. With the Allied Armies on the move and the German army dug in, how did this seemingly miraculous rescue occur?

Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter asked the same question while researching a special and little known group of Allied officers and enlisted men: The Monuments Men. Consisting of men who were well over the age of most enlisted men during World War II, these soldiers were well trained in art conservation. Their stories of finding, rescuing, and saving thousands and thousands of irreplaceable art objects from the Nazis is an incredible read.

Along the way, the Monuments Men encountered a vast number of persons who divulged an assortment of tips to locating treasures, including a dentist who shared information while performing a root canal on one of the officers. There were countless objects stored and discovered in Mad Ludwig’s Castle of Neuschwanstein in the Bavarian Alps. Then there were the salt miners, most of who were members of the Nazi Party but who chose to preserve their livelihood and the artwork at Altaussee.

For a non-fiction book, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt In History is a real page-turner. I highly recommend it. Probably, the Monuments Men found records from churches in Wurttenberg, Doffingen, and Renningen. At least, someone did and I am forever grateful.

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