Results of searches for "GERDES" in the San Patricio County News starting in 1916
Read More
Unedited photo taken in front of my grandfather Casper Gerdes' home on Chiltipin Creek in Sinton, Texas...Gin is about 150' behind the house and slightly off to the right..And if you look closely behind Mildred, on the side porch, you can see a roof line at about her shoulder height. Sometime before 1936: Left to right, back row; Hilary Paul "Dilly" (my Dad), Helen Genevieve (Married Ted Knox, Sr.), Francis Leo "Leo", Gaylord Adolph "Dick", Casper Lawrence Jr., Winfred H. "Top", Hulda S. (Married Archie Bunker, no lie..) , Hubert Charles "H.C.", and Victor Ben Gerdes. On the porch behind them is Mildred Marie Gerdes. Daughter of Victor Ben and sister of Gilbert "Gibby" and Aunt of Gilbert "Gibbo". In a recent conversation with Mildred, she related to Gibbo that she remembered when the picture was taken, and believes that the occasion was for the birthday of Casper Lawrence Sr. Seated with him is his wife, my Grandmother, Antonia Frances Meyer.
VIDEO UPDATE 4/28/2021 ! ...Short VIDEO of Casper's gin layout and home on Chiltipin Creek.. taken from a fire protection survey/drawing dated in 1922, I found of the entire gin property. I will be drawing the entire area.... One thing I failed to mention is that Casper bought another gin somewhere around 1922 and moved it to this property, doubling the capacity , and that may be why the arrangement/layout of the main building looks odd. ,
I scaled off the buildings and distances between buildings and have my notes ready to draw the entire property. But the home and the main gin building will be the first thing I do. We did not know where the picture of the family was taken until I discovered this archive on the property, and it clearly indicates that the picture was taken in Casper's front yard, given the porch and offsets of the corner of the house.
WOW!!! I found the exact location and configuration of Casper's gin and home! On the shore of Chiltipen Creek, right next to the old railroad tracks. The detailed drawing below shows a railroad spur on one side, no doubt to ship the bales out. Can't wait to return sometime soon with a metal detector...
You can see the old railroad tracks crossing the creek. The present road is different now, but you can see the remains of the railroad spur that turns to the left off of West Welder Street. ALSO, I'm pretty sure that's Roger's home near the highway just to the northwest and on the east side of 181 of the gin property.
HOLY COW LOOKY WHAT I JUST FOUND ! September 2022....This was posted on another Smugmug/KinshipTree.com (I have no idea how they are related) but in any case, I found this, apparently posted by Galen Gerdes. I have tried a number of ways to reach him but to no avail.....Strange, but after I luckily downloaded these images, I went back for more the next day and guess what? All of a sudden it became a PRIVATE page, only accessible via a password. Why would anybody do that? Weird.... SOOO/BUT I got a picture of HENRY and all the kids and poor dear Mary Francisca Rumpf (name appropriate).............ALSO, COPY AND PASTE THE ADDRESS TO GO TO MY ANCESTRY WEBSITE:................... https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/g/e/r/Paul-Gerdes/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0218.html
Is this a DETERMINED MAN, or WHAT !?!?!?! Son of Clemens Gerdes (1796-1857) and Francisca Schaefers (1798-?), and grandson of Joannes "Joes" Hermannus Ferdinandus Gerdes (1757-1803) and Anna Maria Beirhof (1756-1816). He and his family Immigrated in 1867 on the ship Bavaria ( with 354 other souls) from Hamburg /Balve, Westphalia, Germany through New Orleans/Indianola to join his brother, Bernhard in Koerth when Casper was two years old.
Casper Lawrence Gerdes, Sr. Born December 8, 1865, immigrated at two years old with his parents, Henry and Mary Frances (Franziska) from Balve, Westphalia area through Galveston/Indianola.. This photo was taken at the Fey & Braunig Photography Studio in Hallettsville. That fact was figured out by finding a LOT of photos taken at the studio, and the same "set" appeared in other photos.
As a seasoned Ginner ! Casper, son of Henry and Mary Frances (Franziska) Gerdes, was born December 8, 1865 in Balve, Westphalia, Germany; immigrated through Indianola to Hallettsville/Koerth in June 1867; settled in Hallettsville/Koerth and was a ginner at 12 years old. In 1916, he moved his gin and his family to Sinton. (Conflicting information uncovered - it appears he built a brand new "first gin" in Sinton, maybe didn't move his Hallettsville gin.) He died in 1936 and is buried in Sinton Cemetery.
Father of Roger Francis, Leonard Ben, Benjamin Franklin, Jr. (Benny), Walter Lois, William, and Paul (not me). GO HERE FOR THE TREE : Copy and paste to get there ....................................https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/g/e/r/Paul-Gerdes/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0218.html
I have hardly any information on him.
The youngest of the children. After Henry's death his mother moved in with him and they moved to San Antonio where he owned a bakery
I don't have much information on him, either.
Kinda cute, and another determined German....
Hate to say this, but she looks kinda like a Nazi.......... just kidding..
This lady has had a hard life..... and it shows...
This photo was also taken at the Fey & Braunig Photography Studio in Hallettsville.
This picture is of my Great-Grandfather Joseph F. Meyer, his daughter, my Grandmother Antonia Frances Meyer, her and Casper Gerdes, Sr.'s first son, Victor Ben Gerdes, Sr, (March 4, 1891)and Victor's son Gilbert “Gibby” Gerdes, Sr., the father of Gilbert “Gibbo” Gerdes, Jr.As the family stories go, Joseph owned the "Last Chance Saloon" in Hallettsville. (The story goes that the sign facing the railroad station said "First Chance Saloon" and "Last Chance Saloon" on the opposite side.) He was born in Germany and immigrated on the Bark Friedrich Grosse from Bremen thru Galveston/Harrisburg, to LaGrange, arriving on October 18, 1853 when he was 11 years old.He died in Shiner. and is buried in the Meyer/Pagel Cemetery off FM530 on county road 134 in Lavaca County, Texas. Refer to the image of his obituary.
Gravestone of Joseph and a number of members of the family. The gravesite is enclosed in a small area by chain link fence, with the family members in the immediate area. He died in Shiner. and is buried in the Meyer/Pagel Cemetery off FM530 on county road 134 in Lavaca County, Texas
This was sent to me by my cousin, Gilbert "Gibbo" Gerdes, Jr. whose daddy was Gilbert "Gibby" Gerdes, Sr.. (who lived most of his life in Yoakum, Texas.), and whose grandfather was Victor Ben Gerdes, Sr. It was written in December, 1929. It furnished the clues to find and verify the "Friedrich Grosse" ship that brought them to Galveston/Harrisburg. All those families mentioned stayed together in Hallettsville for a long time. The list of names aided in confirming the ship. Scroll down to see the ship's manifest where these people all showed up on the same ship.. The village of Schönwald, Germany is about a 4.5 hour drive to the southeast of Balve, Germany, where Grandfather Casper Gerdes was born.
Antonia Frances Meyer Gerdes in the early 1950's. During WWII, when everybody was on rationed supplies, my mom sometimes would notice there was little to no sugar in the cupboard for baking, When she would ask grandma, (she lived with us from the moment mom and dad got married (1938) till she died (1955). Anyway, grandma always denied knowing anything about any sugar depletion. While her little mustache flaked off small white particles. ahahahh
Antonia and Uncle Winfred Henry "Top" Gerdes, probably in Edroy, Texas in the 50's. Looks like a "shoebox" Ford in the background (1949 thru 1951). Grandma got a new radio for her room so she would no longer interfere with me and my buddies listening to The Lone Ranger on the console radio...
Based on birthdate, here is who I'm pretty sure this is: Oldest son was Victor Ben (note the shape of his mouth/upper lip and compare to picture of him as an adult), the one on the left, next oldest was Hubert Charles, the child on the right, the third oldest was Hulda S. (never found her actual middle name), a girl. I could be wrong, but it's a reasonable guess. This would have been around 1896. I never met any of them.
This photo was sent by Cousin Gibbo Gerdes. He recently found it among his Dad's things. He says that: the girls are: back row, left to right, Julia and Antonia (my grandmother), and front row is Barbara and Helena (Aunt Lanie). The picture was taken in about 1878. Antonia and Helena married Gerdes brothers (Antonia/Casper Sr. and Helena/Benjamin Sr.). Since brothers married sisters, it makes my tree seem kinda weird...(Reminds me of the old song "I'm my own Grandpaw.".. hahaha)
November 17, 1949; "Dick" Gerdes, and he WAS a DICK.... was actually Gaylord ADOLPH Gerdes, but back in those days, the name "Adolph" sorta lost its popularity. Anyway, he was a crook. I'm sorry, he just was. He and my dad, "Dilly", were brothers and partners in the Retama Gin Company that dad built 7 miles south of Sinton in Sodville. (Still researching how the gin came into being.) Dick used to brag about keeping two sets of books. Anyway, the "Oil Mill" (cottonseed in Corpus) were furnishing financing for the gin, and when they did an audit back in the '50's, they caught Dick and informed him that they would not file charges on him if he sold out to dad. So he dodged jail on that one. Crook.
April 1919 -Casper buys the Odem Gin, later run by one of his sons, my uncle, Winfred Henry "Top" Gerdes. Later run by Sid Brough's daddy.
1916..- World War I - This a list of military draft candidates and their position in line to be inducted.. Joseph E., Winfred Henry "Top", C.L. "Casper Jr.", L.B., Leonard Ben,
Benjamine Franklin, Sr. "Ben" Gerdes, Father of Uncle Roger and Uncle "Bennie" Gerdes
