|
Gus L. Gottschalk
The basic industry
is agriculture, and the world over those who are engaged in it are
rendering their kind a service none can dispute. In Texas the
ranching interests are among the heaviest, and some of the most
substantial men of the commonwealth have given their lives to the
work of tilling the soil and raising cattle, and one of them worthy
of special mention is Gus. L. Gottschalk, of Matagorda, a man of
marked efficiency and high standing with his neighbors. He was born
in his present county, October 20, 1856, a son of Conrad and Forona
(Drylam) [Dreyling?] Gottschalk, natives of Germany, who came to the United
States in 1840, landing in New Orleans, Louisiana, from whence they
came to Texas. Four children were born to them, of whom Gus L.
was
the eldest, the others being: Mary, who married C. F.
Baker of Bay City, had
seven children; and Minnie, who married W. A. Franz, a carpenter and
builder, had four children.
During his boyhood
Gus L. Gottschalk attended the public schools of his home country,
such as they were at the time, and his first work was performed on a
stock ranch. So congenial was the work that he continued it actively
to within the past few years, when he began to take life a little
easier. However, he still owned all of his land, which adjoined that
of the Gulf Sulphur Company, and he had his mineral rights leased
for $5,500 annually. Here was a time in his career when things went
hard with him, and it took courage and constant work to keep his
head above the financial waters, but his industry and far sighted
vision were justified and he became a man of wealth and influence.
Mr. Gottschalk
married Miss Katherine Zipprian, a daughter of John and Katherine (Sheppard)
Zipprian, and they became the parents of ten children, namely:
Emma B., who was
born March 9, 1880, married Philip Yeamans, a fish and oyster
merchant of Matagorda, and they had thirteen children;
Gustave, born Aug.
20, 1883, who was a stock man of Matagorda County, unmarried;
Lela who was born
March 9, 1885, married William Waltham, an employee of the Gulf
Sulphur Company, and they had two children;
Arthur, who was born
Sept. 15, 1886, married Vera Burke of Matagorda and was employed by
the Gulf Sulphur Co.; Minnie, who was born May 14, 1888, married Clarence Gilmore, a rice farmer and stock man and they had one
child;
Henry, who was born
Sept. 21, 1890, employed by the Gulf Sulphur Co.;
Bertha, who was born
Aug. 1, 1891;
Johnnie, who was
born May 21, 1892, was employed by the Culver Shell Co., Matagorda;
Herbert, who was
born Apr. 7, 1894, married Jewell Kelly and they had one child; and
Willie, who was born
April 27, 1900, was unmarried and postmaster at Gulf.
In political faith
Mr. Gottschalk was a Republican, but he did not seek public office.
He was an Episcopalian. His ranch of 930 acres was not his only
property; he also owned a very desirable town residence in
Matagorda. Both he and his wife were very proud of their children,
all of whom did well and were a credit to their parents and
community in which they were born and reared.
Texas Under Many Flags, Clarence W. Wharton, American
Historical Society, 1930
Matagorda County
Genealogical Society Publication, Oak Leaves, Vol. 8 #4,
August 1989
|
|
Gus Leopold Gottschalk
|
| In the passing of Mr. Gus
Gottschalk, Friday night, May 22, 1936, another
Matagorda pioneer landmark has gone to his reward. He
had been in ill health for a number of years and a few
days before his death he became seriously ill and was in
such agony with pain in his right side that he begged
for an operation which was the only way to give him
relief. The operation was a success but diabetis had the
upper hand and to that malady he succumbed. Life had
never been the same for "Mr. Gus" as his many intimate
friends called him, since his wife died last August and
he seemed to realize that he would soon join her.
He was a descendant of substantial
German parentage, his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs.
Conrad Gottschalk having come here from the "Old
Country" in their young days. Mr. Gus was the oldest of
the children and was born in Matagorda October 20, 1856
and has lived in this vicinity all his life with the
exception of a short while that his parents lived in
Indianola. His father soon after returning here with his
wife and small children had to return to Indianola for
important business reasons. He promised his wife to come
home at the earliest possible moment but instead in a
very short time the sad message came to her that he had
died there of yellow fever and was buried. The youngest,
Minnie Gottschalk, was their only child born in
Indianola. Mr. Gus grew to manhood here and married Miss
Catherine Zipprian and their happy home was blessed with
ten children, all of whom survive. They are Mrs. Phillip
Yeamans, Mrs. Minnie Gilmore, Miss Bertha Gottschalk,
Gus, Arthur, Henry, John and Herbert Gottschalk, all of
Matagorda; Mrs. Davidson of California. There are a
number of grandchildren most of them being present when
he was buried.
The subject of this sketch has
lived an upright exemplary life following the vocation
of stockman as most Matagorda County people did in the
early days and in that capacity he amassed quite a nice
income along with the sulphur land and other real estate
he has accumulated. His parents dedicated him to the
Lord in his infancy by having him baptised in the
Episcopal faith and Saturday afternoon Rev. Paul Engle
read the Episcopal funeral service at the home where
gathered many relatives and friends, several of whom
were his comrades but most were of younger generations
who knew and held high their esteem for him. His devoted
sons and all of Matagorda are to miss his kindly face
for many years to come. A large cortege followed the
hearse to the cemetery where he was laid to rest by the
side of his life-mate, from whom he was not parted long.
The floral offerings that were heaped on the grave were
very beautiful and manifested the sympathy of the family
and other dear ones among whom was his only surviving
sister, Mrs. E. J. Savage and the only surviving member
of that immediate family. Even though her grief is
deeply poignant, as that of his children, she knows
"that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are called according to his
purpose."
Houston relatives attending Mr.
Gus Gottschalk's funeral here Monday afternoon were Mr.
and Mrs. Theodore Dreyling, Mr. Albert Dreyling and Mrs.
Blanche Dreyling Fuller.
Matagorda County Tribune,
Thursday, June 4, 1936
|
|
|
Annie Gottschalk
|
| Mrs. Annie Catharine Gottschalk,
wife of Mr. Gus Leopold Gottschalk, passed away at their
home in Matagorda August 25, 1935, after a long period
of illness caused by paralysis.
She was a descendant of the old
Zipprian family of pioneer days of this section and was
born December 14, 1860, on Matagorda Peninsula, when
that place was populated with a colony of all good
people, most of whom moved to Matagorda after the
tropical hurricane of 1875. Three years later, April 18,
1878, she was married to Mr. Gottschalk at the home of
her mother, who lived five miles from town and west of
the settlement known as Big Hill, now Gulf. Rev. Norman
Savage, a Methodist divine of that day, performed the
ceremony. Of this union there are ten children, Mrs.
Phillip Yeamans, Mrs. Minnie Gilmore, and Miss Bertha
Gottschalk of Matagorda; Mrs. W. R. Davidson and Mrs.
Will Watkins of Gulf; Gus Gottschalk, Arthur, Henry,
John and Herbert Gottschalk, all of Matagorda. There are
fourteen grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Her
husband and all of the above survive. This couple have
lived within a radius of five miles of Matagorda all
their married life and moved to town from their ranch
home above Little Boggy 28 years ago into the nice
residence they occupied at the time of her passing.
At the age of 16, when a girl,
Mrs. Gottschalk united with the Episcopal faith and has
always lived up to it. She and her husband have always
been good, substantial citizens, quite and unassuming,
doing good whenever an opportunity presented itself, and
she was ever gentle and kind in her manner to all alike.
Everyone coming in range of her sweet Christian
friendship loved and esteemed her. What better tribute
can be paid her than this? Before a large gathering the
services were held at the family residence Monday
afternoon at 4 o'clock and concluded at the grave. Rev.
Paul Engle officiating. The sorrowing procession wended
its way to the family burial ground in the Matagorda
cemetery, where the tired and worn body was laid to rest
and covered with a profusion of magnificent florals
contributed by relatives and friends.
"A jewel has dropped, a race is
run, a book of life is through. From out it's setting
the days of sunshine and of darkness have passed along,
their skies are blue. But we, as mortals, can not fathom
this justice issued from the Highest One. With aching
heart and tear-dimmed eyes we murmur in weak response,
'Thy will be done.'"
Matagorda County Tribune,
Thursday, September 5, 1935
|
|