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THE PIONEER Rockne, Texas
4065 FM 535 • Rockne, Texas OPEN SATURDAYS 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. & Special Occasions Anytime by Appointment, Call 512-303-3179 Fundraiser Sunday, February 13, 2011 Sacred Heart Parish Hall Silent Auction - 11:00 a.m. Spaghetti Lunch - Noon (Goodwill Donation) Live Auction - 1:00 p.m. Come join the fun and camaraderie with old friends and make new.
Agnes Seidel Celebrates 100th BirthdayOn Sunday, September 12, Agnes Kadura Seidel celebrated her 100th birthday with a gathering at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Parish Hall. Seidel wore a tiara with “100” on it and a big smile as she greeted her guests. She graciously visited with everyone and posed for photos throughout the afternoon. Most in attendance remarked on how they would love to live to be 100 if they could be as mentally sharp as Mrs. Seidel.Mrs. Seidel was recently the subject of an interview by RHA members where she talked about the changes she has seen in her lifetime and what it was like to grow up in the community. She is a valuable resource and her interview may be seen at the museum, where it was playing during the recent Veteran's Day celebration. Other lifetime Rockne residents were also interviewed, among them Anton Goertz, who recently turned 90. Seidel is a lifelong Rockne resident and parishioner of the church. She was born on September 20, 1910, the sixth of seven children of Agnes Bartsch and Paul Kadura. She married Adolph Seidel on November 13, 1934. “My wedding dress cost $7.00 and I picked cotton all summer to pay for it,” Seidel said. Seidel still loves to play dominoes at family gatherings. She prays the rosary daily and plays a game of solitaire before bed each night. She attends church and comes to the meetings of the Rockne Extension Education Club (part of the Bastrop County Agricultural Extension) when she is able. She has been a member of the club for many years and was known for her crocheting, canning and gardening, in particular. In 1978, she was the high point winner at the Bastrop County Extension Education Club's annual fair. We Honor Those Who Served For Us During the month of November, a display in the museum featured veterans from the Rockne community in honor of Veterans Day. Minnie Bartsch began this extensive and impressive display and has been adding more photos each year. Pictured with the display are local veterans Vernon Bartsch, Charlie Nelson, James Wilhelm, Thomas Goertz, Anton Goertz. Members of the local 4-H Club donated cookies for the commemoration of Veteran Day. It has become a tradition for the young people to personally give cookies to the veterans and to talk with them. The service members appreciate their respect and involvement. Chambliss Honored
Chambliss's wife, Elaine Beck Chambliss, was present for the unveiling of the plaque and received a framed copy of it for her home. She spoke to the crowd about her husband's passion for genealogy and about how, while researching his own family history, he discovered that he had roots in Bastroop County (the couple had alwas resided in Longview and a link to his wife's family. After making inquiries online, Chambliss came into contact with other family members who were also doing research. Sandra Rathmann Weaver was one of those researchers and she extended an invitation for the couple to visit her home so that she could share her findings. Among her photos was one of Rebecca Chambliss, Leland's cousin, who, in 1895, was a school teacher in the community which is now Rockne. “It was so amazing viewing photos of the Chamblisses and Becks together. One of the highlights was the photo of the 1895 Hilbig School students and teachers,” Mrs. Chambliss said. “Imagine our surprise in discovering that the teacher was Rebecca Chambliss, Leland's cousin, and two of the students were my grandparents, Albert Beck, Jr. and Hettie Goertz.” This discovery is what sparked Chambliss to take on the daunting task of inputting the names from the Rockne book into the RootsMagic program. He also cross-referenced using information from the Texas Department of Health and Vital Statistics, visits with county clerks, immigration records, ship logs and census records. Mrs. Chambliss estimates that her husband spent roughly 1400 hours over eight months collecting and inputting the data. “Even after being diagnosed with cancer, Leland continued this work,” she said. “He realized that it would be a priceless resource. It was his wish that these files continue to be updated.”
Reunion by Ovon Goertz The 41st annual Meuth-Matjeka reunion was held at the VFW in Rodkne in November and was well attended by descendants of Pete and Tracy Matjeka Meuth. Others attending were descendants of Ida Meuth and Ed Matjeka from San Antonio. The oldest person in attendance was Freda Meuth Kadura (daughter of Pete And Tracy Meuth) who turned 98 in September. The youngest person was three-week-old Zachary Austin Ferguson, great-grandson of Eva Meuth Friske. After much visiting and a delicious potluck lunch, some of the family members visited the “Meuth Hill” cemetery and the site where the Andreas Meuth home once stood on Sandy Creek. The Andreas Meuth home served as the first church where settlers gathered for services during the 1850s. All who attended the event had a great time. Board Members:Gerri Martinez, PresidentMinnie Bartsch, Treasurer Shannon Taylor, Secretary Debra DiFronzo Melvin Driskill Joy Goertz Ovon Goertz Marian Nelson Clara White Lea Ann Goertz Lee
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The members of the Rockne Historical Association and many guests gathered at the Rockne Museum on Sunday, November 14, to unveil a plaque honoring the late Leland Chambliss. Chambliss typed over 20,000 names and family genealogy date from the book Rockne by Rev. Alois J. Goertz into a digitized porogram called RootsMagic. He also use other records, such as obituaries, to update information. By doing this, Champliss made the information easily accessible for history enthusiasts and those researching their family genealogy.
