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Gottfried Blankenstein, Hamburg > NYC, August 15, 1870
Gottfried Conrad
Blankenstein
He married Dorthea Sophia Fredericke Herbst in Barby, Germany, July 01, 1851. Dorthea was born January 15, 1826, in what is now Badeleben, Germany, to Gottlieb Heinrich Cristopp Herbst and Anna Dorthea Bekur. In Barby, Gottfried owned a leather and saddle shop with 4 apprentices under him. The shop was located on Castle Street. The family lived in the rooms above the shop. His son Friedrich told his children tales of his frequent visits to his father's shop.
The family tells that Gottfried left Germany on a sail boat (Ship Eugenie) with his wife, 3 sons and 3 daughters. After 9 weeks they arrived in America. They landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Then they settled in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. From there they went to Defiance, Ohio, where they stayed for 10 years. They later moved to Cleburne and Falls County, Texas, (Marlin) in a covered wagon. That area was then known as the New York Settlement. Gottfried and Dorthea had 11 children, 6 of which died in infancy.
GERMANS TO AMERICA By Glazier & Filby Vol. 24 929.308931G Ship: Eugenie From: Hamburg To: New York Arrived: 15 August 1870 Blankenstein, Gottfr. 48 M SDLR GROO BAL was a saddler Dorthea 44 F W GROO BAL GR means Germany Louise 16 F D GROO BAL OO means they did not Gottfried 14 M S GROO BAL list their villiage Lina 11 F D GROO BAL BAL means their Maria 4 F Child GROO BAL final destination was Ernst 3 M Child GROO BAL Baltimore Johannis 10 M Infant GROO BAL
Louise was Gottfried's oldest child. She married Charlie Fink in Defiance. In Texas he ran a furniture store in Waco, Texas. Lena the next girl was married twice. Her daughter buried her between the husbands. Her first husband Richard Schmaltz ran a small bakery in Cleburne, Texas. After his death she married Henry Schroeder in Cleburne, who was a broker from Holland. The youngest daughter Mary was 4 years old when she left Germany. She married John Baade and also settled in Cleburne. Son Friedrich (Gottfried Friedrich August Blankenstein, young Gottfried in above list) was 15 years old and Ernest was only 2 years of age when the family came from Germany. Son Johann died at 1 1/2 years while they were in Defiance, Ohio. Dorthea died of pneumonia which resulted from riding a stage coach from Cleburne to Marlin in January to be at the deathbed of her daughter Louise Fink. (INDEX TO EARLY MCLENNAN COUNTY DEATHS shows Mrs. Blankenstein died in Waco on May 8, 1885 according to the records of the City Health Physician.)
Gottfried died in Waco in the year 1900 at
the age of 78 and was buried in Blankenstein, Gottfried April 14, 1822 - Oct. 6, 1900 (child's grave near above, curbed, no marker, may be one of Gottfried's grand children).
The tombstone reads: “Dearest Father thou has left us And thy loss we deeply feel But the Lord who has blest us He can all our sorrows heal” Obituary of Gottfried Blankenstein: “Last Saturday, after a lengthy illness, Mr. Gottfried Blankenstein passed away. He was 78 years old. The funeral was Monday morning. At the gravesite to honor the deceased were many friends and the German War Veterans from Central Texas. The funeral was in the cemetery at South 1st Street in Waco. The deceased was born in 1822 in Barby Province (State) Sachen, Germany. He served in the Kurassieren (Kaiser’s Army) from 1842-1845 in Halberstadt, Germany. In 1870 he and his family immigrated to the United States of America. They lived in Ohio until 1878, since then they lived in Texas. He was preceded in death by his wife 15 years ago. The deceased had many friends and the survivors are 2 sons and 2 daughters – Gottfried of Waco, Ernst of Temple, Mrs. J. H. Schroeder of Waco and Mrs. John Baade of Waco. Pastor J. U. Wulfmann officiated at the service. May the deceased sleep well.” As a young man Fred sent money to a friend in Germany to send him a bride. Fred sent Marie Dorothy Fredrichs a picture of himself and after correspondence and a proposal Marie left her family in Magdeburg, Germany, and came to America in 1882. She first arrived in Key West, Florida, and then Galveston, Texas. From there she rode the train to Temple, Texas. Marie never saw her family after she left Germany. They remained in Germany and one of her brothers kept contact with the family in Texas. She had heard stories about rich Americans, but found Fred to be a poor musician. Fred was very talented with the violin. It is told that Marie ruled the house. Before long she convinced Fred he should become a farmer to support his family.
At one time Marie owned a picture of Fred’s father Gottfried in his military uniform back in Germany in more affluent days. For some reason Marie never liked the picture and used it to fill a broken window pane. She later sold the picture to Fred's sister Lena. The painting was in bad condition, so Lena had it repaired - the uniform which showed his rank in the guard was said to have been colored incorrectly. Lena's daughter Gertrude had a copy of the painting done to send to the relatives in Germany.
1900 McLennan County, Texas Census vol 7 ed 70 sheet 2 line 27 Lived in house #401 on North 5th Street in Waco, TX 73/89 Lena Schmaltz Head May 1859 41 wd 4 ch 4 alive Ger Ger Ger land lord of rented house Nora dau Apr 1881 19 Tx Ger Ger Richard son Feb 1883 17 Apprentice Saddler Tx Ger Ger Oscar son Feb 1885 15 At school Tx Ger Ger Gertrude dau Nov 1886 13 at school Tx Ger Ger GOTFRIED BLANKENSTEIN Father W M Apr 1822 78 wd Ger Ger Ger immigrated 1870 30 years naturalized John Henry Schroder W M April 1850 50 Boarder Netherlands Ger Ger immigrated 1893 7 years not naturalized occupation - capitalist
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