Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas Page: 403 of 894
762 p., [172] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 30 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
338
INDIAN TWARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.
a soldier in the Confederate army and served as
such throughout the war between the States.
Mr. Hezekiah Williams died in Williamson County
and is buried there. His wife died in Beaumont,
Texas, and is buried in the family cemetery in
Jefferson County, near that place.
Mr. McFaddin's last military service was in the
Confederate army. He was detailed to secure
beeves for the army, and consequently did not
leave Texas during the war.
When his father came to Liberty County, there
were only three people living in Jefferson County.
As a consequence, the subject of this notice had no
educational advantages and grew to manhood without
an opportunity of attending school. Notwithstanding
this drawback, he has been remarkably
successful in his business operations, is now one of
the wealthiest landowners and stock raisers in the
State, and in conversation gives no evidence of the
want of book-learning. He was his parents' only
child when they came to Texas. His father died at
Natchitoches, La., in 1845, and his mother near
Beaumont in 1848, leaving four children, all of
whom, with the exception of Mr. McFaddin, are dead.
It is to be hoped that this worthy old hero of
San Antonio and San Jacinto, beloved and honored
by all who know him, will be spared to his friends,
family and Texas for many years to come.THE ECKHARDT FAMILY,
YORKTOWN.Among the early pioneers of Western Texas, the
Eckhardt family should receive prominent mention,
as they have been greatly instrumental in developing
that section and are still among its leading and
most useful citizens. As early as 1843 we find
Charles Eckhardt in business in Indianola, Texas.
Afterwards he and Capt. John York were the
founders of the town of Yorktown, in De Witt
County, the town receiving its name from the latter
gentleman. In May, 1848, Charles Eckhardt contracted
with Peter Metz and John Frank to build
the first house in Yorktown. This was a log house,
twelve by twenty feet, with back room and chimney,
and was afterwards occupied by his brother,
Caesar Eckhardt and his family, for whom it was
built. Before this date, in February, 1848, however,
Charles Eckhardt had contracted with John
A. King, also one of the early settlers of Western
Texas, to survey and open a public road from the
town of Victoria to the prospective town of Yorktown
and thence to the town of New Braunfels.
This contract is still in existence and stipulates
that Charles Eckhardt and his associates in the
scheme were to pay one hundred and fifty dollars
to John A. King for the survey of this road which
was to shorten the distance between Victoria and
New Braunfels twenty miles and to run on the
western side of the Guadalupe river. This road
was for a number of years the main thoroughfare
between these points and is still the principal road
between Victoria and Yorktown. Charles Eckhardtwas one of the business pioneers of Western
Texas. He was engaged in various mercantile
enterprises and was a gentleman of culture, speaking
several modern languages. He was a Mexican
War veteran. In 1852 he went to CentralAmerica
and died on his return trip and was buried in New
Orleans.
In December, 1849, his brother, Caesar Eckhardt,
settled in Yorktown with his family. They brought
with them a number of people from Germany and
in a few years many of the sturdy German families
who have since settled in Yorktown and vicinity
followed and soon changed a Western wilderness
into one of the most prosperous settlements of this
great State. Csesar Eckhardt was born August 5tb,
1806, in Laasphe, Germany. He received a liberal
education, was a Lieutenant of artillery in the
Prussian army for three years, and afterwards
entered the civil service of the government and
occupied a position as magistrate when he emigrated
to Texas. He married Miss Louise Fisher, in
1833, in Laasphe, Germany, and the family consisted
of themselves and their children: Robert,
William, Louise, Emilie, Johanna, Marie, and
Herman, when they emigrated to Texas. Their
youngest child, Mathilde, was born in Texas. Immediately
upon their arrival in Texas they engaged
in agricultural and mercantile pursuits and in 1850
laid the foundation for the prosperity of the widely
known firm of C. Eckhardt
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Related Items
Other items on this site that are directly related to the current book.
Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas (Book)
A history of pioneers in Texas and their confrontations with local American Indians.
Relationship to this item: (Has Format)
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Brown, John Henry. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, book, 1880~; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6725/m1/403/?rotate=270: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.