Beierle and Gantner Family History: Wesson, Spring Branch, Texas
Source: History written by: Carmen Rittimann, 1976.
Sebastian Beierle was one of the early German settlers of Spring Branch, Comal County and of Texas. Sebastian Beierle (1827-1908) was born on the 20 Jan 1827 and had come to Texas in 1854, accompanied with his girlfriend, Christine Gantner, both from the area of Baden-Baden, Germany, as a young man after his sister Catherine (geb Beierle) Fuhrmann, whom also settled in this settlement, sent word and money for him to come to join her in America. Catherine Beierle (1828-1893), the slightly younger sister, was born on the 14 Oct 1828, also in Baden, left Germany to try her luck in America.
As the story goes, Sebastian and Catherine's mother died at the age of 28, leaving these two very young children to be raised by a widowed father. The Beierle father, name unknown, shortly thereafter, remarried and also raised a second large family with his new wife.
Sebastian and his sister, Catherine, had therefore become very close. While very young, the stepmother and the Beierle father had arranged for Catherine to be married to a much older man. Catherine, feeling that she could not go through with this arrangement, left home and went to work as a house servant and saved enough money to accompany two of her friends to America in the early 1850's. After arriving in Texas, Catherine found work as a housemaid in Marion, Texas. At the same time keeping in touch with her older brother, in hopes for him to join her in America, whom was still in Germany. She saved money and sent it to Sebastian enough for his passage to Texas, just as she had done.
Shortly after Sebastian Beierle's arrival to America in 1854 and onto Comal County, New Braunfels, Texas, Sebastian Beierle married Christina geb Gantner (1830-1905) on the 2 Apr 1854 by Gustav Dreiss, Justice of the Peace, in Comal County. Christine was born on the 20 Jan 1830, also from Baden, Germany as a single woman, accompanied Sebastian to the New World. After their arrival to New Braunfels, this couple remained for eight months in town, then relocated in the Hill Country on the waters of the Guadalupe river.
One month later, on the 1 May 1854, Catherine Beierle married Valentin Fuhrmann, a blacksmith in New Braunfels. Both men and their families had other plans and desires to live and prosper in the Hill Country, than to remain in the local town, each with their families and their skills and farming knowledge set out for their dreams to own and work their own land in the hills, that reminded them of their old homeland in Germany.
Apparently, the Fuhrmanns and the Beierles set their sights on the fertile land in the newly established settlement of Spring Branch, Comal County, Texas. There, on the 29 Feb 1856, Valentin Fuhrmann purchased 102 acres of land from Valentin Horne. And two weeks later, on the 13 Mar 1856, Sebastian bought 1/2 interest of that 102 acres of land from his brother-in-law.
The land is situated in Comal County, on the Spring Branch Creek, a tributary of the Guadalupe River on the north side, about 25 miles NW from the city of New Braunfels being part of Survey No. 19 patented made for Edward Howard.
While living on this place, the Fuhrmanns had two children born to them, first a boy, born in 1856 whom died of pneumonia at the age of nine months and was buried in the Old Honey Creek Cemetery. The other child, a daughter, Minna, was born 21 Nov 1857, delivered by Dr. Charles Porter, the local doctor and also later a postmaster for the settlement before the Civil War.
On the 26 Nov 1861, Sebastian sold back the same 51 acres back to Valentin Fuhrmann. Then the Fuhrmanns in the 1860's purchased land across the river, since all the land around the Branch was already bought up and the desire to acquire and improve more land came when Valentin bought the Anderson Survey at a County Auction for back taxes. There on that land the Fuhrmanns were able to expand and follow their dreams that were promised back in Germany that originally brought them to America.
According to the original document, Sebastian Beierle became a United States citizen on the 31 Oct 1859, having lived in the county of Comal over five years and at the same time frame, Sebastian worked as a Wagoner driving a freight-wagon pulled by a team of oxen, hauling supplies for the settlements of the area. From Indianola on the coast and to New Braunfels inland and vise-versa. During the same time, like the Fuhrmanns, Catherine's brother and sister-in-law, Sebastian and Christine Beierle, lived on the Spring Branch Creek land. Here, they worked the fertile land and raised a young family of six children; two sons and four daughters. Which were: 1.) Charles (Carl) born 6 Aug 1855, 2.) Katherine born 7 Feb 1857, 3.) Christine born 10 Feb 1858, 4.) Valentin born 10 Feb 1859, 5.) Marie (Mary) born 1 Aug 1861 and 6.) Emilie Beierle born 7 Feb 1869.
Almost every family encountered Indians and the following is the Beierle family story. While still living across the river from the Fuhrmanns, one day while Sebastian was working on his land he saw at a distance a couple of Indian braves on horseback, appearing to be up to something. Sebastian got on his horse and followed them across the river and they continued heading toward his sister's place. The Indians had arrived at the Fuhrmann place and began snooping around, unaware of anyone in pursuit of them. Katherine and her daughter Minna were alone and afraid for their lives. Then, suddenly, very load noises and banging came from the river valley as if a posse of horses was coming their way. As quickly as the Indians could, they rode off in the opposite direction, leaving empty-handed. For the posse was only Sebastian yelling, whistling, and banging on some farm stuff, and came to his sister's safety.
This place located on the same north side of the river, west of the creek land much like theland they had shared with the Fuhrmanns. They remained there from 1854 until more land became available to expand in about the year of 1876.
THE BEIERLE PLACE
In 1876, the Beierles relocated about five miles down river on land on the Guadalupe River, known today as the Beierle Place, where Sebastian Beierle purchased from the State of Texas, of which, he acquired in his life efforts 1,542 acres (as reported to Brown) of farming and grazing land, in rectangle shape tract located between the two roads to New Braunfels from Spring Branch, one being FM 311 and the other US Hwy 46.
The history of the Old Beierle Place began in 1876, when Sebastian Beierle bought 1218 acres of land from Martha Henderson, widow of James Henderson, an attorney and owner of large tracts of land in the area. Located on the south bank of the Guadalupe river about eighteen miles northwest of the city of New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas.
On this place, Sebastian raised cattle, horses, corn, oats, sugar cane and cotton. Only about 60 acres had been cleared along the Guadalupe river, which were turned into fields and were continuously under cultivation during his lifetime.
The original dueling was built by Sebastian and was made of fachwerk and whitewashed rooms, lumber siding and a stone chimney still stands today. A well was dug next to the house, which caught rainwater from the roof. This homestead sheltered the Beierle family and their six growing children. Two sons, Charles, also known as Carl, and Valentin and the four daughters, Mrs. Hermann (Katherine) Scheel, Mrs. Karl (Christine) Scheel, Mrs. Joseph (Marie) Weidner, and Mrs. Adam (Emelia) Mayer, of which all the sisters married and moved away.
The Beierles shared 51 years of married life together. They followed the Catholic faith and were members at St. Joseph Catholic Church at Honey Creek, Texas. Christine died at the age of 75 years on the 26 Apr 1905, and Sebastian Beierle, pioneer, farmer and rancher, lived to be 81 years old at the time of his death. Both are buried in the Honey Creek Catholic Cemetery.