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Gottfried Conrad Blankenstein & Dorthea Sophia Fredericke Herbst
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Gottfried Conrad Blankenstein and Dorthea Sophia Fredericke Herbst were married in Barby, Germany, when she was 25 and he was 29. Gottfried was ranked as Curassier bei der 1st escadran des Konige Preussischen 7th Curassier Regiments in Halberstadt. Gottfried was a trooper (private) in the 1st Troop, Royal Prussian 7th Cuirassier Regiment. The correct German is 1. Eskadron des Koniglich Preussischen 7. Curassier Regiment. He was not an officer and would have served King Frederick William IV. (ref: Dr. Jack A. Meyer.) The story goes that Gottfried was disinherited for marrying one of a lower class. It could have been this that influenced him to come to America. 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. In the U. S. Gottfried was a saddle maker. The family tells the story that in 1869 Gottfried left Germany on a sail boat with his wife, 2 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 in a covered wagon to Cleburne and Falls County, Texas, (Marlin) - which was then called the New York Settlement. Gottfried had several brothers who remained in Germany. Gottfried and Dorthea had ll children, 6 of which died in infancy. A son Johann died at 1 1/2 years while they were in Defiance, Ohio. ---------- GERMANS TO AMERICA By Glazier & Filhy Vol. 24 929.308931G Ship: Eugenie (see info on the ship) 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. They had 3 children - William, Rosa, and Richard. William and Richard had no children, but Rosa married John Kestler and had 2 children. 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. Fredrich was 15 years old and Ernest was only 2 years of age when the family came from Germany. Fredrich sent back to Germany for his wife. An oil painting of Gottfried in his guard uniform was originally owned by his daughter-in-law Marie - Fredrich's wife. She disliked the picture so she used it to fill a broken window pane. She sold the picture to Gottfried's daughter 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. Roze Edrington now has the painting in her home in Waco, Texas. The family says that Dorthea died in 1881 of pneumonia which resulted from riding a stage coach from Cleburne to Marlin in January 1881 to be at the deathbed of her daughter Louise Fink. Dorthea is buried in Marlin, Texas. Gottfried died in Waco in the year 1900 at the age of 79 and was buried in the Old Waco Cemetery which was moved for the new highway. ---------- McLennan Co., Texas Cemetery Records: City Cemetery section - directly behind Hebrew Rest cemetery between the south west and south east branches of the entrance road - Blankenstein, Gottfried April 14, 1822 - Oct. 6, 1900 (child's grave near above, curbed, no marker) I located the grave in December 1987. The tombstone read - 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 the service. May the deceased sleep well. ---------- INDEX TO EARLY MCLENNAN COUNTY DEATHS Mrs. Blankenstein died in Waco on May 8, 1885 according to the records of the City Health Physician Could this have been Dorthea? In the obituary of Gottfried Conrad Blankenstein in 1900 it states that his wife had died 15 years earlier. ---------- 1880 Johnson County, TX Census Roll #1313 June 1, 1880 Dist 82 p272 BLANKENSTEIN, GOTTFRIED 59 Farmer Ger Ger Ger DORTH 58 Ger Ger Ger Friedric 24 Ger Ger Ger Ernest 13 Ger Ger Ger -------- 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 References: Richard John Blankenstein 1971 Rosie Baade 1971 - daughter of Mary Blankenstein & John Baade Virginia Harrrington Roze Marie Edrington 1977 Genevieve Schmidt His German birth certificate Their German marriage license
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