The Heinsohn Family in Texas

– Six Heinsohn Brothers –

Overview •

Wilhelm • Fred • Henry • Gerhard • John • Anton • Family Tree

Anton Heinsohn's Family

The only clear portrait of Nancy Heinsohn that is positively identified is shown on the left. The Friedrichs have a large retouched portrait, which was known to their family as Anton and Nancy Heinsohn, but the artist was so heavy handed that it bears little resemblance to them. The woman seated in the center photo appears to be Nancy Heinsohn. It is cropped from an unidentified family portrait, that may be Anton Heinsohn, Jr.'s family. The image on the right is cropped from a much earlier family portrait in my possession, that appears to be the Anton Heinsohn family. Please let me know if you recognize any of these photos or just want to offer an opinion.

Nancy Heinsohn was born at Harrisburg, Texas to Renke Stöltje and the former Margaretha Bruns on September 25, 1835. That was a year before Texas declared its independence from Mexico. She had a ready-made family when she married Anton in 1852, since he was guardian of his nephew, Diedrich Heinsohn, who was almost four years old.

Nancy’s sister, Meta, married William Frerichs who was from the same area of Germany as the Heinsohns. He later bought property with Wilhelm Heinsohn and two of the Frerichs' daughters married into the Heinsohn family. Amalia (Emma) Frerichs married Wilhelm's son, Willie Heinsohn, and Margaret Frerichs married Nancy’s son, Anton Jr.

Anton's and Nancy's children, William and Reinhard, moved away to Lavaca County. Helene, Gerhard, and Heinrich all died while they were young. Charles and the younger children, Louisa, Meta, Augusta, Edward and Adolph, all moved to the Bartlett area in Bell County, leaving only Marie and Anton Jr. in Colorado County.

After Anton’s death, Nancy lived with her children. Her daughter, Marie Pflughaupt died in 1905. With only Anton, Jr. still in the Frelsburg area, Nancy was living in Bartlett when she died on October 22, 1908. She was buried at the St. John Lutheran Cemetery there.

Anton's and Nancy's children included:

	1. Wilhelm R. D. (1853 - 1900) first married Magdalena Tschornack. They moved to Lavaca County and farmed at Mixon Creek near Hallettsville. After Magdalena's death he married Matilda Mertz Koneschik, whose brother was married to Magdalena's sister.
	2. Maria Henriette Margrotha (1855 - 1905) married Louis August Pflughaupt and they farmed in Austin County before purchasing Anton Heinsohn's farm.
	3. Charles John (1857 - 1942) married Louisa Schweke. They lived in Fayetteville and then moved to Bartlett where he was a lumber merchant.
	4. Reinhard Friedrich (1859 - 1946) married Emilie Gummelt. They farmed near Hackberry in Lavaca County. After her death he married and then divorced Donie Sawyer.
	5. Helena Wilhelmina (1862 - 1882) did not marry before her early death at age twenty.
[no photo available]	6. Gerhard (1863 - <1865) probably died as an infant. The only evidence we have of his existence is a birth record in Anton Heinsohn's family Bible.
[no photo available]	7. Anton Ludwig Jr. (1865 - 1941) married his first cousin, Margaret Frerichs, and they farmed adjacent to the Wilhelm Heinsohn farm near Frelsburg.
	Louisa Wilhelmine (1867 - 1926) married Gustav (Gus) Friedrich and they farmed near Bartlett.
	9. Meta Solome (1869 - 1917) married Friedrich August Wm. Zschiesche who lived at Bartlett.
	10. Augusta (1871 - 1943) married Alfred Splittgerber who farmed near Bartlett.
[no photo available]	11. Heinrich (1873 - 1888) died when he was just a fourteen-year-old boy.
	12. Edward (1876 - 1951) met Emma Marie Andreas while he was a dry goods peddler and she was working at a boarding house somewhere near Fayetteville. They moved to Bartlett where he had a dry goods and grocery store.
	13. Adolph (1879 - 1931) was twenty-six years younger than his oldest brother. He married Mathilda Wagner, whose stepmother was Adolph's first cousin. Adolph was a hardware merchant in Bartlett.