HISTORY OF GERONIMO TEXAS

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LEN KUBIAK'S TEXAS HISTORY SERIES

HISTORY OF GERONIMO, GUADULUPE COUNTY, TEXAS

Geronimo is a small town in Guadulupe County near present day Seguin, named after Geronimo Creek which in turn was named for Saint Jerome (translator of the Bible into Latin). Others claim that Geronimo Creek was named after the original owner of the springs, "Tio" (Uncle) Geronimo Flores.

The Geronimo area was settled by German imigrants who moved to the area from Schumansville in 1860. Some of the early-day Geronimo settlers included:

Robert Bretzke
William Kuehne
Earnest Staudman
August Weinert
Ernst Thormeyer
C.B. Schramm
Von Boeckmann

Ernst Thormeyer was born Mar 1849 in Hamburg, Germany and immigrated to the US through Galveston Texas after being a stow-away at age 12. He made his way to Geronimo, Texas, where he later married Minnie Borman. He drove cattle from central Texas up to Abilene Kansas, in the 1850's, fighting Indians on the way. On one such drive, one of the men was killed. In Geronimo, Ernst was a butcher by trade."

GERONIMO ESTABLISHED IN 1891

Geronimo officially became a town when a post office was opened there in 1891. The Geronimo Post Office was originally a bank, started by von Boeckmann, before the post office moved in. The banker had been embezzling funds and found out that the auditors were coming. One night, after consuming a beer with a friend, he committed suicide by shooting himself. At this time, Geronimo had a general store, a cotton gin, and a population of less than twenty. Von Boeckmann, who owned a verein (a German clubhouse), owned land on both sides of Geronimo. Von Boeckmann, Timmerman, and another investor bought the Schram Gin, tore it down, then built the Geronimo Gin around 1890 which was known as the von Boeckmann Gin. The gin was steam driven and used wood purchased from the farmers to produce the steam. By 1900 E. von Boeckmann sold the gin to his sons, Edgar and Charles von Boeckmann.

Other early day Geronimo families include the Voss family and the Dittfurth family, all German immigrants arriving in Texas after the end of the Civil War. Carl Voss and Emma Dittfurth were married in Comal County on December 11, 1886 and shortly thereafter settled on a farm in the Geronimo area. They had four children including: Edwin -born on April 1, 1888
Rheinhold-born in 1890
Walter-born on April 18, 1892 , died on October 31, 1894

Adolph, born in 1897

The Voss children attended the Geronimo schools in the 1890s and early 1900s.

In 1902, Carl and Emma Voss left Geronimo and moved their family and belongings by wagon to a 1200 acre ranch in Wingate, Texas in Runnels County.

BRETZKE STORE

The Bretzke Store was a general store established by Robert Bretzke during the late 1800's. The Bretzke Store dealt in Saddles, shoes, clothing, cotton sacks, feed, seed,and fertilizer. Later Robert sold the store to his son, David Bretzke. Affordable

Koebig Store & Geronimo Post Office

The Koebig Store, built in 1917, also included the Geronimo post office in the back. Postal customers often had to climb over sacks of feed to get to their mail. When the post office moved out, it moved into a mobile building prior to moving to the little red brick building where it is housed today. The original post office boxes are in the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio, Texas.

Timmerman Swimming Pool (Early 1900's)

During the early 1900's, the Timmerman family constructed and operated a park complete with a swimming pool beside Geronimo Creek in the pasture area just east and south of where their home still lies today. On July 11, 1919, the Guadalupe Gazette, Seguin, Texas, reported that the first "social whirl" bathing party was held at the Timmerman's park near Geronimo. The swimming pool was basically spring fed, but a well was built to help fill it up. It was located across the road and south east of their home.

Farmers' Union Gin Company (1909)

In 1909, The farmers organized and built the Farmers' Union Gin Company . After the gin closed, the building was converted into a gymnasium for the Navarro School. In the 1960's and 70's, the same building was home for the Evan's Honey Shack and currently houses Geronimo Antiques.

The Farmers' Union Gin bought out the von Boeckmann Gin in 1917 and both gins were used both at the same time. In 1920, The board of directors officially adopted the name "The Geronimo Gin Company" and a seal was made. The simultaneous operation of the two gins continued for several years until the directors closed the original gin (Farmers' Union) and continued ginning with the improved Geronimo Gin.

The Geronimo Gin North Seed House was affectionately dubbed "The Eagle Hotel" because a man often slept off his intoxication there.

During the 1970's, cotton root rot became a major problem for the farmers and more and more of them quit growing cotton and began to depend more upon milo, corn, wheat and hay crops. The major livestock raised in the area include cattle, sheep, hogs, and in more recent years, goats. The decline in cotton production closed the Geronimo Gin in 1977.

LONE OAK CEMETERY

Lone Oak Cemetery is located in Geronimo, Texas on Barbarrosa Road across from Friedens Church. Barbarrosa Road is located bewteen Hwy 123 and Hwy 46.


This is a site under construction. We'll be adding old photos and stories of early-day settlers in the Geronimo area. If you have something you'd like to add to the site, send me an email.

Also see our history links near the bottom of this webpage. I spend a great deal of time researching Texas history and adding topics of interest to our website for our internet viewers.

The site is constantly growing. Bookmark us and come back often (and tell your friends about us).

Thanks,
Len Kubiak

Got any old Geronimo or Guadulupe County Photos or Stories you want to share? Send me an email!


For questions or comments, send me an Email

GERONIMO AREA BULLETIN BOARD

Received the following email from Laurie Voss Barthlow (laurie.barthlow@gmail.com)

I am researching my Voss family history, and I've learned a lot in the last two years of traveling to Guadalupe County. My great-great grandparents were Carl and Emma (Dittfurth) Voss who married in 1886 in Comal County, and settled on property near Geronimo, which is today on Glenewinkel Road. Their sons went to school at Geronimo in the 1890s. I am interested in locating any class pictures or newspaper articles that may relate to my Voss family. Do you have access to any such historic documents?

I have written a short essay about Carl and Emma that you may be interested in. I can send it to you as a Word document.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Laurie Voss Barthlow
laurie.barthlow@gmail.com

LEONARD KUBIAK's ONLINE TEXAS HISTORY WEBPAGES NATIONAL HISTORY History of Thanksgiving. History of the Hesston Belt Buckle. Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the U.S. TEXAS HISTORY How Texas Got It's Name. Old 300 Anglo Settlers in Texas. Will Goyens, early-day Texian Sam Houston History of the Texas Revolution. Texas Declaration of Independence (1836). Jim Bowie, Hero of the Alamo William Travis, Hero of the Alamo Goliad Massacre(1836) Battle of the Alamo (1836) Battle of San Jacinto Officers and Men in the Texas Revolution Important Documents of Early-Day Texas General Santa Anna Indian Captive Cynthia Ann Parker Military Forts in Early Day Texas History of the Republic of Texas General George Custer Generals Robert E. Lee and U.S. Grant Letters by Early-Day Texas Settlers. Governor John Conally State Representative Daniel James Kubiak Jean Kubiak Cundieff Memorial Page BURNET COUNTY HISTORY History of Gabriel Mills, Cedar Mills and Bertram, Texas FALLS COUNTY HISTORY History of Busksnort and Marlin, Texas Eye Witness Accounts of Busksnort and Marlin, Texas History of Cedar Springs, Wilderville, and Rosebud Pleasant Grove, Falls County, Tx Webpage Rosebud, Falls County, Tx Webpage Highbank Webpage and History History of Reagan, Texas History of Reagan Baptist Church History of the Reagan Methodist Church Reagan Homecoming Page Reagan Obituaries Map of Reagan, Texas Former Residents of Reagan, Texas Former Students and Teachers of Reagan, Texas Fond Memories of Life in Reagan History of Alto Springs History of Long Branch History of Blue Ridge History of North Blue Ridge (Stranger) FALLS COUNTY CEMETERY LISTINGS North Blue Ridge (Stranger)Settlement History and Cemetery Blueridge History and Cemetery Roll Mustang Prairie Settlement History and Cemetery Listing History of Cedar Springs, Pleasant Grove, & Wilderville, and cemetery Listings Waite (Reagan)Cemetery Listing Blue Ridge (Reagan)Cemetery Listing Hog Island (Reagan) Cemetery Listing Johnson (Reagan)Cemetery Listing Powers/McCaleb(Reagan)Cemetery Listing LEE COUNTY HISTORY History of Tanglewood LIMESTONE COUNTY HISTORY Kosse History and Home Page. Kosse Cemetery Listings. Kosse Area Obituaries. MILAM COUNTY HISTORY History of Milam County History of Rockdale, Thorndale, Bushdale History of Gause History of Hamilton Chapel, Cemetery Listing History and Listing of Rockdale IOOF Cemetery ROBERTSON COUNTY HISTORY History of Bremond History of Wootan Wells WILLIAMSON COUNTY HISTORY Liberty Hill, Williamson County, Texas Home Page Prehistoric History of the Liberty Hill Region Liberty Hill Settlement in the 1850's History of the Liberty Hill Stage Coach Stop (1852) Liberty Hill -Then and Now The Founding of New Liberty Hill (1882) Historic Liberty Hill Cemetery Listing. History of Cedar Park HISTORY OF TRANSPORTATION History of Trains in Texas INDIAN RELEATED HISTORY Indian Treaty Signed With the Comanches, Kiowas, and Apaches in 1867 The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker. History of the Tarahumara Indians, a primitive tribe living in modern times. OLD WEST RELATED HISTORY Another true life tale of life in Early-Day texas Famous Sam Bass Outlaw Gang History of the Cowboy and Cattle Drives in Early-Day texas History of The Western Stagecoach Cowboys of the Silver Screen. MISCELLEANEOUS HISTORY History of Thanksgiving. History of the Hesston Belt Buckle.

For questions or comments, send me an Email at lenkubiak.geo@yahoo.com






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