biography – Texas History Notebook

Ferdinand Jakob Lindheimer

Perhaps less known than others of his time, botanist and naturalist Ferdinand Jakob Lindheimer is called the Father of Texas Botany. Lindheimer was born May 21, 1801 in Frankfurt, Germany. He received his early education in Germany and was teaching there before he was 30 years old. According to accounts, he held political views that were controversial and unpopular for the day in Germany and around 1833, he decided to leave Germany. At that time the prevailing form of government was described as being a loose union of 39 states, dominated by Austria. It is presumed that Lindheimer held to a minority opinion favoring liberalism and democracy. Lindheimer relocated to the United States, living for a while in Illinois and for a year and several months in Mexico with other German expatriates until around 1836. About this time, articles note, he served in the Texas army. Some say that he fought in the Battle of San Jacinto while others hold that he joined soon after the battle.

Two Early Bullfighters, George Doak & Junior Meek

It’s been said that in rodeo, eight seconds can seem like an eternity. In the early days of rodeo, the role of rodeo clowns began. Initially they provided entertainment by dressing up with face paint and garish costumes. Between events, they would sometimes do stunts, tell jokes and the like. They also stayed in the arena most of the time and during bull riding events, they attempted to distract the bulls after the rider either completed the timed event or got bucked off. As American rodeo expanded and professional organizations developed, the need for specialized protection for the contestants increased.

Elizabeth Powell

As San Jacinto Day, April 21, approaches it is interesting to reflect on the events of those days and the people who participated in them. Author Gregg J. Dimmick has written several books about that time. In his recent volume, “Sea of Mud: The Retreat of the Mexican Army After San Jacinto, An Archaeological Investigation,” he described the days that followed April 21, 1836 as they pertained to the Mexican Army. The author noted that General Vicente Filisola was second in command to Santa Anna when the Mexican leader was captured. Filisola was camped elsewhere, to the west and near the current community of Thompsons, near the Brazos in Fort Bend County. Thompsons got its name from a crossing and ferry that once was operated by a Thompson family there. Filisola’s forces were to serve as a rear guard for Santa Anna. The General had just been informed of Santa Anna’s defeat, though the whereabouts of Santa Anna were yet unknown. Filisola decided to gather his troops even further west near the current community of Kendleton, more than half the distance between Richmond and Wharton.

Charles Bellinger Stewart

Charles B. Stewart was born February 18, 1809 in Charleston, South Carolina to Charles and Adriana Bull Stewart and was the second of their two children. His full name was Charles Bellinger Tate Stewart. Charles was about eleven years old when his father died in Georgia in 1817 and was not quite twenty years old when his mother died in 1825.

Greenberg Smoked Turkeys, Inc.

Zelick Greenberg was the face of the smoked turkey business for 40 years, beginning in 1942. His son Sam Greenberg took over in 1982. The business began with Samuel I. Greenberg, father of Zelick. Samuel and his wife Selma Solinger Greenberg were both immigrants who became naturalized United States citizens. Each was born in Europe, Sam in Warsaw, Poland and Selma in Koenigsberg, Germany. Per one of the Federal census reports (and not surprisingly), both grew up in households that spoke Hebrew as the primary language. Sam came to the United States around 1900, apparently not accompanied by any adult relatives when he was still a young boy of about 13 to 15 years old. He was later routed to Galveston (the port of entry for many Jewish immigrants in Texas) by friends, arriving around 1903. Both of Sam’s parents and numerous other family members later joined Sam in Texas. Selma and Sam were married in Tyler in 1909. Their sons, Isadore and Zelick were each named for a father of the couple. Sam and Selma settled in to life in Tyler. Over the years, Sam had various jobs including working as a blacksmith, later as a kosher butcher and he also began a dairy business.