New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 2, Part 133

Author: Davis, Ellis A.
Publication date: 1926
Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?]
Number of Pages: 1262

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Mr. Leonardt was married at Cuero the sixth of June, 1918, to Miss Marion Frobese, daughter of Wm. Frobese, and Mrs. Alfreda Frobese. Mr. Fro- bese, a member of the firm of H. Runge and Com- pany, was well known in this section and prominent in the business world until his death. Mrs. Frobese still makes Cuero her home. Mr. and Mrs. Leonardt have two children, Herbert, Jr., and Henry Frobese Leonardt. Mr. Leonardt is a Mason, Chapter and Council at Cuero, Scottish Rite and Shrine at San Antonio, and belongs to the Cuero Chamber of Commerce and the Southwestern Ice Manufacturers Association, and is deeply interested in the civic advancement of Cuero.

1949

MEN OF TEXAS

W. TURNER, directing head of the Turner Rice and Irrigation Company, of College Port, and one of the most extensive rice growers of the College Port district, has been identified with the rice growing industry for upward of a score of years, and is an authority on rice culture. Mr. Turner began the development of the Turner Rice and Irrigation Company, a two hundred thousand dollar corporation, of which he is now general manager, in 1921, selling his inter- est to the present owners in 1923. Since that time he has remained with the company in the capacity of general manager, and has continued to develop the project as originally planned. Mr. Turner has de- veloped more than fifteen thousand acres of rice land, all of which is now under cultivation, and has installed some thirty miles of canals to irrigate this land. The irrigation project alone, requiring a force of fifty employees in its operation, is a large under- taking and one requiring an expert knowledge of irrigation work. Water for the canals is obtained from the gravity irrigation canals developed by Mr. Harty, and insures the rice growers an adequate supply to make their crop. The Turner Rice and Irrigation Company rents the rice land owned by the corporation in tracts of varying sizes to farmers, the company furnishing the land, seed, water, and firnancing the crop, while the farmer contracts to furnish the equipment and labor necessary to pro- duce the crop, the arrangement being on a fifty-fifty basis. Forty tenant families on an average are lo- cated on the land, and the labor force necessary to make the crop varies from around two hundred up to one thousand as the season advances. In develop- ing the project, Mr. Turner graded all roads, built homes on the different tracts, and likewise improved the property, in addition to the construction of the canals. He also built a large warehouse for the storage of rice, with a storage capacity for twenty- five thousand bags of rice. In addition, fully equip- ped machine shops are maintained, and a threshing rig for harvesting the crop. Mr. Turner also put in operation a store, conducting the business on a small margin of profit, and farmers are financed from year to year, rather than from crop to crop. The store is doing an annual business of around one hundred and twenty thousand dollars, and is render- ing the farmers a real service, selling them substan- tial merchandise at a fair price. The rice is har- vested by the growers, delivered at the company warehouse and a sale day held, when the rice is sold in block by Mr. Turner. His office keeps all ac- counts for the farmers and returns from the rice sales are distributed as the accounts show. The annual rice crop, of approximately one hundred and fifty thousand bags of rice, is estimated at around a million dollars, and the entire project is handled on a businesslike basis, netting a profit for company and grower alike.

E. W. Turner was born in Brazil, South America, the first of September, 1873, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Turner. Frank Turner, a native of Kentucky, came to Texas in the early days and was a slave owner and planter of the state. After the Civil War he went to Brazil, remaining there until 1876, when he returned to Texas, going to Eagle Lake. Mrs. Turner, whose maiden name was Waddell, was a native of Columbus, Texas. E. W. Turner was edu- cated in the public schools of Texas and as a young

man clerked in a mercantile store, later going in the mercantile business for himself, at Hungerford, in 1900. In 1901, he began rice farming in Wharton County, and was one of the pioneers in this industry in Texas, and one of the first to see the great pos- sibilities rice growing offered the farmer. In 1915 he began making the plans that resulted in the development of the Turner Rice and Irrigation Com- pany, from that date until 1921, when the actual development began, working toward that end, and building a large rice plantation in Wharton County. In 1921 he came to College Port and began the present venture, and has since been active in the development of this large rice growing enterprise. Mr. Turner also owns around five hundred head of cattle, grazing this herd on the rice lands when it is necessary to let them "lay out," at about the end of each third year of cultivation.

Mr. Turner was married at Hungerford, Texas, in 1900, to Miss Louise English. They reside at Bay City, where they have a fine home, and also have a summer home at College Port, on the bay front. Mr. Turner is a Mason, Blue Lodge, Bay City; Chapter and Commandery, Bay City; Scottish Rite, Galveston, and belongs to Arabia Temple Shrine at Houston. He belongs to the Bay City Chamber of Commerce, and has been active in the development of the College Port section since coming here sev- eral years ago. Mr. Turner is the type of man quali- fied to plan and develop big things, and is endowed with the capacity to bear heavy responsibilities as well as direct large groups of men. These qualifi- cations have borne fruit in the success of the Turner Rice and Irrigation Company, and Mr. Turner is held in high esteem as one of the captains of indus- try who are taking a leading part in the develop- ment of the rice growing industry.

OBERT PINTSCH, fig grower of Alvin, Texas, came here twelve years ago and by hard work and practical application of the proper horticultural methods, has be- come the leading fig grower in or near this city. Mr. Pintch has ten acres or highly developed land, nine acres of which is planted to Magnolia figs, which he is growing along scientific lines. He grows no other crops, and believes that there is nothing that can produce the money crop as the Magnolia fig does. Mr. Pintsch came to America in 1890 and went direct to Wisconsin after he reached this coun- try, where for several years he was engaged in the mechanic and blacksmithing business. In 1909, he came to Texas and purchased land on which he ex- pected to raise oranges, and closed a contract to have this tract planted. Two years later, he came here to live and gave up the idea of raising oranges, but concluded to devote the remainder of his life to the culture of the Magnolia fig.

Mr. Pintsch was born in Germany, February 11th, 1872. His parents, William and Augusta Pintsch, were large land owners in their native country and engaged in farming on a large scale. His education was obtained in the schools of Ger- many, but Mr. Pintsch has continued to study, particularly along the lines of horticulture and agri- culture and the liberal education he has obtained on these subjects, has been through his own efforts.

Mr. Pintsch was married in Wisconsin on Septem- ber 25th, 1895, to Miss Barbera Kurey, a member of a well known Wisconsin family, who were large

1950

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NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

land owners and engaged in farming. They have five children: Arthur, Edna, Vera, Harvey and Emery. The oldest son, Arthur, was in the army of the World War for a period of four months and was located during this time at Austin, Texas, and is now a bookkeeper for Stone and Webster at Hous- ton. Mr. Pintsch is optimistic as to the future of the fig industry in South Texas and believes that the finest fruit in the world can be produced here un- der proper cultivation and irrigation. The improved marketing systems, and preserving plants have revolutionized this industry and made it one of the best for the climate of South Texas.

RNEST STEINMANN, Yoakum, Texas, was born, reared and has lived most of his life on a ranch near this place which was es- tablished by his father, a pioneer in the cattle industry of the Lone Star State. Mr. Stein- mann is engaged in ranching and the Steinmann Bros. own and operate the Steinmann Bros. Cattle Company, one of the largest cattle organizations in this portion of Texas. Associated with Mr. Stein- mann in this business is his brother, Ed Steinmann, who is also one of the best known cattle men of De Witt and contiguous counties. The large ranches of Steinmann Bros. lies in DeWitt, Lavaca, Vic- toria and Jackson counties. They have more than two thousand head of high grade Brahma cattle, which they have bred from Durham and Hereford cows. They began this breeding up of their herds more than sixteen years ago, after getting their father to make a start and they have continued this breeding since that time and now have one of the finest herds of this kind of cattle in the South- west. The Steinmann Bros. make a practice of keeping all female calves on the ranch for breed- ing purposes; the males being killed and sold through the Steinmann City Market and Stein- mann Market at Yoakum, which is managed for them by Mr. B. Flint, their brother-in-law. During the year 1923, 1,800 head of cattle were killed on the ranch for the market. In addition to their large ranch, they have much farm land, four hundred acres of which is planted to cotton and corn and worked by tenant farmers. Mr. Steinmann is in- terested in the development of De Witt County along all lines, and in order to develop this county, he helps in every way and is largely interested in the oil development of this section. Although a very young man, Mr. Steinmann is a leader in the busi- ness circles of Yoakum and Lavaca County.

Mr. Steinmann was born on the ranch near Yoa- kum in November, 1900. His father, W. E. Stein- mann (deceased since 1917), came to DeWitt County more than forty years ago, where he was engaged in ranching during the entire period. When his parents came to the vicinity of where the town of Yoakum now stands, their nearest neighbor was many miles away, and wild game of all kind wan- dered over the prairies. His education was ob- tained in the public schools of Yoakum, but he was always on the ranch after school hours. Mr. Stein- mann makes his home on the ranch, which is lo- cated four miles from Yoakum.

Mr. Ed Steinmann was also born on the Stein- mann Ranch in June, 1889, and has spent his en- tire life here. He was educated at the public schools of Yoakum. He was married on the Steinmann

Ranch in 1912 to Miss Emma Schmidt, a native of Fayette County, Texas. They have five children, ard. The name of Steinmann Bros. has been linked Delta, Wilmon, Velma and Thelma (twins) and Leon- with practically every laudable civic and county enterprise launched in this portion of the state since they have reached manhood, and before them their father was a leader in all matters having to do with the progress of this portion of the Lone Star State. The Steinmann Bros. are optimistic as to the future of the cattle industry in Texas and believe that the ranching industry will always be one of the foremost enterprises of the state.

ILLIAM ROGERS McDANIEL, owner of the Alvin Plant Farms, has devoted many years of intensive study to the growing of plants and fruit, and is regarded as one of the leaders in this great industry of South Texas. Mr. McDaniel came to Alvin, Texas, in 1911 and established one of the best and most at- tractive plant and fruit farms in this vicinity, which consists of thirty-five acres, all of which is under intensive cultivation methods. Mr. McDaniel has seven acres planted to the fragrant cape jessamine, fifteen acres to Magnolia figs and Stuart pecans, and three to tube roses. In addition to these, Mr. McDaniel raises for market a general line of nursery stock. Numbered in this stock are orange trees, lemon trees and grapefruit. He has ten thousand feet under glass, and this, with his shrubs, fruits and flowers grown in the open, makes the Alvin Plant Farms one of the largest, and with his modern irrigation system and an abundance of water, makes it also one of the most complete plant farms in Alvin or vicinity. Mr. McDaniel began his business career as a machinist in San Antonio, but after a short time, became associated with a large fruit firm in Old Mexico, where for a period of four years he was engaged in raising bananas, oranges and lemons. Since 1904 he has devoted his entire time and attention to this work, and has achieved a great success in his chosen line of endeavor. His wonderful experience in the Republic of Mexico gave him an insight into the culture of flowers and fruits which has been of untold value to him in his plant farms here, where he is considered an author- ity in his line of work. Mr. McDaniel has continu- ally pursued the study of horticulture, and in par- ticular that portion which pertains to the practical side of this great industry in South Texas.

A native Texan, Mr. McDaniel was born in Gregg County, June 10th. 1886. His father, William Lee McDaniel, was a well known chemist, druggist and horticulturist of East Texas. His mother was Miss Mossie Whaley, a member of a pioneer East Texas family. His education was obtained in the public and high schools of various places in Texas.

Mr. McDaniel was married in Alvin, Texas, in 1915, to Miss Lutie Lynch, a member of an old Texas family and a daughter of Alvin H. Lynch, well known farmer, land owner and cattle man of South Texas. In fraternal organizations, Mr. Mc- Daniel is a member of the A. F. and A. M. and the Knights of Pythias, in both of which he takes an active interest. Mr. McDaniel is optimistic as to the future of the floral and fruit business of South Texas and believes that this part of the country is superior to California.

1953

MEN OF TEXAS

P. KELLY, JR., has been identified with the town of Hochheim throughout his life- time, and for some years past has engaged in the mercantile business here, also serv- ing as postmaster. Mr. Kelly operates a general mercantile store, which he opened in 1916 and has since operated. He carries a full line of general merchandise, farming implements, drugs, hardware of all kinds, clothing, groceries, and has a meat market in connection with the business, buying cattle as needed, and has his own killing pens and cool- ing system. Mr. Kelly has a modern store building, seventy by fifty feet, of cement block fire-proof con- struction. The Hochheim postoffice also occupies this building, Mr. Kelly serving as postmaster. Mr. Kelly buys cotton in this section, which is shipped out to Yoakum, and also grows cotton, owning a hundred and twenty-five acre farm near Hochheim. He employs around six people in his mercantile store, and has developed a very large business.

J. P. Kelly, Jr., was born at Hochheim, Texas, the sixth of January, 1888, son of J. P. Kelly, Sr., a farmer of this section, and a grandson of Mr. Kelly, who was one of the early settlers here. Mr. Kelly was educated in the rural schools near his home, and after leaving school began in the butcher business, gradually adding various mercantile lines, until his present business has been developed. At the entrance of the United States in the World War. Mr. Kelly enlisted in service, serving at Camp Cody in the infantry for five months. He was discharged as corporal, returning to Hochheim, and resuming his business after his discharge.

Mr. Kelly was married at Gonzales, Texas, in 1920, to Miss Lelia Freeman, a member of a well known Gonzales family. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly reside at Hochheim. Mr. Kelly is a Praetorian and a member of the Retail Merchants Association at Yoakum. Mr. Kelly has been especially interested in the development of the rich farming country around Hochheim, and while he is known as a merchant, his farm, located near town, is one of the best developed farming interests in this section, and he is one of the most progressive farmers here.

D. HUDGINS, for more than fifty years a factor in the development of Wharton County, and a member of a family which for almost a century has been prominently identified with Wharton County, is a leader in activ- ities of wide scope, holding cattle, farming, ginning and mercantile interests here. Mr. Hudgins came to Hungerford, in Wharton County, from Chapell Hill shortly after the death of his father, in 1873, managing the estate here for a time. He returned to make this his permanent home in 1873, at that time having around a thousand acres of land here, of which only about sixty acres were in cultivation. From that time he gradually increased his land holdings, entering the cattle business, and starting agricultural development that has kept up to the present day. He now has some three thousand acres in rice, cotton and corn, all of which is cul- tivated by tenant farmers, five white families and thirty Mexican and negro families living on his land. The family home is located on this land, a fine residence which would do credit to one of the best city residential districts. A general store, cot- ton gin, corrals, and other buildings are also on the

place, making the estate a complete village within itself. Mr. Hudgins hold s around five thousand acres of pasture and wood land, and has one of the finest herds of Brahma and Hereford cattle in this section, the herd at present being about three quar- ters Brahma strain, which Mr. Hudgins has made a point of breeding up to. He has seven registered imported Brahma bulls from Brazil, and around one thousand head of cattle. An interesting feature of the operation of this large estate is that Mr. Hud- gins has formed a company, composed of himself and his four children, the five partners operating the business and centering their business activities in the one common center.

J. D. Hudgins was born in Wharton County the twelfth of September, 1852, the son of Joel Hudgins and Rachael A. Northington Hudgins. Joel Hud- gins, the founder of the Hudgins family in Wharton County, came here from his native state of North Carolina, in 1836, settling at Boone's Bend. He built the first saw mill in this section of the country and was very active in the development of this section until his death, which occurred in 1873. Mrs. Hud- gins, whose maiden name was Rachael A. Northing- ton, was married the first time to Mr. Mckenzie, and after his death to Joel Hudgins. She was a native of Kentucky, coming to Texas as a girl of thirteen years of age with her father, in 1833, Andrew Northington, who had charge of the women and children who left the country ahead of Santa Anna's army at the time of the Battle of San Jacinto. An- drew Northington, a ranking major, was active in the events of those perilous times. During the boy- hood of J. D. Hudgins, the subject of this sketch, the family moved to Chapell Hill, to give the children educational advantages, and he attended Soule Uni- versity at that place. This university was later moved to Georgetown, becoming Southwestern Uni- versity. Mr. Hudgins, however, was the out-of-doors type, and found his school days tedious. At the age of eight years he was driving cattle, continuing his out-of-door life through his school days, and as a young man entering the cattle business. He came to Hungerford in 1873, and has since been active in the development of this section.

Mr. Hudgins was married in Wharton County, the seventh of November, 1877, to Miss Mollie J. Mc- Kinney, a native of Springfield, Texas, and a mem- ber of a pioneer Texas family. Mr. and Mrs. Hud- gins make their home on the ranch, near Hunger- ford, and have four children, Eola, who is now Mrs. S. C. Border; Ethel, now Mrs. J. B. Forgason, and who has two children; Lanier Hudgins and Martha Forgason, Miss Lilian Hudgins, and Walter J. Hud- gins, who married Miss Ella Henkel of Brazoria County, and who has three children, Edgar Henkle, Janie and Eleanor Hudgins. Mr. Hudgins is a mem- ber of the Catttle Raisers Association and is a Ma- son, belonging to the Wharton Lodge. Mr. Hudgins is an outstanding example of the pioneer cattlemen who has paved the way for the present development of this industry, and few men are held in higher esteem among their associates than he.

T. STRICKLAND, JR., who has recently come to Wharton to look after his agricul- tural interests here, is one of the substan- tial farmers of this section, and few men are better informed as to progressive agricultural methods. Mr. Strickland owns a plantation, near

1954

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NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

Wharton, comprising around two thousand acres of land, thirteen hundred of which is in cultivation, being worked by tenant families, some twenty ne- gro families living on the plantation. Mr. Strickland although planting a large cotton acreage, is work- ing toward diversified farming. Mr. Strickland is also interested in fig cultivation, and has been ac- tive in developing sentiment favorable to this crop, and also in converting farmers of this section to diversified farming.

R. T. Strickland, Jr., was born in Georgia, the twenty-second of June, 1886, the son of R. T. Strick- land, now living in Illinois. After graduating from Lewis Institute at Chicago, in 1908. Mr. Strick- land gained his first business experience in Illinois, after several years going with the Woolworth Com- pany in an executive capacity, and remaining with that organization four and one-half years. He first came to Texas in 1915, at which time he resided at Houston. In 1917 he enlisted as a private with the Illinois National Guards, serving through the World War, with the thirty-fifth Division, being commis- sioned first lieutenant. At the close of the war he was on duty at headquarters in Paris, returning to the United States and receiving his discharge in October, 1919. While overseas Mr. Strickland saw active service, having many assignments which took him on varied duties to many places in France. Returning to the states he came to Texas, for a time looking after his interests at Wharton from Houston, and later moving here.

Mr. Strickland was married at Houston, Texas, the tenth of January, 1920, to Emma Lee Carpenter, daughter of Evan Shelby Carpenter and Mathilda Ireland Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter, a pioneer of Seguin, Texas, was a native of Crewsville, Kentucky. Mrs. Carpenter was a granddaughter of Governor John Ireland, pioneer Texan and the first judge of the supreme court of Texas to be made a governor of the state. Mr. Carpenter is a descendant of Isaac Shelby, the first governor of Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Strickland have three children, Emma Lee, Maude Ireland and Jane Shelby Strickland, and re- side at Wharton, and is a leader in all progressive agricultural advancement at Wharton.

EORGE HERDER, SR., one of those force- ful and progressive business men who play so important a part in the development of any community, since coming to Eagle Lake around a decade ago has been known as a business man whose constructive policies are re- sulting in an era of development and growth, and is identified with enterprises of wide scope and im- portant bearing on the prosperity of Eagle Lake and the surrounding territory. Mr. Herder is the directing head of a number of rice mills in this section, operating these mills under the name of the Herder Rice Milling Company, with modern and well equipped mills at Bay City and Eagle Lake, and also operates under lease from the Seaboard Rice Milling Company, a mill at Galveston. In 1915 Mr. Herder acquired the Eagle Lake Water, Ice and Light Company, and has completely reorganized that company, placing it on a paying basis, and is now supplying Eagle Lake with an adequate and satisfactory water, light and ice service. The ice plant, with a capacity of ten tons of ice daily, not only supplies ice for local consumption but handles

some icing for shipment of vegetables and like produce. The plant employs a force of eight opera- tives, and is modernly equipped throughout. In speaking of the rice milling and utility interests Mr. Herder called attention to the fact that while pri- marily he took over these interests to protect an investment, he has continued their operation, ex- panding the plant in every instance, and has con- verted them into paying businesses. Mr. Herder also has mercantile interests at Eagle Lake, and owns the Pecan Valley Gin Company, one of the leading cotton gins of this section. He is also well known in the banking world, and is associated with several banks in this locality, being president of the Garwood State Bank at Garwood, Texas, vice president of the First National Bank of Bay City, at Bay City, Texas. As is indicated by his achieve- ments, Mr. Herder is a man of wide experience in the business and financial world, and is a close stu- dent of business operation and business conditions in this country. He is also a man of a high type of executive ability, and has a talent for organiza- tion, two factors which have entered into his busi- ness success, and which have enabled him to re-or- ganize and place on a paying basis businesses which under less competent management came close to failure.

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New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 2, Part 133

Author: Davis, Ellis A. Publication date: 1926 Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?] Number of Pages: 1262

Author: Davis, Ellis A.
Publication date: 1926
Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?]
Number of Pages: 1262