Tracing Your Bosque County Roots
By: LaDawn Garland
13 March 2002
Once again I’m encouraging everyone to send in their Bosque County memories,
family stories, queries and reunion information. It is so important to
preserve our family histories and the stories of our ancestors, and you
never know who out there is searching for clues in their family research
that you may have.
Bosque County Urban Family
My maternal great-grandparents were Jan and Anna (Orsak) Urban. They
immigrated to Burleson County, Texas from Novy Hrozenkov, Moravia in the
Austrian Empire, which later became part of Czechoslovakia and is currently
in the Czech Republic. Many people mistakenly assume all Czechs are
“Bohemians”. Bohemia is the eastern region of Chechoslovakia/Czech Republic.
At least 85% of Texas Czechs are from Moravia in the West. They are a
distinct regional ethnic group, though all consider themselves “Czechs”.
My grandfather was the second son; Peter Karl Urban married Klara Svach in
1896. Klara was from Lee county, but their marriage license was issued and
recorded in Hill County, and they were married by the priest in West. Our
family speculates that they had eloped. Peter’s older brother John lived in
the West area and we believe they came to a place familiar to my
grandfather. Peter and Klara initially settled in Burleson county, where the
three oldest children, Clara, 1898, Joseph, 1900 and Peter, 1902, were born.
They moved to Hill County about 1905 and to Bosque County about 1915. Our
relatives who remain in the West Community refer to us as the “Bosque County
Urban’s” just as we call them the “West cousins.” Because Peter K. took his
family out of the ethnic Czech communities and lived among the other settler
groups, most of his children married persons of other ethnic heritage, most
notably German. In fact, 2 girls and 2 boys from the Urban side married two
boys and 2 girls from the Gus Sommerfeld family. This produced a large
number of “double first cousins”.
My parents were Anna Victoria Urban and Rinert F. Sommerfeld. Both had grown
up in Bosque County, but after marriage they lived and farmed for a short
time in the China Spring Community. In 1941, R.F. and Ann bought a farm in
the Mosheim Community of Bosque County, where they lived until R.F. opened
his welding and mechanic shop in Clifton in 1962.
R.F. died in 1996. Ann lives in Clifton at age 88. I am belatedly working on
all branches of the family genealogy. I regret leaving this endeavor until
most of the participants are gone, but it has been a joy to discover and get
to know my roots.
Patricia Sommerfeld Lyon
patsroar@htcomp.net
Researching paternal line from Schokken (Skoki), Wongrowitz, Posen:
Sommerfeld, Behnke, Schulz, Baier/Beyer, Naumann, Knuppel, Buro, Lueck,
Schwartz, Miihlhause, Zellmer, Zander, Anz, Prescher, Hennig, et al
Old News From Around Bosque County
The Meridian Tribune
August 17, 1900
Marshal W. C. Barnett of Valley Mills received from the fair sex the high
compliment of being the best looking man at the confederate reunion.
Geo. Harris and family of Hurst, are visiting Mr. and Mrs. Clay Francis
Wm. Abbie and Fred Conine of Merrivale attended the reunion yesterday.
Misses Fay and Flossie Brown of Cleburne are visiting Miss Wells Alexander
are enjoying the reunion.
J.W. Gilpin of Morgan was in the city Thursday and paid this office a call.
J J Rasberry and D D Wilson of near Walnut were in the city Saturday and
paid this office a call.
Seburn Lomax has purchased the old M. E. Church building and is removing
same to his farm north of town.
Miss Etta Morgan returned yesterday from an extended visit to her sister in
Gatesville.
Hon. Wm Alexander went to Clifton yesterday to look after the peace and
dignity of the State of Texas.
Sam Martin of Morgan we are informed was taken suddenly ill with
appendicitis yesterday and is not expected to live.
Be sure to visit the Bosque County site at
http://www.txgenweb5.org/txbosque/ there’s a wealth of information on
Bosque County and it’s families provided by volunteers and other
researchers. Contribute your family information, you might just find
something on your ancestors already there. You’re quite likely to find
others
researching your family line as well. There you can check out the new
project for the TxGenWeb archives, you can submit Texas Family Group Sheets,
be sure to submit your Bosque County family.
The Bosque County Collection in Meridian has a treasure trove of history
just waiting to be explored. From the many newspapers covering the county
through the years, census, death and marriage records to the old deeds.
There is sure to be something there for every researcher, for more
information visit their website at http:www.htcomp.net/bcc
Good luck to all who are researching their Bosque County roots. If you would
like to submit a query, family story or reunion information on your Bosque
County family, please email me at garland@htcomp.net , or mail it to Bosque
County News, P.O. Box 343, Meridian, Tx 76665 or fax it to 254-435-6335.