StahlFamilie Historie

The following information is compiled from a variety of sources, including family oral histories and research as noted.


GEORGE STALL ORAL FAMILY HISTORY
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH & OTHER TEXAS RECORDS
OHIO CENSUS RECORDS
AGNES STALL GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH

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GEORGE STALL ORAL FAMILY HISTORY
D.Stall

These records first and foremost include a copy of a FAMILY TREE recorded by George Stall Sr.'s granddaughter, Mary Westbrook, the daughter of Mary Stall-Westbrook, sister to George Jr. The tree was created for a school family history project through oral conversation with George Stall Sr., probably sometime in the 1940s. The tree was handcopied by Anna "Annie" Stall-Arisman, daughter of George Stall Sr., who raised 'Little Mary' after the death of Annie's sister Mary Stall-Westbrook. The copy was sent by Annie to Amanda Boettcher-Stall, wife of George Stall Jr., from whom Herbert Stall obtained the copy as executor of his mother's estate.

That information has been supplemented with NOTES by D. Stall from conversations with Amanda Boettcher-Stall, transcribed sometime in the 1970s.

John Henry & Mary are believed to have met in Ohio. Mary Holt is said to have been previously married so it is not known whether 'Holt' is her maiden or married name. Mary is also said to have had children by her previous marriage who were grown by the time of her marriage to John Henry, and stayed in Ohio when she and John Henry later moved to Texas.

George Stall Sr. said he was born in Reading, OH, which is currently a suburb approximately 12 miles north of Cincinatti. Southwestern Ohio was a 19th century center of German-American immigration. "Redding" was the spelling of the original place name. George is reported to have said his father, John Henry, immigrated to America during the Civil War, whereupon he was enlisted in the Union Army and set to building bridges.

Amanda Boettcher-Stall said there was mention of a daughter by "Mary & Henry" and thought the daughter to be the oldest child, but did not know of anyone who remembered her name.

Roman Catholic baptismal records indicate that the Stall family was originally Roman Catholic and spelled its name "Stahl". George Jr. may have broken family tradition when marrying Amanda Boettcher, as the Boettcher family was decidedly Lutheran. In a BILL OF SALE for a mule to George Stall Sr. in 1895, his name is spelled STAHL and signed with that spelling as well.

In what appears to be a Roman Catholic FUNERAL NOTICE dated June 19, 1893, found among possessions of George Stall Jr., is cited: "Anna Maria Holt Geborne (born) Brinkmann, Hanover 15 Juli 1839". The data does not connect with any other family genealogical information, so it is not known if she is John Henry's wife, Mary.

The following is what is known about the Rosenhain family, the family of George Stall Sr.'s wife, Helena Magdalena Rosenhain.

Johann Friedrich Rosenhain was called "JF". A copy of a Fayette Co. Texas document shows his name as Johann F. Rosenhain, a native of the "Ewlpin" of Germany. Perhaps this is meant to be "Alpine", the name used to refer to Bavaria and the Black Forest region. A copy of the baptismal certificate for Dietrich Heinrich, sohn von Johann Friedrich Rosenhain confirms the spelling of the family's surname.

Johann's son Friedrich was known as "Fritz", and Dietrich was known to Herbert Stall, George Stall Jr.'s son, as Uncle "D". Dietrich and Katy never married, and resided together in Walkers Creek, near Cameron TX. They are both buried in Winchester TX.

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ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH & OTHER TEXAS RECORDS
D.Stall

Sometime around 1998-1999, D. Stall received email contact from C.B. Neitsch of Jarrell TX in response to a notice posted on a genealogy website. C.B.'s wife is descended from Agnets Stahl, who may be George Stall's sister whose name was forgotten, and the daughter of Mary & John Henry Stall. The following information was compiled by C.B. Neitsch from his wife's oral family history, the Roman Catholic Church - Austin Archdiocese and other Texas records.

C.B. Neitsch's wife was reared by her grandmother, Mary Agnes Schaefer-Rowe. Mary Agnes's son, Kenneth Rowe, is known to have referred to a family relative as "Joe", a man whose name was Joseph Stall. Joseph never married, and was living with his sister and her husband in 1900. Agnets Stahl, his sister, is recorded marrying Sebastian Ignatz Schaefer around 1879-1880. Schaefer had children born by a previous marriage in Iowa. He died in 1902 near Bastrop TX.

C.B. Neitsch has a picture of Joseph Stall and a copy of DEATH CERTIFICATES for him and his sister, Agnes. The certificate for Joseph cites Joseph Stall Sr. as his father, but that information was not given by a family member. It could, therefore, be in error, especially since Agnes' father is cited by a Rowe family member as Henry Stall on her certificate. Death certificates indicate that Joseph Stall was born Sep.16, 1876 in Reading OH, and died Apr.19, 1916 at Beyersville TX, southeast of Taylor. Agnes Stall is cited as being born Mar.31, 1860 in Cincinnati OH and having died Apr.17, 1937 at Taylor TX.

Family history indicates that Agnes Stall married Adolph Stork after her first marriage to Sebastian Schaefer. C.B. thinks her name may actually have been Mary Agnes, the same name given her daughter, who is his wife's grandmother. Agnes (Agnets?) Stahl-Schaefer told family members she was born in Ohio, and was proud of being a "Yankee". She also said her father, Henry, came to America to avoid strife in Germany, and wound up a Yankee soldier. The family may have been located around Cameron TX at one point in time. A cousin, Ben, is thought to have lived around Lexington.

Other indefinite factors make tracing the family genealogy difficult. There is no place name in Germany spelled "Olenburg". There are multiple places indicated to be "Oldenburg". Oldenburg was also a state in Germany that covered an area including Hanover and Bremen. A place named "Ohlenburg" is now a suburb due south of Hamburg. At one time, Hanover was a city-state. There are many John Stall-s recorded in the south central TX area, some with roots in Oldenburg which only serve to further confuse genealogical research. For example, a citation for John Stall in Fayette Co. shows him born 1842 in Hanover; his wife Mary born 1846 in Hanover; and his children: Henry - age 9, Katie - age 7, and Tilley - age 4; all born in Ohio.

Roman Catholic Church records are scattered from changes in Church jurisdictions over time. Some are illegible and hard to decipher. It is conceivable that others have simply been easily overlooked. Names are not always recorded exactly the same, and much interpretation and corroborating evidence is needed to correlate one name with another. Church records were found under the following Texas place names: String Prairie (Brushy Mission or Walnut Creek), La Grange, Taylor and Frelsburg.

String Prairie: Located in Bastrop Co. TX off 304 which runs from Hwy.71, west of Bastrop TX between Rosanky and the County line, down to Gonzales.

Brushy Creek: Adjacent to String Prairie, and site of Brushy Mission, a 19th century Roman Catholic mission parish community.

Yegua Creek: Area where M.M. Rowe grew up, husband of Mary Agnes Schaefer and son-in-law of Agnets Stall.

Lawrence Chapel: Rural community west of Lexington TX near Taylor where Rowe family settled.

Pin Oak: Rural TX community cited in Schaefer genealogical records, north of Smithville and south of Paige TX. Agnets Stahl and husband Ignatz (Sebastian) Schaefer are assumed to have lived near Pin Oak. They sold property that was in Bastrop Co. in 1900; some said they lived around Elgin, or maybe south of there.

Some records have been taken from the following cemetery list, or located with the help of this reference book:
Rockne Sacred Heart Parish, Bastrop Co. Texas 1876 to 1976

Henry Stall is listed as baptismal sponser to Anna C. Schaefer, born 1881.

George and Margarita Stahl are listed as baptismal sponsors to Christina Schaefer, born 1891

Gerhard Henrici Stall is listed as the father of Agnets, Bernhard, George and Joseph.

Birth of a daughter, Maria Magdalena, is recorded on Jul.11, 1880 to Mary Holt and Gerhardi Henrici Stall.

Baptismal records cite Mariam Magdalena born 1880 and Henry Stall born 1865 to Mary Holt and Gerhardi Henrici Stall.

Henry Stall, the son of Mary Holt and Henry Stall is recorded marrying Margret Seidel in 1889.

The death of Henry J. Stall is recorded as Feb.18, 1940 in Bexar (Co.?) TX. He is cited as being born Aug.3, 1865 in Ohio and married Feb.27, 1889 to Margaret Seidel. This information is from the Douglas & Connie Bauer Thielemann genealogy.

Marriage records indicate George Stall, born Oct. 1868 in OH, married Magdalena Rosenhiem, whose father is listed as Johann Friederick Rosenheim. Approximately 8 children are attributed to them in census and Church records, where George is recorded as married to Lena Rosenheim. Baptismal records list daughters Catherine, born 1892, and Marie, born 1894. Bernard Stall is recorded as sponsor to Marie.

Bernard (or Bernhard?) H. Stall is shown to be born Jan.15, 1872 in OH; married to Ida Berhing; died (Oct. or?) Nov.30,1960 in String Prairie, Bastrop Co. TX. Census and other (cemetery?) listings exist that include Bernard & Ida's names, with numerous children attributed to them.

More research is greatly needed locating additional records and cross-referencing them with known ones to show more conclusive evidence of genealogical connections.


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OHIO CENSUS RECORDS
D.Stall

Need for additional research is even greater in regard to tracing family roots in Ohio. Around the year 2001, C.B. Neitsch was contacted by Terry McNally, a retired English professor from the southeastern U.S., who thought his wife was related to Agnets Stall. Terry traveled to Ohio and conducted extensive research, but ended up concluding that his wife's genealogical relationship was to another Stall family. During the course of his investigation, many leads were discovered with conflicting information. Dates and ages, and/or names of children or spouses did not match.

Only one record seemed to hold promise:

Hamilton Co. OH - 1870 Census
West of Sycamore Township, Reading Post Office

The following are listed in that record:

Baden is in southwest Germany on the Rhine River, so it is undetermined if that factor discredits this record from being a family genalogical match. Could Baden have been the Stahl ancestral homeland while Oldenburg in northwest Germany was a region of temporary resettlement prior to emigrating to America? German seaports are, after all, all located in northern, not southern Germany, necessitating migration to the north. Could George Stall Sr. have cited this secondary homeland area as the birthplace of his father, John Henry Stall, when indeed it was Baden instead?

And why is Joseph indicated as being born in 1868 instead of George? The Schaefer family records indicate that Joseph was born in 1876, not 1868. Could George Stall Sr.'s name actually have been Joseph George Stall? He is, after all, not known to have a middle name.

As should now be evident, genealogical research is not as clear cut and straightforward as might be hoped. Genealogy is much more akin to puzzle piecing and mystery solving than science. More workers are wanted, greatly needed and welcomed for enlisting in this endeavor.

These maps show the distribution of the surnames Stahl and Stall based upon German telephone records. Click on image for full view in PDF format.

The following PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Click on file name to download.

FAMILY TREE
NOTES
BILL OF SALE
FUNERAL NOTICE
DEATH CERTIFICATES



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AGNES STALL GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
C.B. Neitsch

Agnes Stall is thought to be the daughter of Gerhard Henry ("John Henry") Stall and Mary Holt, and the sister to Henry, Ben, Joe and George Stall. The following information is a summary of the genealogical research conducted on her in Texas and Ohio by C.B. Neitsch and Terry McNally.

INTRODUCTION
PART ONE: OHIO
PART TWO: TEXAS
ADDENDUM

INTRODUCTION
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The research of Agnes Stall and her family has been difficult at best and has spanned a period of approximately ten years. The following writing is a composition of the results of that search. It is based on information derived from a full gambit of resources such as oral interviews, church records, census reports, etc. There is also circumstantial evidence provided to depict what likely occurred ("the best guess") in the absence of hard evidence. Many descendants of the Stall family have contributed to this effort with their recollections and in some instances "theories", particularly Terry and Joan McNally, and Mary Hartman who are from the Ohio branch of the Stall family, and D. Stall in Texas.

PART ONE: OHIO
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This journey began with minimal information. We knew Agnes Stall's birth date was 3-31-1860 and that she was probably baptized as Mary Agnes, although she normally went by "Agnes". She said that she was from Cincinnati, Ohio and that her father's name was "Henry Stall". It was also believed that she had a brother named "Joe". Much to our chagrin, the census records of that region contained numerous Henry Stalls, many with the "Stahl" spelling which was also a consideration. Eventually a possible match was located in Reading, Ohio. Reading is just to the north of Cincinnati. The 1870 federal census listed a "Henry" Stall age 36 (born about 1834) and his wife Mary age 30 (born about 1839-40). The census indicates that they originated in Baden, Germany. "Baden" will be discussed later. The Stalls had three children at this point: Agnes age 10 born in Baden, Henry 4, and Joseph age 2, both born in Ohio. It was not until years later that the research was able to establish that this was the correct Henry Stall family. Records found at the Catholic Diocese in Austin, Texas produced church records from the String Prairie/Rockne area and the Pinoak area all located in Bastrop County, Texas. It was via these resources that contact was eventually made with the Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Reading, Ohio. This information eventually verified that the aforedescribed Henry Stall was indeed the correct one, although some of the information is believed to be inaccurate, i.e..."the Baden reference". Many Stall family members are to be found in the records of Ss. Peter & Paul. Of particular importance to this research is one John Henry Stall. According to the 1870 census, Henry Stall's family was found to be living only a few households away from the John Henry Stall family. A cross referencing of this census information with the Ss. Peter & Paul information clearly establishes that Henry is Gerhard Henry Stall and it associates him with John Henry Stall. It is noted that this 1870 census listing was the only time that "Agnes" was found in any Ohio records.

Terry McNally, whose wife Joan is a descendant of John Henry Stall  (who will be referred to as John I in this paper) has determined that John I was born in Hanover, Germany about 1810. More specifically, his place of residence is believed to have been the town of Sierhausen, Parish of Damme, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, Province of Hanover. He and his wife Adelhaid, along with their children emigrated to America in 1858. John I died in Reading, Ohio in 1886 leaving a will verifying much of the following information. Their children were: Henry born 1842 who married Anna Westerburg, John Henry Herman born 1843 who married Mary Walburger Steaken, Maria born 1846 who married John Henry Peters, Anna born 1849 who married William Englehardt, and Elizabeth born 1854 who married William Weisbrod (Joan McNally's family). All of the preceding offspring  were born in Hanover and are also documented throughout the records of the Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church of Reading.

The above described Reading church records contain many listings for Gerhard Henry and an Anthony Stall (middle name of Henry or Herman). As we have established, Gerhard Henry is the "Henry" previously noted in the 1870 census. His family and that of Anthony Stall are shown to have interacted with the family of John I via religious rites during the period of the 1860's and 70's. John I and his wife and children often served as sponsors at the baptisms of the children of Gerhard Henry and Anthony Stall. The two latter Stalls reciprocated. Thus, if the sponsor of a child is one who would nurture a child in the absence of the parents (hence "Godparents"), it can be assumed that the Gerhard Henry and Anthony families were  related to John I's family. Terry McNally believes that Gerhard Henry and Anthony, who were not named in John I's will, were likely brothers and the nephews of John I. Although unidentified, the brothers father would have been born about 1800, likely in Hanover. It is apparent that the name "Henry" was of great importance in this family circle and is a probable candidate for the father/grandfather's name.

The abundance of "Henry" Stalls complicated the research, as you might imagine. If one wishes to pursue this still further, records in  the Old St. Marys Catholic Church in Cincinnati also contain listings for a Geradus "Heinrich"  Stall and an Anton Stall. On Oct. 9th of 1849 one Geradus H. Stall married an Agnes Marien. The witnesses were Geradus A. Stall and Anna M. Marien. In the years that follow the children born to this union were: George Henry 10-17-1851, Bernard Henry 1-01-1854, Maria Catherine 12-11- 1856, and Anna Maria born 4-30-1858. It is noted that the mothers name varies in spelling from "Morien to Muriel"; however, the father is always listed as Heinrich. We do not know if this is our Gerhard Henry Stall, but there is a link found to Anton Stall within these same records. On July 17,1857 a child Gerhard Herman Anton is born to Anton Stall and Catherine Vedder. The next year the couple, listed as "Herman" Stall and Catherine Vedder had a child, Anna Maria Anncia, born 12-30-1858. We know with certainty that the Anthony Stall connected to our Gerhard Henry, wife's name was Catherine Vedder as later revealed in the Ss. Peter & Paul church records in Reading. This indicates that Anthony was initially in Cincinnati and then relocated to the Reading community where the John I Stall family resided. In later life, Agnes Stall always bragged of her Cincinnati roots. Her death certificate does list Cincinnati as the place of birth, but the death certificate information was provided by M.M. Rowe, Agnes's son-in-law, so there is a possibility of error. No additional information has been uncovered to establish that the "Reading" Gerhard Henry was one in the same with the Geradus Henry Stall found in the Old St. Marys records, or that he had a previous marriage/children.  D. Stall does report that there was some belief that Mary Holt had a previous marriage. There was a gap of about 5 years between the birth of Agnes and the child Henry as depicted in the 1870 census. This could indicate the possibility of another marriage for either of the parents, or simply be the result of separation caused because of the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Gerhard Henry Stall was a veteran of that war according to his great grandson Kenneth Rowe. Kenneth reported that "Henry" entered/was drafted into the Union army shortly after his arrival in America, having left Europe to escape conflict, only to find it here. If this is the same Gerhard Henry Stall, later of Reading, it would mean that he arrived in America before the John I Stall family, noting that his marriage in Cincinnati took place in 1849. This is only a consideration so little weight can be assigned to this possibility, based on the lack of any additional supporting records.

The census listing of "Baden" as the place of origin for Gerhard Henry, was yet another point that must be closely examined. It could mean several things: that he had lived in Baden, a state/kingdom in Germany, before coming to America or that he was born there. A town of Baden is also located near Hanover. The listing may have simply been a mistake by the census taker who also listed the child Agnes as born in Baden. Nevertheless, it is most likely that Gerhard Henry Stall was from the Hanover region, as was Anthony who declared so in the 1860 census of the Reading/Sycamore Township. Anthony, whom Terry McNally has identified as the likely brother of Gerhard Henry, was born in Hanover between 1825 and 1832. According to his descendant  Mary Hartman, he may have been married twice, the latter wife being Mary's great-grandmother, Catherine Vedder who was born in Hanover in 1833. Anthony served in the Union army in the Civil War and died in Reading 9-03-1875 at the age of forty-three. The births of these children were found in the Ss. Peter & Paul records:  Mary Catherine born 9-12-1864-65, William born 9-28-1865, Mary born 8-27-1868 (Mary Hartman's grandmother), and Rudolph Stall born 3-15-1871. These children are in addition to those listed from the Old St. Marys records in Cincinnati. A daughter "Annie", probably the Anna found in the St. Marys records, later became a nun and assumed the name of Sister Mary Hildabertha in Dayton, Ohio. A daughter Magdalena/Helena is also referred to in some records. She was born about 1861.

Terry McNally made an additional important finding in the 1860 census of the Millcreek township just to the south of Reading in Hamilton County, Ohio. It is here that a Henry Stall and his wife Mary were found residing in the household of one Barney Hole. The couple had two children: Mary 2 years old and an infant male "Enos" 4 months old at the time of the census taken in July. A portion of this information appears incorrect. One wonders if the census taker erred, because the birth time of the infant matches that of Agnes (3-31-1860). Perhaps the information for the two children was mixed up or "Enos" was heard for "Agnes". One other point: on a delayed birth certificate in Texas in 1957, Frank Schaefer listed his mother's full name as "Mary Agnes" Stall, as we have previously mentioned. This means that the family may have initially called her by "Mary" instead of "Agnes". However, the "Mary" mentioned here would have been born about 1858 not 1860, so it is more likely that the information for the children was inversely transposed. As for Barney Hole, upon further reflection Terry ascertained that "Hole" should have read "Holt". The Ss. Peter & Paul Church records in Reading list a Mary or Gesina Rosina Maria Holt as the wife of Gerhard Henry Stall. They also document the existence of one John "Bernard" Holt, thus the name "Barney" in the census listing. Based on the ages of these persons and other circumstantial evidence, Terry concluded that John Bernard was probably Mary's brother. John Bernard Holt was married to Anna Maria Brinckmann 9-25-1860 at the St. Augustine Catholic Church in Cincinnati. Her name has also created somewhat of a mystery with some of the Stall descendants here in Texas. D. Stall states that the name "Anna Brinckmann" was known to his family here in Texas, but they thought she was the wife of Gerhard Henry Stall. This was based on the finding of a Catholic funeral notice printed in German that was found among family papers. They further believed that Gerhard Henry's name was "John Henry". This will be discussed later.

Gerhard Henry and Mary Holt Stall are cited in numerous Ss. Peter & Paul baptismal records over a period of years, both as parents and as sponsors. Their children were: Agnes born 3-31-1860 (who would have been the oldest child, but had no listing as the records began with Henry J.), Henry J. born 8-03-1865, Johann Gerhard born 10-04-1868, Maria Magdalena born 3-10-1871, Bernard Herman born 1-15-1874, and Bernard Joseph "Joe" born 9-16-1876. All children were born in the Reading area. Their last child, Maria Magdalena, was born later in String Prairie, Bastrop County, Texas. It is also noted that no further information was found relating to the child listed as "Joseph" in the earlier reference to the 1870 Reading census. Based on his year of birth, he may have been John "Joseph" Gerhard who in later life went by the name "George". These are the last traces of the Gerhard Henry Stall family in Ohio. At this juncture of the story, as you can see, we only have one solid reference to show that Agnes even existed.

PART TWO: TEXAS
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John I's family generally stayed in the Reading/Cincinnati area, as did that of Anthony H. Stall. Gerhard Henry and his cousin, John Herman  Stall (born 1843), left for Texas around the latter 1870's. In John I's will it notes that his son John (Herman) had gone to Texas. John Herman Stall and his family were located in Fayette County, Texas in the 1880 census and depicted as: John age 38 born in Hanover, Mary (Steaken) age 34 born in Hanover, and children Henry age 9, Katie age 7, and Tillie age 4, all born in Ohio. It is believed that John Herman died after 1890. He was listed as a Union veteran living near Swiss Alp, Texas in that year. In later years his descendants are documented in Colorado County, Texas records and the church records of St. Michaels Catholic Church in Weimer, Texas.

It is likely that John Herman Stall and Gerhard Henry Stall traveled to Fayette County, Texas together, for it is here that we finally have the reappearance of Agnes. She married Ignatz "Sebastian" Schaefer on Nov. 19, 1879 in Fayette County.  Ignatz and Agnes were also enumerated in the 1880 Bastrop County census: "Sebastian" Schaefer age 35, Agnetts age 20, and Ignatz's children from his first marriage, Theresa age 8, Ignatz age 6, Clara age 4, and Henry age 2.  I note that this census report listed Agnes as having been born in Michigan and her parents in Prussia. This demonstrates the inaccuracy of the census perhaps due to the census taker or the person providing the information.

Gerhard Henry and the rest of his family could not be located via the 1880 federal census. They were, however, located in the records of the Brushy Mission Church at String Prairie in far southwest Bastrop County, Texas in July of 1880. Apparently Gerhard Henry Stall had parted with John Herman and moved further west, for it is here that we find him and his wife Mary Holt at the baptism of their child, Maria Magdalena on July 15, 1880. Both Gerhard Henry and his son-in-law, Ignatz Schaefer, appear in several church records circa 1881. Gerhard Henry was also a sponsor to Ignatz's and Agnes child, Anna Katherine Schaefer, August 3, 1881. He and Mary Holt Stall are listed several additional times in these records specifically as the parents of: Henry J. Stall upon his marriage to Margaret Seidel, "George" Stall (George is John Gerhard of the Reading church records based upon birth dates) at his marriage to Lena Rosenhain (these were D. Stall's g-grandparents), and of Bernard Herman upon his marriage to Ida Bering. A quirk appears in George's marriage listing in these church records. The parents are named as "John" H. Stall and Mary Holt. All the previous records up until this juncture have documented him as Gerhard Henry or simply as "Henry" Stall. This may have been an error on the part of the presiding priest, George may have provided the incorrect name, or perhaps Gerhard Henry had a third name of "John". Three given names was common with the early Germans. It is noted that John Herman Stall, son of John I, had the additional name of "Henry" as was found in the earlier Ss. Peter & Paul records in Reading. George himself may have had the names of "John Gerhard Joseph" Stall as earlier discussed. D. Stall indicates that he was always told that his forefather was named John Henry Stall (not Gerhard Henry Stall). However, the records overwhelmingly document Gerhard Henry Stall and Mary Holt Stall as the parents of this Stall group. No further records can be found of Gerhard Henry. It is therefore believed that he died about 1881-82. According to D., Mary Holt Stall died about 1893 near Bastrop, Texas. Henry and Bernard Stall raised families in the String Prairie/Rockne, Texas area. George lived in Fayette and Lee County, Texas. He died in Milam County, Texas 11-17-1959. Neither of the two additional Stall daughters, both named Maria Magdalena, left a trace. Because of the name duplication, it can be assumed that the first Maria Magdalena died as a child in Ohio.

Agnes Stall Schaefer and her husband Ignatz moved from String Prairie to the Pinoak Community in eastern Bastrop County about 1885. A purchase of property is documented in the county records. At String Prairie, the couple's family consisted of: Ignatz's three children from his first marriage (as described above), Henry (died at String Prairie), Anna Katherine born 8-03-1881, Joseph born 4-19-1882 and died 1-15-1884, and Andrew born 5-31-1884. At Pinoak the Schaefer's had these additional children: Agnes Maria born 8-03-1888 (my wife's grandmother/mother by adoption), Christina Margarita born 9-1891, Katherine Magdalena born 11-25-1893, Joseph Philip born 1-05-1897 and died 3-07-1897, and Frank George born 2-22-1899.

Information about Ignatz "Sebastian" Schaefer is very scant. The referenced 1880 Bastrop County census indicates that he was from Bavaria, however, interviews conducted with Maggie Lowden Abels, the daughter of Theresa Schaefer, contradicts this. Maggie related that Ignatz had come to America from Berlin and was first married to her grandmother whose last name was "Gobb or Gobe". Upon her death, Ignatz married Agnes. It is noted that Ignatz was 16 years older than Agnes. Perusal of existing census records reveals that Ignatz first went to Iowa upon his arrival in this country about 1872. This is where later census records indicate that his first three children, Theresa, Ignatz Jr., and Clara were born. It is not known if the family was in Iowa or Texas when the mother died. With information from the marriage license, we do know that Ignatz was in Fayette County, Texas when he married Agnes. The story is told that Agnes often declared that she had stolen Ignatz from the church for he wanted to be a priest. This is a bit curious based upon the existence of his first marriage. Perhaps he had made that commitment after the death of his wife and then changed his mind after meeting Agnes, as she suggests. Ignatz died 1-07-1902 and was buried at the Pinoak Catholic cemetery. The couple's surviving children, except for Ignatz Jr., all married and raised families: Theresa to Frank Lowden, Clara to Louis Joseph Siegeler, "Annie" to Henry Preuss, Andrew to Viola Stockton, Agnes to Manley M. Rowe, Christina to Monty Dennis, "Katy" to Albert Wolf, and Frank to Grace Tyson.

After Ignatz's death Agnes and the family move to Williamson County, Texas and lived in the Brushy Creek area near Beyersville. Ignatz Jr., who according to Kenneth Rowe was a cotton ginner "by trade", continued to reside with Agnes. He later moved to the Lubbock area were he reportedly died. Apparently Joseph "Joe" Stall, Agnes's brother, also remained close to his sister. In the 1900 Bastrop county census, he is listed as a "boarder" with the family. "Uncle Joe", as he was called, died April 19, 1915 and is buried at Beyersville. His death certificate, the information provided by a non family member, described him as a clerk and listed his father's name as Joe Stall Sr. of Ohio, once again a contradiction of the facts.  His headstone does reflect that he was born in Reading, Ohio Sept. 16, 1876, but the date is incorrect by several days. He was never married. A photograph of Joe Stall was found in the photo collection of Agnes Schaefer Rowe. Comparison of the facial features of "Joe" to those of contemporary family members does suggest a strong "Stall" presence in the bloodline.

Agnes married Adolph Stork/Storch on July 11, 1906, and by 1910, they had moved to Runnels County in West Texas along with her still unmarried children, Katie now 19 and Frank age 11. Later, Agnes divorced Adolph Stork, and returned to Williamson County area with her children.

Agnes lived in the Taylor, Texas area until her death 4-16-1937. Her grandchildren hold many fond memories of her. Many questions remain about Agnes's "odyssey". There was hope that a birth, confirmation or first communion record of Agnes would be found in Ohio to further solidify her family connections. This did not happen. Even at the baptism of Agnes's child Anna Katherine Schaefer, Gerhard Henry was simply listed as a sponsor. D. Stall's relatives do recall family stories of a Stall sister, but they had lost track of her. One of George and Lena Stall's daughters was named Anna Agnes, presumably after George's sister. He and Lena also served as sponsors at the baptism of Agnes's child Catherina Magdalena "Katie" on 1-06-1895; thus, you have a continuing strong family connection. As you can see, concrete facts were difficult to locate, therefore circumstantial evidence/cross referencing had to be used in their absence. Many questions still remain. New information may alter the scenario which has been presented in this writing. Hopefully there will be future revelations, but for now we can only rely on the evidence at hand and a few assumptions in an attempt to tell her story.

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In a continuing effort to solve the "riddle" of Agnes Stall's origins, an inquiry was sent to the St.Augustine's Catholic Church of Cincinnati, Ohio in February of 2002. The hope was that perhaps Gerhard Henry and Mary Holt Stall might have had a connection to this church, based on the earlier revelation of John Bernard Holt's marriage to Anna Brinckmann at this locale. We recall that Gerhard and Mary resided with John Bernard "Barney" circa 1860 as indicated by a census report from that era. A reply to our inquiry was received in April. At last we received definite information regarding Agnes. According to St. Augustine church records, which were faded and difficult to read, "Agnes" was born on March 31, 1860 to Gerhard Henry Stall and Gesina Maria Holt and baptized on April 4, 1860 as GESINA MARIA AGNES STALL. Her sponsors were Gesina Stall (probably the wife of John Henry Stall the believed uncle of Gerhard's) and "first name illegible" Holt. We also learned of another sibling, John Bernard Stall, born to Henry and Anna M. Holt Stall on October 30, 1862 and baptized the next day. The sponsors to the child were John B. Holt and ("first name faded") Freakers. Here again you can see how the listing of names varied and has caused problems/confusion throughout this process. First in Agnes's record we have "Gerhard Henry" as the father. In the next instance he is simply documented as "Henry" and Mary is recorded as "Anna M. Holt". We also obtained a record for the Stall sibling born August 3, 1865 and baptized August 6, 1865. We had previously identified him as Henry J. and believed that the "J" stood for Joseph; however, these records name the child as Johann Heinrich. He is the Henry that subsequently married Margaret Seidel in Texas. One would imagine that the naming of Agnes's sibling as John Bernard, further confirms that John Bernard "Barney" Holt was indeed Mary Holt Stall's brother. It is my belief that Agnes's family lineage has now been firmly established. As for Gerhard Henry Stall and his wife "Anna Gesina/Rosina Maria" Mary Holt Stall's exact beginnings.......that's a challenge for another day and perhaps another researcher.