James Theodore Petzold at about Eight Years

Thanks to my cousin, with whom I spent most of this past Monday up in Erath Co., TX, I am happy to share a great picture of my Daddy at about the age of eight. He's a good-looking boy, which is common to mutts (as our new President might say), and obviously a real charmer. I don't recall seeing this particular photo before, so this is a fortunate fruit of my genealogical field-tripping. Enjoy!

Valley Mills is in Bosque Co., TX. It is an ancestral hometown for me and the place on Earth where my body will be buried.

21 January 1920: Enumerating My Great-Grandparents Henry and Amilie Petzold

Apparent now in an image of the page on which my Great-Grandparents Henry and Amilie Augusta (RACKOW) PETZOLD were enumerated in the 1920 Fed. Census of Bosque Co., TX (Justice Precinct No. 5) is some significant information I have never noticed before: although the words are crossed out and maybe misspelled, this document indicates that both of Henry's parents were from "Mecklenburg, Germany" and that Amilie and her parents were from "Posen, Germany." This census also ridiculously gives Henry's birthplace as Texas, but that is beside the point; what matters here is the amazingly specific designations of Mecklenburg and Posen. This is independent confirmation of some very important facts.

Henry appears as "Petzolt, O.H." and Amilie as "Emilie." They are renters on a farm and their seven children ---all boys--- live with them: Otto, Fred (instead of Fritz!), Walter, William, Herbert, Theodore (not "Tado" to the census-taker!), and Edwin. Henry and Amilie are listed as 50 and 47, respectively, which is completely off. Amilie declares that she is a "naturalized" citizen, although it simply says "un" where the year of her immigration should be. And, again, because Henry claims to be a native Texan, no marks are made in those same categories where Amilie's are. Everybody in the family can read and write, it says, although we know that probably wasn't so. They did all speak English, though. Bill, Herbert, PaPa, and Sam had all attended school in the past year. Amilie's "native tongue" is given as "Germany" [sic], but that space is blank for Henry, the big fibber. Henry is a "general farmer" working on his "own account," but his eldest boys, Ott and Fritz, are "wage worker" farmers. Neither Amilie nor the younger boys are credited with any occupation.

The moral of the story is to always go back to the original documents (or reproductions) and really give them the once-over twice. Never trust transcriptions if you don't have to. To find such specificity in a census record may not be rare, but it is pretty amazing. Pay attention to what is crossed out and to the context. Great stuff.

Walling Bend School, 1916-17

This is a photograph of the Walling Bend School class of 1916-17.

Walling Bend was a community in Bosque Co., TX. The site of the school seen in this photograph is, as best I can tell, now somewhere under the waters of Lake Whitney.

The little blonde-haired boy holding the edge of the sign on your left is my paternal Grandfather, Thedore Gustav "Tado" Petzold, whom I knew as PaPa (Paw-Paw). He did not get much past the third grade, I've been told, and this is probably the only school he ever knew.

Over PaPa's right shoulder and behind the little fellow with his hands in his jacket is my Uncle Herbert Petzold. He's the rather German-looking blonde-haired boy with the overalls. And standing behind and above him to his left is our Uncle Bill Petzold.

These are some of the very earliest images I have of these men, and I thank my Aunt Shirley with all my heart for sharing them with me ---and all of you.