A Tribute to my Paternal Grandmother by: Lillie Gold Raaz. Her name was Tekla Heinrich. She was 8 years old when she immigrated to High Hill, Texas, USA, in 1866 from Halbendorf, Austria with her parents, Wenzel and Magdalena Muenster Heinrich, and brothers Joseph, Ferdinand, and Leopold, Aged 17, 14, and 12 respectively, Another brother, August, was born 2 years later in High Hill, Fayette County, Texas. The only girl in the family, she probably did a lot of dish washing and probably learned to hold her own among sibling rivalry. At that time, High Hill, Texas was known as a land of opportunity and freedom from hard times experienced in their homeland. Much of what the Heinrich family endured is left to our imagination, but we do know they succeeded in making a better world for us to live in. From the High Hill Centennial Book, 1860-1960, I learned that the Wenzel Heinrich family was proceeded by the Joseph Heinrich family, and later learned that the two men were brothers, but don't know if that had anything to do with their coming. I heard of no deaths or tragedies in their early life in this country, except that the north wall of their home constructed of homemade brick was blown in by a storm in 1886. Fortunately no one was hurt. High Hill was a good sized town at that time, and seemingly Wenzel, a shoemaker by trade, had a business right in the middle of it. He and his wife Magdalena both lived to be 87 years old and are buried in the High Hill Catholic Cemetery. Teka married Edward Gold (my grandfather) on October 25, 1880. My brother Rudy and I are two of only about 6 people alive today that remember her. We called her 'Grossla', probably to distinguish her from our maternal grandmother who we called 'Grossmamma'. I consider myself richly blessed because I can remember both my grandmothers. After Grandfather's death in May of 1917, when I was 4 months old, Grossla came to live with us at the home of her son, Rudolf (my father), on a farm north of Weimar. Her other children were August, Edward L, Tina, Mary, and Annie. All living in the rural vicinity of Weimar. Her youngest son, Frank, was in France serving in World War I. That was the beginning of six generations of the Gold clan in Texas. I've heard the saying 'The hand that rocks the cradle rules the World.' Grossla did her share of rocking the cradle as my mother had 3 babies during the time she lived with us. She didn't exactly rule the world, but her influence left a mark on hundreds of descendants rooted in the names Heinrich and Gold and High Hill Texas. I recall my mother saying Grossla was a good person, and to me that says it all. I was probably her constant companion. Among the few things I can remember is that she once gave me a 50 cent piece for combing her hair. I kept it for a long time, but don't have it anymore. I don't recall what it was that I wanted so badly that I couldn't resist the temptation to spend it. Among the other things I remember are that she was nearsighted, which runs in our family. My bother Rudy took advantage of her disabilities, just in fun, which showed that she had a sense of humor. I also remember the last day of her life and when she was bedridden, and the morning she died at our home on December 26, 1923. I was 6 years old and Grossla was 67. In my opinion, a book of her life should be published in the Lives of Saints.
Joseph Heinrich|b. 17 AUG 1849\nd. 26 OCT 1922|p2.htm#i12|Wenzel Heinrich|b. 22 SEP 1821\nd. 12 MAR 1908|p1.htm#i10|Magdalena Muenster|b. 22 JUL 1824\nd. 28 DEC 1911|p2.htm#i17|Andreas Heinrich|b. 20 NOV 1784|p2.htm#i16|Theresia Rabel|b. 25 NOV 1786|p2.htm#i15|Johann Muenster|b. 21 JUN 1794|p26.htm#i258|Magdalena Woellert|b. 19 MAY 1793|p26.htm#i257|
August Gustav Heinrich|b. 1 AUG 1868\nd. 13 APR 1937|p2.htm#i13|Wenzel Heinrich|b. 22 SEP 1821\nd. 12 MAR 1908|p1.htm#i10|Magdalena Muenster|b. 22 JUL 1824\nd. 28 DEC 1911|p2.htm#i17|Andreas Heinrich|b. 20 NOV 1784|p2.htm#i16|Theresia Rabel|b. 25 NOV 1786|p2.htm#i15|Johann Muenster|b. 21 JUN 1794|p26.htm#i258|Magdalena Woellert|b. 19 MAY 1793|p26.htm#i257|
Ferdinand Heinrich|b. 8 FEB 1852\nd. 2 SEP 1925|p2.htm#i14|Wenzel Heinrich|b. 22 SEP 1821\nd. 12 MAR 1908|p1.htm#i10|Magdalena Muenster|b. 22 JUL 1824\nd. 28 DEC 1911|p2.htm#i17|Andreas Heinrich|b. 20 NOV 1784|p2.htm#i16|Theresia Rabel|b. 25 NOV 1786|p2.htm#i15|Johann Muenster|b. 21 JUN 1794|p26.htm#i258|Magdalena Woellert|b. 19 MAY 1793|p26.htm#i257|
Theresia Rabel|b. 25 NOV 1786|p2.htm#i15|Joseph Rabel|b. 27 JAN 1733\nd. 9 JAN 1809|p101.htm#i1004|Rosina Dittrich|b. 9 MAR 1754|p101.htm#i1005|Johannes Rabel|b. 1703\nd. 5 AUG 1783|p356.htm#i3554|Justina Wania|b. 1710|p356.htm#i3555|George Dittrich|b. 14 DEC 1714|p217.htm#i2168|Magdalena Kainer|b. 3 JUL 1716\nd. 14 FEB 1749|p217.htm#i2167|
Andreas Heinrich|b. 20 NOV 1784|p2.htm#i16|Karl Carolus Heinrich|b. 23 MAR 1754|p100.htm#i1000|Elisabeth Kleiber|b. 1752|p100.htm#i999|Johannes Heinrich|b. 1706|p216.htm#i2154|Maria A. Wania|b. 28 APR 1714|p216.htm#i2153|Anton Kleiber||p216.htm#i2155||||
Magdalena Muenster|b. 22 JUL 1824\nd. 28 DEC 1911|p2.htm#i17|Johann Muenster|b. 21 JUN 1794|p26.htm#i258|Magdalena Woellert|b. 19 MAY 1793|p26.htm#i257|Johann Muenster|b. 24 NOV 1763\nd. 21 FEB 1814|p220.htm#i2193|Magdalena Heger|b. 1 OCT 1773\nd. 25 NOV 1814|p220.htm#i2192|Mathias Woellert|b. 8 FEB 1766\nd. 6 JUN 1832|p220.htm#i2197|Magdalena Knopp|b. 23 OCT 1764\nd. 12 DEC 1834|p220.htm#i2196|
Leopold Heinrich Sr|b. 8 NOV 1855\nd. 11 AUG 1942|p2.htm#i18|Wenzel Heinrich|b. 22 SEP 1821\nd. 12 MAR 1908|p1.htm#i10|Magdalena Muenster|b. 22 JUL 1824\nd. 28 DEC 1911|p2.htm#i17|Andreas Heinrich|b. 20 NOV 1784|p2.htm#i16|Theresia Rabel|b. 25 NOV 1786|p2.htm#i15|Johann Muenster|b. 21 JUN 1794|p26.htm#i258|Magdalena Woellert|b. 19 MAY 1793|p26.htm#i257|
Ottilia Ruth Miksch|b. 11 SEP 1902\nd. 14 JUL 2000|p2.htm#i19|Gus Miksch Sr|b. 15 DEC 1886\nd. 19 MAY 1963|p4.htm#i31|Bertha Swoboda|b. 1 FEB 1879\nd. 2 AUG 1957|p3.htm#i21|||||||Anton Swoboda|b. 1 JUN 1838\nd. 12 JAN 1910|p358.htm#i3575|Anna Ochsler|b. 28 JUN 1841\nd. 3 FEB 1910|p358.htm#i3576|
Gustav Miksch|b. 30 DEC 1872\nd. 10 SEP 1944|p2.htm#i20|Henry Miksch|b. 13 DEC 1840\nd. 10 JUN 1904|p8439.htm#i84381|Elizabeth Swartz|b. 23 FEB 1836\nd. 11 APR 1908|p8438.htm#i84380|||||||||||||