Louise is the third of five children born to Philipp and Maria Peters Bauer. She was born on 20 July 1863 in Spring Branch, located in Comal County, Texas. When she was twenty-one, she married Carl “Charles” Wessely, Jr., son of Karl and Barbara Schimick Wessely on 27 September 1884. Seven months after their marriage, her husband, Charles, purchases 160 acres from his father. His father obtained the 160 acres in 1869 as Land Patent No. 403 from the State of Texas. His witnesses were Daniel Meckel and Karl Meckel, who were friends and neighbors of the family. He obtained title in 1874 after proving he had for three years “actually settled upon and cultivated as a homestead.” This property is a part of Survey 521 and is located “on the waters of the Sabinas Creek, a southern tributary of Guadalupe River about 5 ½ miles N 26 degrees E from Boerne.” Charles paid his father $1.00 in cash on 21 April 1885 and signed a promissory note to pay the remaining $350.00 with 10% interest in full by 21 April 1887.
Charles and Louise raised seven children on the farm: Otto Charles (1885), Olga Kathrine (1888) married Otto Edward Phillip, Bruno (1890), Ida Mae (1896) married John O. Wolfe, Hugo (1899), Paul (1902), and Ella (1915) married 1m. Andrew C. Davidson and 2m William Keith Salisbury. Of the seven children, four moved to San Antonio, one son joined the navy, and two stayed on the farm.
In 1900 Louise’s parents, Phillip and Marie Bauer are living with the family. Phillip is 80 and dies in 1902 and Marie in 1905. Both are buried in the Kreutzberg Cemetery. This cemetery is located on FM 474 and is now known as the Phillip Cemetery.
In the 1920 census, four children lived at home, Bruno, Hugo, Paul, and Ella. With three sons working on the farm, it must have been productive and well run. Carl died of influenza on 30 April 1926. He was sixty-nine years old and was buried in the Kreutzberg Cemetery. By 1930 Louise is 67, widowed, and the head of household. Only two sons remain on the farm, Bruno and Hugo. Louise’s occupation is a timber laborer, Bruno is a laborer, and Hugo is a farmer. Was Louise chopping cedar every day, or did the census taker make a mistake? The same year Louise becomes the owner of a vendor’s lien on her 160 acres for $3200.00 made by Harry Schuetz, a nephew, the son of her sister Emma. In July 1934, Harry was not able to make all the payments. He asks for an extension, which is granted, and then sells the note to Willie Rust.
On 6 January 1935, Louise, age seventy-one, dies by drowning in the Sabinas Creek sometime between midnight and dawn. Otto Pfeiffer called Justice of the Peace J. A. Phillip, asking him to come to the Wessely farm. Phillip and Sheriff Edward Bierschwale show up around 6:30 a.m. There they hold an inquest and Phillip rules her death as a suicide. She is buried next to her husband.
Do you have a story to tell about Louise and her family? Please share it in the comments. I would love to hear a story about one or all.
Louise is my Grandma Lillie Adam’s aunt.
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Texas. Kendall County Deed Records, V. 8, p 375-376. Kendall County Court House. Boerne.
Texas. Kendall County Deed Records, V. 54, p. 38. Kendall County Court House. Boerne.
Texas. Kendall County Death Records. Kendall County Court House. Boerne.
Conrad's Stories 
I wonder how they came up with death by suicide, she was 71 maybe she fell in? And I wonder how far she had to walk that late at night at that age, to get to the river? And the big one, why would she kill herself. Like was she in pain, and dying anyway from something? I’m very interested in this, but after so long it’s most likely gone with the wind. It just seems a bit strange because my G Grandmother was her sister, and they grew up very religious people. But that doesn’t mean Louise could have just stepped out of the box with that, at the time. My Aunt “Sista” as we called her, was named after her Louise McGraw. She was my Grandmothers first born child, and would have been 28 when her Great Aunt Louise died. She passed down all the story’s with the family, up into her 90s with a mind sharp as a knife. But never a suicide, which could have been passed by because of the religious in the family.
I also wondered how they came up with the cause of death. It seemed odd. to me too. If she was up in the middle of the night, how would either of her sons know if they were asleep? When I told my husband what I discovered, his question was as an adult how do you drown yourself in a creek? I never got the impression the Sabinas was very deep. So many unanswered questions…
Well if I find out anything I’ll let you know. And you let me know! But it’s been so long might not ever know. I’ll ask around some of my 30 or so older cousins lol! They might remember something one of my Aunts or uncles could of told them.
Sounds like a plan! I’m still digging for information too!