Commissioner Court Minutes for a county can give tidbits of information about the people who lived there. For example, I read in the January 1867 Kendall County Commissioner Court Minutes that Conrad Adam was an overseer for the upkeep of Road 1 in Kendall County. Who knew? Since there wasn’t a TXDOT in 1867 the men who lived along the road were to keep the part of the road where they lived in good repair. If everyone did their part, then travelers could easily travel down the road. I also learned that Conrad must have been able to speak English fairly well since not all of his road hands were of German descent. Some of the men who were road hands were not on the 1870 Kendall County Census which was taken three years later. I have listed their names at the end of the post.
Commissioner’s Court Minutes January Term 1867
“The Court proceeded to make appointments for road overseers and to designate the hands liable to work under the resp. overseers; for Precinct No. 1 there was appointed:
Conrad Adam, overseer for Road No. 1
commencing on Balcones crossing of San Antonio Boerne Road, following said Road to Cibolo crossing inclusive.
Hands: Christ. Humbold, Chs. Dienger, J. G. O’Grady, H. W. Topperwein, Ferd. Topperwein, Anton Bergmann, R. Westmoore, A. H. Barter, John Hermann, Chs. Cole, F. V. Henderson, W. V. Henderson, Nelson & George (freedmen)
William Kuhfuss, overseer for Road No. 2
commencing on Cibolo crossing exclusive, following the Boerne – Fredericksburg Road to Joshua crossing inclusive
Hands: Matth Baumann, Aug. Staffel, J. Nagelus, Christ. Jacob, Dei Sheridan, Jac. Theis, Jac. Gass, Henry Wendler, C. H. Clauss, Franz Schaeffer, H. G. Froebel, H. Baumberger, G.A. Topperwein, E. Reed, Jefferson, freedman, John Werner, Ferd. Lohmann, Ant. Koch, Rich. Street /freedm/ Ferd. Harz
Frederic Werner, overseer for Road No. 3
commencing at J. Saner’s residence in the town of Boerne following the Boerne Sisterdale Road to the crossing of Waspe [sic] Creek (exclusive)
Hands: Jul. Fabra. Ign. Minich, R. Brotze, Chas. Adam, Ad. Zoeller, Aug. Pfeiffer jun. W. Pfeiffer, Ernest Pfeiffer, Reinhold Kutzer, Dan. Meckel, Chs. Meckel, Fred. Meckel, Stewart, J. D. Johns
W. Vogt, roadoverseer for Road No. 4
commencing at the public square of the town of Boerne, following the Boerne – Curry’s Creek Road to the Guadalupe crossing at Aman’s place (exclusive)
R. Willke, H. Dietert, Jos Philipp, Jul. Philipp, F. Vanderstraten, F. Boehm, Aug. Vogt, Fred. Haag, Adolph Haag, Gottf. Hauffler, W. Hein, H. Spangenberg
J. F. Stendebach, overseer for Road No. 5
commencing at Cibolo crossing (exclusive) in the town of Boerne following the road towards Dripping Spring to the place where the road intersects the boundary line of the County
Hands: M. Schwarz, F. Schwarz, Bill Logan and son(freedmen) Dimas Huimizo, [B.] Dane, R. Lincoln, Jaco. Dedecker, J. Kraft, H. Scheele.
John Moser, roadoverseer for Precinct, No. 3 and Road No. 6
commencing at the crossing of Waspe[sic] in the Boerne-Sisterdale Road, following said Road and further on from Sisterdale towards Fredericksburg to the boundary line of the County.
Hands: C. Hoffarth, H. Magers, W. Magers, Chs Seewald, Alf Kapp, Rud. Wipprecht, Q. Bunsen, H. Carstanjen, Otto Neuber, J. Siebeneicher,
Charles Beseler, roadoverseer from Prect. No. 3 Road No. 7
commencing at Joshua crossing (exclusive) in Boerne-Fredericksburg Road following said road to the boundary line of the County
Hands: Mc Cluer, D. M. Davis, H. L. Mims, K. Ellis and son, R. B. Wilson, G. Nichols jun. Th. H. Manning, J. W. Manning, John Brown, L. W. Howell
Henry Boerner, roadoverseer for Pct. No. 4, Road No. 8
commencing at the fork of Boerne-Fredericksburg and Boerne-Comfort Road following the road last mentioned to the town of Comfort.
Hands: Alb. Beversdorff, Aug. Beversdorff, Chs. Bonnet, Sam. Ridley (fdmn), Doob, (fdm.) Henry Weber, Justus Sickenius, A. Lieck, A. Faltin, Chs. Kerger, G. Holekamp, F. Spenarth, M. Lindner, Chr Flach, L. Strohacker, V. Pfeuffer, H. Harms, Johns Stecher, G. Moorhoff, Rob. Schladeur, Henry Heinen, E. Serger, P. Hanish, John Hoerner, Jos. Lamm, A. Bohnert, J. Pankratz, Th. Wiedenfeld. O. Brinkmann, W. Heuermann.
The Clerk was ordered, to issue writs to all & each of the above named roadoverseers according to law.”
Road hands not on the 1870 Kendall County Census are: H. W. Topperwein, Ferd. Topperwein, R. Westmoore, F. V. Henderson, W.V. Henderson, Nelson & George (freedmen), J. Nagelus, Christ. Jacob, Die Sheridan, H. Baumberger, E. Reed, Stewart, W. Hein, H. Spangenberg (murdered 1868), F. Schwarz, Bill Logan and son (freedmen), Dimas Huimio, R. Lincoln, C. Hoffarth, Alf. Kapp, Rud. Wipprecht, Q. Bunsen, McCluer, D. M. Davis, H. L. Mims, K. Ellis and son, J. W. Manning, Sam. Ridley (freedman), Doob (freedman), Justus Sickenius, A. Lieck, Johns Stecher, Henry Heinen.
Texas. Kendall County. Commissioner’s Court Minutes Book 1, pages 67-69.
Adam-Hurst, Kathryn. 1870 Federal Census for Kendall County, Texas. Boerne,TX: The Genealogical Society of Kendall County, 1997.
