Thursday, April 28, 2011

Moritz & Marie Beyer: The Senior Years


About 1925 – Back row: Olga & Fritz Becker, Sam Hardi, Emil Beyer, Rudolph & Augusta Beyer
Seated: Ella Hardi with daughter Elfrieda, Moritz & Marie Beyer & Ewald.
Ella's daughter Marie Hardi & Rudolph's son Hugo Beyer in front. 
On December 18, 1920, just three days before his son Rudolph and daughter Ella celebrated their double wedding, Moritz Beyer's land acquisitions were completed when he purchased 158 acres from Herman Schmidt, in the southeast portion of the Rutersville College Survey. He now had a total of about 400 acres of farmland.

Rudolph Beyer wrote in 1969, that he and his wife Augusta, rented for a few years from his parents. Then, on December 6, 1926, Moritz sold three parcels - one to each of his married children and their spouses. Fritz and Olga (Beyer) Becker purchased part of the Schmidt farm. Sam and Ella Hardi also purchased part of the Schmidt farm. Rudolph and Augusta purchased part of the Burns farm, which adjoined the original Robbins Pasture farm Moritz purchased in 1901.

Three weeks later, on December 28, 1926, Moritz Ernest Beyer died of kidney failure, at the age of 75. According to Ella Beyer, his funeral was held in the home with his casket in the center of the parlor. He was buried at at St. Peter's United Church of Christ Cemetery (now St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery) in Coupland, Texas.

Beyer family marker and Moritz Beyer's
grave marker at Coupland.  Marie and
Emil's markers are next to Moritz'.
On February 4, 1927, Ewald Beyer married Mary Rieger and soon after, they purchased the original farm from his parent's estate. Marie Beyer continued to live with Ewald and Mary until she died in 1951, at the age of 91. Marie's funeral was at St. Peter's United Church of Christ in Coupland. She was buried in the church cemetery.

Of the surviving children, only Emil did not marry. Emil, unfortunately, was challenged with limitations from an intellectual disability from the time he was born. Watching out for him became more and more challenging for his family as he grew older. For a while, his brothers and sisters took turns caring for him in their homes. In 1929, by mutual agreement, his family approached the Williamson County Court for help, and moved him to the state school in Austin where he lived for the rest of his life. He died on February 23, 1943, at the age of 44, and was buried at St. Peter's United Church of Christ Cemetery.

Rudolph and Augusta raised their family and continued to farm in Beyersville until 1942, when they purchased a farm near Frame Switch, west of Taylor.

Sam and Ella (Beyer) Hardi lived on their farm until Sam passed away in 1958. Then Ella sold their farm and moved to Taylor.

Later, Ewald and Mary Beyer also moved to a farm just outside of Tayor, northwest of town.

2 comments:

  1. What Schmidt family are you referring to...Franz Schmidt was my great grandfather...Land on Schmidt Lane...

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  2. Hi Jan,
    Moritz Beyer bought 158 acres of land from Herman Schmidt in 1920. One portion of the Schmidt land was later sold to Fritz and Olga Becker. Another was sold to Sam and Ella Hardi.
    Many years ago my mother gave me directions on a map that if you go east from Coupland, Texas, on FM 1466 for 4.7 miles, there is a sign for County Road 470. Turn right, then immediately turn right again onto County Road 469 and go south. There is a lane for what was the Hardi's farm 8/10ths of a mile down Co Rd 469, on the right side of the road. A little further down and also on the right is a lane for what was the Becker's farm. Both of these properties now belong to someone else.

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