Memorials › C.W. W. "Charlie" Wuneburger

C.W. W. "Charlie" Wuneburger

28 Mar 1856 – 2 Sep 1904

Birth	28 Mar 1856
Death	2 Sep 1904
Cemetery	Dixon Prairie Cemetery Paige , Bastrop County , Texas , USA
Added by	John & Mimi Kimbrough on 03 Jun 2013
FaG	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37372963

Bio

“Charles or Charlie” Wuneburger was born Karl W. Wuneburger in 1856 in Hope, Lavaca County, the third out of 9 children born to John and Dora Wuneburger. Charles’ grandmother, Christine Hornburg lived nearby so it is quite likely that she was present, helping out during his birth. The family would live in Lavaca County for another 14 years, so Charles assuredly grew up on the Wuneburger farm, doing farm chores and working the fields, growing into a young man. His growing up happened quickly because by age 12 he was already making his own living hauling freight with his older brother, Henry (who was 18 years old) from Nacogdoches to San Antonio by way of the San Antonio road through Bastrop. One time, John Wuneburger, their father, accompanied them on one of their freight hauling trips, when they were caught in a spring snowstorm. John had not brought any warm weather clothes with him, and he is sure he would have frozen to death if one of the workmen, a black man, had not held him all night, sharing his body heat. John was forever grateful to that man for saving him. By 1870, the whole Wuneburger family had moved to Industry, Austin County. There were John and Dora Wuneburger, Charles and his 7 siblings, and Dora’s mother and father, Chris and Christine Hornburg. John and Dora’s last child, Mary Malinda was born later that same year. Their neighbors, the Fritchers took in Christoph Hornburg, Chris and Christine’s special needs son. While living as neighbors, Charles’ brother, Henry married Annie Fritcher and his sister, Caroline, married Adolph Niebuhr. A year later, in 1872 the Fritchers all moved to Bastrop County, the area around Paige and shortly thereafter after, the Wuneburgers followed. It is not known if Henry and Charles were still in the freight-hauling business at this time. The Fritchers and Wuneburgers remained friends and neighbors and before long Charles took an interest in Charlotte (Lotte) Fritcher. Charles courted Lotte, who was three years his senior, and they were married in Washington county in 1877, when he was 21 years old. It is puzzling that Charles and Lotte were married in Washington County where his brother and sister were married years earlier, because they were living in Bastrop County, quite a distance away. Anyway, Charles and Lotte began a family and over the span of eight years they had four children – Louis Frank, Freda, Eda and Della (Granny Mobley). They also had a Baby “no name” that did not survive long after birth. After her last delivery, Della, Lotte never quite recovered, and about a year later, in March 1887 she passed away at age 34 of birth complications, and was buried in the Dixon Prairie Cemetery alongside her Baby “no name”. Charles was left with four children, all under the age of ten to care for and raise and of necessity, he needed to re-marry. He met, and in December, 1887 married Frances Ann (Fannie) Harris Williams, a widow with a son, Marian. Seven years later, Charles and Fannie had a son, John (Johnnie) Charles Wuneburger. Side Note: Our “Aunt Cleo” Ogden loved Fannie, the only grandmother she ever knew, and as a child was given the honor of sleeping with her when she came to visit the Mobleys. Aunt Cleo fondly remembered her as a beautiful, “fixy” woman, meaning that she was very particular about her appearance. In 1902 Lotte’s mother Frieda Fritcher died and was buried in the Dixon Prairie Cemetery flanking the grave of Baby ‘no name” with her daughter Charlote (Lotte). Charles died in September 1904, and was buried in the Dixon Prairie Cemetery, but not anywhere near his first wife, Lotte – almost 150 feet away. Perhaps there was no room near her or perhaps he was waiting for his second wife Fannie, who lived until 1926. Fannie’s birth certificate indicates that she was buried in McDade, Bastrop County, but there is no record of that, nor is there a plot for her in the McDade Cemetery. It may be that she was actually buried in the Dixon Prairie Cemetery, next to her Charles. Another little family mystery…… It is known that both Charles and Lotte’s grave markers were hand hewn by George Roe, Lotte’s brother-in-law, probably between 1904 and 1910. Most of the inscription has since worn off both of them.

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C. W. Wuneburger

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