JACOB GASS
My grandfather, Jacob Gass, (1845-1915) came to Texas from Bicken, Germany in 1852 when he was seven years old. His mother died "on immigration". His father, Andreas Gass, (1805-1880) raised him, two older sisters and two brothers and never remarried.
When Herman Willie, (1827-1870) a blacksmith and one of Comfort's first settlers died, Jacob Gass, an apprenticed blacksmith working in Boerne, came to Comfort. He contacted the widow, arranged to take over Willie's business and married one of the widow's seven children, Louise, at age sixteen. My great-grandmother, Maria (Matzdorf) Willie, (1934-1923) had come to Texas when she was about fourteen years old and was only thirty-two when Herman died. She raised the children alone. Her first born, Augusta, was the first Anglo girl born in Comfort.
The marriage of Jacob Gass and Louise Willie bore nine children, on of which was my father, Charles Gass (1883-1972).
The two-story stone Museum in Comfort was build in 1891 for Jacob Gass; the lower floor for a blacksmith shop and the upper story for living quarters. Charles Gass was about nine years old when this building was started. He helped his older sister, Mrs. Max (Ida) Zoeller, (1875-1965) to haul every huge rock to the building site from Jacob's farm east of Comfort. My father's job was to lock the wagon wheels, as his sister alone could not safely operate the wagon brake. Due to the weight of rocks and danger of the wagon gaining speed on downhill places at the low water crossing, there was the possibility of wrecking the wagon, crippling or killing the mules and losing the entire load in the Guadalupe River.
In 1904 the building was sold to Paul Ingenhuett, a merchant in Comfort. in 1933, it was opened as a Museum and recently celebrated its fiftieth year as such.
In 1906 Charles Gass married a lovely young lady who had come to Comfort from New Braunfels area to be near an older sister, because both parents had died within a short time of each other. From this marriage five children were born in Comfort and all graduated from Comfort High School. I graduated in 1934, attended business school in San Antonio and spent the next forty years working as secretary in various Texas cities. My longest tenure (twenty-eight years) was with the U. S. Department of Labor in Dallas, from which I retired in 1974.
In 1964, I married John Bunyan Frizzell, Jr., a native of Henderson County, Texas. John fell in love with Comfort when I first brought him here to meet my family prior to our marriage. That is why we settled in Comfort in July 1974 and plan to spend the rest of our lives here.
Viola Gass Frizzell
A HISTORY OF KENDALL COUNTY TEXAS: RIVERS, RANCHES, RAILROADS, RECREATION.
JACOB GASS
My grandfather, Jacob Gass, (1845-1915) came to Texas from Bicken, Germany in 1852 when he was seven years old. His mother died "on immigration". His father, Andreas Gass, (1805-1880) raised him, two older sisters and two brothers and never remarried.
When Herman Willie, (1827-1870) a blacksmith and one of Comfort's first settlers died, Jacob Gass, an apprenticed blacksmith working in Boerne, came to Comfort. He contacted the widow, arranged to take over Willie's business and married one of the widow's seven children, Louise, at age sixteen. My great-grandmother, Maria (Matzdorf) Willie, (1934-1923) had come to Texas when she was about fourteen years old and was only thirty-two when Herman died. She raised the children alone. Her first born, Augusta, was the first Anglo girl born in Comfort.
The marriage of Jacob Gass and Louise Willie bore nine children, on of which was my father, Charles Gass (1883-1972).
The two-story stone Museum in Comfort was build in 1891 for Jacob Gass; the lower floor for a blacksmith shop and the upper story for living quarters. Charles Gass was about nine years old when this building was started. He helped his older sister, Mrs. Max (Ida) Zoeller, (1875-1965) to haul every huge rock to the building site from Jacob's farm east of Comfort. My father's job was to lock the wagon wheels, as his sister alone could not safely operate the wagon brake. Due to the weight of rocks and danger of the wagon gaining speed on downhill places at the low water crossing, there was the possibility of wrecking the wagon, crippling or killing the mules and losing the entire load in the Guadalupe River.
In 1904 the building was sold to Paul Ingenhuett, a merchant in Comfort. in 1933, it was opened as a Museum and recently celebrated its fiftieth year as such.
In 1906 Charles Gass married a lovely young lady who had come to Comfort from New Braunfels area to be near an older sister, because both parents had died within a short time of each other. From this marriage five children were born in Comfort and all graduated from Comfort High School. I graduated in 1934, attended business school in San Antonio and spent the next forty years working as secretary in various Texas cities. My longest tenure (twenty-eight years) was with the U. S. Department of Labor in Dallas, from which I retired in 1974.
In 1964, I married John Bunyan Frizzell, Jr., a native of Henderson County, Texas. John fell in love with Comfort when I first brought him here to meet my family prior to our marriage. That is why we settled in Comfort in July 1974 and plan to spend the rest of our lives here.
Viola Gass Frizzell
A HISTORY OF KENDALL COUNTY TEXAS: RIVERS, RANCHES, RAILROADS, RECREATION.
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