KCGS FIRST FAMILIES CELEBRATION - Boerne Star
Descendants of Kendall County’s founders and early settlers gathered at St. John Lutheran Church on Saturday to participate in the 23rd Annual First Families Celebration. The Genealogical Society of Kendall County hosts this event with Hal Harwell as the First Families Chairperson. The purpose of the program is to recognize the direct living descendants of persons instrumental in founding and settling of the area encompassed by present day Kendall County and to preserve the history of their families.
This year, twelve families were inducted. Their ancestors settled in Kendall County by December 31, 1862 (Founders) or between January 1, 1863 and December 31, 1900 (Early Settlers). The presenters, usually a family member, provided names and dates, family histories, various documentation like land grants and birth certificates, and photos of the family. There were a lot of interesting stories told: about family members who died from Indian attacks; a livestock brand 5-5 of a Comfort family who settled in 1855 that is still being used today by four families; a Welfare postmaster in 1886; and a family that was part of the first wave of immigrants with German Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels.
Kathryn Adam-Hurst’s family from founders Conrad Adam and Adalbertha Bergmann included twelve adults and children, the largest this year. “Our family has continued to grow; I am a second generation great granddaughter; and we have today the third and fourth generation great grandsons. We come to this event every year to honor our first families.”
Other Founders recognized were August Gustav Vogt I & Anna Werner; Heinrich Seidensticker & Juliana Saur; Andrew Wilson & Nancy Elizabeth Brashear; Johann Carl “Charles” Bonnet & Anna Elise Klemm; Christian Kaiser; Mathais Baumann & Anna Katherine Hutzler; Ignatz Minnich & Barbara Kindler; and Anton Bohnert & Federicke Schellhase. Early Settlers recognized were Gottfried Knoepfli & Justine Helene Groenke; Heinrich Phillip Christian Schwethelm & Teresa Kleck; and Otto Rust & Wilhelmine Dorothea Bartels.
Jan Carr, a Texas transplant, is President of the Society this year and claims, “I’ve been into genealogy for sixty plus years and when I found this group, I knew I was home! It is a great thing to remember those who went before us.”
This project began in 1999. So far 586 applications have been approved for 318 different individuals. One hundred seventy (170) Founders and one hundred four (104) Early Settlers have been documented and recognized. They represent one hundred thirty-five (135) different families in Kendall County. There are two hundred sixty-two (262) volumes of First Families notebooks on the shelves at the Family History Place. Hal Harwell explained, “Individuals from newly-discovered first families apply each year and if authenticated, are inducted.”