H.
Theodore Rabroker, Sr.
H. Theodore Rabroker, Sr.,
b September 16, 1835 in Westphalia, Germany, d March 4, 1905 and buried in St.
Mary's Cemetery at Westphalia, Falls County, Texas - was recruited in Germany to
work in the Pennsylvania coal mines. He left Germany on Ash Wednesday in 1866 -
arriving with his family at Ellis island on Good Friday of 1866. At that time,
immigrants to the United States were required to stay on Ellis Island for a full
week, for passport and health inspection reasons; but on the insistence of Mr.
Rabroker, he was able to attend Mass on Easter Sunday, accompanied by Guards
from Ellis Island.
H. Theodore Rabroker, Sr. (called "Theodore") had married first in Germany to
Maria Ann Bruchtrops, b August 14, 1836 in Germany, d June 14, 1886 at
Westphalia, Falls County, Texas and buried in St. Mary's Cemetery there. It is
known that they had at least three children:
H. Theodore Rabroker, Jr., b February 3, 1861 in Germany, d March 18, 1933 and
buried in St. Mary's Cemetery at Westphlia - who married Rosa (maiden name
unknown), b May 17, 1879, d April 17, 1944 and buried in St. Mary's Cemetery at
Westphalia.
Mary Rabroker - no information.
Anna Rabroker - no information.
The area of Pennsylvania in which the Rabroker family first settled became known
as Germantown; but difficulties encountered there led the family to subsequently
immigrate to Iowa. Things were considered to be "nice" in Iowa, but the cold
winters became too hard for Maria Ann, and Theodore began to consider moving to
Texas, where a large settlement of German immigrants had settled at Frelsburg,
Colorado County. The Rabrokers left Iowa by wagon train - traveling a steady
pace until they reached Oklahoma - then Indian Territory. After having a "brush"
with Indians, they began traveling day and night, and managed to avoid further
encounters with the Indians. They arrived in Tarrent County, Texas in the Spring
of 1879, at planting time, and stayed there to raise a crop of stock feed, and
family food, before setting out again in July for Frelsburg, where they were
expected. Passing through Falls County, Texas, Rabrokerwas amazed to find deep,
fallow black land of the type which he was looking for. The grass which his
horses had cropped off in the evening they camped, already showed new growth by
morning. Continuing on to Frelsburg, Rabroker couldn't forget the area; but on
November 9, 1879, he arrived back in West Falls County to the area which later
became Westpahlia, Texas. He bought his first one hundred acres of land, and
settled with his family where he would remain the rest of his life. He also
obtained a large plot of land from the government, and resold it at cost to
other German settlers who would relocate in the new Westhpalia - so-named for
his homeland. He built a "hospitality house" in the yard of his own home, which
was used to accommodate the new families until they decided on a site for their
farms and new homes.
The farming operations of Mr. Rabroker were primarily composed of raising grain
for his large hog operations. Twice a year, the neighborhood men and wagons
hauled the hogs from Westphalia to the Temple, Texas Rail Yard, from where they
were shipped to northern markets - primarily to Chicago. They also had horses
for plowing, to pull wagons and buggies, and to run the treadmill that ran the
gristmill.
After the death of his
first wife, Theodore Rabroker was married second to Theresia (maiden name
unknown), and among their children were: Clara Rabroker, Gertrude Rabroker;
Bernard Rabroker (called "Ben"), b March 22, 1890, d December 30, 1963 who
married Rosa E. Greger, b April 10, 1890, d April 29, 1978 and both buried in
St. Mary's Cemetery at Westphlia; Clementine Rabroker, Herman Rabroker,
Josephine Rabroker, and Williamina Rabroker. Theresia Rabroker was b November
3,1854, d January 24,1932, and was buried by Theodore in St. Mary's Cemetery.
The Theodore Rabroker family members were the only settlers of Westphalia until
the Fall of 1881, when the John G. Bockholt family arrived, followed by many
others. Mass was said in the Rabroker home; and after- ward, on October 28,
1883, a committee of four men, Theodore Rabroker, John Bockholt, Herman Beimer,
and Frank Glass, were elected to see about construc- tion of a Catholic Church.
Funds were raised, and construction began in January 1884. Work progressed
satisfactorily, and on February 24, 1884, Mass was celebrated in the new
edifice. A violent storm destroyed the new building soon after on May 16, 1884;
but on July 27, 1884, The Church of the Visitation at Westphalia had been
completely restored. Again in 1893, the church was damaged by a bad storm; and a
completely new church building was erected - being completed in February 1895,
with the first Mass said in the new church on March 31, 1895.
It can truly be said that without H. Theodore Rabroker, Sr. - whose name,
roughly translated, means "breaker of raw soil," the community and church of
Westphalia, Falls County, Texas may have remained just a dream. Descendants of
this family continue to reside in Falls County.
Copyright Permission granted to Theresa Carhart for printing the biographies of
these Falls County Families to this Web page.
"Families of Falls County", Compiled and Edited by the Falls County Historical
Commission, page 370 column 1 and 2.
Member of Falls County Historical Commission.
CORRECTION
Submitted by
Karen (Niersmann) May
In the H. Theodore Rabroker Sr. biography, it mentions his
son H. T. Rabroker Jr. as being married to
Submitted by
Kathy Vieregge
His second wife was
Theresa Halfmann.
Two of the daughters of Theodore and Theresa, Clementina and Josephine, married brothers, Walter and Albert Pinkert.
