b. Minden, Prussia

Charles Fordtran
The Brenham correspondent of the Houston Post pens the following graphic obituary to Charles Fordtran, who died at Industry on November 1st:
Not many lives have so nearly spanned this wonderful century as did that of Mr. Charles Fordtran of Industry, who passed painlessly away at 4 o'clock Thursday morning, lacking but six months of having rounded out 100 years of existence. Mr. Fordtran was born in Minden, on the Weser river in Prussia, on May 7 1801. In 1830 he emigrated to New York and remained in Gotham about a year. Not finding that city a satisfactory place for investments and having some money that he was anxious to spend to advantage in the new world, he started to Missouri. On the way Mr. Fordtran fell in with what must have been the pioneer "land boomer" of Texas, who described the new Eldorado just opened to civilization by the genius of Stephan F. Austin. As a result of this accidental meeting Mr. Fordtran became a Texan. Mr. Fordtran first visited San Felipe de Austin and arranged for securing the land near Industry, Austin county, which yet remains the property of his estate. After a residence of two years at Industry Mr. Fordtran became tired of frontier life and homesick for his native land. He decided to see his possessions and to this end offered his entire Texas belongings, including land, stock and household belongings, for $1,000. There were no offers and the property was left in the hands of an agent. Mr. Fordtran started on his trip back to Prussia. At San Felipe he put up at the celebrated Whitesides Inn, and while there met Henry Austin, a brother of Stephen F. Austin. They spent the night in the same room and agreed on being traveling companions for a considerable distance. Next morning they began their journey to the coast and at Bolivar Mr. Fordtran became a guest of the Austin household. It was there he met Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Townsend, who were starting on a journey to Natchez, Miss. He because a member of the party and remained at Natchez several months, long enough to recover from his homesickness and for the determination to be made to return to his Texas home. He retuned to Industry six months from the date of his departure and has continuously resided there since that time. It was there he met and married Miss Almeda Brookfield, who journeyed with him through life for more than fifty years, and by whose side his remains were laid in the family lot in Prairie Lea cemetery, this city. The children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of Mr. Fordtran number seventy-three, his surviving sons and daughters being Mr. Charles Fordtran, jr., of Waco; Mr. R. L. Fordtran of Industry; Mrs. C. G. McGreggor and Mrs. J. B. Baker of Waco; Mrs. G. H. Mensing and Mrs. Annie Hill of Galveston, and Mrs. M. A. Healy of this city.
On a number of occasions the numerous relatives assembled to celebrate each of Mr. Fordtran's recurring anniversaries, and a reunion of the entire kith and kin had been planned for May 7, 1901, when Grandpa Fordtran would be 100 years old. It was a very dear wish of Mr. Fordtran to pass the century mark on earth. This wish and the desire ot pass away painlessly constituted the only solicitude manifested by this venerable man concerning the hereafter.
It is wonderful to contemplate the occurrences of his long and useful life. He watched with keep interest the marvelous growth of these United States from infancy to be one of the leading nations of the world. He saw primeval forests cleared to give place to prosperous agricultural districts and populous towns and cities. The introduction of many of the conveniences of life, such as matches, gins, sewing machines, etc., compassed his recollection. He witnessed the rapid development of steam as a motive power and later the astounding achievement of electrical appliances. Up to the very day of his death Mr. Fordtran's physical vigor and mental equilibrium were remarkable, and while the vicissitudes of a century of life had bent his frame and dimmed his eyes and furrowed his cheeks, they had in no wise soured him. On the contrary he was always bright and cheerful, and delighted in giving an occasional reminiscence from the great storehouse of his memory concerning early Texas. On his last visit to Brenham he told of an incident that came near cutting short his existence some seventy years. Mr. Fordtran had made a contract with a man named Samuel Williams to bring some 800 families to the new colony. He went to New Orleans and after a sojourn of some weeks in the Crescent city induced a number of families to come to Texas. It so happened that another agent was doing New Orleans for colonists for Brazil. The Brazilian agent told the prospective immigrants, who were lately arrived from the old country, that Mr. Fordtran would bring then to Texas and sell them as slaves. The immigrants arranged a meeting with Mr. Fordtran ostensibly to come to final terms, but in reality to kill him and sink his body in the Mississippi river. Two women who discovered the plot informed Mr. Fordtran of it in time to prevent his keeping what would have been a fatal appointment.

Source: The Portal to Texas History, The LaGrange Journal, LaGrange, Fayette County, Texas, Thursday, November 15, 1900