The Richard Heidelberg Family

Information by C. R. Heidelberg and Iva Slaton Childress

Richard Heidelberg came to Texas from Germany in 1855. He and his wife, Hannah Griffith, first lived in old Jacksonville then later moved to a farm four miles east of Jacksonville, near the present Highway 204.

He did some farming, and also was a carpenter. As a sideline, he built coffins. In those days when someone died, survivors would bring a stick the length of the body, and from this Mr. Heidelberg would build the coffin. He would keep a number built, except for finishing the inside, which was quickly done in material the family desired. Coffins were carried by wagons then, as there was no hearse in this part of the country.

During the Civil War, he served in the Army as a carpenter and was sent from his Army camp in Tennessee to old Jacksonville to help build the iron works to be used to make cannons for war, and domestic items such as knives and forks. The site was about one-half mile south of the present marker on U. S. Highway 79, west. Very shortly after completion of the iron works, the man that was supposed to be running the boiler went to show two ladies the new plant, and being away from the boiler too long, it got low of water and blew up, thus ending the iron works. Fortunately, the Civil War ended soon thereafter and the iron was not so badly needed; so the plant was never rebuilt.

Richard and Hanna had five children: Rosetti (Mrs. Lee Arnwine), Samuel Richard, whose wife was Sarah Annabelle Rider of Cushing, Melvina (Mrs. Tom N. Slaton), Emily (Heermans) and Allen, who died as a small child.

The Heidelberg family moved into town and built a home at Ragsdale and Larissa streets, where the Travis Clinic now stands. Nails were not used in the house, only wooden pegs. In 1878, the Heidelberg Store building at 108 Main Street was constructed, and after Richard's death in 1898, Mrs. Heidelberg and Emily operated a millinery shop there. Inherited by a daughter, Melvina Slaton, it later was owned by Heidelberg grandchildren, Vernon Slaton and Iva Slaton Childress. Sold to First National Bank in 1960, its site now is a portion of the present bank location.

Sam Heidelberg worked for the I. G. & N. Railroad (now the Missouri Pacific) in Palestine for 23 years. After being crippled in a train wreck, they moved to Jacksonville and made their home at 320 South Jackson Street, in 1906. They had a son, Claudis Richard, and a daughter, Inice. The family later moved to a house on West Rusk which burned in 1919. All family possessions were lost. They then moved to Central Hotel located on Main Street, which they owned and operated. Samuel Richard, while working with the railroad, invented the first automatic railroad coupling that coupled the cars together.

Inice Heidelberg Dodge resides in Ft. Worth.

C. R. Heidelberg married Charline Allen from Ironton. They resided in the old Heidelberg home on South Jackson until 1958, when they built a new home on O'Keefe Road, and, subsequently tore down the one on South Jackson. They have two children. Their daughter, Sue, is married to William S. Marshall and lives in Midland.

Their son, Richard Lowery, married Mary Helen Walker of Jacksonville, and they live at Lake Jacksonville.

In November of 1929, C. R. Heidelberg was hired by Sam Rix to work for the Highway Department. He later went into the road construction business on his own, and has built highways around East Texas for the past 35 years. His son, Richard, joined him in the construction business several years ago, and they have recently formed a new company in Jacksonville, East Texas Equipment, Inc.

Sam Heidelberg, seated, with a group of his railroad friends. Photo taken in Palestine in 1900.

Advertising display on polka dot wrapping paper used in 1899. The shop was on Main Street on property now part of the First National Bank building.