Fritz Mumme

1822 - 1901

Fritz Mumme	Phillipine Mumme	Ludwig Mumme

   The exact date Fritz came to America is not known, but he came
several years before his brother, Ludwig, who immigrated in 1849.
   Phillipine, her 2 year old daughter, Augusta, born out of wedlock,
came to America in 1845 on a ship with a Castro party.
  Later Phillipine Tampke and Fritz Mumme were
married and lived on a farm at Vandenberg, Texas.  Their children were
Ludwig (Louis) Albert, August and Julia.
   In 1879, their son, August, was ambushed and murdered over a cattle
dispute.  August is buried in the Quihi Lutheran Cemetery.  On his
tombstone is a lovely verse written in German, also the initials of the
three men who were reported to have murdered him.
   Besides being a farmer, Fritz was also an excellent carpenter and
builder, and this brings up a story which is told, whether it is fact or
fiction is not known, but it makes an interesting legend.
   Fritz, being such a good carpenter, would bore holes in the ends of
posts he had cut in the woods.  He would put his money in these holes
and then reclose the openings so perfectly that only he could tell
which posts contained money.  He had these posts along with others in a
pile on his farm, until one sad day the creek going by his farm
overflowed and took the posts with it.  So ends a legend!
   Phillipine was very disillusioned with life in America and finally
solved her problem by going to bed and remaining there until her death
eight years later.
   The home of Fritz and Phillipine still stands on the old home place,
and the graves of these two early Texans are side by side on the bank of
the creek running by their old home.

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