August Bunte Sr ^{2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10}

   Cause of his death was automobile accident.¹³

  General Notes:

August sailed from Bremen, Germany, in March 1869 to Galveston aboard the Hannover with his parents and sister. Their last residence had been Cosvig, Germany. They were steerage passengers. They arrived at New Orleans, Louisiana, on 6 Apr 1870 and then continued on to Galveston, Texas.

(The first name of Friedrich was given in The Bunte Family History, but he did not use it, consistently using August Bunte or August Bunte Sr.)

August was listed with the family in Industry, Austin County, Texas, on the 1870 census. After his mother died, he went back to Galveston and worked as a cabin boy on the "Revenue Cutter" a government inspection boat for a few months. After that he worked in Houston. He traveled about a while. He met and married Meta Garlipp. He farmed one year in Industry, Austin County, Texas, then moved to Bastrop County in 1877.

At the time of the 1880 census, August was a farmer in Smithville, Bastrop County, Texas. He gave his and his parents' birthplace as Prussia. His age was shown as 22. He and his new family were listed with his father. August's birth date was given as Mar 1858 on the 1900 census. He was shown as 42 years of age and had been married 22 years. He gave his and his parents' birthplace as Germany. His gave his immigration year as 1868 and reported that he had been living in America for 32 years and was naturalized. (He was naturalized in 1936.) He was a farmer in Bastrop County, Texas, and owned his farm free of any mortgage. David Carter, servant, was listed with the family.

At the time of the 1910 census, August had been married to Mary for 2 years. His age was shown as 52. His adopted son Herman, son August, and 2 stepdaughters were listed in the family. He owned his farm in Bastrop County, Texas, free of any mortgage. It was a general farm. On the 1920 census, August gave his immigration year as 1868 and reported that he was naturalized in 1880. His age was shown as 61. He was a farmer, farm operator, and owned his home free of any mortgage. The 1930 census showed that he owned his home on a farm in Bastrop County, Texas. He was shown as 71 years of age. He reported that he was 19 when first married. He repeated the immigration year of 1868 and said he was naturalized. He was a farmer on a general farm.

The naturalization papers of August Bunte show his birthplace as Anhalt. He became an American citizen on 26 Feb 1936 near the end of his life. His immigration information given on that document matches the ship's records.

He was Lutheran, but of the Evangelical synod which wasn't available in Smithville, so he traveled to Austin to attend the First English Church there that was more in keeping with his heritage.

He died as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. The Austin-American newspaper report of 18 May 1937 follows:

SMITHVILLE, May 18.
A highway accident near Austin claimed the life Tuesday of August Bunte Sr, 79, well known resident and landowner near Smithville.

Bunte received his fatal injuries when an automobile driven by A. D. Myer of Smithville left the road and overturned on the Highway 71 detour about four miles east of Austin at 9 p.m. Monday. Myer was blinded by the lights of an approaching truck, it was stated.

Injuries Fatal
Despite Bunte's injuries, not at first thought serious, and minor injuries to Myer, the two men righted the vehicle and continued on to their homes here.

Bunte died about 4 a.m. apparently of internal injuries received in the highway accident.

Funeral Set
Survivors include his widow and four sons, Henry, William, Herman and August Bunte Jr, all of Smithville.

Funeral services were set for Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the family home with the Rev. James Aiken officiating. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery at Smithville.

The Smithville Times carried a slightly different report:

Excerpt:
AUGUST BUNTE SR., FATALLY INJURED IN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT

August Bunte, Sr., 79, was fatally injured when the automobile in which he was riding plunged into a ditch four miles south of Austin Monday night about 1 o'clock and died at his home here at 4:00 o'clock Tuesday morning.

According to information received here, Mr. Bunte, accompanied by Mr. A.D. Myers, who was driving Mr. Bunte's automobile, were returning from Spicewood, when turning the corner off of the detour four miles South of Austin, onto the main highway 71, a truck appeared from off the main highway, the headlights blinding Mr. Myer, and the automobile, a model T Ford, plunged across the highway into a ditch. Mr. Bunte was cut by glass from the broken wind shield and critically injured internally. He was brought to Smithville by a passing motorist and on arrival here a physician was summoned. He was treated for his injuries and taken to his home one mile South of Smithville where he died about 4 a.m. Mr. Myers was not seriously injured it is understood.

Mr. Bunte was born in Germany, March 11, 1858, and at the age of 7 years came to the United States with his parents and a sister, settling at Galveston. He later moved to Bastrop County where he had been a resident for the past 57 years. He was a member of the Lutheran Church and a member of the O.D.H.S. fraternal order.

Funeral services were held from the family residence Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock with Rev. James Aiken, Jr., preacher of the First Presbyterian Church officiating. Interment was in the Nunn family burial ____, Smithville. (It is now called the Bunte Family Cemetery.)

Surviving are his widow Mary by his second marriage and his sons Henry and August of Smithville and Willie of Austin, and adopted son, Herman, of Smithville, 17 grandchildren and __ great grandchildren.

  Additional Information:

• Alt. Birth, 11 Mar 1858. ¹³ on death certificate

• Descendant Narrative Report: here.

• Death Certificate Image: here.

August married Meta Garlipp, daughter of John Carl Garlipp Jr and Anna Margaretha Lammes, about 1877. (Meta Garlipp was born in Apr 1857 in Industry, Austin County, Texas,⁵ died on 3 Aug 1907 in Smithville, Bastrop County, Texas ¹⁴ and was buried in Bunte Cemetery, Smithville, Bastrop County, Texas ¹⁰.)

August next married Mary Koppenrath on 17 Jun 1909 in La Grange, Fayette County, Texas.¹ (Mary Koppenrath was born on 14 Apr 1863 in Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany,^{15 16} died on 2 Jan 1939 in , Fayette County, Texas ^{16 17} and was buried on 3 Jan 1939 in Columbus, Colorado County, Texas.). The cause of her death was pneumonia due to influenza.¹³