Mike Wall ^{3 4 5 6 7 8}

   Cause of his death was gastritis (acute) with dysentery. A contributory condition was paralysis..⁹

  General Notes:

Family history is that Mike Wall and a brother lived in a Belgium Catholic orphanage. Iva Wall Fuller (daughter of Theodore Benjamin Wall) contributed the following report for the Burnet County History by Darrell Debo published in 1979: "Mike Wall was serving in the Prussian Army when he boarded a ship as a stowaway and landed in New York City. He went to work for the railroad and worked between New York and Austin, Texas." Mrs. Fuller did not mention the impetus for the sudden trip, but several family members had heard that Mike struck an officer in the Army, which had a penalty of death. To escape the known penalty, he and his brother left Hamburg and stowed away on a ship to America. It is believed that they arrived about 1870. Minnie Wall Fasel (daughter of Chris Fritz Wall) remembers the area of the Port of Baltimore, Maryland being mentioned.

Mike changed the spelling of his name from Marx Wahl or Warll to Mike Wall. He and his brother parted in Pennsylvania and never got together again. Family members believe that while working for the railroad Mike came into Texas on the first passenger train that came to Austin. (Houston & Texas Central Railroad, later called the Texas & New Orleans Railroad first arrived in Austin 1871). He married Minnie Garlipp Koch in 1875. They moved from Nelsonville to Smithville by 1879 and to Spicewood in 1891.

LaVerne Harrell Clarke reported in her book "The Bunte Family History" that Mike came to America under similar circumstances but that the year was around 1861 and that the ship came to New York City. She believed naturalization papers for him will never be found because he was worried all his life about being caught up with for entering this country without papers. He didn't serve in the Civil War and Clarke theorized that he may have worked in the fields in skirts to avoid being spotted for conscription.

When Mike arrived in New York, his face broke out in welts.(recollections of Essie Mae Thompson Haisler, daughter of Lera Wall Thompson).

There is reason to believe that Mike was born in Belgium, rather than Germany (but nothing has been proven).

Mike Wall was Catholic according to his daughter Belle Wall Bunte.

Mike Wall and his family lived and worked on the Turner Farm, Travis County, Texas, from about 1883 to sometime before 1886 when they returned to Bastrop County, Texas.

3 Jul 1891 Austin, Travis County, Texas, land deed (bought property in Burnet County, Texas. 634 acres).

Mike's name was rendered Marx on some deed records and also on his second child's baptismal record. His name is rendered Michael Warll on the marriage license.

Marble Falls Messenger news article (8-17-1899) titled THE FIRST BALE, describes first bale of cotton brought in by Mike Wall and all the prizes awarded him from local businesses.

Mike made his own beer and wine, but did not approve of drunkenness. Beer pudding was a favorite food (Recollection of Essie Mae Thompson Haisler).

In the 1900 census, Mike claimed Germany as his country of birth and that of his parents. He indicated that 1870 was his immigration year and that he was a naturalized citizen. He was a farmer in Burnet County, Texas, and owned his farm free of any mortgage. (His place of birth and immigration year was also reported that way in his obit in the Marble Falls Messenger although it is unclear who provided the information.) Mike Wall spoke German.

On the 1910 census, Mike again gave Germany as his and his parents' country of birth, but gave the immigration year as 1875. He indicated that he could speak English. His farm in Burnet County, Texas, was listed as a general farm. Ann Crawford, a friend who was 72 years old and widowed, was listed with the family. She was born in North Carolina. She had her own income.

His children gave varying reports of their father's birthplace--giving Germany at one time and Belgium at another. Some told their offspring that he was brought up in a French orphanage.

Mike Wall apparently had a stroke (of paralysis) in 1909. His death notices reported that he had been in ill health, an invalid before his death.

Mike and Minnie Wall had a joint will which left the estate to each other until both were deceased then to their children including a child's portion divided among the children of Minnie's daughter Annie Koch Shoults. Filed 19 Oct 1911 Burnet County, Texas, Vol.59 Page 240 Proof of Will for Mike & Minnie Wall. ¹²

  Additional Information:

• Descendant Narrative Report: here.

• Death Certificate Image: here.

• FindAGrave: Memorial# 14200430.

Mike married Wilhelmina D. Garlipp, daughter of John Carl Garlipp Jr and Anna Margaretha Lammes, on 12 Nov 1875 in , Austin County, Texas.^{1 2} (Wilhelmina D. Garlipp was born on 6 Sep 1853 in Industry, Austin County, Texas,¹³ died on 16 Sep 1917 in Spicewood, Burnet County, Texas ^{13 14} and was buried in Rockvale Cemetery, Spicewood, Burnet County, Texas ¹⁵.). The cause of her death was cardiac asthma. Contributory condition was apoplexy..⁹

  Marriage Notes:

The marriage license was taken out on 9 Nov 1875. The marriage was performed by James H. Shelburne, J.P., Austin County, Texas, on 12 Nov 1875. (Certificate actually had 12 Nov 1876.) It was filed in the county on 6 Apr 1876.