Charles & Sally Rachuig Kelly with Aunt Hilda Rachuig Krueger, 1983

Here's a photo my brother Bruce scanned at the recent reunion.  Charlie Rachuig had it in his family's collection of photos.  That's my mother and father with my mother's Aunt, Hilda Rachuig Krueger.  Hilda was married to Will Krueger, Sr.  Her children were Will Krueger, Jr. and Dorothy Krueger Mansur.

I believe they are the home of Aunt Hilda's son, Will Jr., in Clifton.  The date on the reverse is July 9, 1983.

 

Undated Photo of Rachuigs

I don't know the date or location of this photo, and I can't identify most of the people in it. However, I recognize Rich Rachuig, Julius Rachuig, & Hilda Rachuig Krueger. Can anyone help?

Richard Henry Rachuig's Oral Family History, 1968

(UPDATE) I got notes from Mike Chandler and Elizabeth Egbert who pointed out that the young man in picture below is not their grandfather, Richard Henry Rachuig. (I'm going to leave it here until I get another picture of Uncle Rich as a young man.)

This is actually Frederick Julius Rachuig, Richard's older brother. He was born on September 13, 1876 and died on March 24, 1899. He died very young and never married. He has no direct descendants. I'm glad we have pictures of him. Mike and Elizabeth have sent me another which is posted above. I think it's great.

Click the following link to view Rich Rachuig's family history. I've formatted it in simple text to avoid retrieval problems. It may not look pretty, but virtually everyone can read it without any problems.

He begins with a brief discussion of his parent's lives in Posen and their emigration to Washington County. He talks about their life in Clifton, but he also recounts how he and his brother Gus (August William, Jr.) traveled through West Texas and New Mexico to find a place to farm.

It is fairly long, but well worth reading.

Rich Rachuig's Family History.

Here is a picture of Uncle Rich as a young man, taken when he was 17 years old.

Charles A. Rachuig and Evelyn Elanora Rachuig Belcher

This is a photo of Charles A. Rachuig, son of Walter and Alvina Rachuig, and Evelyn Elanora Rachuig Belcher. This picture was taken at a Rachuig reunion in 1992 or '93. Evelyn was the sole surviving daughter of Julius Herman Rachuig and Selma Schulz Rachuig. Charles is her nephew, son of her oldest brother, Walter Alfred Rachuig, Sr.

The location is Immanual Lutheran Church in Clifton, Texas.

Newspaper Articles Covering Reunions, 1973

Julius, Richard, Rube, Johanna, Alvinah, and Lydia

We have a good collection of group pictures showing the children of August and Henrietta Rachuig over the years. I don't know what year this is, but it's definitely before 1958 (when Julius, the oldest child, died).

The location is no doubt Clifton, Texas, but I don't know precisely where.

This is another photo I got from Lanelle Schminke Sonntag at the 2009 reunion.

Rube Rachuig, Lydia Rachuig Lange Larson, Johanna Rachuig Lange, and Richard Rachuig

This is a photo Lanelle Schminke Sonntag gave me at the 2009 reunion. The date must be sometime in the early 1960s. I have no way of knowing, but the location may be Lydia's home in Clifton, Texas. Left to right: Rudolph Otto Rachuig, Lydia Martha Rachuig Lange Larson, Johanna Martha Lange, and Richard Henry Rachuig. All are children of August and Henrietta Rachuig.

August and Henrietta were very fond of the name 'Martha.'

Lydia, Gus, and Alvina Rachuig

This is another photo Lanelle Schminke Sonntag gave me at the 2009 reunion. I think it's meant to be a light-hearted pose because brother Gus seems to be holding sister Lydia's purse.

Their brother Rich says in his family history that Gus suffered from chronic stomach trouble. He appears to be very thin in every picture I've seen.

August William Rachuig, Jr. and Frederick Julius Rachuig

Lanelle Schminke Sonntag provided this picture at the 2009 reunion. Although the boy on the right is annotated as Uncle Fritz, I think he's August and Henrietta's 5th child (and 3rd son), Frederick Julius. (This is the first picture of Frederick I've seen.) I presume his nickname was Fritz. The other boy is August William, Jr., their 4th child and 2nd son. I think the family always referred to him as Gus.

Fritz died in 1899 at age 22. Uncle Rich, a younger brother, mentions his death in his family history. Their father, August Wilhelm, Sr., also died in 1899. Rich says they had heavy medical bills that year, and the crops weren't good.

Children of August and Henrietta Rachuig, 1951

Lanelle Schminke Sonntag gave me this photograph at the 2009 reunion. I have an unannotated copy in my files. The handwriting identifies each child. One surviving child is missing, Johanna Martha Rachuig Lange. Family members have told me the long distance kept her from visiting Clifton as often as her other siblings.

The location is the front steps of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Clifton, Texas.

Children of August & Henrietta Rachuig, 1924

I showed this photo to Lanelle Schminke Sonntag (granddaughter of Lydia Rachuig Schminke) and she recognized the location immediately. It's her grandmother's house on Avenue D in Clifton, Texas. Five of August and Henrietta's children appear in this picture. From left to right: Rube Rachuig, August Rachuig (?), Lydia Rachuig Schminke/Larson, Richard Rachuig, and Julius Rachuig. The date was December 16, 1924. (It's stamped on the back.)

I have a couple more photos from this family gathering. I'll post them in the future.