Erasmus Frantzen Biography Gillespie County, Texas.

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Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Wanda Qualls <wandaq@satx.rr.com>
October 14, 2005         
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Erasmus Frantzen Biography
Compiled by Wanda Qualls

Erasmus Frantzen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1817.  He married Johanna Spillnar 
in Victoria County on March 10 1856.  She was born on Jun 10 1824 in Hannover Germany 
to HEinrich and Johanna Hasse Spillner.  He died on Oct 31 1876 in Gillespie County, 
Texas.  During his marriage to Johanna they had 12 children.  He is buried in the 
Frantzen Family Cemetery in Gillespie County, Texas.  Johanna died Nov 19 1908 in 
Gillespie County Texas and is also buried in the Frantzen Family 
Cemetery.  Her mother is buried there as well.


Erasmus Frantzen came to America and drifted around for a while and decieded on the 
central Texas Hill Country as home.  He often wrote back to a former classmate 
Johann Striegler, telling him how good America was.  When Striegler came to America 
he he stayed with Frantzen until he could build his own house. In the Book 
Fredericksburg the First 50 years it stated that 
the Mormans stayed on land that belonged to the Frantzen Brothers.

There was an Eugene Frantzen who was hanged by the Confederate and a Christian 
Frantzen who was a member of the Southern Methodist Church in 1849.

Erasmus Frantzen was a County Commissioner in 1852. He was a Lt. in the Texas Rangers
from March 24 1860 to June 19, 1860. 
He was a member of the Detached Mounted Rangers.  Sam Houston disbanded the Rangers 
in 1860 and he didn't rejoin when the Texas Rangers were reorganized.

Lee Bennett  said her mother said that Erasmus was 6'4" tall, dark and handsome and 
that his father had been a Shipmaster who gave each boy a sailing vessel as they 
came of age. She also said that Johanna and her mother were fleeing from the 
"unwanted attentions to Johanna by a powerful, married major."  They went to Denmark 
where Johanna met Erasmus.  They were married in Victoria County, Texas and because 
Johanna feared the sea, they deceided to make their home in Texas.

She was told that Erasmus was killed by a horse, either a bronc threw him or he was 
gathering wild cattle in brush and was knocked from his horse. Erasmus was supposed 
to have had the first gin in Gillespie County.

Arthur Behrens at  was told the same story about Erasmus being a ship captain.

Gary Frantzen said his grandfather told him that Erasmus at one time had a trading 
post and traded with the indians and others who needed his goods.  He also said 
that Erasmus sold horses to the confederacy and that might have been one of 
the reasons they didn't bother him as they did others.

He was listed with his family in the 1850, 1860, 1870 Gillespie County Census