Jacob "Jack" Huffman Came to Texas in 1845 Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery #1

Mr. Sowell writes, "Jacob Huffman, or Jack as he was called by those who knew him, was born in Prussia, in the town of Hilbringin, near the Saar River, in 1838, and came to Texas with his parents, brother John and sister Barbara in 1845.  After a long and arduous voyage across the Atlantic ocean, they landed on Texas soil at Port Lavaca, where they found Prince Solms there waiting for them.  He took charge of them in the name of Henry Castro, whose colonists they were, and brought them out to Castroville in carts.  The carts were covered with raw hides in lieu of wagon sheets, and being repeatedly drenched with rain, a most disagreable smell emanated from them.  When it thundered loud the Mexican cart drivers would yell, and Mrs. Huffman would cry and wish she was back in Germany.  When they arrived in Castorville the elder Huffman had $5 in money, with which he bought provisions and went three miles above town and planted corn, living in a picket hut covered with grass.  The Huffman farm of a few acres produced abundantly of corn, melons, and pumpkins, and there was plenty to live on, trading meat from the Indians, 500 of whom were camped on the Medina River near by."

"Jack remained at home until he was 14 years of age, and then worked around at anything he could find to do.  He made one trip to Camp Verde with corn for the soldiers there, and returned by way of Bandera to load with lumber at Montel’s sawmill, and when five miles below town on the way home his team stalled at a steep hill, and two Polanders came along and told him that his brother John was killed by Indians, and then helped him to get his wagon up, and he came on home with a heavy heart, for he was greatly attached to his brother."

"John was older than Jack and was married, and at the time he was killed was building a house on the Medina at the foot of the mountains in a very exposed place in the vicinity of what is today Medina Lake, as the Indians were now hostile.  The walls of the house were up and John was on the roof nailing on boards, when six Comanche Indians suddenly appeared and attacked him and shot one arrow through his body before he could descend and get his gun, which was in the house.  He made the attempt and got to the door, but here he received another arrow in the temple and fell.  Dan Turner, a man working with John, saw the attack and managed to escape the Indians.  He attempted to run to the Haby Settlement below, but they lived on the opposite side of the river, and it was up from recent rains.  Turner could not swim but made the attempt to cross anyhow, and came near being drowned, and lost his gun.  He only saved himself by catching the limb of a cypress tree as he went down, and climbed up into it above the water.  Here he stayed two days and nights waiting for the river to fall.  He finally managed to cross the river, almost drowning in the process.  In about a mile after setting out for the settlement he met a party of men going to see about John, who was in the habit of coming home on Sunday, and it was now Monday, and his wife and others were very uneasy about him.  When they met Turner and heard his story they knew almost beyond a douby that John was killed, for he said he saw John down when he turned to run from the Indians.  On arriving at the cabin the body was found near where it fell, stripped and scalped, and the fine gun and Hoffman's mule gone.  The body was now taken up and carried to Castorville and buried.  The mule got away from the Indians and came back home in a few days."

"As a young boy, Jack had several run-ins with Comanches while working on the prairie.  He went on many scouts after Indians and acted as guide and trailer for the soldiers from San Antonio, but got into no fights whild with them, as they were too slow, and had sergeants with them who did not wish to catch Indians, prefering to stop at ranches and drink buttermilk. During one full moon, howerver, Jack had his second battle with Indians.  On this occasion he found a dead cow at a place called "Government Canyon", deriving its name from Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, who made a government road through it out towards Fredericksburg.  The cow had not been long killed, and by Indians, he knew from their trail, and at once hurried to his ranch on the Helotes and told his neighbors the Indians were in and to tie up their horses and come to his house at daylight and they would take an Indian hunt.  They were on hand at the time designated and the start was made, the trail being found out in the prairie, and which led back past where the cow was killed and then on towards Verde Creek.  The Indians had a large drove of horses, and the settlers in pursuit were Jack Huffman, John Green, Frank Heibner, Christian Aves, John Huffman, Jr., Ed. Galagher, Chris. Schuhart, and Garland Odum.  The trail was followed rapidly and they came upon the Indians at 4 o'clock in the evening, who, when they saw the white men, stopped on the side of a hill 400 yards away and prepared to give them battle."

"The charge of the settlers was led by Huffman and Green, and they advanced to within eighty yards of the Indians, and, dismounting, commenced the battle, expecting the balance of the men to come up to where they were, but the others stopped too soon and commenced firing at long range.  The Indians saw this advantage and came yelling and firing at close quarter, and Green was soon badly wounded, having his arm shattered by a ball whilde loading his gun and could do nothing more, and Huffman had to meet them alone.  To add further to his discomfiture his gun snapped twice when he had a good aim on the foremost Indian, but at this time the other men began to come near and one of them ran to Huffman with a gun, which he took and snapped in an Indian's face, and as he turned to run snapped it again at his back.  This gun was not loaded."

"Green was down by a tree and the Indians charged again, thinking they had the whites whipped, but this time Huffman's gun began to fire and he opened up on them right, his gun being a repeating Henry rifle, and soon had one of them down badly wounded, but he got up presently and ran.  Schuhart and Odum now came to his side and opened fire, and the Indians ran, with four more of their number wounded, which could be ascertained by them throwing their things away and running to the brush when the balls would strike them.  There were two squaws in the band, and when the fight commenced they screamed and squealed like pigs and ran away over the mountain, both being mounted on horses.  Jack shot twice at them as they ran away up the mountain, but failed to bring either down, and they all collected in a ravine beyond the mountain.  One ball glanced Huffman's head, but he was not injured."

"The Indians made the fight with guns instead of bows, and made some close shots considering the excitement that prevailed and the bullets which were whistling around their own ears.  Only ten Indians were seen, including the two squaws, and they left all of their horses, sixty-three, and some of their own, saddled.  Green was very weak and sick, but came to Huffman during the fight and asked him to load his gun for him, but on turning around to do so discovered the man had left his gun at the tree that he had been leaning against.  One Indian had left his horse with saddle and a canteen of water on him, and Huffman caught him and led him as they started to leave the ground, Green riding close beside him and very sick.  Suddenly he said, "Catch me!" and commenced falling from his horse, but Huffman got hold of him and eased him to the ground, where he lay and called for water.  Jack told him there was no water except that on the Indian's horse, but it might be poisoned.  "I don't care if it is," said the wounded man, "I will die anyhow if I do not get some water."  It was given to him and he soon revived, the water being all right.  Green recovered from his wound, but was afterwards killed by a Mexican."

Mr. Sowell writes, "For want of space we can not go through all of the frontier incidents of Mr. Hufmann's life, but can say he was ever on the alert and was a typical border man, and now lives twenty miles west of San Antonio, where he ownes a fine ranch, and says here he has killed many mustangs for their tallow to grease wagons, lariats, etc."

"He knew Big Foot Wallace well, and often hunted with him and his famous dog Rock, and said when the dog died Wallace buried him and covered his grave with the skins of wild animals.  Jacob married Miss Caroline Ernst, who was also a Castro colonist, and passed through many stirring scenes.  On one occasion she watched a band of Indians rounding up horses near their ranch while her husband was away."

Jacob died July 15, 1903 and Caroline died December 23, 1927.  Caroline's death and burial is registered in the Zion Lutheran Church of Helotes burial register.  Both are buried in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery #1.