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Note: From "Scissortails Still Return To Schoenau" by Geraldine Mittanck Luetge, Copyright 1985, pages 11 and 12:
Jesse Buenger married Elsa Rinn in 1912, and they had two children; Ora Dell born June 28, 1915, and Jay C. born March 18, 1924. For about six years, from 1910 to 1916, Jesse was in the water-well drilling business. The family also raised hogs, corn, cotton and cattle. They lived near his parents, and built a home which has since been moved to Peters and is still being used.
Jesse Buenger started working at the Farmer's Store in Industry in 1922 and stayed there until 1933. The family moved to Industry in 1924. He went into the Chevrolet business in 1931, retiring in 1957, when he turned the business over to his children. In the years from 1943 to 1950 when the Chevrolet business was good and land was inexpensive, Jesse bought some land for fifty to sixty dollars an acre. Some of that land is located in Schoenau.
Jesse Buenger developed a hobby of clock-making when Marvin Wittner suggested that he make himself one. He did. Then his granddaughter, Betty Ann Ludwig Pomykai wanted one, then Joe Pomykai, etc. until he made over two hundred in all. At first he worked at the old Charlie Schulze place (his maternal grandfather) but after Mrs. Buenger's death, he moved his tools to a shop at home. He used German movements and Westminster chimes and each case was different from the others. Mrs. Buenger died in 1968 and was buried on her eightieth birthday. Mr. Buenger died in 1982.
The land bought by Jesse Buenger in Schoenau was that which at the time was owned by Alex Eckermann. The Eckermanns moved away. There was also some bottom land included in this deal. Since that time, part of it has been resold. Warren Alexander owns part of it, Rubin Eckermann owns part of it, and Wilfred Eckermann bought some of it and it is owned by Mrs. Eckermann and the children.
The following is from "The Handbook of Texas Online" available at www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook:
SCHOENAU, TEXAS - Schoenau was a farm community on the west bank of West Mill Creek three miles northwest of Industry in northeastern Austin County. Settlement in the vicinity began in 1831, when Johann Friedrich Ernst, an immigrant from Oldenburg, Germany, was granted a league of land on West Mill Creek. The town of Industry was surveyed on the Ernst property in 1838. Over the next several decades hundreds of Germans, primarily from the northwestern provinces of Holstein, Oldenburg and Westphalia, settled in the fertile farmlands of western Austin County. Schoenau was founded by German immigrants in the 1880's and a post office operated there from 1896 to 1907. Emil Wassermann, an early postmaster, operated a general store in the community around 1900. That year a population of fifty was reported, and that figure remained unchanged in 1910, the last year for which community population statistics were available. In 1918, there were thirty-two pupils enrolled at the Schoenau School. The town appears to have declined rapidly after World War I and was abandoned by the mid-1900's. The former townsite is marked by the Schmidt cemetery on the headwaters of Sawmill Creek, east of Farm Road 1457.
The following is from "Historical Accounts of Industry, Texas, 1831-1986" by the Industry-West End Historical Society, copyright 1986:
Jesse C. Buenger (sometimes also referred to as J.C. Buenger) was born in Schoenau, Texas on December 18, 1890. His father was Adolph Buenger and his mother was Johanna Schulze, both born here in America. Adolph Buenger's parents came to America from Germany in 1846, working for Charles Fordtran who had come over here with the Ernsts in 1831. Johanna Schulze's parents came here from Germany in 1866, right after the Civil War.
On December 10, 1889, Adolph Buenger and Johanna Schulze married and moved to Schoenau to farm. Jesse was born on the Ullrich place. He has one sister, Wanita Buenger, who is still living and resides in a nursing home. The family later moved two miles east of Industry, bought a cotton gin, farm sa mill and grist mill. Jesse and his sister, Wanita, went to school at Star Hill. The Buengers lived about a mile from the school.
Jesse married Elsa Rinn in 1912, and they had two children, Ora Dell (Mrs. Edwin Ludwig) and Jay Charles. For about six years, from 1910 to 1916, he was in the water well drilling business. They also raised hogs, corn, cotton and cattle. They lived near his parents and built a home east of Industy. He started working at the Farmer's Store in 1922 and stayed there until 1933. The family moved to town in 1924. In 1926, he purchased an incubator with a 600-egg capacity and began hatching chicks. He soon purchased another incubator with a 2400-egg capacity and was able to incubate a total of 3000 eggs every three weeks, producing about 2400 chicks per hatch (approximately 80%).
In 1928, Mr. Buenger purchased his first new Chevrolet from Zanek and Zaskoda, a 1928 4-door sedan, for approximately $850.00. The old family car, a Model "T" Ford, was kept for a "runabout". The old ragged top was removed and it was painted grey. His daughter, "Tuttle", Annie Lee Boelsche and several of their friends would often use it for "joy riding" or to haul away the egg shells left over from the hatchery.
In 1931, Mr. Buenger went into the Chevrolet business, retiring in 1957, when he turned the business over to his two children. The business, known as Buenger Chevrolet Company, was sold in 1980 to Larry Tegeler of Brenham, Texas and today operates under the name of Tegeler Chevrolet, Inc.
In the years 1943 to 1950 when land was inexpensive, and the Chevrolet business was good, Jesse Buenger bought some land for about fifty to sixty dollars an acre, and this land now is owned by his children.
In 1968, Mrs. Buenger died and was buried on her 80th birthday. At that time, Mr. Buenger enlarged his hobby, which he had started when Marvin Wittner suggested he make a clock for himself. At first, he built clocks at his farm, the old Charlie Sculze place, but after Mrs. Buenger's death, he moved his tools into a shop at his home. He imported the German movements with the Westminster chimes. Since he had done cabinet work for many years, he made the cases for the clocks and tried to make every one just a little different from the others. He spent about a week adjusting each clock so that it kept perfect time. His clocks can be found in New Mexico, New Jersey, North Carolina, and all over Texas. Mr. Buenger died in 1982 at the age of 91 years. At the time of his death in 1982, he had made well over 300 clocks.
Besides his clock making and other hobbies, he found time to write his own personal history of Industry, Texas.
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