Joseph Rudinger Sr. and wife Marie Braun -- St. Dominic's Cemetery, D'Hanis TX - Homemade Tombstones on Waymarking.com

The homemade tombstone of Joseph Sr., and his wife Marie (Braun) Rudinger, made by engraving local limestone with a sharp tool. Their simple stone lies near the grave of their adult daughter Mary Ann, who was the first person to die in the new town of D'Hanis, shortly after the 29 original families of settlers arrived here.

Mary Ann Rudinger almost made it to the end of an incredible journey from Alsace-Lorraine, France to the Texas frontier. She took ill and died on 25 May 1847, after carrying children over streams on the journey.

The settlement of the 29 immigrant families at D'Hanis was the third colony started by empresario Henri Castro, namesake of nearby Castroville in Castro County. At the time, D'Hanis was located on the Old San Antonio Road, also known as El Camino Real.

The homemade tombstones of Joseph and Marie reads as follows:

"Joseph Rudinger Sr.
His Wife Marie Braun
[decoration]
Settlers in 1846.

From Find-A-Grave we learn that their arrival in Texas must have been more bittersweet for Joseph and Marie than we knew: His wife did not live very long after arriving in D'Hanis. (visit link)

"MARIE BRAUN RUDINGER

Birth: Jul. 22, 1795
Dessenheim, France

Death: Sep. 8, 1847
D'Hanis
Medina County
Texas, USA

Family links:
Spouse:
Joseph Rudinger (1797 - 1866)

Children:
Mary Ann Rudinger (1821 - 1847)*
John Baptiste Rudinger (1828 - 1903)*
Joseph Rudinger (1830 - 1884)*
Elisabeth Rudinger Turner (1831 - 1893)*
Theresa Rudinger Wolff (1836 - 1921)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial:
Saint Dominic Cemetery
Medina County
Texas, USA

JOSEPH RUDINGER SR.

Birth: Sep. 4, 1797
Dessenheim, France

Death: Sep. 8, 1866
D'Hanis
Medina County
Texas, USA

1850 US CENSUS
D'Hanis, Medina County, Texas
October 26, 1850
---------------------------
DWELLING 14/FAMILY 14
---------------------------
RUDINGER, Joseph, 53, m, w laborer, Germany
RUDINGER, John, 21, m, w, Germany
RUDINGER, Joseph, 20, m, w, Germany
RUDINGER, Theresa, 16, f, w, Germany

Family links:
Spouse:
Marie Anne Braun Rudinger (1795 - 1847)*

Children:
Mary Ann Rudinger (1821 - 1847)*
John Baptiste Rudinger (1828 - 1903)*
Joseph Rudinger (1830 - 1884)*
Elisabeth Rudinger Turner (1831 - 1893)*
Theresa Rudinger Wolff (1836 - 1921)*"

Date of Birth: 22 Jul 1795 Date of Death: 8 Sep 1847 Material: Stone Web Site: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   07/20/2015 Benchmark Blasterz visited it