My 3rd great-grandfather John Pegoda was born in Prussia about 1812. He left Ruda, Germany on 15 Apr 1851 on the ship Magnet and arrived in Galveston, Texas on 25 Jun 1851. There is reportedly a ship manifest with this documented in the Galveston County courthouse. I have never had the chance to track down this primary documentation myself. By 1858, John had become an American citizen.
John's life is definitely shrouded in some mystery. The book "Walker County, Texas: A History" provides the most information I have found about John, but none of it is sourced. The name Pegoda was reportedly adopted in America, as implied by the article. But, to me, John's original name is not clear. Various records show it as Purgudy, Purugdy, and even Peagody. The article states it as Purugdy. (Is that German even?) This book also reports that John died on 01 Dec 1881, a date I have seen reported nowhere else. It is also ironic that the article reports twins Anna and Felix also died on that same day. I wonder if one of them is a typo?
Finally, John and Nancy's final resting place is not marked. They, and other Pegodas, are reportedly buried in Bath (Possum Walk) Cemetery in Walker County, Texas. I can only rely on family history that says they are buried there. Nancy's date of death is not even known.
If you have primary or secondary documentation for John or Nancy that I have not found yet, please contact me or leave a comment.
Annie is my great great grandmother. She was a twin. There mother died giving birth.for some reason felix was given to a neighbor, an older couple. I have heard he had medical issues and there father was not able to take care of him. He died at age 7 i think. He is buried in huntsville.
ReplyDeleteYes, I believe I had pieced all of this together finally based on family information, cemetery records, census records, and Walker County history information. One of the confusing issues was the misquoting of John Pegoda's death date in the Walker County History book (the date was for his wife - 01 Dec 1881). Once I figured out the twins really did exist and were born the same day, it finally fell together that Nancy McGraw died at the birth of her twins Annie and Felix. The census and cemetery records showing Felix living with people he is buried next to also helped immensely. I believe I have all of the correct information recorded for these folks now at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nivek/individual.html?id=115 (first page loads very slowly - be patient with it). Thanks for the comment!
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