This is the life story of John Martin Lehman born November 14, 1871 at Red Rock, Texas in
Bastrop County beginning with his childhood days.

CHAPTER 1

First my mother died when I was so young, I don't even remember her.  Those days we didn't
have any church cemeteries, so they buried my mother on the Meath Place on Sandy Creek in
Bastrop County, Texas and my father and my first beloved wife are both buried at the Catholic
church at what they now call Rockne in Bastrop County, Texas.  My father John T. Lehman was born
December 12, 1832, and my mother Maria Anna Eichorn was born 19th of September in 1834, and
they were married in 1858 on the 10th of January.  I don't remember what year or date my mother
died.  My father died July 14, 1892.  My father and mother are asleep with Jesus.

CHAPTER 2

As I was a small boy, I don't know exactly how old I was, but I was kicked by a sorrell mule.
His name was Jack and the consequences were a broken collar bone and how come that mule to
kick me, it was in the morning and we boys had to change about to keep the chickens from eating the
mule's corn, so it was my turn that morning and I walked up to Jack and I hit him on his hip.  I said,
"Whoa Jack," and I reckon Jack did not know I was around, anyway he put it to me and he must have
undoubtedly hit me with the first lick and I fell to the ground and the folks heard the noise, so there I
lay.  They picked me up and what did papa do, he took me to the doctor, that was Dr. Panell.  He
lived close to us on the farm (we lived on the farm too) and he told [me] it was really a broken collar
bone.  I remember it as if it was today.  He put my arm in a sling and he put a big wad under my arm
until I got alright.

CHAPTER 3

When I was about 14 years old (I think around that age) my two oldest brothers they had to go
to chop wood in the pasture, nothing else would but I wanted to chop wood too.  My father said, "No,
you better stay at home, you might cut your foot."  Anyway father gave me an ax too.  I then went
with my brothers to cut wood, and I cut about an hour and sure enough, bang!  It went into my right
foot so I split my little toe from my other toe, and I bled like a little pig, so I went home.  So you might
know what my father said, "Didn't I tell you that was going to happen," and I was kind of scared I was
going to get a spanking from father, but he did not spank me, but my father doctored it and it did heal
up nice, but you can believe it or not.  I can show you that big scar right today on that foot of mine.
 

CHAPTER 4

And I can remember when I had my first hollow tooth, that I had to have pulled.  I don't know
exactly how old I was, I told father that I can't stand it no longer it hurts me so bad so what next.
Father said I better go over to the doctor and have it pulled and that was Dr. Panell too.  I went to the
house and he was not there, but his wife was there and I told her what I wanted.  She says the doctor
was down in the field at Cedar Hollow that was on his farm and she said, "you just take the pinchers
along and go down there where he is so he will not have to come to the house."  Well I found him
alright, and I told the doctor what I wanted and he looked in my mouth and what then?  He said,
"Give me those pinchers," and we was standing close to a cedar stump and he said, "Martin," (he
always called me Martin) "sit down on that stump and I will see if I can get him out," and Oh! my he
got him out, but he almost knocked some of my upper teeth out with that one.  I took the pinchers to
the house and I went home again, and I got alright.  Anyway, that tooth was out and you may believe
it or not but I have got that tooth right today and I can show it to you anytime.

CHAPTER 5

I was riding a horse from my place to my grandpa's place, but [we] were living on grandpa's
place then and I was leading a mule by a rope and I had one end of the rope tied around the mule's
neck and the other end of the same rope around the horse's nose I was riding, and anyway while I
was riding there came up a shower and tell me big drops fell and that mule I was leading got scared
of that shower and he jumped to the side and jerked my horse around and I fell off under the horse
and he stepped on me.  I did not have no saddle on that horse I was riding and I almost was out of
breath for awhile and you know, I walked the rest of the way with the horse and mule afoot, and I had
pains in that side and in about two days after, my brother John, he was going to Bastrop and he
says, "Martin, you better go with me and go to see the doctor," which I did.  I went to Dr. Combos in
Bastrop County, Texas and he examined me and what did he say?  "Why Mr. Lehman you have a
broken rib."  And what then?  He bandaged me up and what then?  I went back home with brother
John and I got all right again.  I was single then, I was not married.  I was 20 years old.

CHAPTER 6

I got married to Emma Caldwell on the 12th of April, 1896.  We were married at the Catholic
Church what they now call Rockne in Bastrop County, Texas.  Rev. Father Metzinger officiated at the
ceremony and I was married to my beloved wife Emma Caldwell 9 years and 2 months and 3 weeks
and God blessed us with 5 beloved children which is:

 1. Mary Edna Lehman  born April 12, 1897
 2. John Louis Lehman  born July 9, 1898
 3. William Matthew Lehman  born June 19, 1900
 4. Martin William Lehman born June 25, 1902
 5. Agnes Laura Lehman born June 2, 1904
 

CHAPTER 7

The first year when I was married we had two pet squirrels in a cage.  My wife and I went to
my mother-in-law's after supper, and the cage with the two squirrels was standing on the porch.  It
was a cage you could move around if you liked and the next morning we noticed one looked kind of
sick and we noticed the cage had been moved from where we left it so I told my wife I am going to
reach in the cage and get him out and when I took hold of him he whipped around and bit me in one
of my little fingers and oh my how did that crack and hurt and in fifteen minutes that squirrel was
dead and now I don't know whether I was that poisonous, anyway it did look suspicious, the squirrel
dying that quick and I did not do anything for my finger.  I didn't pay any attention to it and three days
later my finger turned black and blue and what could I do.  I had to go to a doctor at once.  I went to
Dr. Harris at Red Rock and tell me, I thought I'd have to have my arm amputated, but it got alright,
but what bit that squirrel we never did find out.

CHAPTER 8

In 1901 when I was living three miles north of Red Rock in Bastrop County, Texas I was
running a little store and also a post office and they called it Lehmanville.  That was on the road that
was then called the old Port Lavaca Road that goes through there from Flatonia to Austin and my
father gave 10 acres of land from that place that I was living on, that was our home place, to build a
new Catholic Church on which we did build.  That was in 1892 and now they build a new church in
1940.  Now they have a real little village there.  They call it Rockne at that place now their new
church in Bastrop County, Texas.

CHAPTER 9

O, my first beloved wife took sick in November 1904.  She started having fever, and we
doctored with our home doctor. I don't know exactly how long, anyway I had to get another doctor,
but I don't remember his name, but that doctor did not help her any.  I had to ride a horse almost
every other day to see him, for Lord knows how many days, and what did I do then, I took her to
Austin to Dr. Wooten in a wagon and that was thirty miles and what do you think he told me?  "I am
sorry to tell you, she has tuberculosis (TB)."  Now tell me, there I was, and he told me there was no
cure at all, so I took her back home and some people advised me to take her up in the mountains
that it would help her.  Well I took that foolish advise so I borrowed brother Julius's team and wagon,
and I headed for the mountains.  I went through San Marcos.  I was headed for what they called
Fischer's store, that is north of San Marcos, but we did not get there.  Poor sweet darling.  She was
getting to feel so bad on account of the rough roads, and what could I do.  We turned back home.
We were gone three weeks, [and] we had one of our boys with us which was Louis.  What could I do
but to take it and tough it through.  Then I had to take care of her and my five poor children.  But oh,
thank God some of my wife's folks and my folks did help me and on the 5th of July 1905 the good
Lord took her away from us.  She was then asleep with Jesus, but God knows best.  There I was left
all alone with my poor sweet children, but there was an old grandma, her name was Mrs. Backer.
Everybody called her Grandma Backer.  She was my oldest brother's mother-in-law.  She did help
me until further on, and bless her heart, I will never forget her as long as I live and bless God, what
could I do.  Poor old Grandma and me and five poor children, and so it went on and on, so what
should I do.
 

CHAPTER 10

And the following year I found me another beloved girl.  She lived at Seguin, Texas.  Her
name was Miss Anna Pankau, and what do you think, she could not read nor write English and I
could not write nor read German.  So there I was, and me going to see her on the train all the time
costed me more than I could afford.  It cost me $.50 from Red Rock to Lockhart and from Lockhart to
Luling $.45 and from Luling to Seguin it costed me $.60.  So for round trip it always costed me about
$3.10 and that was a lot of money those days.  But anyway my oldest daughter Edna Lehman, she
was far enough in school she could read and write German, so I got her to write my love letters and
read her letters for me and you may know we did not have much to write but anyway we always sent
thousands and thousands of kisses to one another.  Ha! Ha!  On the 24th day of April, Miss Anna
Pankau and I got married at Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas with Father Schndeller officiating.
Now wasn't that a blessing for me to get a beloved wife again to help me to take care of those poor
children and after the wedding my wife and I went back to Red Rock to the five children.  And so we
made one crop there and my wife did not like it in that country so we sold out.  It was a 50 acre farm
we sold to my brother-in-law Paul Koening and the 6th of November 1906 we moved to Seguin in
Guadalupe County, Texas.  We moved in wagons.  Our first crop in Guadalupe County, Texas was
north of Seguin out at what they call Cordova on the Alvin Brewstedt place.  That was in 1907 and
1908 we moved on John Baer's place that was three miles south of Seguin on the Gonzales Road
and that was our first crop in 1909.

CHAPTER 11

And in that year on the 25th of December, Christmas Day the stork brought us a little baby
girl, and you don't know how proud we were for God to send us such a nice Christmas present and
we named her Mary.

CHAPTER 12

When we were living on that place, I had four ribs bent in.  That was the 9th of August.  What
year I don't exactly remember, if it was the year 1910 or 1911.  Well anyway, I was moving my old
corn that I had left in the crib moving it into and old log crib so I could put my new corn in the other
crib and I had to drive under a shed to get to this crib and I was sitting on top of the wagon bed.  I
had skiddish mules hitched to the wagon.  Those mules did not want to go under that shed, so you
know I got a little angry and whipped them to get them under there.  So finally they went under, but
how they went through, they mashed me between the wagon bed and the gable of the shed and
when they got through I was able to hallow "Whoa!"  As my luck was, they stopped and I fell on the
double tree of the wagon and you can imagine I was out of breath and the folks heard the excitement
and my two youngest boys William and Matthew and my oldest daughter Edna pulled me out at
once.  It at first did not hurt so bad, but that afternoon they took me to the doctor at Seguin to Dr.
Knolle, and I got over all that alright.
 

CHAPTER 13

We made five crops on this place.  The land was not so good, so in the fall 1913 we moved on
the John Vetters place, that was northeast of Seguin on the Geronimo Creek, 6 miles from Seguin
and we made seven crops on that place and in the fall of 1920 we moved two miles north of Seguin
on what they called the old Baxter Place.   That place belonged to my wife's uncle and aunt.  It was
just him and his wife and they wanted us to buy their little farm.  It was only 30 acres and we took the
chances on that place.  We paid them $200.00 an acre for it and we made 7 crops on that place and
in 1923 we had a hail storm.  Our cotton had grown bolls on it so we didn't make much that year and
in 1924 my cotton was up nice as you ever saw and we had another hail storm and it knocked all my
cotton in the ground.  I had to plant it all over.

CHAPTER 14

And the 10th of October, 1924 I went through an operation in Seguin but it was not a serious
one, and I got alright again.  The doctor that took care of me on this operation was Dr. Williams.

CHAPTER 15

And in 1925 we did not make no crops at all.  It was so dry that was some dry year.  And in
1926 we made a very good crop.  I took one of my fine bales of cotton to the county fair at Seguin,
Texas.  That was in the month of October and what do you know I got the blue ribbon.  The first prize
which was $20.00 cash.  That was some of Cash's cotton seed from San Marcos and in that same
year we took the selling out fever and sure enough we did get a buy at once.  I had it published in
the Guadalupe Gazette Bulletin in Seguin, Texas and that party bought us out.  His name was
Eugene Schwartzloze.  He lived out a York's Creek.  He paid us $250.00 an acre for it, but that
meant everything on the place which included all outdoor equipment, cows, and work animals.  We
had four of our children living and working in San Antonio, then one was married.  That was our
oldest daughter Mrs. Newt Mitchell and they kept on begging us to move up [near] her in San
Antonio and which we did.  We moved December 11, 1926 to San Antonio.  We moved here in three
big trucks and they cost us $35.00 so we rented a house on 221 Hansford Street.  I did yard work,
cut lawns, and spaded flower beds and so forth and in 1927 the 15th of August we bought us a little
home on 811 Florida Street.  The lot is 50 by 200 ft. and we paid $35.00 for it.  We bought it from a
man by the name of Martin Bauml and on the 15th of October 1927 we moved on this place and that
same year in November and December my next door neighbor Mr. Enck and I painted two houses
two stories high for a lady by the name of Mrs. A. B. Spencer living over on the Fredricksburg Road.
It was 8 miles from here.  I made about $200.00 on that job.  And then March 15th 1928 I got on City
work in the Brackenridge Park.  I worked 2 years with the bunch.  John Deres, he was our foreman
and the following day March 16, 1928 between 11 and 12 o'clock it was so cold that day it sleeted
some that morning [and] I got hurt.  There was a big hackberry tree fell across the street in the park
and I can't help but notice that place yet today.  So I though I was a new man there, so I took a saw
and got up on the butt of this tree, and got to sawing limbs off and I sawed one off that went O.K. and
then I started on another one and the foreman said "Mr. Lehman, we will hand you a rope and you tie
that rope up as high as you can on that next limb and we men will pull it as you saw it" and which I
did and when I had it pretty near off one of the men by the name of Albert Beck [said] to me "Mr.
Lehman you had better get down it looks kind of dangerous." and the last words I said was "I would
like to get that saw out, it is going to break that saw."  That limb made a twist and clinched that saw
and those men made another pull and down came that limb, and there was a pecan tree right beside
this tree, and one limb from this pecan tree came down too and it fell on me, and down I came on
that paved street and it bumped me up and I could see I was bleeding bad from nose, ears and
mouth, one tooth knocked out and my throat and jaw bone was torn open bad.  It took 21 stitches to
sew it up.  I had a fractured skull and a broken jaw bone.  That is what they found so I lay there till
Mr. Henry Steingruber came with his car.  They took me to the Robert B. Green hospital and they
phoned my folks at home.  I had two good doctors that took care of me that was Dr. J. W. Nixon and
Dr. Allen and my folks and a good friend of mine, a nurse Miss Gertrude Kelly did not want me to
stay in that hospital, so they moved me to the Santa Rosa Hospital.  So there they took x-rays and
every once in a while I could hear the nurses say "Mr. Lehman hold still."  There I was 13 days and
nights in a bad condition.  I tell you people you all don't know how I suffered.  The third night the
nurses phoned for my folks, they thought I was passing away, but thank God, I got over it O.K., but I
was laid up for 7 months before I could go to work, but I started to work again in October 15, 1928 I
went back to [the] same old job for the City in Brackenridge Park.

CHAPTER 16

And so on the 14th of October 1933 I took sick.  I had a dizzy spell in my head.  I just fell over
and could not get up.  My wife had to help me up and the following Tuesday 17th of October I had
the doctor out to see me.  I was so [bad] I couldn't stand on my feet, I would just fall over.  You have
no idea how I did feel, so Dr. William Wolf gave me medicine for that trouble and it went on and on
and I did not get any better and the doctor claimed it was my bad teeth that caused that dizzy feeling.
At times it was some better, but it finally didn't relieve my head and medicine did not give me any
relief and the 30th of October 1933, I went to Dr. J. W. Nixon and he says that trouble you have may
come from your bad teeth or your eyes.  I went to the eye doctor and he examined my eyes and
glasses I got and he said my eyes and my glasses were O.K.  There I was, what could I do.  I went to
the dentist and he pulled all of my teeth except 5 he left in my mouth, so I had false teeth made and
they cost me $60.00 and so all included doctor medicines and laboratory and so forth cost me
$79.75 and if I shall tell you the truth it didn't entirely cure me although I could work again.  I was
working in Mancke Park at the Golf Course in Brackenridge Park.  I always could feel that diziness in
my head and there was a good friend of mine, he was watchman at the golf course, Mr. John
Ricketer.  He stopped and talked to me, he says "Mr. Lehman how do you feel now?"  I told him not
so good and I told him what I had done for my trouble, and he told me "I had that same trouble once".
He said "Mr. Lehman will you take my advice, if you do you will get well".  First thing he asked me
what I ate, and if I ate a full meal for supper and I told him yes, and he says there you are.  He said
some things you have to cut out, it goes against your stomach and don't eat a full meal for supper.
He says some things that I eat form gas on my stomach and so I took his advice and don't you know I
got well and I am still taking his advice, and you know I am feeling so much better.

CHAPTER 17

The 5th of August 1934 I and my wife and oldest son Louis Lehman and my one daughter
Laura Lehman went to see my brother Phillip in Austin.  He was in the hospital.  He went through a
serious operation.  We went up in the morning and came back that same evening.  Louis took us in
his car, we came back about 7 o'clock and my wife fixed supper for us all, and at 9 o'clock my wife,
she made the remark "I am tired, I am going to bed," and I said "I am going to do the same, I am tired
too," and so we both went to bed and were lying down about 15 minutes and my wife she got up, and
sat in the rocking chair and I asked her "Mama (I always called her mama) What is the matter?  Why
did you get up?"  She says, "Oh, I do feel so bad"  and I jumped up and went to her and asked her
"Mama, where does it hurt?"  "Oh," she says "my chest and up under my chin."  Both my youngest
daughters were here, that was Laura and Mary Lehman and we three took hold of her and put her in
bed and then what do you think she said, "Girls take good care of papa, I will have to die."  Oh, bless
God you may know how we all did feel, and so we called for a priest which was Father Schnetzer
and the doctor was Dr. Bush and they both thought it was not so serious and that she will probably
get over it.  Well she did feel some better in the morning.  I was still working in Brackenridge Park
and I asked her "Mama what about me going to work?" and she says "Papa you just go on to work,
one of the girls will stay with me," and Laura stayed at home, so I worked all day.  But when I came
home she was still in bed and I asked her "Well mama how do you feel?" and she says "Not much
better" and about 1 o'clock that night I was getting worried about her.  She was not breathing right to
suit me and about 1:30 she got up and went to the kitchen to get her false teeth, which she always
kept in a water glass at night, and she came back in a few minutes and laid down again.  Then in a
few minutes she raised up and sat on the bed and I asked her in German "Mama where are you
going now?" and she answered me back "I am not going anywhere," and just as she said those
words, you see I was lying right by her side, she fell back on the bed on me and I called Laura and
Mary.  "Come quick, I believe mama is dying" and when we got her straightened out she was dead,
so we phoned for the doctor and the priest.  They both came at once but she was gone.  They were
both kind of worried about her and when she was at the undertaker I got my daughter Laura to see if
her teeth were in the glass of water, and she looked and she says "Papa they are gone."  So Laura
phoned the undertaker to see if she had them in her mouth, and they said yes, she has got them in
her mouth, and there we were.  Poor Mama also asleep with Jesus, so you know how we must have
felt and that was in August the 7th 1934.

CHAPTER 18

So in the month of October 1936 I ought to have stayed at home in place of working but what
can a poor man do, so I worked until October 28, 1936.  I felt so bad so I went to see Dr. William.
Wolf and he examined me thoroughly and he says "I have found your trouble," he said I had a tumor
on my bladder.  So there I was you may know how I felt, so he says "Mr. Lehman you will have to
come to the Santa Rosa Hospital and go through another operation," so the 1st of November at 6
P.M.  I had to be at the hospital so my oldest son Louis took me to the hospital in his car.  So on the
4th of November 1936 A.M. Dr. William. Wolf operated on me so there I was until 14th of November
Dr. William Wolf took the tube out and put it in again and on the 18th of November 1936 he took the
tube out again and on that day at 5 P.M. I came home and on the 21st of November the tube hole
closed at night and on the 27th of November 1936 I started to sit up in a chair and on the 2nd of
January I started back to work in Mancke Park, the same place where I was working when I took
sick in Brackenridge Park.

CHAPTER 19

And so in July 27, 1938 boils started under my right arm, first it was a boil and then it was
boils under my arm and it went on with boils under my arm.  On August 11th I had one boil in my
throat but it got better without lancing.  I had as many as seven at one time under my arm and August
16, 1938 I just could not stand it any longer.  I had to go to Dr. William Wolf and when he looked at
them he says "Well Mr. Lehman four of them are ripe."  So he got out his knife and says "Hold up
your arm" and he went to cutting them open, so you might know I suffered.  I had to cry whether I
was young or old, I had to cry it hurt so bad and the next day August 17, 1938 I went back and he cut
one more and the next day August the 18th, 1938 he took his tweezers and pulled all the cores out of
the ones left, but still I would get new ones under my arms until August 25, 1938 then I began to feel
better and I was relieved of those boils.

CHAPTER 20

So I have five children from my first wife and one from my second wife so that is six in all living
by this writing and all living in this town of San Antonio, Texas and they are all married.  I have 11
grandchildren up to this writing.  Ha! Ha!

CHAPTER 21

I will have to say my oldest son Louis Lehman, he was married to Loretta Sharp and they have
one sweet little baby girl, she is 10 months when I'm writing this and on the 11th of September A.M.
1940 he got killed.  He worked for the City Brewery.  He was driving one of the long haul trucks and
he took a load to Giddings and on his way back 3 miles east of Bastrop, Texas he turned over with
his truck and he fell under his truck and was killed instantly and now he's asleep with Jesus too.

CHAPTER 22

And so on December 31, 1938 I did not feel well and on January 2, 1939 I did not go to work.
I took sick, I thought I had the flu and we doctored with home medicine and it seemed like it did not
do me any good and it went on and on the 14th of January 1939 we had Dr. William Wolf here and
what do you think he said "Mr. Lehman you will have to come to the Santa Rosa Hospital.  We will
have to take your gall bladder out, and I had a rupture, and we will have to take care of it right away."
He took my appendix out too, and there I still was in the hospital all that time the operation was 15th
of January 1939, and I came home and oh, how bad did I feel.  I always had high fever day and night
and Dr. Wolf came out to see me twice and the last time he came he examined me again and he
said, "Mr. Lehman I believe I found your trouble", well he said, "I'm sorry you will have to come to the
hospital again, you will have to go through another operation," so what could I do.  I went back to the
hospital again on the 7th of February and on the 10th of February he cut me open in the back right
below the ribs and took out 1/2 quart of puss and he put a tube in me again and on the 11th of
February 1939 I came home and I had that tube in me 14 days and that was the 24th of February
when my daughter Mary, Mrs. Kierce, took the tube out and help the Lord you all have no idea how I
did suffer in all my living days and I sure do thank my daughter Laura, Mrs. Raymond Driskill and
especially my youngest daughter Mary, Mrs. Kierce, to take care of me through those operations.
Another time thanks to both of them, and here I am with another rupture again, but I can't do any
hard work in my last days, but thank God that I am able to get around like I do, but God knows best
for all of us and this is my life time record and up to this writing today my age up to the 14th of
November 1940 I will be 69 years old.  Now everyone who reads this will realize what I did go
through in all my life time. [Martin Lehman died on May 9, 1954 at the age of 82.]