Nazareth Texas. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

The town was named by Catholic priest Joseph Reisdorff, who recruited settlers by advertising in midwestern German Catholic newspapers.

He and a core of four farmers moved to the future town in 1902. A post office was opened the following year the community built its Catholic church. The town had seventy-one residents by 1904 - the year Nazareth was platted. The community's cemetery was (consecrated in 1906) was the only one for miles.

The population grew to 50 by 1914 and to150 people by 1927.

Dust storms hit the area in the 30s and the population dropped back to fifty. By the time America entered WWII the population was back up to 200.

The population dropped to about 75 in 1955, then rose to 275 ten years later. The town remains primarily a Catholic community.

Nazareth, Texas Forum

• Nazareth Remembered
  My early childhood years were spent at Nazareth. We lived on a farm owned by Howard Scoggins of Dimmitt, and one of my greatest childhood memories is the many times I helped my father irrigate. I also learned to drive during those early years. I could not see over the steering wheel, but my father thought it was important that we learn how to maneuver a vehicle. My first experience with driving involved driving the car into the nearest tree, but those early experiences would prove to be very beneficial when a short time later, our mother was seriously burned and my brother and I drove her to the hospital in Dimmitt. That was the morning of November 30, 1962. Our house exploded due to a gas leak, and 27 days later, my mother died. We left Nazareth forever then, but I still remember the wonderful teachers at Nazareth school. My favorites were Sister Bernadine Terese and Celestine Marie, and of course, I remember my childhood love, Craig Clemens. He probably did not even know I existed, but his name is forever in my memory. One incident that really stands out in my memory is the morning I took my pet badger to school on the bus. The badger got loose in the classroom and my parents had to pick me up after school. Oddly, my badger disappeared that night and I never saw it again. There was also a period of time when I decided I did not want to go to school, so my mom would literally drag me onto the bus and frequently, I would arrive at school with bloody knees. I never have figured out why I didn't want to go, because I loved school and was a very good student when I was there. The one thing I am forever grateful for is that the teachers at Nazareth not only taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, but they also taught manners-something that is rarely seen in today's society. Although I spent only four years in Nazareth schools, those were the best four years of my life, and I still have the letters that my classmates sent to me after my mother died and I left Nazareth. They are very dear to me. - Kathy Darlene Throne Daniel, Bedford, Texas, May 25, 2007
• Subject: Nazareth Texas
  My grandma, Rose Decker Birkenfeld was born in 1909 at Rhineland, Texas. She raised 8 children (Alber Leslie, Bryan, Clarence, Joe Lynn, John Ronald, Carol, Stephane, Vernie) When she was 60 years old, after the loss of one of her sons and husband she took in 2 grandkids (Kirsten and Bridget) to raise them as her own. She quilted and painted some, but her heart was in cooking. She lived in her Nazareth home until the ripe age of 95 1/2. She then moved into a nursing home. In 1997 she became the oldest resident of Nazareth. Being 97 is no shock to the Decker family. Her oldest brother lived in Rhineland until he was 106 years. They mentioned at Rhineland's 100th year anniversary that Joe Decker was older than the town. Rose's brother Frank lived in Alberqueque until he was 96, her sister, Annie, lived in Oklahoma until she was 92, and her oldest sister, Mary, lived to be 96. Thank you. - Bridget Birkenfeld, March 19, 2006
• Subject: Nazareth Texas
  My name is Jonna Huseman and I live in Lincoln, Nebraska. I am the only person in my immediate family who was born in Nebraska, however the majority of my family lives in North West Indiana.
  I was told some years ago that ancestors of mine helped to found Nazareth, Texas with a Roman-Catholic priest. If it helps, my late grandfather's name was Ira Joseph Huseman and his wife was Mary. Their parent's names were Anastasia and Paul Semanchuk and Anton and Marie Huseman. I was wondering if there is another Huseman from Nazareth that I could share stories with. Thank you. - Jonna Huseman, October 05, 2005

1920s Castro County Map showing Nazareth
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

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