Today we visited Wurzburg, Germany. My great grandfather, Hank Smith, was born 15 miles west of here, in the town of Rossbrunn, in 1836. He came to America in 1850. He first lived in Pennsylvania, but soon set out on foot for California, by himself, when he was 15 years old. He fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy, fought Indians, in the Indian Wars and was the first settler in the south plains, of Texas, in what is now Crosby County. He built his two story rock house in 1877 in Blanco Canyon, just north of Crosbyton, Texas. There is a copy of his rock house on the square in Crosbyton with a civic center and museum attached to it. A few years ago we visited the house in Rossbrunn where he was born and one of my cousin's, Albert, still lives in the house. My family has lived in this house since 1640. So part of my family, that I know about, started right around Wurzburg. Here are some pictures.
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| The house where Hank Smith was born in 1836 |
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| Me in front of the house in 2011 |
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| My cousin Albert who lives in the house today |
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| The prettiest girl in town |
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| Castle on the hill |
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| The Bishops palace with beautiful interior but no picture allowed |
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| WWII memorial to the 7th Mountain Division |
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| Hank Smith's rock house in Blanco Canyon, in Crosby County Texas |
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| The copy of Hank Smith's house that is the Crosby County Museum in Crosbyton, Texas |
Wow !!
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