Franciscus Frank, Francois, Francies Seerden

Mary Jadwiga Petrucha, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich Patrucha, came to America as a nursemaid, January 21, 1852. They came to the Port of Galveston, Texas. A few years later she came to live with her brother Heinrich, who had a brick yard on Wild Cow Island with his partner Frank Seerden. A number of years later, June (or July) 13,1857, Mary Jadwiga and Frank Seerden were united in marriage. She was born in Prussia, October 17, 1840 and passed away in the fall of September 24, 1903.

Her husband, Frank Seerden, was born on August 10, 1820 at Antwerp Belgium and died April 27, 1888. A family story that was copied by a Matagorda Newspaper in 1980, tells that he was the only son of a Duke of Belgium. After his Father died, he received a letter from the King over there requesting that he return to Belgium, but freedom and America meant too much to him to return to his native land, so his inheritance was reverted back to the Crown. 2017 research points out that there is no noble family Seerden in Belgium nor the Netherlands. Source 1(Dutch) Source 2. Frank Seerden was born Franciscus (Francis, Francies, Francois) Seerden in the city of Weert, where the Seerden family still resides until today. He was a sheep herder near Antwerp for 9 years, before emigrating to Texas.

He came to America in the 1840's and landed on the Eastern Coast. Eventually he came to Matagorda County, where he and Heinrich Petrucha owned a brick yard on Wild Cow Island. He married his partner's sister, Mary Jadwiga Petrucha, on June 13, 1857, at Matagorda. They bought a home in Matagorda, where they lived for a few years, and then bought land ten miles north of Matagorda. Frank Seerden had several slaves, and he cut timber and sold it for firewood in the town of Matagords. When the Civil War broke out, he supplied the wives of the soldiers from Matagorda with wood to cook and heat their homes.

One day, he saw a write-up in a newspaper wanting to know his whereabouts. The Magistrate (King) of Belgium was trying to locate him to come back to Belgium to claim his title after his father died, but freedom and America meant too much to him to return to his native land. The Belgium authorities sent men over to try to persuade him to return to Belgium, but he declined and so his inheritance was reverted back to the Crown.

In the fall of 1887, a team hitched to a wagon, ran away with Mr. Seerden and overturned. In the accident his leg was broken. Back in those days they knew nothing about splints, or plaster of paris, so they made a wide leather band and secured it tight around his broken leg. He endured the pain for several months, on up into the spring, when he passed away. After Frank Seerden's death, Mrs. Seerden and her sons managed the ranch. The next winter after Mr. Seerden died, many cattle died all over the prairie from the freezing temperatures, ice and snow . Mrs. Seerden and her sons skinned cattle and sold the hides, to help with the expenses. She did not have a boat, so she used a door to cross Boggy Creek, to get to the cattle on the other side.

Mary Jadwiga, too, was a very religious person, before they built the Catholic Church, known as St. Francis, she let the neighborhood hold services at her home. Before she died, she gave the Church enough land to build the church and graveyard on December 21, 1895. She also helped to finance the construction of the first Catholic Church in Matagorda County, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Seerden are buried at Matagorda, Texas. Mr. Seerden died April 27, 1888 and Mrs. Seerden died September 24, 1903 at 5:20 PM.

They were blessed with eight children: 1. Joseph Seerden, born 1858, died 1862 2. Gohanna Helena Seerden, born February 28, 1860 3. Catherine Rose Seerden, born October 25, 1863 4. Frank Baldez Seerden, born October I7, 1866; died 1894 5. John Joseph Seerden, born January 17, 1870 6. Henry Martin Seerden, born November 22, 1871 7. Mary Elizabeth Seerden, born July 27, 1875 8. William Valentine Seerden, born April 11, 1878