Count Pedro (Peter) Of Castile

COUNT OF CASTILLE, born in Spain, assassinated 1678 in Alsace, was natural father of Count Valentine Waltman.

The house of Waltman and its allied families : Alderson, Baker, Bowman, Bierly, ... https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE95671

Alsace means Ul-Sass, "the seat of the River 111." Yet small as it was it had this one splendid city of Strassburg, whose beauty Victor Hugo so charmingly extolled, a strictly Protestant city, and it had as neighbors ten important free cities as prosperous as itself. And Louis XIV wanted that rich territory! The more that his enemy Spain had possession in it that gave her a strong influence in Alsace, and its capital, Strassburg. Spain sent into Alsace to take charge of her interests a vigorous young grandee. His first name was Pedro (Peter). His last name we do not know, after poor insane Count Conrad destroyed the fly leaves of the old Bible with their valuable records. Evidently he was succeeding only too well to suit jealous Louis. On April 9, 1678, a little son was born to this Spanish (Castilian) Count Pedro. Later that same year, by one of his crooked treaties, Louis XIV got his first nibble at Alsace. Count Pedro stood in his way of getting another nibble. Louis knew how to send out men to rid him of troublesome foes, "and no questions asked." One thing is certain, the young father of little Valentine met with foul play. Did the widow, Countess Eleanor, hide the child for a timer If she did, it was no longer safe to do so. All we certainly know is that a few staunch Bavarian noblemen were behind a friendly kidnapping, and were sworn to protect the child to manhood and to help him regain his rights. In the fragments of an old document found under the back cover of the old Bible of 1652 are the initials of some of these nobles: Jn. Los—, G. A. and J. L. W. There is an H. Fur burg also, and that was none other than Count Frundsberg, whose name was written interchangeably Frundsberg and Furstenburg. There is the carefully pen-printed initials, H.F., that also stand for Hiram von Frundsberg. Why cannot Count Peter's full name be found; Because the hundreds of years old and musty records are in Madrid, and it would take a "pull " to get them to consult; it would require the study of Spanish; it would cost a small fortune to go there and stay for months, even if one had the "pull," and without it nothing can be done in a case like this. Seven years after Valentine's adoption, when the lad was about ten years old, a second thing occurred that set every tongue wagging. To a father of forty-seven and a mother nearly as old, after twenty-five weary years of waiting, a baby girl was born to the last of the Frundsbergs. The proud father named her Barbara for the famous grandmother back in the line. There was great rejoicing, and well there might be.