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Capt. William Wiess (1842-1914). William Wiess was an early steamboat captain in East Texas. With his older brother, Napoleon Wiess, he helped break the Union blockade of Sabine Pass in January of 1863. He and his twin brother Mark were heavily involved in the lumber business and they invested in the fledging oil industry in Texas. In 1903, he cofounded the Paraffine Oil Company and he brought in the Batson Prairie oil field. He became the sole owner of the Paraffine Oil and Reliance Oil companies and owned a half-interest in the Ardmore Oil Company of Oklahoma. His youngest son, Harry C. Wiess, became president of Reliance Oil in 1913 and was one of the founding partners of Humble Oil -- now Exxon Corporation. His hunting lodge on the Neches river became a popular recreation spot and is now the town of Lakeview, Texas.
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