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1862 - 1893 (31 years)

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Name	Willie Simon Wiess
Born	Jun 20, 1862	Wiess Bluff, Jasper county, Texas, USA [3]
Gender	Male
Census	Jul 16, 1870	Jasper county, Texas, USA [4]
Census	Jun 15, 1880	Jasper county, Texas, USA [5]
Died	Nov 14, 1893	Hooks Switch, Hardin county, Texas, USA [3]
Buried	Bumstead Cemetery, East Walton Road, Lumberton, Hardin county, Texas, USA
Notes	He was killed in an accident at Hooks Switch (aka Ariola) (Hardin county) in a sawmill owned by his sister Aunt Maggie's (Margaret Wiess Hooks) husband, George Washington Hooks. George Washington Hooks and Dr. S.B. Turner had founded the mill and Turner had died the previous year). Galveston Daily News, November 15, 1893, pg. 5 FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION --------- THREE INSTANTLY KILLED AND SIX SERIOUSLY WOUNDED -------- The Mill of the Hooks Lumber Company near Beaumont, Blown to Atoms. Some Narrow Escapes. -------- Beaumont, Tex., Nov. 14. -- A terrific boiler explosion occurred this morning at 10:30 o'clock at the saw mill of the Hooks lumber company at Hooks Switch, fourteen miles north of here on the Sabine and East Texas railroad, killing three men and seriously wounding six others. The list of the dead is as follows: J. W. Kirksey, engineer. Willie Wiess, log scaler. Bob McKinney, colored, scalded to death by the steam and water. Injured as follows: George Whittington, collar bone broken; E. B. Baird, arm broken, John Holley, a stranger, hurt in the head and leg; Mack Armstrong, colored, blown forty yards and internally injured; Jack Mckinney, colored, hit in the head; Geo. Payne, colored, also hit in the head. Several others were slightly injured. The boiler room is completely blown away and the mill will have to be entirely rebuilt to be of use. The Hooks lumber company had been shut down for about two months and had just started up yesterday morning. Had the explosion occurred ten minutes sooner the death list would have been a great deal heavier as there were then about twenty men near the boilers warming. Willie Wiess and Bob McKinney were warming when the accident occurred. Mr. L. R. McGregor, the saw filer, but who was taking the sawyer's place for a minute, was completely covered with the debris but escaped with only a few bruises. One piece of the boiler was found 150 yards from the mill. The cause of the explosion could not be learned. Kirksey leaves a wife; Willie Wiess a wife and three children and the negro McKinney leaves one child to mourn their loss. (Lemial Waldrep, also in this database, is said to have been another casualty of that disaster, though his name is not listed in the newspaper article and this researcher could not find a later article about it. That Lemuel was killed in the accident was told to this editor by a member of that family branch. However, the Lemuel Waldrop/Waldrep in this dataset was born 1888 and would have only been 5 years old. It is assumed the data is either incorrect or perhaps an uncle or other relative by the same name died there.) Mr. W.T. Block, historian, wrote (May 24, 2003) "Amy Lea's birth at Cairo in 1881 means that her father was working for Yellow Bluff Tram Co. either as logger, or on their steam tram road, or in the crosstie sawmill there. There are 5 pages about Yellow Bluff under "Jasper County" in Vol. 2 of East Texas Mill Towns etc WTB"
Person ID	I1319	mykindred
Last Modified	Aug 29, 2008

Father	Capt. Napoleon Bonaparte "Nap" Wiess, CSA, b. Mar 10, 1839, Port Neches, Jefferson county, Texas, USA , d. Mar 12, 1872, Wiess Bluff, Jasper county, Texas, USA (Age 33 years)
Mother	Cynthia Ann Sorrels, b. Aug 15, 1845, Arkansas, USA , d. Feb 06, 1891, Texas, USA (Age 45 years)
Married	Jul 20, 1861	Jasper county, Texas, USA
Notes	Napoleon apparently died without a will and all fiscal and probate papers relating to the Wiess brothers "were removed at some time in the past and were never returned". His wife and children got nothing from his death, the description and disposition of his property, if any, is unknown. One of the riverboats he owned, the "James L. Graham", was in service for several years after that until it blew near Redfish Reef in Galveston bay in May of 1876. In a lawsuit filed by Cynthia A. Wiess, et al against Margaret Sturrock Wiess, she alleged that 160 acres taken over by Margaret were Napoleon's and hers as his widow. - 1870 census, TX, Jasper county, sub 23, p 29; 497, July 16 - 213/214 WIESS, Margaret, 56, F, W, Keeping House, Scotland WIESS, Valentine, 24, M, W, Dry goods merchant, Texas WIESS, Mary E., 19, F, W, Texas WIESS, Massena, 21, M, W, Dry goods Merchant, Texas WIESS, Elizabeth E., 19, F, W, Texas WIESS, Ann E., 18, F, B, Domestic Servant, Texas Burks, James, 18, M, W, Farm Laborer, North Carolina - 216/217 WIESS, Joseph, 27, M, W, North Carolina WIESS, Catherine, 21, F, W, Texas WIESS, Matilda, 6, F,, W, Texas WIESS, Laura, 5, F, W, Texas WIESS, Milton, 4, M, W, Texas WIESS, Kittie, 2/12, F, W, Texas, b. April, 1870 WIESS, Julius, 2/12, M, W, Texas, b. April, 1870 - 219/220 WIESS, Napoleon, 31, M, W, Steam Boat Captain, $400 property, $2000 personal, Texas WIESS, Cynthia, 24, F, W, Keeping House, Arkansas WIESS, William S., 8, M, W, Texas WIESS, Edward S., 6, M, W, Texas WIESS, Martha A., 4, F, W, Texas WIESS, Margaret, 2, F, W, Texas - 1880 census, Jasper county, Texas, ed 39, pct 4, (T9-1313, 12), p. 164B June 15, 1880, HH 99/99 WIESS, Cynthia A., W, F, 34, widowed, keeping house, AR, AR, AR WIESS, William S., W, M, 17, son, mail carrier, TX, TX, AR WIESS, Margarett I, W, F, 11, daughter, 1, at home, TX, TX, AR WIESS, Walter, W, M, 5, son, single, TX, TX, AR PICKEL, Thomas R, W, M, 30, boarder, single, rafting timber, GA, NC, GA McVAY, Isabele, W, F, 30, boarder, widowed, TX, NC, Ireland McVAY, Robert L, W, M, 9, boarder, TX, Ireland, TX McVAY, Mary E, W, F, 3, boarder, TX, Ireland, TX - (There is no indication of the marital status of William -- he married Amy Sims circa 1880, but she is not living with them if they're married at the time of the census.) - lines 38-41; dwelling/household 100/100 ???, Joe, B, M, 35, farmer, NC, NC, ?? ???, Lossia(?), B, F, 40, wife, keeping house, Gia, Gia, Gia SAUNDERS, Matilda, B, F, 18, Ward, at home, TX, NC, MS SAUNDERS, Lossia, B, F, 15, ward, at home, TX, NC, MS - lines 42-44; dwelling/household 101/101 WIESS, Margaret, W, F, 65, widowed, merchant, Scotland, Scotland, Scotland COFFIN, Pauline, W, F, 40, daughter, widowed, keeping house, TX, Poland, Scotland SAUNDERS, James W, W, M, 40, single, boarder, clerk in store, FL, GA, GA - lines 45-47; dwelling/household 102/102 PIERCE, Aaron, W, M, 65, widowed, farmer, MS, TN, TN PIERCE, Thomas, W, M, 7, son, TX, MS, IL MILLER, John N, W, M, 46, working in farm, Via, Via, Via - lines 48-50; dwelling/household 103/103 FIELDER, Em??? R, W, M, 45, works in timber ???, AL, AL, GA FIELDER, Martha A.R., W, F, 18, wife, keeping house, LA, AL, AL FIELDER, Early P, W, M, 2, son, TX, AL, LA -
Family ID	F547	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family 1 Mary Mellissa "Nannie" Sims, b. Apr 08, 1861, Blakely, Miller county, Georgia, USA , d. Mar 11, 1889, Beaumont, Jefferson county, Texas, USA (Age 27 years)

Married circa 1880

Children

	1. Amy Lea Wiess, b. Mar 02, 1882, Cairo, Jasper county, Texas, USA , d. Sep 13, 1958, Houston, Harris county, Texas, USA (Age 76 years)
	2. William Napoleon "Bud" Wiess, b. Dec 16, 1883, Mount Carmel, Tyler county, Texas, USA , d. Jul 21, 1903, Village Mills (near Kirbyville, Texas) (Age 19 years)
	3. Thomas Edward Wiess, b. Mar 21, 1888, Beaumont, Jefferson county, Texas, USA , d. Jun 17, 1889, Mount Carmel, Tyler county, Texas, USA (Age 1 years)

Family ID F583 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Family 2 Dora Bumstead, b. Feb 10, 1871, Hardin county, Texas, USA , d. Mar 26, 1951, Silsbee, Hardin county, Texas, USA (Age 80 years)

Married Dec 21, 1891 Sharon, Hardin county, Texas, USA [3]

Notation in their family Bible: "Married Dec. 23rd 1891 at Sharon Hardin Co. Tex Dora Bumstead to Willie S. Wiess of Beaumont Texas"

Notes

-
1900 census, TX, Hardin, pct 2, ed 10, 12-B, June 27, 12-A & B, June 26-27
-- HH 216-224
BUMSTEAD, M, head, W, M, Jan 1856, 44, m 11 yrs, TX, NY, GA, farmer
BUMSTEAD, Seawillow, wife, W, F, ??, 32, m 11 yrs, TX, TX, TX
BUMSTEAD, Jane, dau, June 1882, 18, TX, TX, TX
BUMSTEAD, Richard, son, Nov 1883, 16, TX, TX, T
SATCHER, Carrie, step-dau, Feby 1887, 13, TX, TX, TX
BUMSTEAD, Walter S, son, Aug 1889, 10, TX, TX, TX
BUMSTEAD, Claude S, son, Jan 1892, 9, TX, TX, TX
BUMSTEAD, Audry, dau, Nov 1891, 8, TX, TX, TX
BUMSTEAD, Jim, son, Feby 1895, 5, TX, TX, TX
-- HH 217/225
BUMSTEAD, Joseph, head, W, M, Feby 1850, 50, m 28 yrs, TX, NY, GA
BUMSTEAD, Mary E, wife, W, F, July 1851, 48, m 28 yrs, 11/6 children, TX, TN, SC
BUMSTEAD, Carl, Dec 1873, 26, TX, TX, TX
HOOKS, Ola, dau, Dec 1875, 24, widowed, TX, TX, TX
BUMSTEAD, Ida, dau, Oct 1878, 21, TX, TX, TX
BUMSTEAD, Maud, dau, Dec 1881, 18, TX, TX, TX
HOOKS, Vernon C, g-son, Jan 1893, 7, TX, TX, TX
-- HH 218/226
MITCHELL, William, head, W, M, Apr 1870, 30, m 11 yrs, TN, FL, FL
MITCHELL, Ella, wife, W, F, May 1869, 31, m 11 yrs, 7 children, TX, NJ, FL
MITCHELL, Benjamin, son, Aug 1889, 10, TX, TN, TX
MITCHELL, Morad, son, Sept 1891, 8, TX, TN, TX
MITCHELL, Mabel, dau, Oct 1893, 6, TX, TN, TX
MITCHELL, Ella May, dau, May 1896, TX, TN, TX
MITCHELL, Bertha, dau, Apr 1898, 2, TX, TN, TX
MITCHELL, Dora, dau, Mch 1900, 2/12, TX, TN, TX
-- HH 216/226
FAIRCHILD, Olia, head, W, F, Jun 1864, 36, widowed, 8/6 children, TX, NY, --
FAIRCHILD,Ezra, son, Nov 1881, 18, TX, TX, TX
FAIRCHILD, Jennie, dau, May 1883, 17, TX, TX, TX
FAIRCHILD, Rubie, dau, Jan 1884, 16, TX, TX, TX
FAIRCHILD, Ettie, dau, Oct 1888, 11, TX, TX, TX
FAIRCHILD, Nellie, dau, Nov 1893, 6, TX, TX, TX
FAIRCHILD, Hanry May, dau, July 1870, TX, TX, TX
-- HH 217/227
BUMSTEAD, Henry, head, W, M, Aug 1865, 34, m 6 yrs, TX, NY, GA
BUMSTEAD, Nancy A, wife, W, F, --, 21, m 6 yrs, 3/2 children, TX, --, --
BUMSTEAD, Minnie Lee, dau, Dec 1845, 4, TX, TX, TX
BUMSTEAD, Nora C, dau, W, F, Feby 1898, 2, TX, TX, TX
-- HH 218/228
BUMSTEAD, Jane, head, W, F, --, 71, FL
-- HH 218/229
WIESS, Dora, head, W, F, Feby 1871, 28, widowed, 2 children, TX, NY, FL
WIESS, Jessie, dau, Sept 1892, 7, TX, TX, TX
WIESS, Willie S, son, May 1894, 6, TX, TX, TX
-

Children

	1. Jessie Wiess, b. Sep 24, 1892, Hooks Switch, Hardin county, Texas, USA , d. Nov 30, 1970, Port Arthur, Jefferson county, Texas, USA (Age 78 years)
	2. Willie Simon Wiess, II, b. May 14, 1894, Hardin county, Texas, USA , d. Oct 03, 1952, Kountze, Hardin county, Texas, USA (Age 58 years)

Family ID F492 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Photos

Wiess, Willie Simon (1862-1893)

Histories		Hooks Sawmill Explodes -- 3 killed Newspaper Article
		Wiess, Willie Simon -- Family Bible The family Bible of Dora Bumstead Wiess and Willie Simon Wiess
		The Bible of Willie Wiess & Dora Bumstead PDF version for printing

Sources

[S420] Pavalock, Ann Comminsky, email 8-14-2000.
[S2126] Napoleon Bonaparte Wiess; W.T. Block, http://hans.wtblock.com/wtblockjr/n_b_wiess.htm.
[S143] Bible of Dora Bumstead and Willie W. Wiess.
[S14] 1870 US federal census, 1870 census, TX, Jasper county, sub 23, p 29; 497, July 16.
[S135] 1880 US federal census, 1880 census, Jasper county, Texas, ed 39, pct 4, (T9-1313, 12), p. 164B.

Willie Simon Wiess[1, 2]

Willie Simon Wiess^{[1, 2]}