Mr. and Mrs. Gus Wesenberg lived in Austin, the charming city on the Colorado River in the “Hill Country” of central Texas.
This area was first settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was contested by armies of the Comanche tribe, the Mexican government, and the Republic of Texas.
The capital of Texas, and now one of the fastest-growing cities in the US, Austin incorporates beautiful lakes and parks for the enjoyment of a diverse population.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin,_Texas
In December of 1913. The Wesenbergs received a Christmas postcard from Carl and Ethel.
The postcard was mailed from Austin, so the senders may be neighbors or nearby friends.
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The face of the postcard displays several spare drawings with a theme of gifts.
In the upper left, a boy is sprawled in an armchair; he holds a book that is opened to an illustration.
In the upper right, a green wreath with a long red ribbon contains the words, “Xmas Wishes”.
Below the boy, a banner shows a toy ark -which is probably filled with wooden animals.
Two toy soldiers stand guard beside a verse in praise of friendship.
The rhyming lines assert:
“There are things I’d like to have,
And things I’d like to do:
But the best of these, I think,
Is, to just remember you.”
The lines are attributed to “Wall”.
The images were printed by a patented process in 1912.
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On the reverse, the message does not contain a greeting.
Carl and Ethel write only, “Wishing you all a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.”
The inclusive “all” may indicate that the Wesenbergs had children for whom the postcard illustrations were very relevant.
(In the following RESEARCH NOTE, we learn that the Wesenbergs had eight children).
One hopes that all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas in 1913.
RESEARCH NOTE
In September of 1855, Gustav Friedrich Ferdinand Wesenberg was born in the Prussian state of Brandenburg,
He was the son of Karl Albert Hermann Wesenberg (1821-1896) and Charlotte Dorothee Elizabeth Dietz (1834-1887).
Karl and Charlotte had been married in Brandenburg in June of 1853.
Gustav was the second son, he had four brothers and three sisters,
One younger brother died at age 18, and there are missing records of another brother.
Gustav was christened in Brandenburg in October of 1855.
Sometime around 1860 the family moved to San Antonio, Texas (there were several waves of German immigration into Texas in the 19th century).
Several siblings of Karl Albert moved to San Antonio around the same time.
In October of 1879, Gustav married Josephine Halter (1859-1934) in San Antonio.
Gustav and Josephine had six daughters, followed by two sons.
All the children lived to adulthood – the last surviving child died in 1980.
Sometime after 1900, Gustav and Josephine moved their family to Austin – they appear there on the US census of 1910.
Gustav died in Austin, Texas in November of 1932, at the age of 77.
In May of 1934, Josephine died in Austin at the age of 74.
Gustav and Josephine are buried in the Austin Memorial Park Cemetery in Austin.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43645654/gustav_frederick-wesenberg
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43645655/josephine-wesenberg
