Name: Elizabeth Annie "Bessie" Mazac, came from a large Moravian, Catholic family of twenty children. She was born and raised in Granger, Williamson, Texas. She graduated from Granger High School in 1913. Charlie and Bessie married on 12 October 1914 in Williamson County, Texas. Charlie was a farmer and cobbler. Bessie was a homemaker.
In 1920 they resided on 210 Davis Street, Taylor, Williamson, Texas with their daughters, Agnes and Anita Frederick. Bessie honored her Moravian heritage. She loved music and going to Czech Festivals and Dances. Her parents emigrated from Moravia in August 1892 to Galveston, Galveston County, Texas by ship, and then by wagon to Williamson County, Texas. Bessie & Charlie were hard working Moravian farmers.
The Moravians' dream was to own their own land. Charlie and Bessie's daughter, Juanita Elizabeth "Punkin" Frederick Christ, and her husband, Charlie Christ, resided in Sheldon, Harris, Texas, and they leased them a home beside their beer joint off Old Highway 90-A, at 17914 Beaumont Hwy. 90-A, Houston, Harris, Texas. They had moved to Sheldon, Harris, Texas in about 1921, before my Daddy, LeRoy Eugene Frederick, was born in Crosby, Harris, Texas on 6 March 1926.
Daddy taught me how to polka. He grew his own grapes, and made his own wine and deer sausage. He was a great cook. He planted grape vines along our fence at our homestead at 1709 Cheston Drive, Jacinto City, Harris, Texas, and then in 1970 at 509 Marblehead Street, Dayton, Liberty, Texas.
My poor grandma had a very hard life. She raised her five living children by herself after grandpa Charlie passed away in 1947 of Stomach Cancer.
She lost a child, Jerome Frederick, in 1919 in Granger, Williamson County, Texas (my family never spoke of him). She raised Woodie and Charles all their lives. She told me that they were in a car accident, and were never the same again. Charles would not talk at all for years, then when he did start talking grandma wanted him to shut up. She would say "shut up" Chas!"
She and Woodrow, and Charles tended almost an acre of land growing food for them to survive. She had a green thumb. She had all kinds of good vegetables and strawberries too! She canned and put up jelly. She always let us pick the strawberries and eat what we wanted to, and then she canned the rest for jelly, or put in her Kolaches.
Grandma Bessie loved her Moravian music and polka dancing. Grandma Frederick always had the best Kolaches and soda pop for us grandkids, when we visited. She was a great cook! I loved to climb her trees and pick strawberries out of her garden, that she and the boys (Charles & Woodrow) Frederick had. Mother would tell us to not climb in her trees when we visited, I think because she thought we might break off the branches or kill the tree. Grandma Bessie told her to leave us alone, and that it was ok if we climbed them. I loved climbing trees.
Daughter of Jan "John" & Annie Marie "Mary" (Dudik) Mazac of Granger, Williamson County, Texas.
My grandparents resided in Taylor, Williamson County, Texas in 1920, according to the U.S. Census for Williamson County, Texas. Children: Agnes Rainnie "Renie" (Christ), LeRoy "Lee" Eugene, Juanita "Punkin" Elizabeth (Christ), Woodrow "Woodie", and Charles "Chas" Frederick.
Everyone loved her. Died of hardening of the arteries and Diabetes on 26 March 1977 at the age of 81.
I asked my grandma what her favorite colors were. Grandma Bessie told me that she liked pink. She told my mother, Jean Linderman Frederick, and me that she liked artificial flowers--because they didn't die. And, she made my mother promise her, that when she died, mother would make sure that all her grandchildren came to her funeral. Of course, we all did. Having flowers at her families gravesides was important to her.
In her honor I volunteered to sponsor the online Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, Barrett, Harris, Texas. Grandma Bessie & Grandpa Charlie and Uncle Woodie, Uncle Charles, and Aunt Agnes Rainnie (Christ) are all laid to rest there.
Grandma Bessie even as poor as she was, always made sure that all nine (9) of her Grandchildren got something for Christmas.
MY GRANDMA [BESSIE] ELIZABETH ANNIE WAS A HARD WORKING MORAVIAN WIFE. SHE WAS BORN IN GRANGER, WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TEXAS ON 12 OCT.1895. SHE WAS RAISED AS CATHOLIC FROM BIRTH. SHE MARRIED CHARLIE. AUNT AGNES RAINNIE FREDERICK CHRIST TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS TOLD BY HER FATHER, CHARLIE THAT HIS UNCLE JOE FREDERICK HAD TO SPONSOR HIM IN ORDER FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO EMIGRATE TO TEXAS. JOE LIVED IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS.
BESSIE'S PARENTS WERE JAN AND MARIE DUDIK MAZAC FROM VSETIN, MORAVIA. CHARLIE AND BESSIE RESIDED IN TAYLOR, WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TEXAS IN 1914. THEY MOVED TO HOUSTON, HARRIS, TEXAS RIGHT BEFORE MY DADDY WAS BORN IN 1926. DADDY WAS BORN IN CROSBY, HARRIS, TEXAS ON MARCH 6, 1926.
GRANDMA BESSIE RAISED THE FREDERICK CHILDREN BY HERSELF AFTER CHARLIE DIED OF STOMACH CANCER IN 1947. BESSIE WAS A COOK IN THE CAFETERIA WITH THE CROSBY I. S. D. AND ALSO WORKED HER ONE ACRE GARDEN TO FEED HER CHILDREN.
BESSIE AND CHARLIE BOUGHT A HOME ON HIGHWAY 90-A, NEAR CROSBY, TEXAS AFTER MY DADDY WAS BORN IN 1926, FROM HER SISTER PUNKIN AND CHARLIE CHRIST.
THE CZECH-MORAVIAN DREAM WAS TO OWN THEIR OWN LAND. IN THE MORAVIAN FAMILY...FAMILY AND THE LAND WERE #1.
DURING 1946-1956 WAS CALLED THE "COLD WAR", IT WAS AFTER WORLD WAR II, AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HATED GERMANS AND RUSSIANS, OR COMMUNISTS. WE WERE TOLD THAT CHARLIE WAS MORAVIAN. THE FAMILY STUCK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THE FAMILY.
BESSIE, WOODIE, AND CHARLES LIVED IN THE FREDERICK HOME NEAR CROSBY, TEXAS, FROM ABOUT 1926 TO 1975, UNTIL SHE COULD NOT TAKE CARE OF HERSELF AND THE BOYS ANYMORE. I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY DADDY AND BARBARA DID NOT TAKE THEM IN AND CARE FOR THEM. THEY OWNED A HOME AND THEY HAD THE ROOM.
SHE WAS PUT IN THE NORTH SHORES NURSING HOME OFF FEDERAL RD, HOUSTON, TEXAS IN ABOUT 1975. GRANDMA BESSIE WAS A PROUD WOMAN, AND SHE HATED LEAVING HER OWN HOME, AND MOVING INTO A NURSING HOME. THE BOYS MOVED INTO THE HOME WITH HER, AND THE THREE OF THEM WERE INSEPARABLE UNTIL THE DAY SHE DIED. I WAS SO YOUNG, AND I FELT BAD BECAUSE I COULD NOT TAKE CARE OF HER OR HELP HER!
GRANDMA BESSIE BAKED THE BEST "KOLACHES" I HAVE EVER EATEN. SHE ALWAYS HAD SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR HER GRANDCHILDREN TO EAT WHEN THEY CAME TO VISIT. NO MATTER HOW POOR SHE WAS, SHE ALWAYS HAD SOMETHING FOR EACH ONE OF HER GRAND-CHILDREN FOR CHRISTMAS.
I ASKED MY GRANDMA WHAT HER FAVORITE COLORS WERE, AND SHE TOLD ME THAT HER FAVORITE COLORS WERE PINK AND BLUE. I ASKED HER WHAT HER FAVORITE FLOWERS WERE, AND SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE LOVED ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS, SO I ASKED HER WHY, THEN SHE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS BECAUSE THEY NEVER DIED. I DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW HER VERY WELL. I REMEMBER HOW POOR SHE WAS, AND HOW SHE SHARED WHATEVER SHE HAD TO SHARE.
BESSIE, CHARLIE, AGNES, WOODY, CHAS FREDERICK, EMIL AND MARGIE CHRIST ARE ALL BURIED IN THE SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CEMETERY, IN BARRETT, TEXAS, OFF F.M. ROAD 1942. ALONG WITH THEIR OTHER CZECH RELATIVES AND FRIENDS. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL CEMETERY WITH THE CROSS OF JESUS IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. THE PROUD MORAVIAN AMERICANS WERE BORN, BAPTIZED, AND BURIED IN THEIR CATHOLIC CHURCH.
MY GRANDMOTHER, BESSIE, WAS THE MATRIARCH AND STRONG, DOMINANT WOMAN IN THE FREDERICK FAMILY. SHE WAS THE "GLUE" THAT HELD THE FAMILY TOGETHER.
