New York City to the Gulf of
Mexico region
In 1870 or 1871, John Jacob Drost
left New York City. He departed New York
on a ship, probably landing a sailor’s gig on a steamship or sailing
vessel. Ultimately, he made it to New
Orleans and probably Galveston before arriving on a mail packet boat at a
southwest Louisiana inland port known as Lake Charles (family tradition states
he arrived in the Lake Charles area aboard a mail packet boat from Galveston or
New Orleans). Family members report that
he jumped ship, a slang term for desertion after his ship reached port, in Lake Charles and ended up at Rabbit Island near Leesburg (later called
Cameron). Rabbit Island was said to
have been the home of the Root family but I find no evidence of this. The southwest Louisiana coast was especially enticing for John Drost. He saw flat
lowland coastal plains that certainly reminded him of his German coastal home.
Ulysses S. Grant became the 18th
President of the United States in March 1869.
He would be president for two terms as the war-torn country continued to
recover from the Civil War, which ended in 1865, just a few years before John Drost's arrival
US History Timeline
1870
|
Virginia, Mississippi, Georgia,
Texas readmitted to representation after following cessation in 1861
|
1871
|
Great Chicago fire occurs
|
1872
|
Yellowstone National Park
created
|
1873
|
The economic Panic of 1873
takes place
|
1874
|
The Red River Indian War
|
1875
|
The first Kentucky Derby
|
1876
|
Baseball’s National League
founded
Colorado becomes the 38th state
Battle of Little Big Horn
Wild Bill Hickok shot in the
back playing cards
Alexander Graham Bell invents
the telephone
|
1877
|
Rutherford Hayes inaugurated as
US President
|
1879
|
Thomas Edison invents the light
bulb
|
The first physical record of John
Drost in southwest Louisiana was a land transaction in 1872. This record states that John Drost, in a
partnership with Swedish sailor Thomas Bergstedt, acquired land bordering Moss
Lake, a segment of the Calcasieu River (family legend also states John Drost
originally settled at the south end of Moss Lake). They paid $1,375 for 120 acres and divided
the land in half by putting a line between two trees. According to a secondary source, the tract
was originally patented to Levi Elender in 1861 (Elender was reportedly the first to
receive land in the Moss Lake area). GLO
records do not report an 1861 patent to Levi Elender nor does the secondary
source provide the Township/Range/Section.
The GLO records for the Moss Lake region reveal that original patents were
sold in the 1880s and 1890s only. Oddly,
GLO land records do not exist for all land bordering Moss Lake. When the remaining land was sold and to whom
are unknown. The land unaccounted for
must have been sold previously as land patents recorded in another way. It is possible that Levi Elender owned the
land in Moss Lake Township 11, Range 10, section 12 or Township 11, Range 9, section 18. I have not been able to locate any original
records for the patent or sale of that land (but they certainly exists
somewhere).
Who was Thomas Bergstedt? Thomas
Bergstedt was born 9 December 1836 in Sweden.
Bergstedt was a sailor and in 1868 or 1869 arrived in America. Soon thereafter, he was in southwest
Louisiana. Bergstedt was somehow an
acquaintance of John Drost and they bought land at Moss Lake together in
1872. He married Mary Root, the oldest
daughter of James Root of Cameron Parish.
He was soon naturalized on 7 October 1875 at Cameron Parish, at which time
he listed Cameron Parish at his home.
Thomas and Mary Bergstedt were soon living on the shores of Moss Lake at the Dutch Cove
settlement where Bergstedt raised a family and operated as the captain of one
or more schooners. He died 30 December
1829 at Dutch Cove and was buried at Dutch Cove Cemetery.
The secondary source for Drost land transaction reports that
Drost-Bergstedt land tract previously belonged to Levi Elender in 1861 on the Calcasieu
River at Moss Lake. This tract was deeded to Simeon Elender. Simeon Elender purportedly owned it for 10
years until the land was lost (how it was "lost" is unknown). At a Calcasieu
Parish sheriff’s sale in 1872, Mr. James LeCoq purchased the "lost" land and then sold
it almost immediately to the Drost-Bergstedt partnership.
According to The Lake Charles Echo newspaper (dated 16 May 1878 and 23 May 1878), J. O. LeCoq had received a "promissory note drawn by Thomas Bergstedt and John Drost, payable to my order, for the sum of $687.50, with a credit thereon of $400. Said note is dated at Lake Charles, June 8th 1877 and due on the 1st day of October 1877." The note amount is half of $1,375, the total Bergstedt and Drost reportedly paid for 120 acres at Moss Lake. I wonder if this was a second installment? This seems to confirm that Bergstedt and Drost purchased their Moss Lake land from LeCoq. Note: the Lake Charles Echo also presents a Delinquent Tax List on 15 November 1879 that shows "Drost and Bergstedt" owed $13 in taxes for land from the year 1878. The tax collector notes that if the taxes were not paid by 1 December 1879, he would begin selling land with unpaid taxes from the Courthouse door. Their were many land owners on the list who had unpaid taxes.
Bergstedt and Drost were again delinquent for paying 1885 taxes on their land, here identified as 160 acres. This notice in The Lake Charles Echo December 13, 1889 (page 1) notes that the land will be sold if the taxes are not paid by 10 January 1890. The notice was again published 3 January 1890 which means taxes had not yet been paid.
GLO patent records for the Moss
Lake area in Township 11, Range 10, Sections 11/12/13/14 and Township 11, Range
9, Section 18. The Drost family was
known to have lived along the west Calcasieu River and the southwest shores of
Moss Lake
John Drost lived on the southwest
shore of Moss Lake, a part of the Calcasieu River.
After calling Louisiana home for
at least four years, John Drost married Lilly Ann Root, a daughter of James
Root and Sarah Ann Lindstrom, in August 1876.
The authorization for a pastor to solemnize the marriage was recorded at
the Cameron Parish Courthouse in Leesburg (Cameron) on 26 August 1876. The location of the marriage was the coastal
parish of Cameron (the marriage was recorded there but I don’t have the actual record and hence, no date). The Roots
had been in Louisiana near the coast since before 1830 and family members made
their living primarily through farming, although they also dabbled in the
sailing profession. Though the Roots had
lived in the Grand Chenier area of Cameron Parish, Louisiana through at least
1871, members of the James Root family began moving to the Moss Lake area some time prior to 1887
(when James Root filed a dedication of property at Moss Lake to be used as a
cemetery). We can surmise that John
Drost married Lilly Ann Root because: a) an association existed between John Drost and Lilly’s
father James Root during the time John Drost was in Cameron Parish (as early as
1871, possibly at or near Rabbit Island), b) a mutual association between John
Drost and James Root with regards to sailing (1870 census reports James Root
was a sailor), or c) the Root family members had trickled into Moss Lake prior
to 1876 and therefore were connected to John Drost by proximity (John Drost’s
partner in the 1872 land deal Thomas Bergstedt married a Root daughter in 1874,
the same year Moss Lake settler August Johnson married another Root daughter). One or a combination of any of those seem
possible.
In August 1876, Lilly Ann Root
had barely turned 15 - she was 12 years younger than the 27 year old John Drost. In any case, John Drost had to make a trip to
Cameron Parish to marry Miss Root, as he was certainly living in Calcasieu
Parish in 1876. Lilly Ann Root was a
twin to her sister Sarah Willie Root.
Family legend reports Lilly Ann to have been so young at the time of her
marriage that she took her doll to bed with her on the couple’s wedding night
(family legend). Without a doubt, one
could expect the bed was covered with a mosquito net since mosquitos were the norm.
Notice in the Lake Charles Commercial (4 May 1889 and 18 May 1889)
that notes the Root land at Moss Lake
Why was there a close connection
between the James Root children of Cameron Parish and the settlers at Moss
Lake? Good question… Later in 1887,
James Root filed a dedication of property in Calcasieu Parish at Township 11,
Range 10, in the northeast corner of the southeast corner of the southeast
portion of Section 13 for a church and cemetery. When James Root
died in 1895, his family buried him in the Dutch Cove Cemetery and his estate
was administered by his son Benjamin Lindstrom Root. Benjamin Root patented land just north and east
of Dutch Cove Cemetery but the actual patent at the location of the Dutch Cove Cemetery
was made by Joseph Elender. There is no
record that I have seen of James Root owning land at Moss Lake (he is not
enumerated in any 1880 census). However,
nearly all of his children settled there with their spouses. And strangely, this connection began when
James Root was definitely living in Cameron Parish. Prior to 1880 several children were married
in Cameron and then lived at Moss Lake while their father continued living in
Cameron. The obvious assumption was that
James Root moved to Moss Lake to be cared for by and live with or near his
children.
All James Root children are
listed below. Every daughter married a
Moss Lake immigrant settler (in bold).
The sons’ marriages were to daughters of men known to have removed to
the Moss Lake region.
Mary
Root married Thomas Bergstedt, married circa 1874, at Moss Lake in 1880,
died 1881 Moss Lake
Benjamin
L Root married Annie Griffith, married circa 1877, not in 1880 census, bought
patent Moss Lake 1884 & 1891, in Vermilion Parish 1900, in Jefferson Co, TX
1910
Catherine
Root married August Johnson, married 1874 in Cameron Parish, at Moss Lake in
1880, died 1891 Moss Lake
George
W Root married Lucy Griffith, married 1881 in Cameron Parish, not in 1880
census, at Cameron 1900, at Sulphur 1910
Sarah
Root married Thomas Thompson, married circa 1882, not in 1880 census, at
Moss Lake in 1880
Lilly
Root married John Drost, married 1876 in Cameron Parish, at Moss Lake in
1880, died 1920 Moss Lake
Harriet
Root married Andrew Halverson, married circa 1884, at Moss Lake 1900
Margaret
Root married Antone Bahnsen, married 1892, not in 1880 census, at Moss Lake
1900, died 1891 Moss Lake
James
Root married Rosa Stine (daughter of Alexander Stine, Louisiana born farmer at
Moss Lake by 1870), died 1891 at Moss Lake
Who were the Griffiths? John Griffith was born 15 November 1826 in
Lawrence County, Mississippi. By 1860 he
had moved to Louisiana and was at Grand Chenier, Cameron Parish by 1870. John Griffith was a farmer by occupation and
lived in Cameron Parish until sometime between 1900 and 1910 when he retired
and moved to a location near Dutch Cove in Calcasieu Parish to live with his
daughter and son in law. John Griffith’s
son Hiram (1859-1911) lived at Dutch Cove and was buried there. He had two daughters that married sons of
James Root and lived at Dutch Cove.
Who were the Stines? Alexander “Allic” Stine was born in St.
Landry Parish, Louisiana 3 December 1831 to parents of German descent. He was primarily a farmer from Calcasieu
Parish at least by 1860. He served as a
soldier in the Civil War. In 1870 he
served as a wheelwright, living among farmers in the Moss Lake region. He was married to a Cajun Emily Young about
1852. Later, Stine was a farmer at Hickory
Flat, Calcasieu Parish, about 40 miles northeast of Lake Charles in what would
later become Allen Parish. Stine died at
Hickory Flat in 1908 and his wife was deceased in 1911.
The Calcasieu Parish Moss Lake
settlement around which John Drost lived in the 1870s and 1880s was known as
the Dutch Cove Settlement, a smaller portion of the larger Vincent
Settlement. The name Dutch Cove
represented a mixture of Dutch, Scandinavian, and German settlers, mainly
sailors and farmers, who had settled in the area. Dutch Cove residents built a school and a
church, which was most likely a Methodist church as John Drost was a member of
a Methodist church in 1880 (according to a Lake Charles newspaper
article). The church and school were built
just north of where the current Dutch Cove Cemetery is located (the cemetery
was not officially established until 1887 when the first dated tombstone was
placed). The Dutch Cove settlement grew
on the southwest shore of Moss Lake as the east shore was marshland and
uninhabitable. Note: John Henning is known as the father of the Methodist Church in
Calcasieu Parish, primarily in Sulphur.
However, he originally settled along the Calcasieu River in 1875 where he
was a farmer. While there he organized
the Methodist Society which included locations as Dutch Cove, Rose Bluff,
Toomey, and Sulphur Mines (later Sulphur).
He preached at each of these location as a circuit rider. He made a permanent move to Sulphur in 1885.
John T. Henning
John Drost was in no way
inexperienced with major storms.
However, on 22 August 1879, he likely saw his first major Gulf
strengthened hurricane. The maelstrom
reached peak winds of 100 miles per hour and made landfall near the
Louisiana-Texas border. A large storm
surge grounded at least 12 vessels in the swamp and highlands of Cameron and
Calcasieu Parishes. Boats as far inland as Lake Charles were sunk
and perched upon dry land. The
combination of strong sustained winds and high storm surge damaged homes,
businesses, crops, and cattle. As John
Drost was an active sailor and often away from home, he may not have been at
Dutch Cove during this time. However,
his young family was there and certainly saw the storm first hand.
In 1880, John Drost lived with
his young family at the Dutch Cove settlement on Moss Lake in close proximity
to the families of sailor Thomas Bergstedt (age 40) of Sweden, sailor August
Johnson (age 37) of Sweden, carpenter and boat builder James Dunn (age 41) of
New Brunswick, Canada, and native Louisiana resident and farmer Alford Moss
(age 49), after whom Moss Lake was named.
Also nearby lived sailor Fredric Heinen (age 37) of Prussia, sailor
Thomas Wincke (age 67) of Prussia, and other assorted farmers and laborers of
both white and black descent (there were no other sailors in Drost’s vicinity,
this information from the 1880 census).
Within the Drost home, John and Lilly Ann had two children, both
boys. The oldest was named John Jacob
Drost and was two years old. The second
was named William Annette “Willie” Drost, only an infant in 1880. Note:
the 1880 census does not contain several residents who are thought to have
lived at Dutch Cove, namely James Root.
Who was August Johnson? August Johnson was born 21 August 1842/1843
in Sweden. As a sailor, Johnson made
his way to America in 1861. His home for
the next decade was unknown but he was likely active as a sailor. In the first half of the 1870s, Johnson was
in southwest Louisiana and married Catherine Root at Cameron Parish in
1874. By 1880, they were living at Dutch
Cove on Moss Lake in Calcasieu Parish. Johnson
was the postmaster for the town of Calcasieu in 1880 and served until 1897 when
John Drost took over his duties. Johnson’s
wife died in 1891 leaving small children.
He then married Lydia Vincent and had several more children. August Johnson died in 1901 and was buried at
Dutch Cove Cemetery, the first Dutch Cove sailor immigrant who passed.
For the first three decades at
Dutch Cove, John Drost toiled in the trade he was most familiar – sailing (his
occupation in 1880 according to the census was “sailor”). At times, he was the owner of at least three
cargo schooners, each about 65 to 75 feet in length (family legend). His schooners were named the “Willie Ann”
(Willie Ann could have been the abbreviated first and second names of his
second son William Annette Drost or the name could have honored the middle names
of John Drost’s wife and her twin sister – Sarah Willie Root and Lilly Ann
Root), the “Josephine,” and another of an unknown name (probably “Mollie” or
“Alice”). John Drost also owned a
three-masted sea going vessel called the “C. H. Moore” and a yacht known as the
“Gypsy Queen’ (family tradition). When
exactly he owned each of these and whether they were all owned at the same time
is unknown. Upon the sailing vessels, he
rigged the booms just high enough to clear his head. Standing at a mere five feet six inches in height,
the booms were considered quite low.
Family tradition reports that while at sea he would order a “jibe,”
after which the boom would come whistling by.
While everyone else had to duck for fear of being struck, he would
calmly stand as the boom barely missed his head (family tradition). The measurements probably took into account
his black derby, which he was known to have worn (family tradition).
John Drost was identified in the Galveston
Daily News on Wednesday January 24, 1877 (Issue 26)
Captain Thomas Bergstedt led schooner Alice by June 1880
Captain Thomas Bergstedt led schooner Alice by June 1880
John Drost placed an add in the Galveston Daily
News on Sunday April 13, 1879 (page 2) and Sunday April 27, 1879 (page 2)
John Drost, captain of the schooner "Mollea" was identified in the
Galveston Daily News on Saturday May 1, 1880 (Issue 34)
Drost also delivered Avery Island salt to Donaldson according to Lake Charles Echo 10 April 1880
Captain J H Butcher led the schooner Mollie in 1878 out of Galveston
Also appears that the schooner Mollie was to be sold in April 1879 by J H Butcher
Captain J H Butcher led the schooner Mollie in 1878 out of Galveston
Also appears that the schooner Mollie was to be sold in April 1879 by J H Butcher
John Drost was identified as captain of the schooner Mollie in the
Galveston Daily News on Sunday June 20, 1880 (Issue 77)
The Lake Charles Echo seeking claims.
April 23, 1881 (Page 3) - May 14, 1881 (page 3) - May 14, 1881 (page 3)
The Lake Charles Echo December 10, 1881 (page 3)
John Drost, captain of the Willie Ann, was identified in the
Galveston Daily News on Tuesday January 16, 1883 (Issue 257)
John Drost in Galveston Daily News on 17 March 1885
John Drost may have worked the Willie Ann in the lumber trade until about 1887
Captain Dobbertin led the "fruit" schooner Willie Ann to and from Mexico by 1887 until 1894
The Willie Ann sank in 1896 under Captain Simon Baker
This small photo of the schooner Willie Ann remains in the Drost family
to this day. It was found in a cookbook belonging to John Drost's son Charles Richard Drost's wife Nellie after her death in 1955
to this day. It was found in a cookbook belonging to John Drost's son Charles Richard Drost's wife Nellie after her death in 1955
As the owner of his own fleet of
sailing vessels, John Drost (known at various times as Captain Johnny or
Captain Billy) organized the exportation of timber, usually pine, from
locations along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf coast to East Coast destinations
(family legend). Tree resources had been
depleted in New England locations from decades of tree harvesting to
accommodate the booming east coast population.
Once delivery was complete, his cargo holds and decks were loaded with
granite blocks from sites such as Maine.
He and his crew would place the large blocks on his ship until the decks
were almost in the water, after which he cautiously returned to southwest
Louisiana (family legend). The granite
would be used to build up the jetties along the Calcasieu River to keep the
silt from gathering in the ship channels.
During times when timber demand waned, John Drost had other options for
work. He would sail south to locations
like Veracruz, Mexico. Tropical ports
gave him access to fruits such as bananas and limes which were unavailable in
southwest Louisiana (family legend).
There was also work for a sailor that did not require long hard
journeys. John Drost vessels were used
to dredge clamshells from riverbeds and ship channels (family legend states he
had a dredge boat). After being dredged,
the clam shells were loaded onto barges, transported to shore, and sold to
parish and state departments of transportation for road building.
The jetties were built at the
mouth of the Calcasieu River. John Drost lived at Moss Lake, a large section of
the Calcasieu River in Calcasieu Parish.
The exact location of the jetties
at the mouth of the Calcasieu River.
US History Timeline
1881
|
James Garfield is elected
president of the US and then assassinated
Chester Arthur is inaugurated as
US President
Billy the Kid is shot and
killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett
|
1882
|
Jesse James is shot and killed
by the Ford brothers
|
1883
|
Buffalo Bill Cody debuts his
Wild West Show
|
1885
|
Grover Cleveland is inaugurated
as US president
|
1889
|
Benjamin Harrison is
inaugurated as US President
North and South Dakota become
39th and 40th states
Montana becomes the 41st state
Washington becomes the 42nd
state
|
On 30 March 1886, John Drost
purchased a 40 acre land patent about three miles west southwest of Moss Lake
in a flat, low area that is just south of Choupique Bayou. The land does not appear as an inhabitable
location and we can only assume he purchased the land as either a small-time
speculator, a grazing area for cattle, or farmland. The location was at Township 11, Range 10,
and the southeast part of the southeast portion of section 21. He was not the only Dutch Cove settler who
purchased land in odd locations. Within
10 miles, most Dutch Cove settlers purchased patents and parcels of land with
no obvious pattern.
1886 was an active season for
summer and fall storms in southwest Louisiana. In June, a tropical storm struck
at the Louisiana-Texas border, nearly the same location as in 1879. Winds blew with enough force to damage boats
and structures. The storm surge was
approximately seven or eight feet and left stock and crops along the coastal
areas decimated. The damage was doubled
in October as a strong hurricane made landfall west of the Louisiana-Texas
border. Wind estimates were between 70
and 100 miles per hour and wiped out stock and crops that had survived the June
storm. About 200 lives were lost along
the coast, where the effects were damage was the worst. Lake Charles reported considerable damage
which reveals that Dutch Cove was not spared some level of ruin.
By 1887, the Drost family was
eight strong and included four sons and two daughters. Yet, on 16 December 1887, little Elsie
Augusta Drost, only six years of age, passed away. Family tradition reports the cause of death
as typhoid fever but it is possible the culprit was yellow fever, an illness
more common in Louisiana at the time. John and Lilly Drost buried their little
girl in an area that had recently been established as a cemetery by James Root,
the child’s grandfather. Only one other
burial is older – Helenie Halverson – the seven month old daughter of Harriet
Root-Halverson and niece of John Drost.
She died 11 August 1887, just eight days before James Root dedicated the
land as a cemetery for his family and neighbors. This land was later known as Dutch Cove Cemetery.
Just four years later, disaster
would strike the Drost family once again, but worse. After the loss of Elsie in 1887, the family
had continued to grow and in 1891, John and Lilly Ann Drost had four sons and three
daughters. On 1 August 1891, eight year
old James Bennard, or Nordie as he was known, died. Less than four weeks later his older brother
William Annette, or Willie, also died (both deaths reported in a bible, no
dates on tombstone). Both children were
reported to have succumbed to typhoid but the actual illness is unknown. Other evidence of a fever outbreak is
evident. Only months before the Drost
children perished, two aunts and one uncle died – James L. Root (19 June 1891),
Margaret Root-Bahnsen (3 July 1891), and Catherine Root-Johnson (4 July 1891).
Family traditions offer different
versions on the manner in which the children’s deaths that took place. One story relates that John Drost lost four
children, all to typhoid fever. Another
tradition reports two passed away on the same weekend. Only one of the children who died was buried
with a headstone – Elsie Drost. Two were
reported to have been buried together in the same grave, probably the two who
died on the same weekend. I suspect that
if there was a fourth, he or she was an infant that had yet to be named. Since no John Drost child was born, from
records, between 1889 and 1893, we can surmise a newborn or very young infant
may have perished during 1891, and probably in August as lore states.
All traditions are clear about
the actions John Drost took after losing so many children. Fearing the loss of another child, he decided
to load up the rest of his family in one of his schooners and sail into the
Gulf, hoping the salty air would cure them and keep them from deadly illness
(family tradition). According to his
children’s death dates, this trip likely took place in 1891. The family remained in the Gulf on the
schooner for months and when they finally returned to the mainland, his family
was healthy and safe.
The remaining John and Lilly
Drost children who were taken to the Gulf for safety:
John Jacob Drost, age 13
Mary Jeanette Drost, age 7
Charles Richard Drost, age 4
Effie Grace Drost, age 3
Irene Maud Drost, age 1
During the 1890s, neighbor Ole A.
Olsen was a captain for John Drost.
According to tradition, he was certainly captain of the “C. H.,
Moore.” Olsen had arrived in America in
1889 from Norway before making his way to the southwest Louisiana coast. Ole’s wife Molly Root-Olsen traveled with her
husband aboard the John Drost boats, actually giving birth to several of her
children while at sea (family legend).
She later reported to her family that John Drost paid Ole Olsen between
five and seven dollars a month for his services as captain.
Who was Ole A. Olsen? Ole A. Olsen was born 8 March 1866 in
Christiansen, Norway. He came to America
as young sailor in 1889 and arrived in Louisiana a short time later. On 27 May 1896, Captain Ole Olsen married
Mary Elizabeth Bergstedt, the daughter of Dutch Cove resident Thomas
Bergstedt. Captain Olsen was a lifelong
resident living on the shore of Moss Lake.
He was also a boat captain until an advanced age. He died 30 January 1944 and was buried at
Dutch Cove Cemetery.
US History Timeline
1890
|
Yosemite National Park is
created
Idaho becomes the 43rd state
Wyoming becomes the 44th state
|
1891
|
James Naismith invents
basketball
|
1892
|
General Electric is founded
|
1893
|
The economic Panic of 1893
takes place
Grover Cleveland becomes US
President
|
1895
|
The first US Open golf
tournament was played in Rhode Island
|
1896
|
Utah becomes the 45th state
|
1897
|
William McKinley becomes US
president
|
1897
|
The Boston Subway is completed
|
1898
|
Spanish American War
|
The Drost and Bergstedt tract
purchased in 1872 was sold in 1894 to their brother-in-law Antone Bahnsen and
Bergstedt’s son-in-law Ole A. Olsen.
Since these men were known to have lived on the southwest Moss Lake
shore, the land may have been located at Township 11, Range 10, section 12 just
north of where John Drost is known to have built his home.
Lake Charles Commercial 20 April 1895 (page 1)
Sunday November 24, 1895 (page 7)
Another notice in The Galveston Daily News dated January 26, 1896 (page 7) identified "J Drost, Calcasieu, LA" as a "Buyer in the City" along with nearly 50 other men all from Texas, except John Drost
Another notice in The Galveston Daily News dated January 26, 1896 (page 7) identified "J Drost, Calcasieu, LA" as a "Buyer in the City" along with nearly 50 other men all from Texas, except John Drost
John Drost was identified in The Daily
Picayune on Friday December 31, 1897 (Issue 26)
In late 1897, John Drost was the
postmaster of the town Calcasieu in Calcasieu Parish. The information comes from a newspaper
article on 31 December 1897 which identified him as the newly
named postmaster. He took over the job
from brother-in-law August Johnson who had been the postmaster since the
Calcasieu town post office was opened in 1880 when six new offices were added
for a total of 16 (Leaves from the Diary of Louise). In 1899, John Drost was paid $119.28 for his
work as a Calcasieu Parish postmaster, probably for the preceding year – 1898. There were many postmasters in Calcasieu
Parish (at least 16 in 1900). In each town large and small, postmasters
ensured the post office was in working order and that mail was appropriately
received and delivered. John Drost was
the postmaster of a town now largely forgotten and somewhat unknown - Calcasieu.
The location of this “town” must have included the Dutch Cove Settlement and may have been a more traditional term for the Vincent Settlement (which did encompass Dutch Cove). The Sulphur
postmaster at the time was John T. Henning, the popular Sulphur business man
and pastor (he owned the largest mercantile store in Sulphur and created the
Methodist Church in Sulphur and at Dtutch Cove).
Postmasters were generally successful men in the community that were
considered honorable, fair, and trustworthy.
Note: The town Calcasieu could
have been a name referring to an area later known as Carlyss. In the present day, much of the area south of
Interstate 10 and west of the Calcasieu River, including the Moss Lake region,
is referred to as Carlyss.
By 1900, John Drost was not
actively a sailor, though he more than likely still owned one or more of his
boats. The sailing vessels would have
been captained and crewed by local hires (such as Dutch Cove neighbor Ole Olsen). The importation and exportation of cargo may
have also supported his new profession as a retail merchant (1900 Census and Lake
Charles newspaper article). According to
family legend, he did own a general store.
The Moss Lake Settlement was small and was served by very few
businesses. John Drost erected his
general store where the Burton Shipyard would be later built (Pioneers of
Calcasieu Parish). Many of his goods
came from import, either through his own importation exploits or those of others.
For example on 26 January 1896, the Galveston Daily News reported John
Drost had been in Galveston during the previous week as a buyer of goods. ANother Dutch Cove resident Eric Westlund (also known as Captain Eric
Westlund or possibly Charlie Westlund) owned a store near the Drost general
store. While John Drost supported the
Moss Lake population as a retailer, brother-in-law August Johnson served as the grocery clerk
in a grocery store (according to the 1900 census, he died in 1901). All other Moss Lake families survived through
sailor wages and farming. There must
have been a school but very few in the Moss Lake area sent their children out
of the home to receive formal tutelage.
A teacher likely traveled to Moss Lake periodically to teach
children. In 1900, John Drost sent five
children to school for between six to nine months of the previous year.
How often they attended an actual physical school or whether it was
temporary or permanent is unknown.
Sailor John Hanson sent five children to school for six months, Frank
Ford (buried at Dutch Cove) sent two daughters to school for seven months, and
Edward Stines sent a daughter for three months.
There were many other children in the vicinity but the sailors and
farmers chose not to provide school for their children - or maybe they could not
afford it.
Note the location of the Drost
general store. John Drost’s general store was reportedly located “where Burton
Shipyard is today” (Pioneers of Calcasieu Parish, 1987)
The Crowley Signal, Saturday May 11, 1901 (page 3)
John Drost's son Charles Richard Drost attended Acadia College in 1901-1902
The Times-Democrat, Sunday February 23, 1902 (page 19)
Within 10 miles to the north was
the small village of Sulphur City (later called Sulphur). Sulphur provided greater commercial options
for Moss Lake families and hence they often journeyed to town to partake in
more cultured activities. Cheap land,
sulphur mines, and railroad proximity paved the way for a slow population spike
in Sulphur which began around 1880.
Still, 20 years later the town was relatively small and rural, providing
services for farmers, miners, and a few others.
In addition to several other business buildings, Sulphur featured a bank
and a two story jail. Businessmen and
women in Sulphur included (according to the 1900 census and their listed occupation in that census):
Dr. Samuel Lyons,
physician
Dr. Elisha Clement,
physician
Julian Frank, nurse
Howel Perkins,
livestock dealer
Henry Johnson,
livestock dealer
Homer Vincent, barber
Eulice Picard, saloon
keeper
James Helebrandt,
merchant
Harmon Hull, grocery
clerk
John Henning, retail
merchant
Israel Boudreaux,
grocery merchant
George Otto, holster
James Stark, hotel
keeper
George House, livery
stable at hotel
Charles Settoon,
telegraph operator at hotel
James Herford,
preacher
Adele Wedegartner,
dressmaker
James Turnbill,
blacksmith
Oscar LeBlanc,
restaurant keeper
The Borealis Rex circa 1915
US History Timeline
1900
|
San Francisco plague begins and
lasts four years
Galveston hurricane kills more
than 12,000 in one day
|
1901
|
US President William McKinley
assassinated after being elected to a second term
US Vice President Teddy
Roosevelt becomes US President and would complete two terms
|
1902
|
First football Rose Bowl played
|
1903
|
The Ford Motor Company formed
First baseball World Series
First movie Great Train Robbery
premieres
Wright brothers make first
powered flight
|
1906
|
San Francisco earthquake killed
3,400 and destroyed 80% of San Francisco
|
1907
|
Oklahoma becomes 46th state
|
1908
|
FBI established
Ford Model T appears on the
market
|
1909
|
The Boston Subway is completed
William Taft inaugurated as US
President
The Lincoln Penny released to
public
|
The paddlewheel steamer Borealis
Rex operated between Lake Charles and Cameron as a mail transport on the
Calcasieu River starting in 1905. Captain
McCain made three trips weekly between the two river ports on the Calcasieu
River – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
Business was primarily conducted on Mondays and Wednesdays but the
Saturday trip featured more interesting business beyond that during the week. On
Saturdays, the Borealis Rex was loaded with pleasure seekers from Lake Charles
and Sulphur. Dutch Cove residents
came to realize that Lake Charles and Sulphur residents were interested in spending
time along the beautiful Calcasieu River.
Travelers to Moss Lake were attracted
by obvious opportunities for fishing.
Like John Drost’s homeland in Germany, Moss Lake was surrounded by
lowland marshes of salt grass. Moss Lake
and Calcasieu River offered plenty of fishing opportunities, but the marsh was
virtually teaming with fish. And from
Moss Lake, the marsh was extremely accessible, usually by rowboat and pirogue. Visitors also found the marsh abounding with
deer, otter, muskrat, minks, raccoons, opossum, red wolves, bobcats,
alligators, and black bear. Swimming
was another bonus (my father and his brother grew up swimming and skiing when
visiting their camp at Moss Lake in and around the 1950s and 1960s). Still more activities brought additional
motivation to those interested in spending time at Moss Lake – namely, partying
and dancing. Norwegian sailor Ole Olsen
and German farmer Detlef Bahnsen (son of Antone Bahnsen) built dance pavilions
and hence, Moss Lake became a place where weekend dances were common sights
(Lake Charles Newspaper article).
Who were the Bahnsens? Antone Bahnsen was born 19 June 1858 on a
Frisian Island in Germany in close proximity to the origin of John Drost. He was a sailor like John Drost and was
affectionately known as Captain Bahnsen.
He arrived in America in 1882 as a young man of 24 years and managed to
make his way to Louisiana. Antone
Bahnsen lived at Dutch Cove and was married first to Margaret Root in 1892 (who
died young). He married secondly Mary
Ellen Sweeney and raised a family along the shores of Moss Lake. He remained at Dutch Cove the rest of his
life, passing away 26 September 1936.
His burial was at the Dutch Cove Cemetery.
Alongside the dancing and
partying, there was drinking. Drinking
activities were common for sailors, and John Drost was not an exception to this
rule. Family members report John Drost
to have imbibed quite heavily and could possibly have been a tough bird during
those times (family legend). Men talked
of their European homeland far across the Atlantic, sailing experiences, and other
events from the past which they certainly embellished to stimulate interest. They would also talk of fights, heroism, and
beautiful women. In ways unknown, John
Drost expressed his affinity for blond-haired women (family legend). He was especially keen of his tow-headed
granddaughters, doting on them heavily!
John Drost's daughters Grace Drost and Maud Drost attended college at
The Summer Normal School
The Lafayette Advisor, Friday June 4, 1909 (page 1)
In 1910, 61 year old John Drost
had settled into a more serene life. His
occupation at that point was described as a general farmer. And, his home was considered a farm which he
owned free from mortgage (according to the 1910 census). There is no
information currently known as to whether, like in previous years, he owned trade
vessels or any merchant businesses at this time. He may have retained these business ventures,
but hired others do all the work. For
example, his son Charles Richard Drost was a 25 year old bachelor living with
his father on the Drost farm. Charles
Drost’s occupation in 1910 was listed as a merchant in a store. Also in the
Drost home was John Drost's wife of 34 years Lilly Ann and five other children age 9 to
20. John Drost was definitely living at
the legendary Drost home on Moss Lake in the Dutch Cove settlement (family spoke of its grand size about which family bragged for generations). His neighbors had been the same for several
decades and included – Andrew Halverson, Alfred Moss, Ole Olsen, Thomas Bergstedt, and Charles
Pedersen.
US History Timeline
1911
|
First Indianapolis 500 held
|
1912
|
New Mexico becomes 47th state
Arizona becomes 48th state
The RMS Titanic sinks killing
over 1,500
|
1913
|
The 16th Amendment was ratified
establishing income tax
Woodrow Wilson inaugurated as
US President and would serve two terms
|
1914
|
World War I begins
|
1915
|
RMS Lusitania sunk by German
torpedo killing 1,198 and leads to US involvement in war
|
1917
|
US declares war on German and
enters World War I
|
1919
|
World War I ends
Black Sox scandal after 1919
World Series
|
Prior to 1912, Mary A. Moss and
others took a case against John Drost and others to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Moss wanted a boundary line fixed along a border of her
tract of land. The land in question was
in some way impacted by Drost’s land.
Her case was dropped since the court discovered evidence the boundary
line she wanted changed did not adjoin Drost.
On 26 February 1912, Mudd and others again plead for the boundary line
to be moved. New information was
presented to court that showed the Mudd tract did adjoin the Drost tract. However, the Supreme Court of Louisiana
upheld the original verdict. Working as
lawyers for the defendants (John Drost and others) were attorneys Pujo and Moss.
No stranger to the loss of
children, another child perished in 1912.
First child and namesake John Jacob Drost, only 34 years young, died in
Sulphur. “J. J.” had previously been a
clerk in his father’s store and had become postmaster in Sulphur. J. J. Drost was living in Sulphur and owned
several lots of land. In or before 1906,
J. J. Drost built a structure on one or more of these lots – specifically lots 1
through 7 of block one in Hildebrandt’s subdivision. Adjoining these lots were additional lots on
block three of Richard’s subdivision. By
1916, father John Drost owned much of this land and appears to have taken
ownership after J. J. Drost’s death (he may have purchased it from the estate, records need to be found). Twice in 1916, John Drost gave the town of
Sulphur permission to lay cement sidewalks and concrete curbing on those
lots.
Approximate location of Drost
lots in Sulphur based on current lot descriptions in the Calcasieu Parish Tax
Assessor website
Yet another Drost child died
prematurely. Daughter Ann Oline
Drost-Caruthers, the 27 year old husband of Dallas Caruthers, died at Dutch
Cove and was buried in the Dutch Cove Cemetery.
The death occurred on 29 August 1917.
Ann Oline left one small daughter.
Her sister Irene Maud Drost-Brannon was in the advanced stages of a
pregnancy at the time. Irene gave birth to
a little girl in September 1917, a few weeks after Ann Oline's death, and named her Elsie AnnOlene
Brannon. Though saddened by the loss of
his daughter, grandfather John Drost was thrilled with his little granddaughter,
especially since she was named Elsie. He
called her “my little Elsa.” The Brannon
family remembers that Elsa was an affectionate term that connected John Drost
to the memory of his mother Elsebe Wunder-Drost (family legend). Though they did not know John Drost’s mother,
Elsie's family does recall that John Drost referred to his mother as Elsa.
The United States became
officially involved in World War I during 1917.
They joined France, Britain, Russia and other members of the Allied
Powers fighting to suppress the Central Powers, primarily led by Germany. The US entered the war due to the
unrestricted attacks German submarines were making on American ships, often killing
American passengers. This, combined with
a potential alliance between Germany and Mexico, motivated the US decision. A draft in 1917 was required for all men age 21
to 31. They were to register for
possible service. In 1918, a subsequent
registration was held in September for all men 18 to 45. Four sons of John Drost registered in the
registrations of 1917 and 1918.
Fortunately, the war ended in November 1918. Over nine million soldiers and seven million
civilians died as a result of the war.
Word
War I draft registration cards in 1917
World War I draft registration
cards in September 1918
Hurricane One of 1918 developed
in the Caribbean on 1 August and then crossed the Gulf of Mexico. By 6 August, the hurricane reached category
3 intensity and made landfall in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. As the hurricane followed the Calcasieu River
north into Calcasieu Parish, the 125 mile per hour winds made a direct hit at
Dutch Cove on Moss Lake. This event
occurred with no warning. The large home
John Drost built overlooking Moss Lake was destroyed during the maelstrom. The hurricane continued north and destroyed
Sulphur, leaving few buildings standing.
In all, 34 persons were killed. Even
the mail steamer Borealis Rex was sunk near Lake Charles. Heavy with grief, John Drost disappeared and
was not able to be found for “a while.”
After what was thought to have been days, he came walking out of the
swamp clutching a bottle of whiskey (family legend).
The only known photograph of John
Drost
John Drost signature
Family legend states that the
John Drost house was rebuilt after the hurricane. John Drost’s possessions at the time of his death included his household goods, furniture, and also assets outside the
home (from his estate inventory on 1919). Drost owned a small herd of cattle
(approximately nine), a horse, four hogs, and a “lot” of chickens. His schooners and work boats were largely
gone but he still held a gas boat and two skiffs. An old buggy was still on the property and he
did own an old Ford car. John Drost held
an account at the Calcasieu National Bank at Lake Charles where there was $1300
in cash. He also held a smaller account
at the Calcasieu National Bank in Sulphur where $36.16 was located. Much of his monetary assets were in the form
of promissory notes. John Drost had
loaned over $6500 to seven of his children.
Note: This information was
obtained from John Drost's 1919 succession.
A 1910 Ford Model T, similar to
the “old Ford car” (above) and horse drawn carriage similar to the old buggy (below) that John Drost owned in 1919.
When the reconstruction of the
John Drost home on Moss Lake was finished is unknown. And, whether John Drost actually lived in the
newer home is also unknown. Within
six months of the hurricane that destroyed his home in August 1918, John Drost was gone. On Thursday morning 30 January 1919, John
Drost passed away after a short bout with an unknown illness. The month before, he had celebrated his 70th
birthday. A small obituary was published
in the Lake Charles American Press the day following his death to inform Calcasieu Parish
residents that an old-time settler, popular seaman, and diverse businessman had
died (the obituary inaccurately reported his age as 74). He was laid to rest near his son
John Jacob Drost who had preceded him in death by seven years. The burial site was the Dutch Cove Cemetery
(inaccurately identified in the obituary as Farquar Cemetery), just a mile southwest of his home that was destroyed (and either rebuilt or in the process of being
rebuilt). Note: The obituary noted that funeral services were held at the "old Drost home." If the "old home had been destroyed, at what old home was the funeral held? He left a young wife Lilly
Drost who had turned 59 just two days before.
Less than two years later, she perished and was buried at his side. Note:
the John Drost succession record did not identify ownership of any land in
Dutch Cove at Moss Lake. He did own the
lots in Sulphur that were once owned by his son J. J. Drost. His wife received those
lots and they were also listed as assets in her succession after her death.
CAPT DROST DEAD
Sulphur, LA. Jan. 31
– Capt. Bill Drost, one of the oldest residents of Calcasieu, died at his home
on Calcasieu River, south of Sulphur, Thursday morning after a short
illness. Deceased leaves a wife, four
sons, three daughters, many grandchildren, nephews, nieces and a host of
friends to mourn his loss. He was 74
years old. Funeral services were held this morning at the old Drost home and
interment made in the Farquar Cemetery.
