Link to Rosa Sanders auto biography
"I, Rosa Feuerbacher Sanders, was born August 30, 1892. My mother was Emma Theresa Hernsdorf. She was born January 16, 1850, in Meissen Germany and came to this country about February 1886. She died February 3, 1925 in Austin, TX at the age of 75 years and 27 days.

My mother's father was John Gottlob Hernsdorf. He was born August 2, 1817 in Lintentz, Dresden [Germany] and died May 17, 1876 in Wilsdoruff Ber Dresden. He was a farmer in Unkersdorf and later a corn merchant in Wilsdoruff Ber Dresden. He was married to Theresa Sophie Ploke Hernsdorf on April 13, 1847 in Dehen. She was born January 26, 1821 and died on June 5, 1902 in Kohnenbuda. They had 5 daughters.

My mother had 4 sisters. They were Clara Hernsdorf Mobis who had 3 children; Theresa who had 4 or 5 children; Rosalie Hernsdorf Rohleder who had 2 girls that both died young; and Marie Hernsdorf Grinel who had 1 child. Marie died at the age of 24. My mother had 1 brother, Carl Hernsdorf, the only boy in the family.

My father was Alvin Frederick Feuerbacher. He was born September 9, 1846 in Saxon, Germany and he died May 16, 1926 at the age of 80 years. His mother's first name was Hedwig. My father emigrated to this country in 1883. His Declaration was October 27, 1884. The final papers were September 28, 1892. I do not know much about my father's family, only that he had one brother who died with colera, I think.

My father came over from Germany 2 years before my mother. He came on a small ship and I heard him say, lots of times that he lost one shoe in the rough water. They were very poor and we all had to work hard and save so when we were all grown, they had their home and enough to get by on in their old days.

My mother came over about February 1886. It took her 21 days to come across the water to land at Baltimore from Bremen. There were 2 adults and 5 children between the ages of 1 and 12. [Editor's note: this number should have been 2 adults, Emma & Paul and 6 children for a total of 8 people.] The fare was $157.50, but that was also to Austin. She could not speak English at all.

My father had bought (built) a small home in Austin before my mother came as she had 7 children. The oldest was Paul born June 26, 1871; Otto born December 1, 1873; Frank born March 23, 1876; Max born October 17, 1877; Gus born November 8, 1878; Anna born January 10, 1880; and Hugo born March 12, 1882. These were all born in Germany. There were 5 of us born here in Austin - Edmund born Dec 1886; Willie born December 26, 1887; Minna born March 15, 1889; Carl born August 19, 1890; and I, Rosa, born August 30, 1892.

We sold our home in Austin and bought a ranch at Dripping Springs. We could not make a living there so we bought a place at Oak Hill. There we lived in a log cabin, but this was also was no good. I remember my mother making coffee from acorns which was not too bad. I was about 3 or so when we bought a farm at Dry Creek. We were all very small children, but we had to help chop down and burn brush, trees and bushes. When we got some of it cleaned up, we planted cotton and corn. We worked very hard to get started in farming. Us little fellows had to go to the field and pick cotton and pull weeds--we were very small. Cotton sold for 4 1/2 to 5 cents per pound and it took about 1400 to 1500 pounds to make a 500 pound bale. In 1900 we made a real good crop of 65 bales and my mother and we children picked 59 bales ourselves. My mother would go to the field with us and then about 11 o'clock she would go to the house and cook our dinner and maybe bake bread or churn. By 1:30 we went back to the field and she was always there to help. Our farm had 120 acres in it. There were only 7 of us children at home at that time. Brother Frank was the boss and he was about 21 or so.

My father stayed in Austin and worked as a cabinet maker. He was also a specialist in stair building. He worked at Calcasieu Lumber Company for years. He also worked on the Capitol building. He was not at home too much as the roads were so muddy when it rained. There was no gravel or any topping and we lived 12 miles from town.

My mother would go to town three or four times a year to get goods to make us clothes. She would get the cheapest calico at 5 cents per yard. We would get 48 pounds of flour. We would buy by big lots. Sugar was 20 pounds for a dollar. We did not have the money to buy too much.

We would kill six or seven hogs a year to make sausage, ham and bacon. We would smoke it for a week or so then mother would slice the bacon and fry it and put it in five and ten gallon crocks and pour the grease over it. That was also the way she did the sausage. She would fill the crocks and put it under the house where it was cool and we would have it for the summer.

We also had big gardens and fruit trees and turkeys and chickens. We had as many as thirty or forty bee hives which were quite a lot of work, but we had lots of honey.

We had to haul the cotton to the gin and sometimes it would be broken down and there would be forty to fifty bales waiting their turn. If everything went well they could gin about three bales per hour. The poor boys as well as the animals would get so hungry and tired.

The most cotton I ever picked was 300 pounds in one day - I sure had to work. We went to the field before sunup and stayed until dark. We only quit for lunch and for about 1 1/2 hours.

My father made a pole to pull a white flag when dinner was ready and us little fellows would hurry and eat. We lived on a bluff by the creek and we would hurry and eat and run to the creek for a swim. We would undress while we were running to see who got in first with only the suits the good Lord gave us.

We had to walk 2 1/2 miles to school so we could only go when the weather was good and all the crops finished. My brother, Ed, would carry me on his back for a little while. The mud would be so thick on the wagon wheels that they would bog down.

We would have only one teacher for 30 to 40 children and just one big belly stove to keep all warm. The school was on a bluff and the boys would go to Onion Creek and get a bucket full of water and bring it to the school room. Everyone would drink out of one dipper and there would be green moss and who knows what else in the bucket!

I never got any further than the fifth grade. I quit when I was 12 since Carl had to quit at 14 and they would not let me walk to school alone.

When we went to school lots of times we would go through pastures and pass by the Engler home. She would give us jelly and bread and it was so good. The whole Engler family was murdered August of 1925 and they have never caught the murderer.

My mother brought lots of babies into the world. Some of them were Mrs. Burrell's brothers and 2 sisters. Also if a baby would die in the neighborhood, my father would make the little coffin. If the weather was too bad, the boys had to take the coffin on horseback to the cemetery.

I was between 2 and 3 years old when we lived at Oak Hill. We had to get our water from a well and it was lined with big rocks. Willie, Carl, Minna and I went to the well to get a drink out of the wooden bucket. I wanted to be first, so I drank from the bucket. The others also wanted to be first to one of them pushed the bucket in the well and I went down with it! I was smart enough to hold on to the big rocks until my mother and sister, Anna, got me out. My sister held my mother by her legs and they got me out. My mother never did know how she did it, but here I am!

Most of my brothers and sisters have already died. Minna died in Karnes City on February 6, 1913. She was married to Albert Schroeder and left 2 little girls, Elsie, 5 and Louise, 3.

Frank died in Nevada of a heart attack. He was a veteran railroad employee for 23 years. He was 58 years old when he died.

Otto died June 21, 1942 in Austin with a heart attack. He had worked for Walter Tips Company for 48 years.

Max died May 2, 1943. He lived in Oklahoma and was on the road with his family to California when he died.

Gustave died December 17, 1953 in Dallas in his sleep of a heart attack.

Carl died February 24, 1955 in Fredericksburg with a heart attack. He had worked with Shell Oil Company.

Paul died July 11, 1956 in Austin. He was a carpenter and was 85 years old when he died.

Hugo died December 20, 1963 after a long illness.

Edmund died in Austin [KW note: actually in San Antonio] of a heart attack January 16, 1965."

Added in Chester's book following the end of Rosa's 'history' is the following:
Annie died in San Antonio, February 26, 1973 at age 93 years, 1 month.
Willie died April 15, 1973 at age 85 years 3 months in Austin after a long illness which started with a stroke.