How can you help a number of worthy causes without being wealthy? To possibly provide aid for medical expenses to someone without adequate insurance; to help a victim of a fire or weather damage; to help our local volunteer firefighters and members of law enforcement? The answer is to join the H-100, a new organization composed of anonymous residents and nonresidents who have each contributed $100 for the coming year. Jim Hooper, “Hoop”, of Hurricane Junction has started this “club” of unknown and unpublicized members that can provide aid in various manners to POC residents.

The H-100 is modeled after a similar anonymous group in Houston of many people and businesses who support many worthwhile causes, primarily law enforcement and firefighters and their families. Here in Port O’Connor this means that a graduating high school student could receive help for college tuition; an ailing non-working resident could receive needed medical help; a Girl Scout troop could receive a donation to help members attend summer camp; there are so many ways that this amount could be spread around, each helping another.

But that is the aim of the H-100; to spread the money around in varying amounts, as determined by need. As this is not a tax deductible charity, the organization does not fall under the aegis of our Federal Government that could decide whom or what receives the aid. The cost is a mere $100 per year for a couple or person or for any business that wishes to become a part of this charitable organization. January of each year will be the renewal for existing members or for a new interested person to become a part of the H-100; Hoop is providing stickers for a member’s car or boat that will change each year; and hanging a plaque in Hurricane Junction with the names of each individual donor.

Port O’Connor is an unusual and somewhat unique community in that victims of need are given help, mainly not just once, but several times. They are not forgotten, but additional, responsible help is needed. With the advent of the H-100, this need can be remedied.

For further information or how to become a member of the H-100, talk with Hoop at Hurricane Junction. He will be pleased and happy to impart more knowledge of this very worthwhile organization.

We would like to invite you to attend and participate in our 3rd Annual Parade of Ancestors. This event will be held on March 29, 2014 starting at 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m..

Calhoun County and area is very rich in natural resources, historical happenings, industry and most of all the various cultures that are so much part of this community.

Come, promenade thru downtown in costumes of ancestral, adopted heritage, or favorite historical character. The parade starts at 10:00 a.m. at 100 South Ann St and Main Street in “Olde” Down town Main Street, Port Lavaca, Texas and ends at Commerce Street. This is a non vehicular parade and the streets will be closed off to thru motor traffic.

Ethnic Food, Music and Dance Performances, historical presentations, downtown shopping in the local stores, cultural food vendors, and hand crafted items will be available for your enjoyment.

Booth space will be available on completed first come first serve for a fee of $25.00. The booth space will be 10’ x 10’. After March 4, 2014, the fee will be $50.00 per booth space. Electricity will be limited, so if you have a generator, please bring for your use. Vendors will be responsible for providing your own tents (covers), tables, and conform to the county food inspection regulations. We will work with you in spot selection, but after March 14, spots will be assigned upon availability.

We will limit the number of same kind of ethnic vendor foods. We do not want multiple duplications of same food sold by various vendors. The craft booths will be crafted items, not items that have been purchased for resale. A picture of your crafted items will accompany your application form.

If you would like application forms, or if you have any questions, please call or look us up on internet Calhoun County Cultures and Cuisines.

Betty Hicks
(361) 552-2248

Rose Ellen Pena
(361) 652-0410

The Calhoun County Cultures and Cuisines is a committee under the non-profit organization of Port Lavaca Main Street Inc.
Mission Statement: The Calhoun County Cultures and Cuisines serves as a catalyst to promote vitality and excellence of community events; focus of historical Port Lavaca and Calhoun County with its numerous diversified cultures.

A proclamation was made of public record signed by the county judge and the mayor of Port Lavaca; the organization would continue the Parade of Ancestors with the diversified ethnic presentations.

It proved to be so successful that the CCCC committee is striving to highlight the various ethnic cultures with various types of entertainment in the monthly summer series. The series have been free to attend, with provided entertainment for the enjoyment of all ages.

March 29, 2014 will be the third Annual Parade of Ancestors and we are asking for your continued support in promoting and providing information to our youth, visitors and citizens of the various cultures. Music, Gospel singers, various ethnic dances, ethnic foods, crafts and arts will be available for everyone’s enjoyment.

The Cultures and Cuisines Committee is asking for your assistance in honoring the diversified fifteen (15) plus ethnic groups found in this county that has ties throughout Texas and the Golden Crescent area and have played such an important part in history in the various communities. Your sponsorship and support will be highlighted in all the advertising as follows:

Event Sponsor $1000 Silver Sponsor $ 250 Platinum Sponsor $ 700

Friend of Ancestors $ 100 Gold Sponsor $ 500 New Comers $ ____

Sponsorships may be made to the Calhoun County Cultures and Cuisines, P. O. Box 475, 1904 Shofner Dr., Port Lavaca, Texas 77979. For reference purposes, the 501C – 3 number is 74-2520002.

We have had a busy time, but the efforts are rewarding when more and more individuals, especially young people are taking time to learn about their “roots” and taking pride in their heritage.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please call.

As this issue marks the beginning of the 19th year of the founding of Dolphin Talk, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all you who have encouraged me with your positive comments and continued encouragement over the years. As the only founding member left, I would not have been able to continue this publication without the help and assistance of many people. There are too many to list, and I would probably leave out someone, but you know who you are. I include all who send in news of any kind, those who regularly write articles, those who allow me to use their photos, those who fix equipment and technical problems, spot errors and help correct them, deliver papers, and help organize and clean up the office – and most with little or no pay.

Many have said they wish Dolphin Talk could be printed more than once per month. I wish I could oblige, but as I age, I find I can’t get around as much or as easily as in the past. If you use social media, you will find news of events occurring between issues on The Dolphin Talk Facebook page. Look it up; click like; and you will receive these updates, as well as highlights from the past issue.

I strongly encourage our readers to support the businesses that advertise in our pages. Without them, there could be no Dolphin Talk. I have heard from many that their advertisements have been productive, so I can honestly encourage others to try advertising with us.

As best I can, I will continue to relay all I know in the way of news and upcoming events in our area and to report on accomplishments and milestones among our readership, as well as publish a variety of articles to inform, encourage, and amuse our readers.

Thank you for reading Dolphin Talk!

Joyce Rhyne, Editor

I sat there, bewildered, unsure of where to start. I dislike the feeling; it quickly frustrates me. One thing I was certain of; it would be an interesting afternoon. I had just lugged Calhoun County General Index of Deeds No. 3 to a table at the County Clerk’s office. The book weighed fifty pounds, easily, no exaggeration. The kicker was it was only one of what seemed like hundreds. I gazed around the room and found myself surrounded by history; commissioner’s court minutes, maps, bonds, you name it – there was a record of it. I was on a mission so I didn’t wander too much… but boy, did I want to!

I had so many questions in the back of my mind. Just a couple of days prior, I had met with Thomas Fisher of Seadrift to talk about Roermerville. Thomas has lived in Seadrift most of his life and was able to offer insight into Roemerville’s location. He took me to several locations on his property; we drove over Two Mile Creek and I learned a vast amount of the area’s vegetation. Thomas talked about many families which I didn’t know, I learned a lot but I walked away with so many questions. As I told Thomas towards the end of our meeting, I needed a starting point and then fill in the gaps. I’d established that Oscar Roemer had owned much of the land which made up Roemerville. But how had the land ended up as we know it today?

So here I was, Monday morning, buried behind countless ledgers. It’s times like these that I think of myself as Nancy Drew looking for the hidden clue which will help to solve the mystery that’s been thrown my way. I am not familiar with the county clerk’s office procedures, so I wasn’t quite sure where to start. I figured I’d begin around 1915, the book I’d chosen covered deeds from 1905 to 1935. I flipped to the “R” section and started browsing through the ledger. It didn’t take long for me to feel at home. I looked for Oscar Roemer but instead was greeted with some very familiar names; A.D. Powers, J.H. McIntire, Calhoun County Co. Cattle and Seadrift State Bank.

Page after page I skimmed looking for Oscar Roemer… nothing… then lo and behold – I turned a page and the entire grantee column were Roemers! I knew this wouldn’t be an easy task, the overwhelming feeling started to creep back into my mind. So I started to look at the referenced Volumes which contained the actual deeds and I began to read. I quickly familiarized myself with the document.

Two hours later the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. I had gone through three books of deed records, various volumes and traced back some of the land which was passed down from Roemer to Roemer. I even found deeds where property had been purchased for $1.00 between father and son.

“…that I, Adolph Roemer, of the County of Calhoun, State of Texas, for and consideration of the love and affection I have for my son, Oscar Roemer, and for the further consideration of the sum of One ($1.00) Dollar to me this day in hand paid by the said Oscar Roemer…
…Witness in hand at the Port Lavaca, Texas, this the 23rd day of June A.D. 1914. Adolph Roemer”

Some background history – Adolph was born on February 23, 1853 in Calhoun County. His father were John and Anna Maria Brautegam Roemer. I wrote about this generation of Roemers in November’s article as they were early settlers in Long Mott. Adolph followed in his descendant’s footsteps as a leader in this community. He was the sheriff for about twelve years and Vice President of the First National Bank and director of the First State Bank and the Port Lavaca Fish and Oyster Company. He married Josephine Wilmers who was born in Indianola. They had the following children; Preston Oscar, Charlie, Dolph, Oscar, Frederick Jonathan and Lorene Best Marsh. Adolph was extremely influential in Port Lavaca’s growth, he built and owned half of the businesses on the southwest side of Main Street which explained why his name was listed so often.

Alas, I had yet to figure who owned the piece of land we now refer to as Roemerville. I stopped reading and thought… what was I missing? Maybe I hadn’t gone back far enough, frustrated I left the book I was currently engrossed with and started wandering about. I briefly looked and opened several books before coming across a book labeled “Maps.” It was even larger than the Deeds book I’d began with…

Curious, I turned the pages and then there the answer I had been looking for stared me straight in the face! My hard work had paid off! I’ll continue telling you my findings in next month’s article, make sure to check it out!

Saul, Loretta Marsh, Adolph Roemer (with beard), Mrs. Josephine Roemer, Charles and Flora (Ward), Dolph and Jean Kate (Boyd), Marjorie Roemer, Mr. and Mrs. Preston Roemer, Dr. Roemer and Annie Roemer, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Roemer and her mother, Mrs. Garner. Photograph taken at Oscar and Mary Roemer’s ranch and furnished by Marjorie Davis.

It is coming. I can feel it.

Yet again we are close to that wonderful awaking feeling of Spring and quite despite the fact that I am writing this from a room which has a view showing me another four or more inches of snow falling in of the third snowiest winters in North-East Illinois, I know my time will come.

Spring is one of those seasons which has written itself into the very DNA of our emotions and muses. It is a time of re-birth and growth, and all the life and warmth that even the most ancient of cultures found was a time to celebrate being alive after the slow death of Fall and the tomb of Winter.

However, we are covering old ground here because I have tackled the topic of Spring before, probably about this same time last year, with the same yearning to shake off the cold and step into Spring’s warm embrace.

Thinking about the virtues of Spring and warmer weather patterns is easier than you think standing ankle deep slush waiting for a bus, so I wanted to examine what exactly it is about Spring that makes us come alive.

Despite the modern world of public transport, taxi cabs and the explosion of automobiles in the twentieth century, it would seem unlikely that part of Spring’s appeal would be the fact that we get to explore more of the outside world during the warmer months. Why would such things as chilly nights, fog and for other parts of the world, snow and ice defeat a civilization that went to the moon and conquered Mount Everest?

Spring’s appeal does still affect major outdoor activities of course but even the most mundane tasks as well. Who wants to don the old jacket and sweater to run to the corner store in the cold for a late night sweet treat or take the dog for a walk when the outside world is dark and cold?

Another of the iconic aspects of Spring is in the blooming of flowers and the trees awakening from their yearly slumber, ready to give shade to those who venture outside in the fast approaching heat of Summer.

Beyond the pretty pictures and poems, we share as symbiotic relationship with all the other plants and creatures in our immediate environment, meaning that to a degree we share in the joy of each blooming flower and budding tree leaf.

Of course, Spring is also tabbed as the time for romance and finding love, something fitting for the time when the animals awaken and start to secure the next generation of their species and the first seeds are planted in the fields for harvest at a later date.

Again, the fact that Spring is so connected to our physical and spiritual lives means that those memories of playing outside in the bask of the Spring sun and viewing the natural beauty around us confirms it as one of the most beautiful and poignant times in the life of every person who ever has lived.

Spring will soon be here and considering the Winter that I’ve had, I can’t wait.

What are your favorite Spring memories?