Heinrich Thut, born May 18, 1846 in Seengen, belongs to the Thut line from Seengen. His father Samuel Thut, (1810 – 1859) served on the castle of Biberstein. Heinrich was the youngest son from Samuel, out of the second marriage with Barbara Humbel from Scherz AG.
His mother died when he was 11 years old. Only 2 years later his father died too. Heinrich and his older sister Anna Maria (b. 1844) became orphans. Wilhelm Thut (1815-1879), a meatman, became their new warden. Wilhelm also can be found on the Thut tree but is not directly related to the family of Samuel.
In old books about certificate of hometown (Heimatscheinkontrollbücher) it is noted that Heinrich had an apprenticeship as a shoemaker in Egliswil AG.
In 1870, Heinrich took the sailing ship Reichstag from Hamburg Germany to Queensland Australia. In May 1873, he was naturalized as Henry Thut in Maryborough. In the naturalization index of Australia, there is also listed John Tobler from Switzerland adjacent to Henrys record. It is quite possible that they knew each other or even travelled together.
Between the year 1873 and 1881, we can find information from several American museums, archives and Swiss documents that does not match. After long intensive researches with public authorities, descendants from Heinrich, and official documents we can now reveal some more facts.
Henry travelled from Australia to San Francisco where he arrived in December 1873. From there he travelled via St. Louis to New York to find appropriate land on which to settle. Henry returned to Switzerland and worked from 1874 to 1881 as a guardsman (Oberwärter) in Königsfelden (Windisch AG) (today the institution is called Psychiatrische Dienste Aargau AG).
On June 17, 1880, he married Theresia Müller from Tegerfelden. At that time, he lived in Königsfelden. His wife Theresia lived in Schwanden. The relationship between the Thuts from Seengen and the people from Canton Glarus is intertwined because Henry’s sister Anna Maria married Melchior Stüssi from Linthal GL (Glarus). In addition, Henry’s half-sister, Elisabeth, lived in Linthal GL until she emigrated to Henrietta Texas in 1895. These Thuts are not to be confused with the independent Thut Line from Linthal GL.
Between 1880 and 1881, Henry met Anna Lang. She came out of a wealthy family in Rheinfelden AG. Her grandfather Dr. Ignaz Lang was a doctor in Rheinfelden. He studied medicine in Vienna, Austria. The Lang family story associated Anna’s father, Anton, with Vienna. The family Lang lived in Maisprach BL next to Rheinfelden AG. All of their children were baptized in Magden AG.
Based on the family history, Anna and Herny married in Rheinfelden AG. However, in the old church books of Rheinfelden, we only can find the marriage of Anna Lang’s parents Anton and Babette Spiess. The marriage of Anna and Henry must have taken place somewhere else. In the old books of families from Rheinfelden, we can find a notice from the 20th century written with pencil, which confirms that Anna Lang married Heinrich Thut and lived in Texas.
Thus it seemed really confusing that Henry married Anna while he already was married to Theresia Müller. I mistrusted the whole story about the fact that the Seengen Heinrich was the same as the Texan Heinrich. After various researches from documents belonging to Henry in Texas (for example: the Swiss military booklet, the family bible, naturalization papers, or travel documents of travel agencies), we definitely can be certain that we are talking about the same Henry. If or where the marriage really had taken place remains unknown. For Swiss marriages, the Swiss register offices certifies the hometown of each of the two. In the old books about the certificate of hometown (Heimtscheinkontrollbücher), we can find an indication that Henry and Anna’s marriage must have taken place around January 28, 1881. It says «Thut Heinrich Samuel’s wife» with a remark «Habsburg». This would match with the marriage date January 22 mentioned in the US obituary of Henry. In the church books of Windisch (the church of Habsburg belongs to the church of Windisch), we only can find the marriage record of Heinrich and Theresia on June 1880.
Henry and Anna travelled by a merchant ship to New York and further to Frankfort, Kentucky. The emigration must have taken place during spring 1881 along with other Swiss emigrants. Henry did not have any experience in farming. We do know that he once bought a cow which did not give any milk.
On 23 October 1881, their first son ,George, was born. On September 30, 1883 their daughter Annie followed. In the meantime, Theresia made a divorce petition to divorce from Henry. The district court in Brugg (Bezirksgericht Brugg) confirmed the divorce on October 19, 1883.
Henry’s half-sister Susanna Thut also travelled to Kentucky in 1881. She worked as a lady-in-waiting to the well-known cattleman, B.B. Groom. Later she married Gustav Zweig, who died 1915 in WWI. After the death of Anton Lang’s wife Babette, Anton and his other daugthers, Emma and Lina ,also emigrated to Kentucky in 1882. Today we still can find the tombstones in Frankfort of Anton Lang next to his son Otto Lang, who emigrated to America in 1884.
Henry met B.B. Groom, manager of the Diamond F Ranch in Carson County around 1883, through his half-sister Susanna. Groom offered Henry a job on the ranch which he readily accepted. At this time the state of Texas began to lease public lands to cattleman settlers. Henry went to Texas and met Perry Lefors, who helped him build the first house, a sod house, in the area of Lefors.
Henry became cofounder of the city of Lefors. In 1884, Henry’s family travelled from Frankfort to Dodge City, where Henry picked them up and brought them to the newly built house. Anna’s sister, Lina Lang, was married to Alex Schneider, also Swiss immigrant. The Thuts and the Schneiders were one of the first farmers in the Texas Panhandle which is in the northeast part of Texas. They had great harvests and could sell nice vegetables and fruits, sauerkraut and wine. As a result, the Thuts built a larger wooden farm house, which became a meeting place for cowboys and travelers passing that way. Their hospitality and excellent Swiss cooking became legendary.
On October 12, 1892 the Lefors post office was established. It was located in the Thut home, with Henry as postmaster for over 30 years. In the years of 1885, 1888 and 1893 three sons (Perry who died as a child, Henry Jr. and Charlie) were born. In 1896 Gray County’s first school was established and Henry was one of the first 3 Directors.
After the county was organized in 1902 with Lefors as county seat, Henry became county treasurer and county clerk until 1918. Because of still growing numbers of guests, the Thuts built the Thut Hotel. The Thut Hotel outside of town and the Thut family played a leading role in promoting the town and county.
Also, Henry owned one of the first cars in Gray County. He would sometimes pick up people on the train station in Amarillo Texas some 90 miles away from Lefors.
Wooden Thut House
Thut Hotel
Henry died on December 14, 1925 in the town of Lefors.
Lefors was experiencing new life from recent Panhandle oil discoveries. His widow, Anna, leased the hotel and moved to Pampa to live with their daughter Annie, who had married C. V. P. Buckler. Anna Thut died in 1933. George, the oldest son, managed the ranch until his death in 1940. Charlie served as Gray county clerk from 1925 to 1971. Henry, Jr. operated the «Thut-Saunders» Motor Company, a Studebaker automobile agency in Pampa.
There are still living descendants of Henry in Texas.
In Lefors and Pampa there still exists streets called «Thut Street». There is a «Thut Creek» in Gray County.
