TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: CAPTAIN HARRY RAHTGENS

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: CAPTAIN HARRY RAHTGENS ( 1853-1923) 

The story of Thomas Henry “Captain Harry” Rahtgens is inseparable from the rise and destruction of Indianola, Texas. Born on the Gulf Coast in 1853, Harry’s life was shaped by the sea from the very beginning. The son of European immigrants, he grew up in a family that endured repeated tragedy through childhood deaths, epidemics, hurricanes, and the eventual loss of the bustling port town they called home. Yet through every hardship, Captain Harry remained tied to the coast—as a sailor, schooner captain, rescuer, and later a businessman helping rebuild life along Matagorda Bay. His remarkable story reflects both the resilience of one family and the enduring spirit of the Gulf Coast communities that survived disaster after disaster. 

According to his obituary, Thomas Henry “Captain Harry” Rahtgens was born aboard a boat at Port Isabel on February 20, 1853. His parents, John Henry and Alice Ellen Owens Rahtgens both emigrated to America from Europe. His father was born in Germany in 1827 and became a naturalized US citizen in 1849. His mother was born in Ireland in 1830 and came to the US in 1845. The family moved to Indianola and grew to include seven additional children. Harry was followed in birth order by James A. born in 1855, Henrietta born in 1856, John A. born in 1858, Richard born in 1859, Alice Ellen born in 1861, James J. born in 1863, and William born in 1866. Due to cholera and yellow fever epidemics, James A, Richard, James J and William all died before the age of four. 

John Henry supported his family as a seaman. Newspapers in 1857 and 1858 registered the arrival and departure of a sloop named Corpus Christi sailed by Captain Rahtgens between Powderhorn and the port of Corpus Christi. John Henry was listed in the 1860 census as a sailor with his wife and three children in Indianola. They were falsely listed with the last name “Rogers”. Their name was correct in the 1870 census with John Henry and Harry listed as coastal seamen. There were four children listed on this census and these were the four of their children to survive into adulthood. They lost two children before the 1860 census and two children before the 1870 census. 

The Rahtgens family were living in Indianola in September of 1875 when the first hurricane hit the community. Captain Harry was on his boat when the storm surge lifted the vessel and deposited it a mile inland. When he returned to his house, he found that 62 people had arrived at his home for shelter. Throughout the night, twelve more people were pulled from floating debris and rescued. Captain Harry shared in a story in The Houston Chronicle that the storm surge pushed water into Powderhorn Lake as it came through the town. Once the lake was full, it overflowed and flooded the community again, washing much of Indianola out to sea.

By the 1880 census, Alice was listed as head of household as her husband died on December 8, 1879. Both Harry and John were still living at home and listed occupations as Captains of Schooners. Daughters Henrietta and Alice were also in the home.  The governor of Texas appointed Captain Harry as a board member of pilot commissioners at Pass Cavallo in 1882. In 1883, he was sailing a schooner called the Emma Clarie between the pass and Corpus Christi.

The year 1886 was a devastating year for the remaining Rahtgens family. Son John died in March 1886. They survived the August 1886 hurricane that devastated Indianola. Henrietta died in October 1886. Harry and his mother moved to Port Lavaca soon after. They next appear in the 1900 census in Port Lavaca with Alice listed as Head of household despite Harry being 47 years old. Alice is also listed as having 8 children with only 2 living at that time. 

Harry is listed as a Lumber Merchant in the 1900 census after having opened a lumber yard with W. H. Smith, Sr., the husband of his sister Alice. Rahtgens and Smith Lumber Company was referenced as early as 1892 as having built a building that was destroyed by a storm in Port Lavaca. By 1894, the Houston Post referenced loads of lumber being delivered for the firm of Rahtgens and Smith in Port Lavaca. The firm had contracts in 1902 to furnish lumber and hardware for the building of the Pavilion to be built at the end of Railroad Street. By 1912, the lumber company sold its stock to the Hillyer - Deutsche - Jarratt Lumber Company.

His last sibling, Alice Smith, died on July 18, 1905 at age 43. His mother, Alice, died on April 8, 1909. Captain Harry was the only Rahtgens child to see old age. He died at age 70 on July 15, 1923. His obituary remembered him as a "most highly esteemed and substantial citizen.” He was a member of the Victoria Council of the Knights of Columbus. There was a Requiem High Mass said for him at the Port Lavaca Catholic Church. He was buried in Indianola at Old Town Cemetery. With the exception of sister Alice, his parents and siblings are all buried there sharing a single grave marker.

Captain Harry Rahtgens witnessed nearly every defining chapter in the history of Indianola—from its days as a thriving port to its destruction by the hurricanes of 1875 and 1886. He survived storms that claimed lives, businesses, and entire neighborhoods, while also enduring the heartbreaking loss of many members of his own family. Despite these tragedies, Harry adapted to changing times, building a new life in Port Lavaca through the lumber  business that helped support the region’s growth in the years after Indianola’s fall. His life stands as a testament to perseverance on the Texas coast, where survival often depended upon courage, determination, and the ability to rebuild after unimaginable loss. 

written by Jennifer Shafer Wyatt

Shifting Sands of Calhoun County, Texas 

The Victoria Advocate

Nueces Valley Weekly

The Houston Chronicle

The Houston Post

The Corpus Christi Caller

The Weekly Advocate

The Austin Weekly Statesman 
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