Descendants of the Sack Family Foundation, founded in 1792, will gather in the Round Top Rifle Association Hall Oct. 14-16, 2016, to meet cousins they never knew existed.

Royal Attorney General in Glogau, Silesia (now Poland), in the service of King Frederick the Great of Prussia, Simon Heinrich Sack never married.  As his life came to a close, he chose to leave his vast fortune to the progeny of his nieces and nephews, his adopted daughter, and one or two others  totaling 36 lines of beneficiaries, all named in his will.  Many of these immigrated, but the benefits followed them in the form of scholarships for the boys, dowries for the girls, and widows’ and orphans’ benefits as necessary.

Simon Sack Round Top Sack Family
The Sack descendants in the United States are members of a much larger extended family. It originated in Germany but now has documented family members living in 83 countries. We are fortunate in that an extensive genealogy has been maintained over the years. The genealogy was a logical offshoot of the Sack Family Foundation. Because the Foundation at one time paid benefits to family members there had to be a record of the births of new family members so that if someone made a claim he or she could show eligibility for benefits. While the family fortune is sadly diminished, the genealogy lives on.

Sack Foundation continues

Two World Wars and the Great Depression depleted the money, but the Foundation lives on to the present, and anyone who can prove his/her lineage back to one of the ancestors is eligible for listing in the Foundation SILVER BOOKS (DAS SILBERN BUCH).  One can subscribe to the semiannual newsletter, DIE TAUBE (THE DOVE), attend family reunions, visit the archives of the history of the Foundation, etc.  Here in the U.S., we also have reunions, a website, a newsletter on line, THE DOVE, and a venue to subscribe to the German newsletter.

Ploeger and Round Top
Daughters of Ferdinand Ploeger and Grandaughters of Adolphine: Front, Dorothea Ploeger Loeschmann of Austin, Ottilie Ploeger Kleberg of Yorktown, Emilie Ploeger Kneip of Round Top, Clara Ploeger Kneip of Round Top.

The reunions are a celebration of our Sack ancestors who left the homeland for a new life.  Many of them settled in this area of Texas, but they are all over the world.  Sack ancestors here are the Sack-von Roeders, Klebergs, Eckhardts, and Engelkings of Austin and De Witt counties; Bastrop, Fayette, Washington, Williamson and Travis counties became home to Sack-Ploegers, Ploeger-Sarrazins, Ploeger-Kneips and Ploeger-Schumanns.  Washington County also welcomed a sub-branch of Zernials; Adolphine Sack Clark raised a large family in Nueces County; and Theodore Sack von Rosenberg and her family were prominent in Round Top.

Adolphine Ploeger
Adolphine Charlotte Sack Ploeger (1791-1878) Niece of the Founder, Buried in Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery, Round Top

 

The Chairperson of the Sack Foundation is coming from Marburg, Germany, as are family members from others parts of the U.S. and Europe.  Plans include a Friday evening get-acquainted gathering for those who wish to come.  The formal gathering begins on Saturday morning with presentations, exhibits, silent auctions, coffee breaks, lots of visiting time, with lunch and dinner included in the registration fee.  A Sunday morning memorial service and a Sunday afternoon tour of some of the locations ancestors worked, lived and died is included.  Registration details including accommodations, events, cost and how to register are being organized and will be sent by e-mail or mail when available.

Sarrazin and Round Top
Julia Elizabeth (Lizzie) Sarrazin Buescher of Smithville, Granddaughter of Auguste Ploeger Sarrazin
THEODORE Sack von Rosenberg and Round Top
Theodore (Dorchen) Sack von Rosenberg of Round Top

To check if you are a Sack descendant, go to www.sacks.cc

For reunion information, contact Flora von Roeder:  [email protected] or 713-666-6085. Ms. von Roeder contributed this information.