Obituary: Dallas Morning News 17 Mar 1894 page 3 COLONEL E. SEABAD
BOERNE, Tex., March 13 - - Colonel E. Seabad, who came here in September of last year, died this morning at 2 o'clock and was buried this afternoon in the Boerne Cemetery. He was one of the Hungarian patriots who clung to Louis Kessuth and shared with him his later misfortunes. In 1853 he landed in London, afterward became an American citizen and took no mean part as a union officer in the late war. Since then he has made several trips to Europe and came from Italy last year and took up his residence with an old friend here, Mr. Duveneck, feeling that his days were drawing to a close. He was an author of some repute on military, historical and financial subjects. What he had he has, we understand, bequeathed to Mr. Duveneck.
The preceding obituary posted by Sadie Kennedy on TXGENWEB Archives is that of Emeric Szabad (not Seabad). He was born in Hungary in the year 1825, immigrated to the United States in approximately 1851 and took up residence in New York. On June 16, 1862 at age 38 he joined the New York Volunteers with the rank of Captain. He served with the Army of the Potomac (3rd Army Corps) as an Aide de Camp to Major General G. K. Warren. On October 27, 1863 Captain Szabad was taken prisoner near Licking Run, Virginia. By some quirk of fate, he apparently escaped and returned to his duty station with the 3rd Army Corps. as he was wounded in the Battle of Petersburg, Virginia on March 26, 1865 while on a Reconnissance Mission. He was treated in the field and later transferred to Seminary Hospital at Georgetown, D.C. for recuperation. He recovered and returned to his duty station with limited duty where he remained until the end of the war. He was released on October 28, 1865.
Records indicate that Captain Szabad was promoted to the ranks of Major, Lt. Colonel and Colonel for gallantry and meritorious services during the Battles of Freemans Ford, Culpepper, Four Mile Run, Warrenton and Petersburg, Va. Due to the wounds he received in battle, Szabad could no longer obtain civilian employment as an author/writer, his occupation prior to the war. He was wounded in the neck and right shoulder which paralyzed his right arm. He applied for and was granted a pension. The pension paid $6.00 per month, but later raised to $10.00.
*1"While organizing Masonic records for the Kendall Lodge No. 897, Lodge brother, David Loewen, Sr., stumbled across a "traveling certificate" issued to Szbad. The certificate identifies a transient Mason at any lodge where his travels take him. His curiosity piqued, Loewen began to research Szabad and found that he died in Boerne on March 13, 1894 and is buried in the Boerne Cemetery [Section SEI, Lot 112].....A check of Kendall County probate records indicates Szabad was confined for several days by bodily illness that was described as a dangerous and alarming malady. He executed a will in February 1894, a few weeks before his death. In his will he requested that his real property be sold at auction and the funds used to pay his debts, have a monument erected on his grave and have his manuscripts published."*2
As a result of the discovery of the "traveling certificate" for Captain Emeric Szabad, a head stone was placed on his grave on August 14, 1987 by the Kendall Lodge No. 897 in tribute to their Brother Mason even though it was 93 years late.
Case No. 165 Probate records in Kendall County, Texas indicates the death of Emeric Szabad occurred 13 March, 1894. The nuncupative Will in Vol. 3, pg. 6 was dated 20 February, 1894 when he was about 69 years of age. Witnesses were: August Ewald, Clara Duveneck, and Clara Schaeffer. Administrator of his Estate was G.A. Schattenberg. He owned property in Wilson, Bexar and Kerr counties. Names in the Will were Gerhard Duveneck, Friedrich Hofheinz, H. J. Graham, A. Winslow of Laredo, Thomas Ryan of Laredo and Ad. Haag and August Pankratz.*3