Obituary Captain W. H. Getzendaner   [Abstracted from article in the Ellis County Mirror, May 3, 1909] One of Ellis County's oldest pioneer citrizens passed away Monday morning from asthma.  Altough he had suffered from this for many years, he had lived to be almost 75 by taking care of his health with outdoor life, travel, etc. He was 24 years old when he moved to Texas from Maryland, and, after a short time at Huntsville came to Waxahachie where he lived half a century.  Of Swiss ancestry, he lived on his father's farm until age 19 when he entered Dickinson College in Penn.  He had just finished his studies there when the War began and he fought as an officer in the 12th Texas Cavalry. After the war, he married a Mrs. Neal and practiced law for ten years while keeping up his farming interests.  In 1868, he and Judge Ferris organized a private bank, which eventually became the Citizens Bank. He was also known for his work in the Texas Senate 1882-1886 and the Legislature, but perhaps he is best known for his gift of Getzendaner Park  to the City of Waxahachie. Survivors:  Ralph Getzendaner, Mrs. S. P. Skinner and Mrs. Getzendaner.   Copyright © 2006-2016, Ellis County TXGenWeb. All Rights Reserved. This page was last modified: Thursday, 01-Jul-2021 13:20:36 MDT