James Charles and Bernice Carle Finger

James Charles Finger was of the second generation of descendants of Alsatian and German settlers born in America. Born in D’Hanis November 1, 1909, his parents were Louis Joseph Finger (1870-1947) and Caroline Amelia Rothe (1876-1936).

His paternal grandfather, Joseph Finger (1843-1917), was, with his parents Francois Joseph and Regina Zürcher Finger one of the original settlers of the town of D’Hanis in 1847. Paternal grandmother was Mary Anna Enderle (1849-1921) who was born in Vandenberg, Texas. Maternal grandparents, similarly, emigrated with their parents from Germany. They were Johann Friedrich Justus "Fritz"Rothe (1838-1916) and Maria Reuter (1854-1941).

James grew up on the family homestead just south of the new town of D’Hanis, helping on the family ranch five miles south of D’Hanis. He was the fifth of eight children. His siblings were Clemens Fritz Joseph (4/2/1898-12/11/1995), Johanna Marie (Sister Damienne) (3/28/1901-6/30/93), Maurice Joseph (3/29/1904-3/29/96), Louis Joseph, Jr. (7/1/1907-4/25-08), Joseph Fritz (1/19/1912-11/10/89), Verene Maude (Barlow) (12/4/1915-2/22/2005), Stella Caroline (Ney) (2/20/1918-7/1/2005).

Jim, as he was called, was a prominent member of the colorful D’Hanis baseball team of the 1930s and early 1940s, playing first base. He did some ranching and farming on his share of the family ranch, and always kept a few milk cows, a flock of chickens, a few pigs and a small herd of sheep on the homestead which he built a mile east of town on old Highway 90. He was an excellent roper and an accurate shot with either a “.22” or a “30-30” rifle; he always killed his limit of deer and turkeys.

D’Hanis Brick and Tile hired James as bookkeeper after he finished school, and he became plant superintendant as well. He was active in activities of the Holy Cross Catholic parish, and became the first Scoutmaster when a Boy Scout Troop was started there. He spoke fluent Spanish and German.

Bernice Marcella Carle was born June 2, 1914 in D’Hanis to Richard Reily Carle (1890-1968) and Mina Ernestina Nester (1892-1978). Her grandparents were Louis Andrew Carle, Sr. (1868-1950) and Theresa Reily (1871-1949), and Valentine Nester (1849-1941) and Regina Batot (1852-1924). She grew up in the town of D’Hanis, a block from Holy Cross Church and St. Anthony School.

James and Bernice married October 24, 1935. They had a house built on Old Highway 90 a mile east of town, and themselves built barns, chicken houses, and pens. They gave birth to five children from 1936 to 1945.

In early 1946 Jim was diagnosed with cancer in a San Antonio hospital. His father contacted a doctor that had supposedly treated another Medina County resident successfully, and that doctor was then in Chicago. Jim, Bernice, and Jim’s brother Clem, went to Chicago in April. The children were kept by their Carle grandparents in D’Hanis. Jim died on July 18, 1946. His funeral drew most of D’Hanis and a lot of Hondo.

Bernice, at age 32, was left as a widow with five children ages 9, 7, 4, 3 and 10-months. By the fortunate grace of God, her parents had a spacious 2-story house only a block from church and school, and were able to house the family, where all the children grew up.

For most of the next 10 years she worked with her mother housekeeping while the children were growing, except for about a year or two when she worked at a start-up moccasin shoe factory in Hondo. She was always an active member of the Holy Cross women’s organizations. After her two eldest children finished high school and were gone from home she took the job as head of the lunch room at D’Hanis Schools. She ran the food service there for 25 years, retiring at age 67.

Bernice was always active and often a leader in church and town affairs. She was a determined, get-it-done-right person, a demanding leader. Perhaps this was because of the burden of raising five children without her husband or possibly that was just her nature. Well into her eighties she was a hard worker, in the yard as well as in the house.

One of her great loves and skills was quilting. Her exactness in piecing and stitching was admirable and artistic. This was a skill which was common among the immigrant women and their descendants of the area.

Bernice lived the rest of her life in the Reily Carle home in which she was born. She died September 21, 2002 at age 88. She was buried next to Jim in Holy Cross Cemetery in D’Hanis.

Their children, all born in Hondo, are:

James Reily: born September 26, 1936, married Margaret Rose (Peggy) Dorsch of Dallas (born February 27, 1939) on January 25, 1964.

Joseph Michael: born March 19, 1939, married Mary Lee Hill of Mobile, Alabama (born November 18, 1946) on July 27, 1968.

Marilyn Johanna: born November 19, 1942; married Charles William Ballard of Missouri (born June 14, 1946) on January 19, 1974.

Susan Theresa: born December 10, 1943; married Augustus William Herring of Sapulpa, Oklahoma (born September 30, 1944) July 13, 1968.

Peggy Ann Finger: born September 19, 1945.

By James Reily Finger