Jacob served in the military during the Civil War, enlisting as a Private on 18 Aug 1862. He served the Union army from Indiana for almost three years, earning recognition for Distinguished Service. On 6 Oct 1864, he was transferred from company D to company A, and was mustered out of the army on 15 June 1865.

1860 census - not yet found
1870 census, Kason PO, German, Vanderburgh Co, IN: Jacob (26) and Magdalena (22) Zuspann and children Elizabeth (3), Barbara (2), and Louis (3/12). Jacob was a farmer with property valued at $800 and $400. This record shows Jacob was born in Bavaria.
1880 census, Coffee Precinct, Wabash Co, IL: Jacob (38) and Anna M. (34) Zuspawn with children Elizabeth (13), Barbara (11), Louis (10), Jacob (9), Adam (7), John (5), and Emma (3). A servant named Henry Roseymeyer (24) was also listed.
1900 census, Precinct 1, Rockwall, Rockwall Co, TX: Jacob (56) and Annie M. (53) Zuspann, and daughter Rebecca J. (15). Jacob’s occupation was blacksmith. This record shows he immigrated in 1850. They had 11 children with 9 living in 1900.
1910 census, Rockwall Co, TX: Jacob Zuspann (67) and wife Annie (63). He must have retired by this time since his son John lived nearby and operated the blacksmith shop.
1920 census, Rockwall, Rockwall Co, TX: Jacob (76) Zuspann was a widower and he lived alone at the time of this census.
It is not known why he moved from Indiana to Illinois to Texas. It’s likely that he worked in the coal mines near Bridgeport. Census records show that he lived in Rockwall Co, TX (very near Dallas), which was formed in 1873. In the early 1800s, it was occupied by Caddo Indians. When the Creek Indians arrived in the area, the two tribes were in conflict. Rockwall Co, TX (near Dallas) was formed in 1873, and earlier it had been part of Nacagdoches, Henderson & Kaufman Counties.
Residence Bet. 1863 - 1872 German Twp, Vanderburgh Co, IN
Residence Bet. 1873 - 1880 Cowling, Wabash Co, IL
Jacob and Anna are buried in Rockwall City Cemetery (now Rockwall Memorial Cemetery), Rockwall, TX.

Note: This research was done by Barbara Tammell Black

He worked in the early mid to late fifties in or near Coffeyville, Kansas. I forget for what company, but it was like a defense contractor. He also worked in Abilene, Tx for a while, too. That was after he’d been laid-off from General Dynamics in Ft. Worth in the early 60s. He worked as an electrician for Brown and Root. (The B&R company is now part of the infamous Halliburton/KBR (KBR’s full name used to be Kellogg Brown and Root), which trying to cover up the reported rape of a Houston, Texas woman who was employed by KBR in Iraq.) In Abilene he worked on the construction as defense missile silos. There were a dozen or so silos around Abilene. Each had an intercontinental ballistic missile in it. They were aimed, I was told, at various ‘targets’ in the Soviet Union.
  Also, HLLV worked for Thiokol Chemical Company in Brigham City, Utah. He was an electrician there, too. He often worked as an electrician for these defense contractors, which was a good trick consider that he was red/green color blind. That is he could not tell the difference between those two colors. They looked the same to him. In towns where the traffic light were inverted with green on top and red on the bottom, he was known to run the light because he could not tell red from green. In a profession where you have dozens of wires which are color-coded (many with red and green hues) and must be connected correctly in order for something to work, well, like I said it was good trick.

Louis’s name at birth was Ludwig. Information on the back of a photo indicates he was born in Grayville, IL.

1900 census: Louis (30), Emma (28), and Beulah (10).
Louis and Emma are buried in West Bridgeport Cemetery, Bridgeport, TX (per tombstone photos by Lee Veal).

Birth: ABT 1918
Death: AFT 1973 in Prob. California

Willie Jo was the daughter of Cornelius Trammel Martin and Sarah Ada Littleton.

Willie Jo is a mysterious figure. There are many rumors about her and what might have happened to her when my father was a boy. She is said to have had some type of mental illness — either that, or her husband had her “put away” so he could divorce her and marry another woman. In any case, when my father was around 4 or 5, she was absent for a time, during which my father and his sister were in a foster home. After they came back home, their father (Houston) had a new wife, Nellie, and they didn’t see much of their mother after that.

Beulah Florence Zuspann was the daughter of Louis Allen Zuspann (born 28 Mar 1870 in Indiana) and Emma F. Lock (or Locke) (born Dec 1871 in Alabama). She married Asa Edwin Veal at age 14 and had 8 children (1 son and 7 daughters). For someone with little formal education, she was said to be a very bright woman.

Louis’s father was Jacob Zuspann, born 12 Mar 1843 in Germany, and died 25 Jan 1925 in Rockwall, Rockwall Co., TX. He married Anna Magdalena Lohman 28 Aug 1863 in Germantown, Vanderburgh Co., Indiana, daughter of Peter Lohman and Elizabeth. She was born 16 Feb 1847 in Indiana, and died 24 Nov 1917 in Rockwall, Rockwall Co., TX.

Nannie’s family believe her to be a full-blooded Cherokee Indian, and they said she was adopted by a white family named Slaughter. Her birth date and place have not been proven. In the family story entitled “The Fertile Branch” she was named as the 2nd wife of Asa L.W. Veal, but that story incorrectly stated that she had only one child. On A.E. Veal’s birth certificate, her age was given as 25 making her born about 1857. Beulah Zuspann Veal gave her name as “Nancy” in a letter written in 1967, and her great-grandchildren called her “Nanna.” She gave birth to 4 children, with her last being born in 1884 (source: Birth certificate of Asa Edwin Veal). Since her husband remarried in 1886, it’s possible she died in childbirth. Was she born in Navarro Co. TX? The Slaughter and Veal families had many financial transactions in Texas, so it’s probable that she was of that Slaughter family. One anonymous internet source gives her birthplace as Groesbeck, Limestone Co, TX.

ALW was married 3 times and had 10 children.

In about 1858, Asa moved from Georgia to Texas (he was not listed in his father’s household on the 1860 census). Three years later, in October 1861, at the age of 20, he enlisted in the Confederate Army as a Private in the Eutaw Blues, Limestone Co, Texas. The Eutaw Blues were mustered into service at Camp Beauregard, Ellis Co, Texas on 13 Sep 1861. 75 men enlisted on 7 Sep 1861 at Eutaw, Limestone Co, Texas. Asa actually enlisted at Hempstead, Austin Co, Texas, according to his discharge papers. The original Eutaw Blues was reorganized and become part of Capt. James P. Brown’s Co. K of the 12th Texas Cavalry with 156 men. At war’s end, only 87 men remained (source: “Limestone Genealogy,” The Gusher, Vol. IV (3), 1998: pp. 135-136). Asa was discharged 11 March 1862 for hydratocle (source: Discharge Papers belonging to Houston Veal). On his discharge papers, Asa was described as being 5′6″ tall, dark complexion, grey eyes, dark hair. His occupation was listed as farmer.

Asa was listed in 1902 as an active member of the Ben M. McCulloch Camp 30, United Veterans of America in Decatur, Texas (source: Gregg, R. (Ed.), “History of Wise County: A Link with the Past,” 1st Ed. Vol. III, 1987: pp. 57-58). He is buried in Oak Lawn Cemetary, Wise County, Texas, Gravestone #2722.

1850 census, Madison Co, GA living with his parents at age 8
1860 census - not yet found but Asa would be about 19 years old and probably in Limestone Co, TX.
On the 1860 census for Limestone Co, TX there is an A.M. Veal (38), born Georgia, Merchant, who had personal property worth $40,000. Was he related to Asa L.W. Veal? Was he Alonzo M. Veal, son of George Veal? Carllene Veal speculates that A.L.W. Veal traveled to Texas with this cousin.
1870 census, Corsicanna PO, Beat No. 1, Navarro Co, TX: L.W. Veal (29), farmer born GA, wife [looks like] N.A. Veal (22), and children L.A. (4-female) and A. (2 male)
1879 (July 24) Tax Receipt, Groesbeck, Limestone County, TX: A.L.W. Veal, $4.55 for the year 1878. Total value of personal property assessed was $105. No real estate was listed or assessed.
1880 census - Asa L.W. Veal has not been located on the 1880 census, although it is likely he was in Limestone Co, Texas since he had children born in 1878 and 1882, both in Texas. It’s possible that in 1880 he was traveling to Georgia to see his parents.
1900 census, Wise Co, TX: Acy L. Veal (59), wife Nancy (44), and children Emma (23), Lee (15), May (13), George (7), and Walter (5). Asa owned his farm in 1900. Birthdates for some children are from this record. Next door was Joseph L. Veal (24) and wife Pearl B. (18) with two children. Next door was George Boydston (36) with his wife and family. Nearby was the Sam Boydston (28) family from MO.
1910 census, Precinct 1, Wise Co, TX: Ason L.W. Veal (68), wife Nancy A. (59), daughter Nancy E. Boydson (35), George Veal (17), Walter E. VEal (15), granddaughter Bula F. Veal (6), and grandson John Boydson (6).

The Veal Family Letters site contains transcriptions of two letters from ALW’s father to ALW, and 1 from his brother John. According to that site:

The family tradition on Asa is that he carried some corn to Crowders Mill over in Franklin County, GA across the Broad River from the home place in Madison County to have it ground. The man ground the corn and tried to charge Asa for twice the weight that was ground. They apparently got into an argument and a fight broke out. Asa hit the man and thought he had killed him and fled out west. The man recovered.

Ed, known by his family as “Daddy Veal,” was the 4th son and 6th child of a confederate soldier, and he lived his entire life in the north Texas area. He married Beulah Zuspann when she was only a teenager of 15 and he was 23. They had one son and 7 daughters. Ed’s birth certificate shows his mother’s name as “Nannie” and she was said to be a full-blooded Cherokee. Nannie died, according to Beulah, when Ed was just a little boy, and his father remarried in 1886, so Ed was raised by his step-mother, Nancy Beazley, along with his younger brother, Lee, and three step-siblings. In 1903, he served in the National Guard and was stationed in Mabary (acc. to Vicki Popov). He and Beulah are buried in Chico, Texas.

1900 census, Denton Co, TX: Ed Veal (19) is a boarder in the household of James Weeks. Occupation was farm laborer.
1910 census, Justice Precinct 7, Wise Co, TX: Ed Veal (29), wife Beulah (18), Fay (2), and Gracie (1). Occupation was coal miner.
1920 census (ennumerated Jan. 14), Stephens St., Bridgeport, Wise Co, TX: Edd A. Veal (38), coal miner, wife Beulah (29), Fay R. (12), Gracey (11), Reba M. (8), Zena Q. (4), and Houston (1).
1930 census, Cates St. Bridgeport, Wise Co, TX: Edwin (46) and Beulah (39) Veal with children Reba Mae (18), daughter (14), Houston (12), Edwina (9), Ima Jean (4), Emma Jo (3). Edwin owned his home, which was valued at $1000. He worked in a coal mine but I could not read his occupation (looks like Pass____).
1945 Ft. Worth City Directory: Ed’s address was 1828 St. Louis Ave.
1950 Ft. Worth City Directory: Ed’s address was 2700 College Ave.

Birth: 2 MAR 1918 in Bridgeport, Dallas Co, TX
Death: 3 JUN 2002 in Fort Worth, Tarrant Co, TX

Houston was married twice and had five children (3 boys and 2 girls).

Newspaper Obituary:
Houston Lee Louis Veal, 84, died Monday, June 3, 2002 in Fort Worth. Memorial service: 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Greenwood Chapel.He was buried on June 06, 2002 in Greenwood Cemetery, Fort Worth, TX.

Houston was born March 2, 1918 in Bridgeport. He was valedictorian of the senior class of Bridgeport High School, class of 1938, as well as class president. He was a three-year letterman in football. At the age of 13, to help his family out during the Great Depression, he worked in the two old coal mines in Bridgeport on Saturdays and Sundays. It was believed that he had been the last surviving coal miner who worked in the coal mines that used mules underground. He spent all of his life in the Wise and Tarrant county areas except for two years in Corpus Christi. Houston was the City Class “A” Singles Bowling Champion of the Fort Worth City Tournament in 1945. His team, “The Veal Cutlets,” was national champion of 23 aircraft teams that entered. He was employed at General Dynamics for 38 years as a tool planner, and was vice chairman of the F.I.T.U. Union when he retired in 1980. He was baptized into The Assembly of God Church in Bridgeport. He was well known for his wit and great sense of humor and will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
Source: Ft. Worth Star Telegram, 5 June 2002

Birth: 20 SEP 1942 in Corpus Christi, TX
Death: 14 NOV 1998 near Las Cruces, New Mexico

After graduation from high school, Monte joined the Air Force. He majored in English at North Texas State University but did not graduate. He liked to think and write about the human existence, and he wrote poetry. While he was a student at North Texas, several of his poems appears in a NTSU publication. Like his father, he suffered from alcoholism most of his adult life, but had obtained sobriety in about 1995. On a solo spiritual journey in the desert of New Mexico, he passed away from heart failure. His ashes were interred on 9 Dec 1998 in Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe Co, NM, Plot W O 14.