The Dallas Journal, Volume 49, 2003 Page: 8
166 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Lindley/Heisel Bible Library Research Project
82-year-old member of a pioneer Dallas family, as a murder case...Mr. Heisel was found wandering around his
store in a dazed condition by a fire department inspector. He had several bumps and a gash on his head. He was
taken to Parkland Hospital, where he died at 6:55 a.m. Sunday. Detective Boyce said that an old-fashioned coin
purse that Mr. Heisel was known to carry was missing and a pocket turned inside out when he was found..."
"Mr. Heisel, the son of a boot and leather merchant, had lived with his family on an estate on Fort Worth
avenue near the old French colony of La Reunion. He and his brother, the late William T. Heisel, owned and
developed land in West Oak Cliff, including the tracts where the La Reunion government housing project and
Stevens Park School were built. They donated land for the construction of the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike." 73
Another article appeared in the Dallas Times Herald the following day: "Police Find Cold Trail in
Slaying...the storekeeper...never regained consciousness after the attack...the lack of witnesses to the crime is
hampering the investigation... Relatives said Heisel never kept large sums of money in the store..." that was
described as a "small, old-fashioned hardware store at 612 Commerce." 74
Adam Joseph Heisel's death certificate listed the cause of death as "skull fracture & severe softening of
brain & hemotoma." 75 He was buried in Oakland Cemetery in a plot he had purchased for $400 on 30 October
1923.76 After her husband's murder Ethel Heisel left Dallas and lived in Inglewood, California until her death on 5
November 1975.77 Her body was brought back to Dallas where she was buried beside her husband at Oakland
Cemetery. A photograph of their tombstone and meditation bench appears in this article. A brief funeral notice
f appeared in the Dallas Morning News on 8 November 1975: "Mrs.
SEthel Heisel, Inglewood, California. Private graveside services, 11
* a.m. Saturday, Oakland Cemetery, Rev. Douglas Watterson
_$officiating." 78
Adam and Georgia Heisel's younger son, William Teo
, Heisel, was born 12 February 1879 in Wills Point, Kaufman, Texas.
He joined his brother at a young age working for both the G. H.
Schoellkopf and the Padgitt Brothers saddle and harness-making
businesses. He too registered for the World War I draft on 6
September 1918.79 He was 39 years old and listed his father, Adam
Heisel, as next of kin. He worked for Padgitt Brothers where he was
employed as a leather worker. He described himself as "tall" and
"slender" with brown eyes and dark hair.
William Heisel married a widow, Mary Ada (Gundiff) Smith,
on 6 January 1920.80 The couple had no children although Mary Smith
Heisel had two children from her first marriage. They were enumerated ,
on the 1920 U.S. census on 9 January 1920.81 By 1930 the stepchildren
had left home, but William and Ada Heisel were enumerated on 9 April
1930.82 The photograph on the left is all that remains of the William
Heisel residence at 709 Peak Street.
William Teo Heisel died 6 February 1955 in Dallas. His death
certificate listed his father as Adam Heisel of Germany and his mother
as Georgia Lindley of Georgia. His age was 73 years, 1 1 months and 24
days. Cause of death was coronary occlusion, and the informant was his
older brother, A. J. Heisel. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery on 8
February 1953.83 The Dallas Morning News printed William Heisel's obituary on 8 February 1953: Funeral
Services Set Monday for W. T. Heisel, 74. Will T. Heisel, 74, downtown hardware store proprietor for over thirty
years, died after a short illness Friday in his home at 709 South Peak. A native of Dallas, Heisel operated the Heisel
Brothers Hardware, 612 Commerce, with his brother. For many prior years he had a hardware business in the
courthouse vicinity on Jefferson. He is survived by his wife, Ada; his brother, Adam J., and a sister, Mrs. Mary
Fullerton of Dallas, and two stepchildren, Mrs. Cecil Wright of Fort Worth and James E. Smith of Los Angeles.
Funeral services will be held in the Weiland-Merritt Chapel, 2909 Live Oak at 10:30 a.m. Monday with burial in
Oakland Cemetery." 84 William Heisel was buried in Section 30, Lot 36 NE /2. A photograph of William and Ada
Heisel's tombstones are pictured below.
8 The Dallas Genealogical Society
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Dallas Genealogical Society. The Dallas Journal, Volume 49, 2003, periodical, June 2003; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth186862/m1/12/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Genealogical Society.