I grew up unaware of the “Brill” design. This is a new subject for me. I knew my grandfather was popular because I continued to get a few forwarded requests for holster orders from as far away as Detroit, Michigan for several years following his death. The Brill name was also a familiar subject including the store location on 6th Street in downtown Austin. Arno Brill III, who was a guest of mine in La Grange, Texas several years ago, was unaware of N. J. Rabensburg and his connection with the A. W. Brill Company. This caught me off-guard since my grandfather supposedly had a strong connection with the Brill company and a probable ownership position. However, Brill III denied any such connection with Rabensburg. The Brill Company website also makes no mention of N. J. Rabensburg and yet displays his holsters as their own. I believe I can readily identify my grandfather’s designs, and many on the Brill website are his work. I have in my possession the A. W. Bill Company leather stamp used on probably many of these same holsters.
I did, however, meet from Mrs. Arno Inks Brill at my grandmother Rabensburg’s home on W. 29th in Austin during the late 1960’s. She had decided to return my grandfather’s writing/spool draw desk, which had been given to her by my grandmother following my grandfather’s death. I gladly accepted the gift. I did see the same Mrs. Brill along with her daughter Nellie (Idanell) Connally during the mid-1980’s in Houston at a local country club. My parents and I were waiting in the Lobby for our car from valet parking. The meeting with Mrs. Brill, Mrs. Connally and my father was a happy reunion.
My grandfather, Newton Joseph Rabensburg, was born in Floresville, Wilson County but raised in Fayette County in the Ellinger area. His mother was Wilhelmina Ehlinger married first to Henry B. Rabensburg, a saddler, born in Bastrop, Texas and, second, to Charles Girndt, who would later become Fayette County Sheriff. The year 1907 appears to be pivotal because Newton departs the Ellinger area and moves to La Grange, the county seat of Fayette County. As a young adult of 18 years, he starts his saddlery career with La Grange Saddlery located on the southwest corner of the town square. I now understand that in 1907 N. J. Rabensburg contacts August Brill, who is a clerk with the W. T. Wroe Saddlery in Austin and submits a design for what became known as the “Brill”, which was approved by Captain Hughes and adopted by the Texas Rangers during the years 1913 to 1955.
Newton’s Ehlinger family are prominent citizens of Fayette County. The town of Ellinger (Anglicized) was named in honor of his grandfather. His uncles were lawyers, judges and the County Clerk and founders of the local Catholic churches. His grandfather was a veteran of the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto, which gave independence to Texas from Mexico and caused the acquisition of the western United States into the Union (the mountain states, California and the upper west coast). N. J. Rabensburg’s wife, Lillian Edna Speckels, was also from prominent family stock. Her father was a local merchant, an architect, Mayor of La Grange, founder of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Chief of the LG Fire Department and President of the State Firemen’s Association. Her von Rosenberg family are considered by some historians to be one of the most important Prussian families of central Texas.
N. J. Rabensburg left La Grange in 1909 for Dallas where he worked for an unknown period of time. His tenure in Price, Utah was perhaps longer. Newton may have also traveled to New Mexico and Montana according to some accounts. He returned to La Grange, Texas in 1915 and purchased a partnership position in an existing saddlery, which was renamed Zwiener and Rabensburg and located in two stores on the northside of the town square. He married that same year to Lillian Speckels in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Lillian was a strong Lutheran.
N. J. Rabensburg and his young family moved in 1920 to Llano, Texas and started a saddlery business in that community. I do not have his business history in Llano at this time but do know that he was involved as a town alderman and for a brief time as Mayor. Mayor Inks of Llano handed him the keys. The Inks family name appears in Llano and with Mrs. Arno Inks Brill in Austin.
I was not aware that N. J. Rabensburg moved twice to Austin during the early 1930’s. Perhaps the first time was to test the situation and leave his family behind. In Austin, the Rabensburg family lived on the top of a steep hill west of downtown on 7th Street. In the late 1930’s, Newton and Lillian built a new home located on Shoal Creek Boulevard on the side of hill across from Pease Park. Prior to World War II, a four lane N. Lamar Boulevard cut through and shaved off part of their hill and their address changed to 1903 N. Lamar.
During the early 1950’s, N. J. Rabensburg was working out of his home store located in his two-car garage. He may have continued to sell products for the A. W. Brill Company but not at the downtown 6th Street business location. In 1959, the Austin American newspaper wrote an article with photograph about his leather career. That article notes his connection with the Brill Company.