John Martin Steinfeldt

John M. Steinfeldt was born 25 August 1865 in Ankum, Germany to Henry and Marie Zimmerman Steinfeldt. He moved to America in 1874. His father Henry came first, then my step-mother Sophie with John and his siblings. They came on the ship Hohenzollern from Bremen, Germany. (1,2) They lived in Cincinnati, Ohio after they arrived. (1880 census). He was a gifted child, taking on many of his genius father attributes, especially his musical ones. He strove to learn more and more about the art of the piano and eventually became known internationally for his skill and musical abilities. He moved form Cincinnati to San Antonio, Texas because of his health and work available at several churches and synagogues. John loved the out of doors and visited parks and other places where he hunted and fished. He loved to visit with people and take in his environment. He loved to smoke cigars!

John met and married the love and muse of his life in San Antonio. His marriage to Viva May Ripley was in 1893. They had 4 children together, all were talented in their own ways. Together with his wife, he started the San Antonio School of Music in the early 1920's. The School produced many fine musicians. In 1924 John completed a 2 year project where he wrote the dedication mass for St. Mary's Catholic Church in San Antonio called Missa Maria Immaculata. He worked constantly and had his own studio to practice and compose in at the school. His daughter Cecile and son John performed together frequently at the school and gave recitals to the public, as did John.

John traveled all over the world performing. He obtained a passport in 1900. One trip was in 1911 where He arrived in London in June and returned through the port of New York in August. He traveled for recreation too. He took Cecile, his daughter to Europe in 1913 on the ship Mauretania starting in London. They visited John's birth place as well as many other places. There they took pictures of the Ankum Church and its Interior. He later took Vivia his wife to Europe on the ship Paris. The couple arrived back in New York 26 August 1925

He sold several compositions to the Oliver Ditson Company of Boston, New York, and Chicago and other publication house for publication though out his career.

A brief biography of John and his work is included in the Texas Handbook (and many other places) because of his accomplishments.

He lost his beloved wife to liver cancer in 1936. It was a dark period of his life. Their daughter Cecile tried her best to help him, but she had her own family and problems to deal with. John joined Vivia on 28 February 1946 and was interred next to her in the cemetery for St. Mary's Catholic church in San Antonio, Texas.

Images with utsa in the file name are from the John M. Steinfeldt Family Papers, 1819-1993, MS 35, Archives and Special Collections, University of Texas at San Antonio Library. Other photos in possession of family members. Other documents obtained from Court Records, digital images on Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and microfilmed records.

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Research and website done by Tresa Tatyrek. This site was last updated 01/23/12