One of my favorite things salvaged from my grandmother Nonna’s home was an oil painting of my grandmother’s grandfather’s schooner. The stories Nonna told are very fuzzy in my memories, but with the painting and other items salvaged, I’ve found quite a few pictures and a handwritten story on the Fanny that makes this heirloom even more special.
[Read the origin story of these heirloom restorations here: Heirloom Restoration]
Pawpaw and Mawmaw with thier painting in April 1976 
Nonna with her painting in February 1976
If you look closely at the clouds in the paintings above, you may notice subtle differences. It wasn’t until I found these two pictures back to back that I realized they were not the same painting. So there are at least two oil paintings of the Fanny, maybe more if my grandmother’s cousin, Norma Lyons Jennings, the artist, made them as gifts to the children.
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Nonna was always great at writing on the backs of pictures, years later she continues to tell stories through her meticulous cataloging of things. Taped to the back was a typed inscription:
OCTOBER 12, 1992 ELAINE BARRIOS CHENOWETH
THIS BEAUTIFUL HANDPAINTED PICTURE WAS GIVEN TO ME IN THE 1950’s BY MY PRECIOUS MOTHER AND DAD. MY COUSIN, NORMA LYONS HENNINGS, PAINTED THE PICTURE FROM A PICTURE OF MY GRANDFATHER’S SCHOONER. “GRANDPA” BAHNSEN NAMED THE SCHOONER “FANNY”. HE SAILED INTO GALVESTON FROM GERMANY IN THE LATE 1800’s. ALL THREE SCHOONERS WERE DESTROYED IN A HURRICANE IN GALVESTON, TEXAS IN THE LATE 1800’s. THIS WAS MY MOTHER’S DAD, ANTONE W. BAHNSEN, WHO DIED SEPTEMBER 26, 1936. I WAS 10 YEARS OLD.
This was a wonderful thing to find on the back, which cleared up what my fuzzy memory failed to remember from her stories. But I think there’s a typo, as Norma Jennings signed the front of the painting 1975, so I think she meant to type “1970’s”. And I was intrigued to see that the Fanny had been destroyed in a hurricane in Galveston, as I had just finished reading Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History about the infamous Great Storm of 1900 that was a direct and unexpected hit to Galveston and killed about 8000 people. So I wondered if that was the storm that did the Fanny in.
And then I found the most precious explanation of the Fanny; a scan of a handwritten story by my great-grandmother Huldah (or Mawmaw), presumably to accompany copies of the oil paintings as Christmas gifts. It appears Cornelius Bahnsen wrote the title, and Huldah wrote the rest. Here’s what they wrote (I typed as close to their exact writing as I could decipher, including as-is punctuation and capitalization):
Captain Tony Bahnsen Sailed the Schooner Fanny from 1885-1900
Wrote by Cornelius Bahnsen 86 years old
Captain Tony sailed his boats from their home at Moss Lake, Louisiana, which they lived for quite a few years. He would go up the Calcasieu River and get his cargo, which consisted of lumber, groceries, and most anything, would go east as far as Morgan City, and go to galveston and Corpus Christi along the gulf of mexico. Our mother and brothers & sisters never knew exactly when he could return because his sail boats depended on the weather, the wind for his sails, which were always very beautiful to see coming up the River. He had a crew of 8 or 9 men, each one knew exactly what their jobs were, and our older Brother Cornelius made several trips with him when he got old enough, Papa would let him stear when the wind was calm, which he said was very exciting. Then Cameron was known as Leesburg, they would go down the river to the channel and then into the gulf of mexico. He owned other sail boats before Fanny, one was Carolina, another named Ripple. They were lost in hurricanes, which they had no way of knowing when they were coming, Carolina was lost at Aransas Pass near galveston, she or both were lost in Bays near galveston, near Port Isabel, then Ripple he sailed about 1885. The last most beautiful one he owned was Fanny. She was his pride and joy, she was 80 feet long, could carry as much as 3700 feet of lumber, so are sure she could carry quite a load. She was called a Schooner Sail Boat. Finally he had to give the work up, trains came in and took over the cargo. He sailed her from about 1885 to 1900. he sold her too Mr. Ollie Olsen down the River from where they lived. She was left in the Ship graveyard, and people used her to enjoy jumping off and swimming in the Calcasieu River. In 1900 a hurricane tore her too pieces. It was very sad for the old captain to experience, but in 1903 our family moved up to Vinton, where he raised rice until he got too old. We were a very happy family hearing him tell us of his experience of all his life being a Seaman, he was from germany, our mother was from Cameron Louisiana.
Wrote by Huldah Bahnsen Barrios
Dec. 14 1975
I may have this old photo of Captain Tony framed, but it is in poor condition after all these years. My Mawmaw and Nonna both wrote on the back, continuing to tell the captain’s story.
In Nonna’s handwriting: Grandpa
Then Mawmaw’s handwriting underneath: Anton Bahnsen 1886
And in Nonna’s handwriting underneath: Mother’s writing, Huldah Bahnsen Barrios, gave to me indirectly
28 years old, born June 19, 1858
It appears the captain settled in Vinton, Louisiana after the storm, where he lived the rest of his life, as did my Mawmaw and Nonna. On the back of this photo, my grandmother’s aunt wrote:
A. W. Bahnsen Family around 1906
Aunt Nettie, Grandpa with Aunt Hilma, Grandma with Aunt Huldah, Mary, & Uncle Nelius [Cornelius in the story above]
Seated in front: Mother & Uncle Henry
Uncle Tony had not been born yet at this time.
And the rest is (a lot) of history. The painting is currently in a high traffic area of my home for maximum viewing and enjoyment. I love it so much and will cherish it always.
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