The last public record for Harry was the 1920 Census which shows him living with the family of his brother-in-law and former business partner, W. H. (Pappy) Smith Sr.
Harry died July 1923 in Port Lavaca. His gravestone is located with the family monument in Indianola.
Thomas Henry (Harry) Rahtgens
Harry was born February 20, 1853, at Brazos Santiago, Texas (26°03'N 97°09'W) , to parents Alice Ellen and Henry Rahtgens. Like his father, Harry was a man of the sea, and was born aboard a ship. He was listed as a coastal sailor in the 1870 census and as a captain of a schooner in the 1880 census. He lived in Indianola (28°33'N 96°31'W) until after the Hurricane of 1886.
After the 1886 storm, he and his mother moved to Port Lavaca (28°36'N 96°37'W) and went into business with his brother-in-law, W.H. Smith Sr., where they founded Rahtgens and Smith Lumber. The family owned several houses in Indianola which were torn down and moved to Port Lavaca. The one used as their home was built on the same lot where a great grandson, William G. Smith, later had a medical practice (28°36'N 96°37'W). Some were rent houses.
The following article from The Aransas Harbor, November 5, 1891, describes some level of skill with gardening.
1920 Census – Port Lavaca
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The Galveston Daily News Vol. 41, No. 251, Ed. 1 Tuesday, January 9, 1883
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Rahtgens Plot at "Old Town" Cemetery on the "ridge", Indianola. Fence re-installed Nov. 1985 by Bill & Bob Ullrich.
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1880 Census – Indianola.
Reference Sources
Rathgens Family - Mrs. R.A. Stevenson, Jr.
From the Calhoun County centennial and golden jubilee historical edition of The Port Lavaca Wave, May 16, 1940
1870 Census - Indianola