Peter Helderbrand

Description

The Helderbrands were among the earliest settlers of the St. Louis area, arriving in the mid-18th century. The family had previously resided in Pennsylvania since the early 1700s, and their legacy is marked by generations of aggression towards Indigenous people in Pennsylvania and, eventually, Missouri. Over the course of his life, Peter Helderbrand acquireda significant amount of real estate, including a parcel of land within the property that would become Tyson Research Center. Most of his land was sold after his death.

Bio

Peter Helderbrand (unknown – bef. 1851) purchased land within the area that is now Tyson Research Center in 1835.

By the time Peter Helderbrand was born, the Helderbrand family had been living in the United States for several generations. The first Helderbrand to emigrate from Germany to the United States was Peter Helderbrand, born in 1655. His son, Jacob (1705-1754), joined expeditions to displace Indigenous communities living in western Pennsylvania and died during an attack at Fort Pittsburg.

Jacob Helderbrand had one son, John Helderbrand (1733-1810), who in 1770, took his wife and children down the Ohio River on a flat-bottomed boat that he built himself. They traveled without stopping to the Mississippi River and settled in St. Genevieve. Later, he moved his family 40 miles west, to the mouth of the Saline Creek at the Meramec River. He settled this land, which the Spanish government granted to him in 1774, but by 1780, he was compelled to move his family back to St. Genevieve under threat of an attack by the Indigenous people of the area. He remained in the area for the rest of his life, although the exact date of his death is not known.

John Helderbrand had two sons, named Peter and Jonathan. Peter Helderbrand Sr., born in 1758, was John Helderbrand’s older son (and the grandfather of the Peter Helderbrand who owned land at Tyson). After his father settled in Missouri, Peter Helderbrand returned to Fort Jefferson, Ohio, a military fortification that withstood several years of active conflict during the Northwest Indian War, a series of armed struggles between Indigenous tribes and the new United States for control of Ohio in the late 18th century. In 1780, Peter’s two sons, Moses and James, were caught in an attack while outside of the fort, and Moses was killed by a tomahawk while James managed to escape. The family moved to Missouri on a land grant, where they lived for a time, but Peter Helderbrand Sr. was killed by the native Osage tribe in 1784, while hunting.

Among Peter Helderbrand Sr.’s children was Abraham Helderbrand, who married Sarah Sullens and had nine children, including the Peter Helderbrand Jr. who owned land at Tyson. Peter Helderbrand Jr. married Elizabeth Williams and had three children: Alfred, Stephen, and Martin. Little is known about Peter Helderbrand's personal life, but land deeds record that he bought and sold land throughout St. Louis and Jefferson County. He died around 1851.

Peter Helderbrand Jr’s eldest son, Alfred, died young, and his next eldest son, Stephen, was reported to have extensive land holdings mostly inherited by his father. Alfred sold most of the property before his death in 1898.

Houck’s History of Missouri describes the Helderbrand family as part of the “oldest American settlement in upper Louisiana,” and it was this early settlement that gave them the opportunity to claim land grants and develop property. However, this settlement required the aggressive displacement of Indigenous communities, which is why their family history is marked with such violence.

Death Date

1851

Sex

Male

Child of

Abraham Helderbrand

Sarah Sullens

Spouse of

Elizabeth Williams

Parent of

Alfred Helderbrand

Stephen Helderbrand

Martin Helderbrand

Dates of Tyson Land Ownership

1835