Ed 

In August of 1895 the City of Houston went from a Volunteer Department (since 1838) to a paid department. Below is a list of all the known fire fighters that were hired to take over 6 of the volunteer fire houses.  Looks like about 40 per cent "new hire" were among the ranks of the Houston Volunteer Fire Department.  The above, taken abound 1896 are very rare photographs.

 

Protection Hose Co. No. 1. Located 612 Fannin Theodore Abdie  Born-Unk  1895 - 1896  Died-Unk      Original HFD Member    Edward T. Anderson  Born 1875  1895 - 1907  Died December 13, 1909  Original HFD Member  Jacob "Jack" Phillip Arto Jr.  Born January 31, 1866  1895 - 1920  Died March 3, 1950               Houston Volunteer Protection Hose Co. No.1 1886 To 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member    Fire Chief  From 1901 To 1905  Edward Lee Benson  Born December 1, 1877  1895 - 1907  Died September 28, 1931   Original HFD Member   John Stephen Bernius Born April 2, 1968  1895 - 1899  Died May 25, 1941     Original HFD Member   Edward Bland Born September 27, 1875  1895 - 1896  Died February 15, 1955  Original HFD Member   John A. Bone  Born-Unk  1895 - 1900  Died-Unk    Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   John A "Bob" Boyd  Born November 3, 1870  1895 - 1923  Died August 4, 1923                         Houston Volunteer Stonewall Hose Co. No. 3 Paid Driver 1892 To 1895  Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member In The Line of Duty Death  12th lODD Since 1895 Louis A. "Pinky" Bradley  February 26, 1875  1895-Unk  Died May 5, 1951  Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   Hook And Ladder Co. No. 1. Located 119 San Jacinto   Aaron B. Brown  Born-Unk  1895 - 1901  Died-Unk Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member    James Bert "JB" Calhoun  Born February 26, 1868  1895 - 1933  Died April 13, 1933  Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  Adam August Jacob Chaloupka  Born March 10, 1870  1895 - 1923  Died August 15, 1923 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member John Wesley Cobb  Born April 30, 1872  1895 - 1928  Died December 8, 1955  Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member Henry  Damuth  Born March 9, 1861  1895 - 1902  Died March5, 1923 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member    Herman Dissen  Born March 9, 1874  1895 - 1910  Died April 27, 1952  Houston Volunteer Stonewall Hose Co. No. 3 1892 To 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  C. A. Doherty  Born-Unk  1895 - 1897  Died-Unk Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  Henry Donnelly Born August 2, 1867  1895 - 1945  Died April 16, 1948  Houston Volunteer Curtin No. 9 Paid Driver 1892 - 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  John R. Donnelly  Born September 29, 1866  1895 - 1929 Died May 3, 1929 Houston Volunteer Curtin No. 9 1892 To 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   Jessie Elkins  Born-Unk  1895 - 1905  Died January 14, 1905 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member    Stonewall Hose Co. No. 3  Located 408 Smith Street   Farguard Cambpell Fourmy  Born January 9, 1855  1895-Unk  Died April 23, 1931    Houston Volunteer Mechanic Fire Co. No. 6  1889 To 1895    Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  William Edward Franks  Born 1867  1895 - 1924  Died December 11, 1924   Houston Volunteer 1882 to 1895. Paid driver Curtin Hose Co. No. 9 1892 To 1895    Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   Philip Eugene Graham  Born December 21, 1965  1895 - 1906  Died January 8, 1930 Houston Volunteer Stonewall Hose Co. No. 3  1894 To 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  Frank Hayes Born February 29, (Birth Year Unknown) 1895-Unk  Died January 14, 1917 Houston Volunteer Protection Hose Co. No. 1 1892 To 1895  Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  Otto Herzog  Born May 9, 1867  1895 - 1903  Died December 24, 1926 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   Edward Greene Hill  Born November 11, 1872  1895 - 1900  Died July 1, 1936    Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member    John Holliman Born-Unk 1895 - 1896  Died-Unk  Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member      Frank Horsford  Born-Unk  1895 - 1907  Died-Unk   Houston Volunteer Protection Hose Co. No. 1 1892 To 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  Mechanics Hose Co. No. 6. 144 Washington Avenue Herman Hundt  Born February 8, 1876  1895 - 1920  Died December 18, 1920   FG Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  James Joseph Hussey  Born August 1865  1895 - 1901  Died January 31, 1941   Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member     Fire Chief From 1898 To 1901        William Gotthelf Kaule Born September 4, 1867 1895 - 1900  Died April 13, 1937 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member    Otto Kersten  Born July 5, 1867 1895 - 1920  Died October 9. 1932   Houston Volunteer Hook and Ladder Co. No, 1 1890 To 1895  Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   Charles "Charlie" Kinzbach Jr. Born January 22, 1873  1900 - 1944  December 14, 1944 Houston Volunteer Curtin Hose Co. No. 9  1894 To 1895 Henry Thomas Levy  Born December 28, 1870  1894 - 1932  Died March 22, 1932   FG Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   W. E. Loftus  Born-Unk 1895 - 1904  Died-Unk   Houston Volunteer Stonewall Hose Co. No. 3 1890 To 1895  Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   Otto Lutz  Born March 26, 1868  1895 - unk  Died June 14, 1911 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   Thomas H. Martin  Born February 4, 1855  1895 - 1907  Died November 26, 1906   Houston Volunteer Mechanic Fire Co. No. 6 1887 To 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  Washington Company No. 8. 1307 Washington Ave  Frank William Medlenka  Born June 15, 1859  1895 - 1901  Died November 23, 1901   Houston Volunteer Protection 1 1886 To 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member      In The Line of Duty Death 2nd lODD Since 1895   John L. O'Brien  Born September 15, 1873  1895 - 1913  Died June 9, 1927  Houston Volunteer Houston Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 1893 To 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   Thomas Andrew O'Leary  Born 1860  1895 - 1907  Died December 24, 1908   Houston Volunteer Stonewall Hose Co. No. 3 1889 to 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member Fire Chief  From 1905 To 1908          In The Line of Duty Death 5TH lODD Since 1895    Jacob Joseph Ollre  Born April 4, 1862  1900 - 1902  Died October 10, 1902 Houston Volunteer Protection Hose Co. No. 1 1887 To 1891 Reginald Felix "Kid" Ollre  Born September 21, 1874  1895 - 1943  Died February 11, 1949  Houston Volunteer Houston Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 1894 To 1895   Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member        Fire Chief From 1908 To 1912               Eugene  R. Parker  Born October 14, 1848  1895 - 1912  Died August 11, 1930 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member Daniel Phelps  Born-Unk  1895 - 1900  Died-Unk Houston Volunteer 1892 - 1895 Paid Driver Houston Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   Jay E. Philip April 10. 1859  1895 - 1921  January 14, 1938 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  Thomas Franklin Ravell  Born September 17, 1858  1894 - 1900  Died July 24, 1932 Houston Volunteer Stonewall Hose Co. No. 3 1889 to 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member    The First Fire Chief of the Paid Department From 1895 To 1898           Claude Rielly  Born  December 2, 1871  1895 - 1902  Died February 28, 1933    Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member     Curtin Hose Co. No. 9. 17 Commerce Street   George Rooney  Born-Unk  1895 - 1897  Died-Unk Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member G. Watkins Scarborough  Born December 9, 1877  1895 - 1903  Died November 2, 1954   Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  Edward W Shea  Born-Unk  1895 - 1916  Died-Unk Houston Volunteer Stonewall Hose Co. No. 1 1894 To 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  C. A. Trowbridge  Born-Unk 1895-Unk  Died-Unk Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  Herman Von Haxthausen  Born-Unk  1895 - 1897  Died-Unk  Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member Edward Wagner  Born May 28, 1878  1895 - 1897  Died July 15, 1838 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member  William "Willie" A. Weiss  Born March 7, 1870  1895 - 1900  Died July 31, 1901 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member Houston Police Department  In The Line of Duty Death  John W. Williamson  Born July 31, 1870  1895 - 1903  Died February 17, 1920 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member     George E. Wirt  November 17, 1869  1895 - 1897  Died December 31, 1963 Houston Volunteer Houston Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 1894 To 1895 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member   Benjamin F. Wolfe   Born July 26, 1845  1897 - 1898  Died February 12, 1939 Houston Volunteer Mechanic Fire Co. No. 6  1886 To 1887 Henry J.  Wooley  Born-Unk 1895 - 1904  Died-Unk Houston Volunteer Mechanic Fire Co. No. 6 Paid Driver 1886 To 1887 Original Paid Houston Fire Department Member