Frederick Voigt, son of Frederick William and Wilhelmina Voigt, was born on September 4, 1825 in Borgholtzhausen, Prussia. In 1846 his family emigrated to America and settled in Nacogdoches County. Voight bought a farm and saw mill about five miles from Nacogdoches. Later he became a merchant with a dry goods store in town. Active in civic affairs, Voigt served on the School Board, was a health inspector and alderman, and served as mayor from 1861-1862, 1866-1868, and February to June 1877. He was a postmaster for the U.S. government from 1854 to 1861 and for the Confederacy from 1861 to 1862. He enlisted in the Confederate Army and eventually became Captain of Company B of the 8th Regiment Texas Volunteer Infantry. He was given a medical discharge in 1863 because he suffered from epilepsy. Voigt served as Worshipful Master of Milam Lodge #2 and was on the Board of Regents of Nacogdoches University. He also edited the Nacogdoches Chronicle. An expert landscaper, Voigt planted a block-long flower garden in Nacogdoches and cultivated fruit trees on another block. He developed a plan for beautifying the State Capitol grounds in Austin. Voigt married Elizabeth Holloway on December l9, 1855 and after she died he married Elizabeth M. Howells Hancock. Voigt drowned while crossing the Angelina River on August 25, 1880.

("Frederick Voigt Letters." East Texas Research Center. Ralph W. Steen Library. Stephen F. Austin State University).