Ernest was a true “roughneck” oil man. Although born in Ontario, Canada, he spent much of his early years in the oil frontier of Galacia, Austria where he learned his craft as a teen. He married Olive Perkins, daughter of Jacob Perkins, one of his key mentors in the oil business. He struck out on his own in the Gulf of Mexico region of Tampico. During his career, he moved up the corporate ladder of Continental Oil before starting his own company, Nicklos Oil and Gas. Eventually, the family settled in Houston, Texas. His legend will be difficult to top. Many of the family fondly remember trips to Rancho Amigo in Hunt, Texas, home of the hundreds of Mettlach Beer Steins that he actively collected. Recently the tile and iron work done in the home has become the subject of study for others interested in the architecture of the time.
Here are the photos of Ernest, Olive and their young family in roughly chronological order
