The German Texans
IT@j Th e University of Texas INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES at San Antonio ..
The German Texans Principal Researcher: James Patrick McGuire
©1970 The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio Rex H. Ball, Executive Director
lTC, one of the three campuses of The University of Texas at San Antonio, is an educational center concerned with the history and diverse cultures of Texas. It is located at Bowie Street and Durango Boulevard on HemisFair Park. For more information, call (210) 458-2300 or visit the Web site, www.texancultures.utsa.edu.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 70-631080 International Standard Book Number 0-86701-061-4
Third, revised edition, fourth printing, 2001
This publication was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Houston Endowment, Inc. Printed in the United States
Cover: Carl Sachtleben, Blanco County Back cover: Carl Gaeth home, Cypress Mill, Blanco County, c. 1875 ... A view of Texas-"Fredericksburg" by Hermann Lungkwitz
1 A T.anderlust - the adventurous urge to see far places-brought V V t a few Germans to Texas before 1800. Felip de San- doval, who explored parts of Texas in 1749, told of finding a German living at La Harpe's trading post on the upper Red River in what is now Bowie County. Later he came upon a Comanche rancheria in the Texas Panhandle, where he found "a German hunter and French Protestant" trading with the Indians.
The Louisiana Purchase 1804 Following the Louisiana Purchase, a succession of filibustering expeditions were mounted against Texas, each of which included a few German adventurers. A scattering of German settlers, who had become Spanish subjects in Louisiana, also moved into Spanish-held Texas after the purchase.
The Gutierrez-Magee Expedition 1812 Several German soldiers of fortune were in the Gutierrez-Magee expedi tion, which "liberated" Texas from Spain in 1812-1813 and briefly established the Republic of the West, with its green flag flying over the capitol in San Antonio. Roster of Dr. Long's expedition in 1821
The Long Expedition 1821 Germans took part in Dr. James Long's ill-fated expedition of 1821, which declared Texas's independence, set up a short-lived republic, and occupied Nacog doches and La Bahia before the Spanish captured most of the invaders. The same year five German names appeared among the original 300 families brought to Texas by Stephen Austin.
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The Lone Star Flag of the Long Expedition in 1819
J. Valentine Heeke Apparently the first known effort to promote Texas as a possible area for German..settlement was in the book Reise durch die Vereinigten Staaten von Nord Amerika in den jahren 1818 und 1819. Its author, J. Valentine Hecke, had traveled in Texas. He urged the Prussian government to buy the territory from Spain as a colonial venture. He pointed out political, agricultural, and commercial possibili ties, and noted that it would provide a solution to the problem of overpopulation in Germany.
The Durst Brothers 1830s Early in the 1800s three brothers, John and Joseph Durst and Jacob Darst, entered Texas from Louisiana. Born of German immigrant parents in Spanish Mis souri, each of these men left a sharp imprint on Texas history. Joseph, the oldest, was alcalde (mayor) of Nacogdoches in 1826 and a member of the local Commit tee of Safety and Correspondence at the beginning of the Texas Revolution. He was active in Indian affairs of the republic until his death in 1843. John Durst became the protege and heir of wealthy Peter Samuel Davenport, John Durst merchant and landowner in Nacogdoches. When Davenport died, leaving Durst his Texas properties, the young man became one of Texas's wealthiest citizens. He operated from Davenport's headquarters in the Old Stone Fort at Nacogdoches. He became active in public affairs and was elected to the Coahuila y Tejas legislature in 1835. At Monclova, the capital, he heard of Santa Anna's plans to invade Texas and, by an amazing horseback ride, reached East Texas with the report in 121/2 days. He commanded troops in East Texas during the revolution and was a leader in the Indian wars which followed. The third brother, Jacob Darst, retained the original spelling of the family name. He was living in Gonzales at the outset of the Texas Revolution. When Mexi can troops demanded the return of a cannon, the settlers buried it; later Jacob and two other men dug it up for use against the Mexican army. On March I, 1836, Jacob Darst joined 32 Gonzales men who went to the relief of the Alamo. He was killed 'j in the fortress six days later.
I George Washington Smyth George Washington Smyth, son of a German millwright, came to Texas from Tennessee in 1830. He settled in Nacogdoches, taught school, became a surveyor, and attained wide influence as a public figure. Smyth was surveyor for Bevil's George W. Smyth Settlement on the Sabine and for the colonial grants of Lorenzo de Zavala, Joseph Vehlein, and David G. Burnet, all in East Texas. He represented his district at the Convention of 1836, signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, then joined his family in the Runaway Scrape. Smyth was appointed to survey the line between Texas and the United States in 1839; the next year he was a member of the com mission to fix the boundary. He served in the Congress of the Republic of Texas, as commissioner of the General Land Office, and as a member of the United States Congress. He died while serving as a delegate to Texas's Constitutional Convention of 1866.
Ernst and Fordtran The beginning of German settlement in Texas can be dated by the arrival in 1831 of Friedrich Ernst and Charles Fordtran. Ernst, former head gardener and bookkeeper for the Duke of Oldenburg, and Fordtran, a tanner from Westphalia, had joined forces in New York in their search for a new home. A married man with a family, Ernst was eligible for a full league of land in Austin's colony. He selected a league 17 miles northwest of the colonial capital of San Felipe, astride the Gotier Trace, main road from Austin's old colony to his new one near Bastrop. Fordtran, a single man, was eligible for only a quarter league. The two settled as neighbors. Charles Fordtran Friedrich Ernst Ernst, who was to become known as "The Father of German Immigration in Texas;' was ill-equipped for pioneering. He did not know how to build a cabin, hated guns, and had brought none of the necessary equipment for clothing his family on the frontier. Still, he had an unbounded love for this new country, with its rich land, favorable climate, political freedbm, and unlimited opportunities. All of this he poured out in an eloquent letter to a friend named Schwartz back in Old enburg, urging him to come to Texas at once. Schwartz sent the letter to' the local paper. It was published throughout Oldenburg and many other German principali ties. Ernst's contagious enthusiasm spread through the German states, starting the first steady stream of immigration to Texas.
George B. Erath George B. Erath was a well-educated German youth, who had fled his native Austria to evade compulsory military service. He landed in Texas in 1833 and soon was working as a surveyor's helper. As a surveyor he eventually contributed much to expanding the Texas frontiers, but he is also frequently remembered as a great George B. Erath soldier and Indian fighter of daring and skill. Erath fought as a private at San Jacinto and was a member of the Somervell expedition against Mier. He laid out the towns of Waco, Caldwell, and Stephenville, as well as many headrights along the Brazos River. Erath served two terms in the Texas Congress and was twice elected to the legislature after statehood. He rejoined the military during the Civil War but soon had to resign his commission because of poor health. Back in Waco, he organized a company of Minute Men to guard against maraud ing Indians. Erath County, which he explored and to which he led the first group of settlers, is named for this vigorous and wide-ranging immigrant.
Robert Justus Kleberg The German who established one of the most famous Texas ranching fami lies, Robert Justus Kleberg, was one of the thousands inspired to settle in Texas by Friedrich Ernst's glowing letter. A well-to-do young lawyer, Kleberg left his native Westphalia in 1834 with a group of immigrants, including many of his wife's rela tives, the wealthy and titled von Roeders. After being shipwrecked off Galveston Island, they underwent numerous hardships before settling on a league 14 miles out of San Felipe near Ernst and Fordtran. The settlement of Germans which grew up around them is known today as Cat Spring. Robert Justus Kleberg
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At the outbreak of the revolution, Kleberg and his kinsmen joined the Texas army and gave a good account of themselves at San Jacinto. Their women mounted horses and drove their cattle to Louisiana until the war was over. After the war Kle berg served on the Board of Land Commissioners for Austin County and as justice of the peace and chief justice. He moved to DeWitt County in 1847 and served as chief justice there in 1853 and 1855. He was a leading rancher in that area until his death in 1888. His descendants today own and operate the famous King Ranch, 1,250,000 acres in Nueces, Kenedy, Kleberg, and Willacy Counties.
1831-1848 From the coming of Ernst and Fordtran in 1831 to the beginning of orga nized immigration in 1845, many Germans came to Texas, singly or in small groups. They settled generally in Galveston or Houston or in the fertile valleys between the Brazos and the Colorado Rivers where Ernst had established a foot hold. There were only 218 Germans reported in the Texas census of 1836, but by the 1840s there were thousands. Gradually they moved into Central Texas seeking good farmland. The reason that the Germans came in such numbers went far beyond the mere wanderlust of earlier times. There was the desire for economic and social improvement. Many people believed that overpopulation in Germany had pro duced too much competition for available job openings. Others were unhappy over the extremely uneven distribution of wealth. Heavy taxation was another com plaint. Finally, there was the prospect of cheap land and higher wages in the New NctJollltioll World. Immigration was also stimulated by political agitation in Germany. In the 1840s university students were demonstrating and sometimes rioting in favor of more personal freedom. As violence spread the government took oppressive coun .t)trmonu fiJ,rtnbcl'!l, termeasures. The climax came in 1848 when thousands of the better-educated '!\inl:l r r Ilrt $ t Vl1H U. people left Germany. Many of these came to Texas.
Texas and Her Revolution .{1~~ lilt< '»1'\1. (f lnttf1 r"" HI Mit, u .. ~ nHiri ~t~ .... t
Sdp, i ~: Early the next year he and six German friends were with Fannin's ill-fated army at -Otto :H.;iORnb. Goliad. Fannin's entire command was captured and condemned to death. Three of the Germans, including Ehrenberg, were spared from the massacre and eventually released by the Mexicans. Title page from Texas and Her Revolution by Ehrenberg returned to Germany in 1842 and became a teacher of English at Hermann Ehrenberg the University of Halle. There he edited the journal of his experiences in the Texas Revolution and completed an account of the founding of the Lone Star Republic. His Texas und seine Revolution went into many editions in Germany and has since been translated into English. Ehrenberg returned to the United States and settled in Arizona as a surveyor and mapmaker, road builder, and mining engineer. He was reportedly slain by Indians at an isolated stage stop east of present -day Palm Springs, California, but a strong suspicion persists that he was slain by the sta tionmaster for the large sum of money which he carried. Ehrenberg was buried at the scene by his close friend Mike Goldwater, a noted Arizona pioneer who subse quently named the town of Ehrenberg for him.
William Langenheim An inventive young German who helped develop one of the standard parlor entertainments of the 1890s, the stereopticon slides, almost lost his chance for fame because of the Texas Revolution. William Langenheim, who had been in Texas since 1833, was 20 when he was captured by the Mexicans as a member of Francis W. Johnson's scouting party in the battle of San Patricio. When he was released from a Mexican prison in 1837, Langenheim went to New Orleans and enlisted with the William Langenheim United States forces in the Seminole War. When his fighting days ended, he settled
6 in Philadelphia, opened a photographic studio, and experimented with many of the new processes being developed at that time. Langenheim greatly improved the crude stereopticon process for showing scenes in three dimensions. He became one / of the principal creators of the dual slides for viewers which soon graced practically every parlor table in the land.
...I, ~ k~I·. ' ' .' .. ";'''''· Ferdinand Lindheimer '"~. ' ." ',. . Leaving Germany in 1833 for political reasons, Ferdinand Lindheimer came . . .' to America and spent time first in Illinois, then in Mexico. In the last months of . ' . , ." 1835, he was caught up in the Texas Revolution. He started out for Texas, was shipwrecked near Mobile, and so joined Houston's army one day after the battle of San Jacinto. Missing his chance for military glory, he started immediately on a course which brought him international fame in far different circles. A trained botanist, Lindheimer collected specimens of Texas plants, identified, dried, and shipped them to leading museums. Working in an area unexplored by scientists, he made many valuable discoveries and was honored by having 20 species of plants and one genus of Texas wildflowers named for him. For 15 years Lindheimer roamed the coastal plains, the Hill Country, and other parts of Texas with his dogs Ferdinand Lindheimer and botanical cart, collecting specimens which he sent to George Englemann of the Missouri Botanical Gardens and to Asa Gray of Harvard University. In 1852 he settled down in New Braunfels and started a new career as editor of the Neu Braunfelser Zeitung. A scholarly, aggressive editor, Lindheimer made his newspa per a force throughout the growing German settlements of Texas. He was a leader among the Texas Germans who called for publicly..supported education in the state many years before it was to become a reality.
Industry, Texas 1838 The first German town in Texas was founded in 1838 by Friedrich Ernst, who laid out the town of Industry on his headright league. Having learned that he could successfully grow fine tobacco in the area, Ernst planned to open a cigar factory that would provide employment for the residents. Ernst wanted his town to have a German population and therefore offered special inducements to his countrymen to settle there. It became a favorite stopping place for immigrants on their way from landings at Galveston and Houston to their new homesites in the interior.
Louis Ervendberg Another immigrant who left a lasting imprint on the life of Texas's German settlements was the Reverend Louis Cachand Ervendberg, who arrived in Houston L C Ervendberg in 1839. He settled at Blumenthal near Industry, ministered to German congrega tions in that area, and led a move to establish a German-English university there in 1844. The supporters of this enterprise issued a charter, sold stock, received a league ofland from the state, and built a two-story structure, but the school never opened. Selected by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels as minister for the Protestants among his German immigrants, Ervendberg helped establish New Braunfels and built its first church. In 1846, when hundreds of immigrants became ill and died in a trek from the coast, Pastor Ervendberg ministered to the sick, then established an orphanage near New Braunfels for the children of those who had died on the way. In 1850 he secured a charter for a Western Texas University, to teach scientific agri culture, near New Braunfels. When this plan failed, he left for Mexico, where he was killed by bandits.
The German Union 1841 The German Union, founded in Houston in 1841, was the first of many German fraternal, charitable, singing, dancing, athletic, agricultural, and political societies to be formed in Texas. It was chartered by the Texas Congress to assist the sick and needy among German immigrants to Texas.
7 The Adelsverein 1842 German migration to Texas entered a new phase in 1842, when a group of noblemen met at Biebrich on the Rhine near Mainz and formed a society to promote German settlements in Texas. This poorly organized, uninformed, badly underfinanced organization had a number of names but is best known as the "Soci ety for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas," or the Mainzer Adelsver ein. In a series of comic-opera business deals, the naive noblemen were fleeced by several sets of Texas scoundrels and wound up with a tenuous claim on vast but uninhabitable lands. Despite the great misery their bumbling caused thousands of immigrants under their "protection," the Adelsverein made the Germanic influence the most important European factor in early Texas development.
Leiningen and Boos-Waldeck 1843 The Adelsverein sent Prince Victor of Leiningen and Count Joseph of Boos Waldeck to Texas in late 1843 to seek grants for their settlements. After stops in Houston and Industry, the prince went to Austin to seek concessions from the Seal of the Adelsverein Texas republic. None were granted, but Prince Victor was so impressed with Texas that he still made a favorable report to the Adelsverein. Count Joseph, staying in Industry, bought a league ofland a few miles north west of the town on Cummins Creek in what is now Fayette County. He named it Nassau, in honor of Duke Adolf of Nassau, Protector of the Adelsverein. Although it was never used for settlers, Nassau Farm served as a rest and recreation center for the noble representatives of the Adelsverein when they were in Texas. It was sold to Otto von Roeder when the society went broke .
.. Bourgeois and Ducos 1843 . The first costly mistake of the Adelsverein was the purchase of a worthless grant near San Antonio from two Texas Frenchmen, Alexander Bourgeois and Armand Ducos. Bourgeois was a typical early Texas wheeler-dealer. Hearing of the society's interest in Texas, he caught a boat for Germany, added a touch of royalty to his name by calling himself Alexander Bourgeois, Chevalier d'Orvanne, and charmed the Germans into buying a grant which had expired four months earlier. Not satisfied with this, he had himself named an officer of the society, with salary and expense account.
Duke Adolf of Nassau The Fisher-Miller Grant 1844 No sooner had the German noblemen divested themselves of the worthless Bourgeois Ducos grant than they fell prey to another pair of Texas con men. These were, at least, of German origin. Henry Francis Fisher (Heinrich Franz Fischer) and Burchard Miller (Brukart Mueller) had been in Texas long enough to establish themselves as land dealers and to secure a large acreage in West Texas. Their land, which lay be tween the Llano and the Colorado Rivers, was largely unsuited to farming and wholly occu pied by hostile Indians. With only ten months left before their concession expired, Fisher and Miller peddled their white elephant to the Adels verein. There were more than 3,000,000 acres, the surveying of which alone would take more than the society's original capital of $80,000. The soci ety acquired no title to the land, buying merely the obligation to settle a number of immigrants on it. Detail from 1851 map of Texas published in Wiesbaden, Germany
8 "The folly and short-sightedness that characterized the leaders was almost puerile. They possessed little business ability and were completely taken in by intriguing adventurers." -German quote of the time, relating to the Adelsverein.
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels 1844 Chosen by members of the Adelsverein as commissioner-general for the colony, Prince Carl arrived at Galveston in July 1844 with Alexander Bourgeois as his assistant. The dashing nobleman was no match for the myriad practical prob lems which confronted him during his ten and a half months in Texas. By the time he had determined that the Bourgeois-Ducos grant was worthless and had dismissed Bourgeois, the prince was faced with the second, equally disastrous purchase by the society. Knowing that the Fisher-Miller grant could not be occu pied until something was done about the Indians, he started negotiating for lands in a more settled region where the onrushing immigrants might be temporarily located. He bought a tract on Lavaca Bay to use as a landing place from which the new arrivals would be supplied and organized for their journey to the interior. The Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels prince did his royal best to care for the people entrusted to him. Unfortunately he considered it beneath his dignity to worry about money or even keep an account of the obligations that he made.
Carlshafen (Indianola) 1844 Three shiploads of Germans arrived on the Texas coast in December 1844. They debarked at the port which Prince Carl had bought and named Carlshafen (later known as Indianola). A warehouse and other facilities had been erected at Carls I"" -- -- - hafen, but there were no accommodations ' fl ~ "' ·· ~ .,.. ~". for the hundreds of immigrants, weary and _ ,' /' ra.~, ;: ~""' ~. ~ -:. t '..... : . ... . I'; :~··::--":~;c · -~------'-\' sick from a long sea voyage. They had to \ camp on the open beach in wet winter weather and so were impatient to move inland to the homes which had been prom ised them.
New Braunfels 1845 While his restless charges waited at Carlshafen, Prince Carl rode to San Antonio Indianola and bought, from the Veramendi family, a beautiful tract of well-watered, wooded land on the Comal River. This was intended to serve as a temporary settlement for the horde of immigrants and a way station on the route to the Fisher-Miller grant. On March 21, 1845, the prince led his bedrag gled party onto the land and established a town, naming it after his home province of Braunfels. The temporary settlement became permanent, and the way station one of the most solid German towns in Texas. New Braunfels is still one of the most charming of Texas towns.
Drawing of New Braunfels in 1870 by H. Brosius
9 1845 Along with the hard-working peas ants who made up the majority of the Adelsverein immigrants, the German influx brought many highly educated intellectu als to Texas. These people greatly enriched Texas in the areas of music, science, art, and literature. Probably the first German poem written on Texas soil was by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels. Original German settlers in front of the Sophienburg, c. 1878 The Sophienburg One of the most imposing buildings in the new town on the Comal was a fortified headquarters for Prince Carl and his staff, built on a low hill above New Braunfels. Named for the Prince's fiancee, Princess Sophia of Salm-Salm, the origi nal Sophienburg blockhouse was completely destroyed by a storm in 1866. On the thirty-third anniversary of the founding of the town, the surviving first settlers had their pIcture taken in front of the Sophienburg ruin.
... John O. Meusebach . When affairs of the colony became desperately muddled as a result of Prince Carl's autocratic methods and nonexistent accounting, the society chose a John O. Meusebach well-educated, wealthy, and idealistic young jurist to succeed him. Baron Ottfried Hans von Meusebach was a perfect choice-intelligent, learned, and practical. The day he sailed for Texas, he dropped his noble title and started in the new land as plain John O. Meusebach. Arriving at Galveston in April 1845, he had spent most of the society's available funds to free Prince Carl from his creditors. At every stop he found the affairs of the colony in worse shape. The settlers were disgruntled, unwilling to work, poorly provisioned, and inadequately housed. And he knew more boatloads were on their way from Germany. Meusebach straightened out the tangled finances of the colony, established credit in Texas, and prepared to expand Adelsverein holdings to make room for the oncoming flood of immigrants.
Hermann F. Seele Soon after Commissioner-General Meusebach's arrival, Hermann Friedrich Hermann F. Seele Seele opened in New Braunfels the first German-English school in Central Texas. Seele had been in Texas since 1843. He was one of the first settlers at New Braunfels and was a leader in social and cultural activities. He later served as county clerk of Comal County, as Civil War mayor of New Braunfels, and as a member of the Texas Legislature.
Hoffmann von Fallersleben 1846 Early in 1846, when a group of Germans headed by Pastor Adolf Fuchs of Mecklenburg were sailing for Texas, the famous poet Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote a song, "The Star of Texas," in honor of the occasion. Later he wrote a number of other Texas songs, published them in a small German songbook, and sent them to his Texas friends. His Texanische Lieder became quite popular among settlers in the new country. Von Fallersleben is best remembered as the author of Hoffmann von Fallers/eben "Deutschland, Deutschland liber Alles," the German national anthem.
10 Fredericksburg 1846 With New Braunfels settled and more immigrants on the way, Meusebach sought land for another way station nearer the Fisher-Miller Hill Country grant. He bought on credit 10,000 acres in the Hill Country 80 miles northwest of New Braunfels. In May of 1846 he led the first train of 120 immigrants to the site on which he founded the town of Fredericksburg.
Comanche Treaty 1847 The immigrants' goal of settling on the Fisher-Miller grant was blocked by hostile Indians. John O. Meusebach made peace with the less-warlike Waco tribe, then set out to deal with the fierce Comanches. In January 1847 he left with 40 men for the Comanche camps on the San Saba River. When the time came for nego tiations to begin, Meusebach rode into the Comanche camp emptying his rifle so that the Indians would know that he was unarmed and unafraid. He won their respect with his courage and their confidence with his frankness. The Comanches agreed to allow the Germans to explore the territory and, on March 2,1847, signed a treaty which allowed them to enter the grant and make settlements. This remark able treaty was the only one negotiated by white men and Indians in Texas which was kept rigorously by both sides.
The Fredericksburg Easter Fires An enduring Hill Country tradition came about as a result of the Meusebach-Comanche negotiations. While Meusebach and his men were traveling among the Indians, the Indians themselves placed a watch on the town of Fred ericksburg to ensure against treachery. Th'ey built signal fires on the hills around the town. As long as the fires blazed high, tribesmen in the distant camps would know that all was well. The children in the German settlement were frightened when they saw the fires, but a pio neer mother made up a story that it was only the Easter Rabbit at work, cooking eggs in great cauldrons and then dyeing them with wildflow ers gathered from the hills. The pageant of the Signing of the Meusebach-Comanche treaty Easter Fires has been continued at Fredericks- burg since that time.
Bettina Colony 1847 Opening of the Fisher-Miller Grant allowed for rapid expansion of the Ger man settlements. The towns of Castell and Leiningen were founded within the limits of the grant. One of the most interesting settlements, at the junction of Elm Creek and the Llano River, was the Bettina Colony. It was organized along com munallines by a group of German university scholars and named for Bettina von Arnim, a leading German intellectual of her day. "The Forty" (Die Vierziger) who made up the founding group were brilliant professional men, artists, and musi cians. None were farmers or craftsmen. With "too many chiefs and no Indians:' the venture soon failed, and much finely trained talent was dispersed among the German towns.
Bettina von Amim Gustav Schleicher Gustav Schleicher, one of the Bettina founders, was educated in civil engi neering and architecture. When the Bettina Colony collapsed, he moved to San Antonio, where he practiced law and supervised construction of the San Antonio and Mexican Gulf Railroad. He served in the Texas Legislature before the Civil War, was an engineer for the Confederacy, and, in the postwar period, served three terms in the United States House of Representatives. Schleicher County in West Texas was named for him.
Dr. Ferdinand von Herff Another talented member of the Bettina group was Dr. Ferdinand von Herff, a highly skilled surgeon, who had earned a distinguished record in the Hessian army. Although the Bettina Colony soon failed, Herff had one highly unusual expe rience there. Following a successful cataract operation (the first such surgery in the state) on the eye of a Comanche brave, the patient promised to bring Dr. Herff a young girl as an expression of his gratitude. The surgeon did not take the promise Gustav Schleicher seriously until six months later when the brave returned with a Mexican girl. Not knowing what else to do, Dr. Herff turned her over to the only other woman in the colony as a cook's helper. Later the girl married Hermann Spiess, who succeeded John O. Meusebach as commissioner-general of the Adelsverein. When the Bettina experiment collapsed, Dr. Herff moved first to New Braun fels, then to San Antonio, where his office became a center for advanced research in surgery apd pathology. Herff studied cures for tuberculosis and performed plastic surgery and the first hysterectomy in this country. A man of great intellectual force, he was influential in the political and cultural circles of San Antonio throughout his c Nimitz Hotel A Texas landmark for many generations, the quaint Nimitz Hotel in Freder icksburg was built and operated by Captain Charles H. Nimitz. He had come to the town in 1847 after a career on the riverboats. Nimitz built a series of hotels in the town, each larger and more splendid than the last. His establishment, which Dr. Ferdinand von Herff included hotel, casino, saloon, general store, brewery, and stables, became a favor ite stopping place on the main military road from San Antonio to EI Paso. Its reg ister contained the names of such famous guests as Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, and the infamous "Mr. Howard," better known as Jesse James. Nimitz was a genial host, a power in the German community, and a friend of many Nimitz Hotel of his distinguished guests. Victor Bracht 1848 Victor Bracht, a native of Dusseldorf, had genuine enthusiasm for Texas and Texans. He arrived in 1845 as an employee of the Adelsver ein. Landing at Galveston, he promptly headed for New Braunfels and established a home. For the next two years, he traveled extensively in the German areas on behalf of his employer. Dis satisfied with existing immigrant guidebooks, Bracht wrote one of his own in which he attempted to be realistic about the advantages and disadvantages of moving to Texas. His book gave high praise to the character of the people, although he noted a talent for sharp dealing among the menfolk. The women, he said, liked nothing better than to "sit unthinking and at 12 ease in their rocking chairs." But he admired the confident attitude of the people and the air of freedom in which they flourished. Otto mar von Behr 1848 Pioneer of the Hill Country ranching industry Ottomar von Behr settled near the village of Sisterdale in 1848. A scholarly sheepman, he wrote a practical book on farming and ranching in Texas, with emphasis on the advantages of sheep rais ing. Published in Leipzig and widely circulated among prospective immigrants, his Good Advice for Immigrants laid the foundations for stable agricultural develop ment among the Germans of Texas. Ferdinand von Roemer 1849 Victor Bracht One of the most valuable surveys of Texas flora, fauna, and geology, still considered a classic, was published in Germany in 1849. Texas by Ferdinand von Roemer has since been translated and republished several times. The young German paleontologist was sent by the Berlin Academy of Science to make a geo logical survey of Texas and especially of the area within the Adelsverein grant. Von Roemer was a keen observer and a diligent worker. In gathering his scientific specimens, he was greatly aided by the children of the German settlements, who regarded him as their friend. After two years of exploration, he returned to Ger many, where he produced a book entitled Texas. This delightfully written volume is important because of its wealth of information about the natural setting and its penetrating insights into the social customs of the times. Von Roemer's great affec tion for Texas is evidenced in the concluding lines of his book: "During my stay of more than a year I had grown to love the beautiful land of meadows, to which belongs a great future. It moved me to sorrow that I must say farewell to the land forever. To me there still remain rich and pleasaJ?t memories; and from afar -I shall always follow with lively interest the further development of the country. May its Ferdinand von Roemer broad, green prairies become the habitation of a great and happy people!" Pastor Adolf Fuchs 1849 In 1849 Pastor Adolf Fuchs petitioned the Texas Legislature for financial aid to the Cat Spring School. This was the forerunner of another petition by Texas Ger mans for general state support of public schools. The Germans were among the first to promote this practice in Texas. Pastor Fuchs subsequently left the ministry and tried farming, then became interested in education. He taught music at Baylor Female College in Independence before moving in 1853 to Burnet County, near Marble Falls, where he died. The von Rosenberg Family: Mapmakers Pastor Adolf Fuchs Three generations of the von Rosenbergs had distinguished careers as map makers in Texas. Karl Wilhelm von Rosenberg, a licensed surveyor and architect, left Germany amid political and economic turmoil late in 1849. At age 28 he brought his entire family-wife, parents, and eight brothers and sisters-to Texas. They settled near Round Top in Fayette County, where Wilhelm bought a small farm. In 1856 he sold the farm and moved to Austin to work as a draftsman at the General Land Office. By 1861 he was chief draftsman. His career was interrupted by the Civil War, in which he served as a topographical engineer for the Confederacy. He returned to the Land Office until Reconstruction began, then opened a land agency of his own, and prospered until his death in 1901. His son, Ernst, went to work as a draftsman in the General Land Office in 1876 and eventually rose to chief draftsman. Except for a two-year interval, he continued there until his death in 1915. Two of Ernst's sons, Herman and Ernest, were topographers with the old State Reclamation Department when that agency was consolidated with the General Land Office in 1939. Herman resigned because Karl Wilhelm von Rosenberg of ill health in 1952, and Ernest retired in 1954. When the Red River boundary dispute arose between Texas and Oklahoma in the 1920s, the von Rosenbergs and the Penick brothers did the .' , topographical work for the state attorney general's office. Their work was so outstanding that both the State of Oklahoma and the federal government discarded their own maps and asked per mission to use the Texas maps. Charles William Pressler 1851 Charles William Pressler was an exceptionally gifted car ,r tographer, who came from Germany in 1846 and first worked for Jacob de Cordova, the "land merchant." He became a drafts man for the General Land Office in 1850, and the next year, with W. Voelker, he produced a Texas map which was published in Germany. His later maps, published in the United States, became standard Texas guides through the 1880s. A meticulous researcher, Pressler did the basic work for the first accurate maps 111'<1.....:1 r""" It ...(",." ... f' .. p ~ r ,,,,,s..,~ .. "Id"'..... ~ l'IU'i. \\'.f'lieiSl.D. " A.II. 1•• .,.. "Uk."'S. of Texas counties. In 1857 he discovered that the 100th meridian, AV.T:Uf, rlt:Z-_l.". t.-.IIf.-lQ,;.J:., ...... which Captain Randolph B. Marcy had surveyed for the United States government in 1852, was one degree east of its true loca Pocket map of the State of Texas tion. On his calculations, Congress ordered the line re-run. by C.W Pressler I:Iermann Lungkwitz and Richard Petri The influx of well-educated professional Germans into the Texas life stream made a marked impact, not only on the scientific potential in the state but also in su~h artistic fields as painting, lithography, sculpture, and music. Two competent painters who immigrated were Hermann Lungkwitz and Richard Petri, brothers in:law who settled their families in the Hill Country in 1852. Working in the New Braunfels and Fredericksburg areas, they produced fine paintings of Texas scenes and of the Indians they encountered on the frontier. Lungkwitz's landscapes and Petri's Indians are prized collectors' items today. Rudolph Melchior As they became prosperous, German settlers in the older areas along the lower Brazos River began to have the ceilings and walls of their homes decorated with colorful designs. A number of artists did these striking decorations, some with stencils, some freehand. One of the finest was Rudolph Melchior, a successful Hermann Lungkwitz artist who had emigrated from Germany. Melchior lived at Latium, a community of intellectuals in Washington County where classical Latin was spoken regularly in debates of the cultural society. The prime example of his artistry in decoration is preserved in the Winedale Inn, restored by Miss Ima Hogg and given to the Uni versity of Texas. Other examples of his work are to be seen in German houses in the Round Top area. Captain Charles Schreiner When Charles Schreiner, a 19-year-old native of Alsace-Lorraine, began a small Kerr County ranch in 1857, he entered a business that would attract many German Texans. Active in defense of his new home, Schreiner served with the Texas Rangers and the Confederate army and as captain of a post-Civil War home guard organized to meet the Indian menace. Surmounting extreme poverty and hard ship after the war, Captain Schreiner secured a loan in 1869 to open a general mer chandising store in Kerrville. The business prospered with the town and extended its activities to include banking, ranching, and wool and mohair marketing. As the United States' first enterprise to popularize mohair, the company did much to launch Kerrville as the "Mohair Center of the World." By 1900 Charles Schreiner Rudolph Melchior 14 Company owned more than 600,000 acres of ranch land between Kerrville and Menard. The general store remains one of the largest in the Southwest, and the Schreiner bank stands as a cornerstone of Kerrville solidarity. The endowment of the Schreiner Institute was among Captain Charles Schreiner's philanthropies, which exceeded a million dollars at his death in 1927. Musical Activities 1850s Characteristically the German towns in Texas had singing and dancing soci eties, chamber music groups, and brass "oompah" bands. Typical of the German bands popular throughout Texas at this time was one called "The Boys" from Austin. Menger Hotel 1859 William Menger, who had operated a successful brewery in San Antonio since the mid-1840s, developed so much business from Castroville, New Braunfels, Seguin, and Fredericksburg that he needed a place to house his customers over night. In 1859 he built the Menger Hotel adjacent to the Alamo. Later additions turned it into one of the city's most famous stopping places. Officers of various military units headquartered in San Antonio prized the fine food and excellent bar. Teddy Roose velt is said to have done his most effective recruiting for the Rough Riders at the Menger bar. Civil War 18605 A majority of Texas Germans opposed secession and remained loyal to the Union. Many lived in the frontier counties, where most citizens, regardless of national origin, opposed secession because it would leave them without protection from the Indians. Most Texas Germans also opposed slavery as a matter of principle and wanted the institu tion abolished. They believed, however, that the states should be allowed to solve the problem without federal interference. The small farmers, with modest holdings and capital, had little use for slaves. The German Besserer's "The Boys" band intellectuals liked neither slavery nor the idea of disunion. Many of them had left Germany disillusioned because of failure to create a union of the principali ties. There were, however, a few slaveowners among the wealthier Germans with extensive landholdings. Some of these people joined the Confederate cause. Sev eral attained the rank of general in the Confederate army, for example, August C. Buchel. He had fought for the American cause in the Mexican War, at one point serving, with commendations, on General Zachary Taylor's staff. He rose quickly to brigadier general in the Civil War and was killed leading a charge in April 1864. In the decades following the Civil War, German immigration to Texas con tinued at a greater pace than ever before. Predominantly German communities began spreading to south, north-central, and northwest portions of the state. Orga nized colonization efforts were taking place as late as 1920. Perhaps the story of this second-generation activity lacks the romantic appeal of the earlier movement, but its significance must not be overlooked. In 1860 nearly 20,000 Texans were German-born. By 1890 this figure had reached 48,000. General August C. Buchel 15 Henry Greenwall 1869 German-born Henry Greenwall opened a theater in Galveston in 1869. For the next 40 years, he was a leading figure in Texas theatrical circles, with produc tions in Galveston, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Waco. He brought hits of the American and British stages as well as the classical German repertoire to appreciative Texas audiences. The German-English School in San Antonio 1870 Drawing enrollment from distant parts of the state, the German-English School in San Antonio ranked among the outstanding cultural institutions of 19th century Texas. In March 1858 the private school was organized with two inviolable principles which were fol lowed throughout its 40-year life: religious instruction was prohibited, and German and English were taught German-English School in equal measure. The curriculum also included Span ish, geography, writing, poetry, history, algebra, arith metic, sewing, and singing. Classes were moved from rented quarters in 1860 to a new stone structure on South Alamo Street. A prestigious German social club the Casino Association-aided building funds with a centennial celebration commemorating poet Friedrich von Schiller, to whom the establishment was dedicated. In 1870 a two-story unit was dedicated to Baron von Humboldt; two later additions were also made. The buildings, constructed by German-born John Kamp mann, were as sturdy as the discipline and standards of the school, directed for many years by Julius Berends. With the development of free public schools, the Ger man-English School closed in 1897. The buildings, now city-owned, were HemisFair headquarters in 1968. "The Battle of the Nueces" by c.H. Clauss Battle of the Nueces 1862 One of the tragic highlights of the Civil War in Texas was the battle of the Nueces on August 10, 1862. It was a massacre in which more than half of an encampment of 65 German Union sympathizers were wiped out in a surprise attack by a superior force of Texas state troops. The Germans, from the Freder icksburg area, were on their way to Mexico. Camped near the Nueces about 20 miles from Fort Clark, they were charged by a force of 94 mounted men. Those who escaped fled into Mexico or made their way back home. The bones of the fallen were not gathered and buried until after the war. An impressive monument listing the victims and bearing the legend Treue der Union (Loyal to the Union) was erected in 1866. It is today a well-preserved landmark in the charming town of Comfort, between New Braunfels and Fredericksburg. Like "Loyal Valley" south of Mason, it is one of the few remaining evidences of a group of Texans who remained faithful to the Union throughout the Civil War. Jacob Brodbeck 1865 An inventive German schoolmaster living in Fredericksburg may have solved many of the problems of flight long before the development of the internal com bustion engine made modern aviation possible. Jacob Friedrich Brodbeck launched Jacob Brodbeck models of his flying machine at numerous regional fairs in Texas between 1863 and 16 1865. His design had a rudder, wings, and propellers and was powered with iQnttttrt~$bor~- --- -.----. ------l coiled springs. In San Antonio, in the summer of 1865, Brodbeck announced plans to build and fly a full-scale "air I 1 $; 1. 25. San Atuonio, T" Ju.ne 27th 1865. I ship." He offered "certificates of inter I SIX months after the sale of a U. S.:,.patent right for an airship. invented I est" to investors who would finance by me, I promise tc pay to ~~. ~ i:- • '" the trial run. Certificates were bought I I ONE DOLLAR and l'W EXTY FI \' 1': CEN1.'S, together with his share of One by leaders of the Texas German com Fourth of the amoullt J'l'c('i\'cd by such expenses deducted, or two months munity, including Dr. Ferdinand von I ~a.le , I Herff. There is a persistent story that I after the term for which a U. S. patent will be granted to me, together~ith a Ii the full-scale air-ship was built and I yearly payment of his share of One Fourth of the profits accrued by the saie of such i airships, as the case may be, value received. 0 '" 9";'1 etc' /.-.-, j flown by Brodbeck late in 1865. The 1 ! /. . r-r: 7' £'1-(, . if.", ,.~ . I demonstration was said to have been ·-----_ ·_---_.. ·_ ·_------·-11 staged in a pasture near San Antonio. According to an old account, the plane and pilot Brodbeck soared to tree-top Brodbeck's certificate of interest height, then crashed-the spring-power he had provided unfortunately could not be rewound in flight. The ship was demolished, and Brodbeck slightly injured. This episode completely scared off his backers. After several years of touring the East in search of support, Jacob Brodbeck gave up and retired to his farm at Luckenbach. The Wright brothers' subsequent success in 1903 justified Brodbeck's confidence in the feasibility of manned flight. Elisabet N ey One of the most important persons in the development of the fine arts in Texas arrived on the scene in 1872, when Elisabet Ney, with her husband, Dr. Edmund Montgomery, bought a plantation near the town of Hempstead. Their home, Liendo, was (and still is) one of the most beautiful houses in Texas. Miss Ney was already a famous sculptor in Europe, with busts of Kaiser Wilhelm I, Gari baldi, Ludwig II, Humboldt, Schopenhauer, and others to her credit. Dr. Montgom ery, a Scot, was a highly respected physician, naturalist, and philosopher. Miss Ney was commissioned by the state to make statues of Stephen F. Austin and Sam Hous ton for the Texas exhibit at the World's Fair in 1893. She built her studio, called Formosa, in the area north of the university in Austin and eventually produced the two statues. Copies now stand in both the national and the Texas state capitols. She also produced a full-length reclining figure of General Albert Sydney Johnston, which is mounted over the hero's grave in the Texas State Cemetery. For mosa is now preserved as a museum by the Texas Fine Arts Association. Hank Smith Hank Smith broke the first sod, planted the first crops, and dug the first well on the plains of northwest Texas. He was born Heinrich Schmidt in Ross brunn, Germany, on August 15, 1836. At the age of 14, he immigrated with two older sisters to America. He worked briefly as a sailor on Lake Erie, then in 1852 headed down the Santa Fe Trail, bound for a life of adventure on the frontier. He worked as a surveyor, teamster, and miner before joining the Confederate ranks at the outset of the Civil War. After the war Smith resumed his career as a wagonmaster and teamster. At Fort Griffin, Texas, in 1874 he met and married a Scottish girl named Elizabeth Boyle. Three years later a wealthy Philadelphian commis sioned Smith to establish a ranch near the junction of Blanco Canyon and the Salt Fork of the Brazos. There the nearest neighbor was 50 miles away. When the Phila delphian went bankrupt, Smith took charge of the prop erty, which included an impressive stone edifice, soon known far and wide as Hank Smith's rock house. The Hank Smith's rock house 17 house also served as a post office on a mail line between Fort Griffin and Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Smith's wife, fondly known as "Aunt Hank;' was postmistress for 39 years. Smith himself spent the remainder of his life experimenting with new crops. Countless visitors came to hear his stories of youthful adventures in the Old West. He died in 1912; Aunt Hank, in 1925. The Sons of Hermann 1890 The Order of the Sons of Hermann was established in Texas by pioneer set tlers of San Antonio on July 6, 1861. John Lemnitzer, who had been active in the Hermann Sons organization in New York, sought to form a San Antonio chapter First meeting of the Grand Lodge, early in 1860, but authorization from the San Antonio, 1890 National Grand Lodge did not come until the following year. The records show that these early members had to bring their own chairs to meetings if they wished to be seated. Until 1921 the meetings were conducted in German. The lodge staged or participated in volksfests, concerts, dances, parades, masquerade balls, and other public..interest events. They also engaged in a wide variety of charitable undertak ings. A Grand Lodge was organized at San Antonio in 1890, with eight member lodges across the state. The organization has grown until it is represented in practi ca.J.ly all areas of Texas. In addition to its recreation and fellowship activities, the Sons of Hermann operate a summer youth camp and a home for the aged, both in Comfort, Texas. The order is "also well known for its highly solvent life insurance program. In 1987 there were nearly 80,500 members, only about half of which were Germans. Cigar Making and the "Travis Club" 1893 Friedrich Ernst, "Father of German Immigration in Texas," was a cigar maker, and many of his countrymen who came to the new land followed that trade. Cigar factories in Texas were nearly as numerous as pharmacies in the late 19th cen tury, but only one-the Finck Cigar Company-remained by 2001. San Antonio alone had 18 other cigar manufacturers in 1893 when H.W. Finck, son of a German immigrant, located there. His family lived upstairs over the small business. By 1910 the company was flourishing, and Finck was among the socially prominent citizens who formed the Travis Club and built an elaborate, many-storied clubhouse. For members only, Finck prepared a special "Travis Club" cigar. Patriotically the club opened its doors to World War I servicemen, who moved in en masse, leaving little room for the membership. Out of the habit of atten dance, members failed to come back after the war and the club folded-but not its namesake cigar. Former sol diers from various states, who had sampled the aromatic product in Texas, flooded the firm with orders, ensuring a future for the "Travis Club" smoke. Today the company is operated by a third-generation Finck with the same initials as its founder. William Gebhardt 1894 Chili making-with the right combination of spices mixed with extracted and ground pulp from the chili pod-was difficult for the American housewife until William Gebhardt (center) German-born William Gebhardt came to her aid. In 1892 Gebhardt opened a cafe in the back of Miller's Saloon in New Braunfels. He soon found that chili was a favorite dish in that German community. He also discovered that it was a seasonal food, since homegrown chilies were available only once a year. By importing ancho chili peppers from Mexico, he could serve the spicy concoc tion year-round. In 1894 he developed the first commercial chili powder by run ning pepper bits three times through a small home meat grinder. Two years later Gebhardt established a factory for the product in San Antonio. At the beginning he could make five cases of chili powder a week. He would place these on the back of a wagon, drive around town until all were sold, and then return to his grinder. Ultimately Gebhardt invented and patented 37 machines for his factory. Following an expansion in 1911 , the company put out the first canned chili con carne and tamales. Frank van der Stucken Jr. 1895 Frank van der Stucken Jr. was the first Texas musician to achieve interna tional fame. Born in Fredericksburg in 1858, he was the son of a German mother and a Belgian father. His family took him at the age of eight to Europe, where he Frank van der Stucken Jr. studied under some of the greatest musicians of the day. As a young man he gained wide fame as both a conductor and a composer. In 1895 he became director of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He worked diligently to popularize American music with concert audi ences on both sides of the Atlantic. Van der Stucken died in Hamburg, Germany, in 1929. Oscar Fox 1920 Oscar Fox was the first Texas born songwriter to achieve fame through the use of his native background. Born in 1879, Fox was a grandson of Adolf Fuchs, the minister, farmer, and edu cator who had once taught music at Baylor College in Independence. Edu cated in San Antonio, Texas, and Zurich, Switzerland, Oscar Fox was an organist, choirmaster, and teacher in various Texas cities before winning national recogni tion with his musical settings of cowboy songs collected by John Lomax. Fox con tinued to compose music for other peo ple's lyrics from 1922 until his death in 1961. Lyrics for "The Hills of Home," his best-known composition, were writ ten by Floride Calhoun, who, at the time, J was living in San Antonio. She was refer ring to the hills of New York State, but, J when Oscar Fox set the poem to music, he was thinking of the hills of Burnet Oscar Fox County, Texas, where he was born. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz 1941 After Pearl Harbor President Franklin D. Roosevelt promoted a Texan of German ancestry to be commander of the Pacific Fleet. Chester Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg in a house still preserved on the main street. He was the grandson of Captain Charles Nimitz, pioneer hotelman and one-time boatman. The younger Nimitz grew up in Fredericksburg and Kerrville and went to the U.S. Naval Acad emyas a cadet in 1901. Chester Nimitz graduated with distinction from the acad emy in 1905 and rose steadily in rank until 1944, when President Roosevelt chose 19 1 him over 28 senior flag officers to be Fleet Admiral, one of the most difficult assignments of World War II. His task ended on U.S.S. Missouri when he accepted the Japanese surrender. Nimitz served as Chief of Naval Operations until his retirement in 1947. Since his death in 1966, the citizens of Fredericksburg have devel oped a museum in his honor on the site of his grandfather's famous old hotel. Conclusion According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 2,220,162 persons of German descent estimated to be living in Texas in 2000. Excepting the large Anglo element in the population, German Texans are outnumbered only by African and Mexican Texans. In medicine, in engineering, in ranching, and in many other fields, German Texans are heavy contributors to the state's gen eral prosperity. Their distinctive architecture-including Catho lic, Lutheran, and Methodist churches-dominates the land in a large area of Central Texas. While melding into the general pat tern of Texas life, they retain in a number of regions the tra ditional German customs of oompah bands, singing societies (Mannerchore) , and marksmanship contests (SchutzenJeste). Most Texans enjoy German sausage and the special German touch on meat, dairy, and pastry delicacies. And most have incorporated into their Yuletide observance the Christmas tree, which German settlers brought to Texas in the 1840s. Today German Texans con Admiral Chester W. Nimitz ... tinue with the constructive hand of their forebears. .ITS The University of Texas INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES at San Antonio