By Myra Lee Adams Goff

“Connecticut Yankees in Prince Carl’s Court” might describe the Torrey brothers, John F., Tudor, Abraham, George, David, and Thomas. They were indeed from Connecticut and three of them did end up in Prince Carl’s domain. One of them, John, stayed.

If you look at the 1850 map, you will see a street named Yankee Strasse parallel to the Comal River. It was next to the property on which John Torrey put his first mill. Yankee Street is no more and what used to be called Market Road was renamed Torrey Street.

In 1838 we find the Torrey brothers engaging in a merchandising company near Houston located on a hill about two miles from the Brazos River. The brothers were “closely associated with Sam Houston’s efforts to establish friendly relations with Indians in Texas”. (Source: Oscar Haas) Indians hunted hides of buffalo, deer, raccoon, cougar, beaver, antelope, bobcats, grey wolf hides and they were traded for provisions that the Indians wanted. The hides were processed by the Torreys and sent all over the United States, even Canada. Mules were also traded. Most of the mules were captured by the Comanches on their annual raids in the northern province of Mexico. (Source: Roemer)

The Torrey brothers furnished wagons, teams, and provisions for the first German emigrants coming to NB from the coast. The company also supplied guns and swords for Prince Carl’s mounted soldiers. As a result, John Torrey accompanied the emigrants to NB and there established a trading house. The first corn crop from the settlers was ground by a horse-powered grinding mill for 10 cents a bushel. This establishment was at the intersection of San Antonio and Hill Streets.

Three of the Torrey brothers married in New Braunfels; John married Laura Dittmar, George married Mary Frances Taylor, and Tudar married Annie Weir. The 1860 census for Comal County lists John Torrey, wife Laura, daughter Emma, son John; also Abraham Torrey and the Torrey’s father, Jacob.

An interesting family connection to George Torrey is that his wife’s father was Matthew Taylor, who was the proprietor of Taylor Hotel (former Comal House) located where the Pfeuffer Law Offices are now. During the Civil War, Matthew Taylor became the tax assessor and collector in Comal County of Confederate States War Tax. The rate was 50 cents for $100 value.

In 1848 John Torrey began his manufacturing ventures big time.  He received a permit to build a water powered grist and saw mill on the Comal River at the foot of Mill St. To this he added the manufacturing of wheat flour and a shop to produce doors, sashes, and blinds. In 1861 this three story timber constructed building was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours.

Not giving up, Torrey in 1863 received a charter from the State of Texas to import cotton cloth weaving machinery, duty free, from Mexico. He built a three story stone building at the same site on the Comal and went into partnership with the Runge Brothers of Indianola. Once again, Nature swooped down and a tornado in 1869 took off the third floor where the looms for manufacturing cotton cloth were located. He put a roof on the second floor and continued operation.

Three years later the Comal River went on a flooding rampage and totally collapsed the newly renovated stone building, plus the rebuilt dam and a nearby iron bridge. The only thing left is part of the Torrey Mill foundation visible at the Clemens Dam area at the foot of Mill Street.

That was it for John Torrey. He left New Braunfels and lived out the rest of his life on land that he had purchased in 1843 in Hood County. He died in 1893. Although he gave eight acres of land to establish the Comal Cemetery, he is not buried there.

Descendants of Torrey gather at the marker placed at site of first grist and flour mill. Erected by the State Centennial Historic Committee on Oct. 9, 1936, the marker can be seen near the tube chute.

By Myra Lee Adams Goff

Next week is Valentine’s Day and the Sophienburg has a display of about 30 of their historic valentines from the early 1900s to the 1950s. The most elaborate and beautiful card is a zephyr (hot air balloon) decorated with a technique called “honeycomb”. Parts of the card fold down and paper doilies are the predominant decoration. The cards are in a display case next to the front desk.

The message and subject on the card gives you a clue to its date. In the early 1900s the message was very sentimental, like “With fond and true affection” and “Sincere and true is my love for you” and decorations looked Victorian with hearts and flowers. Remember the Campbell’s Kids on the soup cans? We have a valentine with those kids and that puts it in the 1920-30 era. Valentine postcards were a big thing. Some are sentimental, but many are humorous, like “I’m looking for one like you to spend my money on”. That one wasn’t signed.

Almost everyone has a Valentine story. One of my favorite stories came from Janelle Berger who told me that when her husband, Dr. Chuck Berger, was in medical practice here in New Braunfels, he accepted a lady’s valentine collection as payment for medical treatment.

While I was teaching, I would wear my 1941 heart bracelet on February 14. The bracelet has 30 hearts engraved with friends and family names. The hearts were soldered on because my mother knew that I liked to take things apart. I used the bracelet to tell the students about WWII and NB. One heart actually has 1941 engraved on the back - the year the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

Five of the hearts predictably have American flags and one has the Liberty Bell which became the icon of defense bond sales. Three hearts have tropical scenes with palm trees, ocean shores, no doubt because of America’s involvement in the South Pacific.

One heart I found at the bottom of Landa Park pool when it was being drained and cleaned. One heart was a sample from Vollmar’s Five and Dime. I didn’t know the “Catherine” that was engraved on the back, but the Vollmars were friends of my family and I was often the recipient of such goodies.

I see that my cat Snoopy went down to Roth’s Jewelry to buy a small heart with a stone on it. Roth’s Jewelry hearts were engraved with a machine and some have beautiful enameled surfaces. Snoopy had good taste.

Heart bracelets were outlawed at school.  I suppose that anything that takes 20 or 30 people to put together makes too much noise. Thank you, Mother, for not letting me take my bracelet apart.

There are as many versions as to how Valentine’s Day started as there are valentines. The history is both interesting and bazaar. Here’s one: In Roman Empire days, the Romans engaged in a pagan practice of putting the names of teenage girls in a box and adolescent boys would draw a name at random. The girls were then assigned to live with the boys for a year, celebrating a young man’s rite of passage. Early church leaders, objecting to this practice and determined to replace this pagan Lupercalia festival on February 14th, substituted St. Valentine, a bishop who had been martyred two hundred years earlier for secretly  marrying couples after Emperor Claudius II banned marriage. February 14th then became St. Valentine’s Day in his honor. The box idea lived on, and with time, into the box were put names of saints. Both men and women drew a name and in turn promised to live like that saint. St. Valentine was the most popular saint.  Valentine boxes have changed dramatically over the years!

Think about this: Valentines have evolved to the Internet. Is the meaning still the same?

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Sophienburg Collection Ladies. Top row, L-R Ann Giambernardi, Georgia Banta, Yvonne Rahe. Sitting, L-R Virginia Nowotny, Madelyn Harris, Helen Hoffmann