(Reprint of AROUND THE SOPHIENBURG article published March 31, 2009, by Myra Lee Adams Goff)

Children don’t question whether it’s possible for rabbits to lay eggs. They just know that when they build a pretty nest of grass and flowers, the Osterhase (Easter Rabbit) lays these beautiful multi-colored eggs. It’s the miracle of the beginning of life.

Research says that Easter was named after the ancient spring goddess Eastre whose earthly symbol was the hare. Being a pagan symbol, it was rejected by the more austere religious denominations until after the Civil War. With all the tragedy during that time, Easter became a symbol of renewal and hope. (Charles Panati, “Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things”).

I have found no written account of the frivolous hare in the records of the first 1845 Easter in New Braunfels. Arriving on Good Friday (March 21, 1845), the first settlers celebrated Easter with a worship service under the elms below Sophienburg Hill. There is no mention of rabbits or eggs. Supposedly it was the Pennsylvania Dutch who brought the Easter customs to America. The rabbit was a natural symbol of renewal (that figures).

Easter is one of the most sacred of Christian holy days, falling on the first Sunday after a full moon on or after the vernal equinox (never before March 22 or after April 25). In the Christian religion, it is the celebration of Resurrection.

Now about eggs: The ancient Romans had a saying, “Omne vivum ex ovo” meaning, “All life comes from an egg”. Colored eggs were exchanged as gifts. The eggs were commonly dyed with flowers, leaves, insects, vegetables and whatever stained.

Karl and Helen Kypfer Zipp are a multi-generational family here in NB that celebrate Easter in the same way that their families did years ago. Helen grew up in Geronimo and to this day, her family gets together at the Kypfer homestead for a late Sunday egg hunt. Each child builds a nest of grass outside (unless it rains) and decorates it with rose petals, primroses and any wildflower that can be found. That illusive rabbit lays beautiful, colored eggs in the nest and all over the yard. The advent of food coloring made the laying of colored eggs easier for the rabbit. In the past, the children would be given baby chicks to then be raised on the farm. New clothes, hats, shoes and gloves were part of the Easter tradition. Helen can remember that wearing white was done only after Easter.

I know what Karl Zipp’s traditional Easter was like because he is a part of my extended family. Our aunts and great-aunts owned the original Karl Roessing homestead in Comaltown on Union Street where the Comal Drug stands. Karl Roessing was his g-grandfather and my g-g-grandfather. The family would gather on Easter Sunday afternoon. While the children played in the house, the men would hide the eggs all over the yard. Then the cousins would take our decorated oatmeal box baskets outside and begin the hunt. It took quite a while because it was such a large yard. In the evening, we would sit around a long picnic table under the trees and as evening came, candles were lit casting a sort of magic as night fell. Then began the storytelling and singing. That was the most fun of all.

Addendum:

Karl Zipp passed away Dec 9, 2016. The Kypfer Family descendants still gather at the old Kypfer homestead to celebrate Easter and family. It is a tradition that has lasted for seven generations!

You can read more of Myra Lee’s stories at http://sophienburg.wpenginepowered.com/museum/around-the-sophienburg or purchase her book at Sophie’s Shop in the Sophienburg Museum.

“Around the Sophienburg” is published every other weekend in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

The small dining/living room was stuffed with my eight aunts, seven uncles, Grandma and Grandpa, and my cousins. I think there were about 13 of us kids at the time. It was Christmas. Grandma’s tree was decorated with old ornaments that were not like our 1960s ones. And there were bubble lights — magical, colored-liquid-filled tubes of glass that absolutely mesmerized us.

The night before, Christmas Eve, we had all bathed and washed our hair (not a daily thing) and donned our Christmas finery. I always had new red patent leather “Sunday” shoes; I would get new white patent leather ones for Easter. Then we’d pile into cars and drive to church.

Christmas Eve in the little stone country church was an event full of familiar carols, candlelight and the pungent but refreshing smell of cedar. Some of my aunts would sing in the choir up in the loft. The church was filled with folks we only saw when we came for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. They were mostly “cousins” and relatives of my Grandpa and Grandma’s families. The highlight of the service was at the end when men, usually my uncles, would hand out a white paper bag, with “Merry Christmas” stamped in red on it, to each child. Inside were oranges, apples, pecans, a peppermint stick, possibly a chocolate Santa and a small toy. Do you remember the metal clicker toys?

But now it was Christmas Day! We had eaten a huge lunch around one long table made of several tables and wood planks. Everyone always sat in the same place, kind of like we do in church. My cousin Becky and I always sat at the end on the piano bench. After lunch, all the leftovers were put away and every dish was handwashed, dried and returned to the cupboards. Then the tables were cleared and taken down, the chairs moved all around the edge of the room, and again, families moved to their oddly pre-ordained places. Then we waited.

Knock, knock, knock.

St. Nikolaus was at the front door. We could see him through the glass. My cousin Becky would begin to whimper. She always cried when St. Nick came. This year, some of us were on a quest to find out if St. Nikolaus was REAL. Last year, we were all agreed that he could have been Uncle Leroy dressed in a costume. He had been missing from the room.

“It’s not Uncle Leroy,” I whispered to my cousins, “he is sitting over there.” We all began counting-up the uncles. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight….and Grandpa!” We looked at each other in shock. But at that moment, an aunty had let HIM in the door.

St. Nikolaus was dressed in a red coat, boots and had a beard…sort of like Santa, but definitely not Santa. For one thing, he was quiet and spoke little. And, he was not at all jolly. He had a bag and a stick and he walked slowly with purpose.

Cousin Becky was crying for real now. The two of us always sat on the bottom stair of the stairs that led to the upstairs dormitory-like bedrooms. Mom was one of six girls and three boys and the upstairs was divided into two large bedrooms. Four of the families gathered had slept up there the night before.

“Shhhhhh….,” I told Becky and put my arm around her.

St. Nikolaus began walking around the room and stopping at each child. He looked at you with a frowny, stern face, and yeah, he was a little scary. But I never cried like Becky did. As he circled the room, each of us waited in stillness for our turn to “face-up and fess-up” to St. Nikolaus. He had come to see if we had been good. “Do you obey your Mother and Father?” “Do you go to church and say your prayers?” In light of his commanding presence, you had to tell the truth.

As soon as he had passed, each of us let out an audible sigh then began to once again take a look around the room to see who was missing. One of the boys snuck out the kitchen door and checked the back porch. Another went to see if there was a strange car parked around the house. But all to no avail. We couldn’t find one clue that would let us know who or what was St. Nikolaus.

“Merry Christmas!” said St. Nick as he went out the front door.

Now you’d think that we would just run after him and see where he went, right? But that was all part of our parents’ ingenious plan, because at that point, presents mysteriously appeared in front of us which totally distracted us from continuing our quest. Ripping paper, giggles, loud voices, laughter, “thank-yous” and hugs had become much more important.

St. Nikolaus had come and gone and we kids were no wiser.

Fast forward 20+ years, and I had my children hang up their stockings on December 5th to see if St. Nikolaus would visit. They dutifully wrote him a letter telling them if they had been good or bad and requesting desired gifts. Their St. Nikolaus always visited in the dead of night and filled their stockings with chocolate oranges, candy canes and a little toy. Except the one time he left them only one piece of chocolate and soap. The soap was for keeping a civil tongue in their mouths; it seems they had been terribly disrespectful to their parents and each other.

St. Nikolaus is a custom that the German immigrants brought to Texas. His feast day is December 6th, but it is on December 5th, St. Nikolaus Eve, that we put up our stockings and wait for his visit. Here at the Sophienburg Museum & Archives, we celebrate this tradition each year. Families can come to the museum at 5pm and 6pm on Thursday, December 5th. Cost is $5 per family and you need to call the museum and make a reservation for your preferred time. St. Nikolaus will visit with the children and they will make an ornament. You can then tour the museum which has been decorated for the holidays. Photos are encouraged, especially photos with St. Nick!

It is a great traditional start to the joyous Christmas season.

“Around the Sophienburg” is published every other weekend in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

I know it’s a little early, but Easter has already arrived in stores — so why not here?

In German families, like mine, we (the children) made Easter nests. No, not for a bird or a chicken, but for the Easter bunny. Everyone gathered Easter weekend at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Cherry Springs (Gillespie County). It was a large group since my mom is one of nine children. It was one giant slumber party with adults and kids sleeping on every available cushioned surface.

On Saturday afternoon, we would all pile into the back of a couple pickup trucks and go bouncing down dirt roads and through rocky, cactus-filled cow pastures in search of beautiful spring flowers. The prime riding spot was on the tail gate. You could hang your legs over the edge; an adult would call out instructions if a bush or dip was eminent and give you time to lift your legs out of danger. Those riding on the sides of the truck bed were given the command “Duck!” to escape the whip of low branches. It was a danger-filled, thrilling ride.

The adults up in the cab were on the lookout for flowers. They had already scouted out locations. My uncle’s pastures had the most beautiful wine cups. Evening primroses, yellow stars, Indian paintbrushes, Indian blankets, brown-eyed Susans, bluebonnets, and other wildflowers — even wild onions and occasional cactus flowers — were harvested by kids armed with scissors and baskets. (Note: Some felt like wild onions and cactus flowers were too stinky and too prickly for the Easter Bunny) Other baskets were filled by adults with green grass. Did we look for snakes in our headlong dash for the best specimens? Nope. I guess that was the adults’ job.

Back at Grandma’s house, we children would line up on the grass in front of the porch and get to work building our Easter nests. Most of them were round, but there was always one inventive or odd child (my brother) who ventured into the world of square, diamond or cross-shaped nests. A generous layer of grass was laid down first to cushion the Easter Bunny’s bottom as he laid eggs. Flowers were then artistically laid in patterns or rows around the nest leaving an open place in the center. You could always tell the personality of the child by the arrangement of their flowers.

Grandma had several gorgeous bridal wreath bushes that had cascading limbs of lacy white flowers. She gave each child a sprig of the bridal wreath to add to their nests. She GAVE us a sprig; we most certainly were NOT to attack her bushes on our own.

One Saturday night, while we were all gathered in the living room, the Easter Bunny actually made an appearance. I was sitting nearest to one of the front porch windows. I heard a small scratching sound. Turning my head, I was face-to-face with the Easter Bunny! He was so tall that he filled the double-hung window. He was blue. He waved. I swear on a nest of eggs, I met the REAL Easter Bunny in that moment.

I still believe in him.

On Easter Sunday morning, all we wanted to do was go check the nests. The moms had other plans; breakfasts had to be eaten, teeth had to be brushed, fancy Easter outfits had to be donned, new white shoes had to be buckled or tied and hair had to be perfect and ready for church before we were released out the front door.

The nests, with their wilted yet still beautiful flower designs, were filled with brightly colored hard-boiled eggs, chocolate rabbits and chocolate eggs, and miscellaneous toys and stuffed bunnies. The Easter Bunny always outdid himself and not one child was ever disappointed. So, the tradition was played out through the generations by my mom and her siblings, my cousins and me, our children and now they are beginning to teach the next one.

A little while ago I suddenly wondered why we do Easter nests and I found an interesting theory. Legend has it that there was one Duchess Rosalinda von Lindenberg who was forced to flee a war and hide with her children and servant. The little group received aid from the citizens of a tiny, remote mountain village which included food and shelter, but not eggs. The village had no chickens so they had no eggs.

When the Duchess sent her servant back home for news on the war, she asked him to also bring back chickens. Saving up many eggs, she put together a thank you feast for the village and introduced them to various egg concoctions. Then she gave them the chickens.

As Easter approached, Rosalinda von Lindenberg decided to treat the children with something special. She boiled eggs together with mosses, flowers, and roots to give them color. On Easter Sunday, she had the children build nests in the woods with sticks and moss and then sent them home to eat their Easter feast. After dinner, the children went to look at their nests and found colored eggs, some with rhymes on them, in them!

“How did the chickens lay colored eggs?” they asked. Then they saw a little wild hare jump out of the bushes. The children decided that it must have brought the eggs. The Easter Bunny, or der Osterhase, was born.

This lovely German story turned into the traditions of the Easter bunny and nest building. It was brought to America, and to Texas, by the thousands of Germans who emigrated in the 1700s and 1800s. Over time, chocolate bunnies and egg hunts were added to Easter celebrations. Fun fact: In the 1930s, people noticed that sugar coated almonds looked like eggs and they became a part of traditional Easter candies.

Maybe this year you can add the creation of Easter nests to your family’s Easter traditions. Easter is such a beautiful celebration of resurrection and life. What a great way to show your kids the wonder and new life that Easter brings.

Sources: https://lapartducolibri.fr/histoire-du-lapin-de-paques/; https://germangirlinamerica.com/where-did-easter-bunny-originate/

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Happy Easter today while you celebrate the Resurrection and the coming of Spring. It’s a particularly exciting time for members of St. Paul Lutheran Church of New Braunfels. They have chosen to build a new church on their historic property. While traveling down San Antonio Street towards the plaza, I noticed a building program going on at St. Paul Lutheran Church. There was a wonderful old stone building, still part of the campus and they were building around it, still preserving it.

Lutherans In Texas

Lutherans have been in Texas for a long time. On November 8, 1851, the first Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Texas was organized by the St. Chrischone Missionaries. They were interested in establishing mission churches in the Guadalupe Valley of Texas. At the second convention of the Synod in May, 1852, Pastor Braschler and Pastor Kleiss were present. Pastor Kleiss had been in the Neighborsville-Hortontown area as pastor for a newly formed group of Lutherans for two years and now Pastor Braschler was going to become the minister. Pastor Braschler served as both teacher and pastor of the Lutheran group. On August 13, 1854, a formal congregation organized under the name of the Evangelical Lutheran Saint Martin Congregation. It embraced both Neighborsville and Hortontown. The St. Martin Evangelical Lutheran Church is known as the oldest Lutheran Church in Texas.

Incidentally, Pastor Braschler’s home is still standing and located at 249 Kowald Lane. It has a Texas Historical Marker and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The land was sold to Pastor Braschler by Jacob de Cordova. De Cordova, along with church parishioners helped Braschler build the home.

Rev. Milton Frueh compiled the history of St. Martin Church and he writes that the 1850 beginning of St. Martin is associated with founder, Pastor Theobald G. Kleiss from Germany. In 1851, the Neighborsville-Hortontown congregation erected a church building and the services were conducted in German. In 1852, Pastor Braschler became the minister followed by Rev. Albert Kypfer, who served from 1857 to 1880. Kypfer was the last full-time pastor. In 1870 a school was built next to the church. It was the Church Hill School that is still standing on Church Hill Drive across from Conservation Plaza. It is owned and maintained by the New Braunfels Conservation Society. It also has a Texas Historical Marker and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Near 1900, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Texas congregations ceased to provide a resident pastor for the church. Many members left and joined other German-speaking congregations like Friedens and First Protestant Church.

For safekeeping, the church records were given to First Protestant Church and in 1968, the St. Martin Church building was moved from Church Hill Drive, a short distance away to sit in a prominent location on Loop 337 within the Hortontown Cemetery. St. Paul Lutheran Church owns and maintains the beautifully restored church. It is currently used for historical tours, weddings, church services and family gatherings.

St. Paul Lutheran

Twenty years passed with no Lutheran church, and in 1920 the Mission Board of the Texas District of the former Iowa Synod had been considering establishing a mission church in New Braunfels. In 1925, Rev. Henry H. Schliesser began conducting services twice a month in a building on Seguin Avenue (Mergele building). The organization of a congregation seemed favorable, so in 1926, the Evangelical Lutheran St. Paul Congregation was organized. A small chapel was built in 1927.

In 1939, under Pastor Heineke, the building of a new church (currently the chapel that is still standing) was started and dedicated in 1940. A new sanctuary was dedicated in 1962, a full-time day school was organized in 1983 and an education complex dedicated.

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was behind the whole Lutheran movement. Who was Martin Luther and what influence did he have on the world? Martin Luther was born in 1483 and was a German professor of theology, a composer, a priest and monk, and was a key figure in the Protestant Reformation. He disputed the Catholic Church view that freedom from God’s punishment for sin could be purchased by paying money. He believed and taught that salvation and eternal life were not earned by deeds but a gift from God through believers in Jesus Christ. Those who identified with his beliefs and teachings were called Lutherans. The Reformation was aimed at the Late Medieval corruption of the Catholic Church that resulted in the Protestant movement. The word Reformation means to reform.

Luther also translated the Bible into German, using a dialect that would reach most of the German people. Each state in Germany, at the time, had developed a different dialect of the language and in many cases, they could not even understand each other. By Luther translating the Bible, the German language became standardized. The language used in the translation became a part of the German heritage and the creation of a German identity. His goal was to make the Bible accessible to everyday Germans that could be used in church, at school and at home. He translated the New Testament from Greek in 1522 and the Old Testament from Hebrew in 1534. Although not the first translations to German, they were the most popular. This translation was one of the most important aspects of the Reformation.

Luther’s hymns influenced singing in Protestant Churches. Of course, his most famous hymn is “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” sung to this day in many Protestant Churches. Luther’s Bible stirred a mighty storm in the church giving power to the clerically dominated public.

The printing press

A German, Johannes Gutenberg, invented the printing press around 1440. The invention and spread of the printing press was one of the most influential aspects of the time. It ushered in the modern age. By 1500, the printing press was in operation throughout most of Western Europe. The result was the permanent alteration of society. The circulation of ideas through the printed word, captured the masses in the Reformation and threatened current government and religious authorities. No longer were the elite only able to have access to education, the middle class emerged as educated. Other technologies contributed to the success of the printing press. About that time eyeglasses were in common use for those with vision problems. Gutenberg was able to take existing technologies to make his printing press operate successfully. The manufacture of paper had also improved and Gutenberg developed an oil-based ink suitable for high-quality printing.

Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible could not have been done at a better time. The printing press allowed for mass production of the texts that were available for all.

Once again, Happy Easter, St. Paul Lutheran, and congratulations on your new endeavor.

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You, no doubt, have heard of Baron John O. Meusebach’s treaty with the Comanche Indians to promote peace between the Comanches and the German settlers. There was one person, Baron Emil Kriewitz, who played an important part in the success of this treaty. Here is his story:

Kriewitz was a German aristocrat immigrant who left Germany in 1845. He had become aware of the economic conditions in Germany and the political unrest prompted him to join the Adelsverein. Kriewitz saw no future for himself in Germany.

The Adelsverein, organized in 1842 for all the right reasons to settle Texas, possessed inadequate knowledge of survival in Texas. Prince Carl, one of the Adelsverein members, was the one chosen to buy land in Texas. The Prince has been described as a visionary but a poor business man, a dangerous combination. Upon arrival in Texas the Prince discovered that the Adelsverein had already been swindled by one speculator. The Prince decided to purchase a large piece of land in the Fisher-Miller Land Grant composed of all land north of the Llano River to the Colorado River. Not only did he discover that this land was far inland from the coast where the immigrants would land, but it was also right in the middle of the Penetaka Comanche hunting grounds. Disturbed by these facts, Prince Carl purchased the Comal Tract land instead from Juan Veramendi. Before the Prince left Texas three months later, the settlement was named New Braunfels. While in Germany, Prince Carl began his sales pitch to come to Texas by making speeches about the beauty of the land. Probably Kriewitz heard the speaches and was sold. He joined the Adelsverein to go to the Republic of Texas.

Sailing on the Franzeska, it took almost four months on the stormy seas to arrive in Galveston. From there he traveled on to Carlshaven where the Prince had purchased land for the arriving immigrants. Krietwitz found that he was not in the Republic of Texas, but the State of Texas because this land had been annexed to the United States in December of 1845. He also learned that Prince Carl had been replaced after three months by Baron John Meusebach.

Kriewitz was horrified by what he saw on the Texas coast. By February, 1846, hundreds of immigrants had been stranded on the muddy, sandy beach with no food or clean water. Some made dugouts with mud walls and cloth tops to shelter themselves from the winter storms. Disease was rampant and hundreds had already died.

Meusebach tried to help the situation by purchasing oxcarts and wagons. The annexation of Texas had infuriated Mexico and Mexico declared war on the United States. All wagons and supplies purchased by Meusebach to help the colonists were seized by the United States Army in their war against Mexico.

A group of desperate, young German immigrants formed a group to join the United States Army. Kriewitz was one of them. They were led by August Buchel and he made Kriewitz first sergeant of the group that was mustered in as the First Texas Rifle Volunteer Regiment.

During this time Meusebach was busy trying to move settlers to the Llano. In 1846 he led a group to establish Fredericksburg. Meusebach knew that no one was safe in that area of the hill country and he was determined to locate the Comanche chiefs and negotiate a treaty. Meusebach asked for a company of men to accompany him to the Llano grant and Kriewitz was selected to organize this company. He immediately returned to the coast to gather soldiers, many of whom were Mexican-U.S. War veterans.

They left the coast for New Braunfels in January 1847, but upon arriving, they found that the Meusebach group had already left for Fredericksburg and the Llano. Kriewitz’s company left for the Llano and encountered Meusebach’s group on their return from a successful treaty with the Comanches. Kriewitz’s group was told to stay at the site of the treaty and help guard the surveyors of the land. “Without the survey the contract with the government of Texas would have lapsed and the colonists would not have received their allotments of land.” (John O. Meusebach by Irene King) The treaty opened up 3,878,000 acres of land.

The treaty called for the Comanches and Germans to live in harmony and form an alliance against other tribes. The Germans would give the Comanches $3,000 in gifts. The head chief, Santana, requested that one of the Germans live with them. Many were interested in the position, but none came forward, as is often the case. Kriewitz said that for the security of the settlers, he would “risk his scalp.” He was assigned to Santana and the main tribe on the San Saba. Kriewitz was to be the guarantee of the peaceable intentions of the Germans. He went with them and adopted their dress and behavior.

In about six months, the tribe began to feel that they needed more gifts from the Germans. Santana and his tribe, including Kriewitz. came to New Braunfels and met with Meusebach and Herman Spiess who had recently taken Meusebach’s place as the Adelsverein representative. All went well but the Germans did not recognize Kriewetz. They stayed in New Braunfels for two more days. This was the only time that the Comanches came to New Braunfels.

On the way back from New Braunfels to Fredericksburg, Kriewitz asked to visit a friend in town. He stayed a little too long and when he came back to the campsite, the tribe was gone. Kriewitz never rejoined the party.

After this, still in the employment of the Adelsverein, Kriewitz was given many assignments. He built a road and led the first colonists into the Fisher-Mill Land Grant. This group was the one who founded the communal colony of Bettina. Then he led three more parties to establish Castell, Leiningen, and Schoenburg. He eventually returned to Castell, opened a store, was elected justice of the peace for Llano County, served as a judge and finally postmaster of Castell. He died in 1902 and was buried in the Llano County Cemetery.

A celebration in Fredericksburg called “Easter Fires” commemorates the Comanche- German treaty and the safe return of the colonists. While the treaty was going on, the Comanches transmitted messages by smoke. When the fires burned high, other tribes knew that all was going well. The story goes that the fires frightened the children in Fredericksburg. Mothers told their children that the Easter Rabbit placed eggs in kettles that were boiling over the fires on the hilltops and then colored them with flowers. On Easter morning the eggs were laid in nests. As so often happens, an actual historical event leads to a colorful tradition.

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