Detail of K. W. Pressler & W. Völker 1851 map of Texas. This map was issued as part of G. M. von Ross’ 1851 book, Der Nordamerikanische Freistaat Texas.

By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

Among a stack of “orphaned” papers, I found an old map of Texas. “Orphans” are those papers or artifacts that either were inadvertently separated from their donor connection or that showed up randomly at the back door of the Sophienburg Museum in a box.

This map was cut into rectangles and mounted on a linen canvas so it could be folded into a small booklet; it is missing its front and back cardstock covers. Titled, “Map of Texas, Compiled from Surveys at the Land Office of Texas by K. W. Presler & W. Völker, Geometers of the Land Offices of Texas”, this beautiful engraved topographical map depicts Texas counties established prior to 1851 along with rivers, creeks, pioneer routes and towns. There is also an octagonal card glued to it that has “G. M. v Ross1852” written in German script.

The names gave me some starting points to find out more about the map. Turns out, this is a pretty cool, pretty rare, and remarkably accurate map.

I researched G. M. v Ross. George Moerner von Ross was an American of German descent. That little “v” in his name stands for “von”, the German word “of or from”, which usually signifies that a man is landed gentry and not your basic peasant immigrant from Germany. Ross wrote several travel/informational books for Germans considering immigration to the US of A: (1848) Rathschläge und Warnungen (a book of advice on immigration); (1851) Der Nordamerikanische Freistaat Texas (describes Texas climate, geography, animals, biology and minerals); (1851) Des Auswanderers Handbuch (includes a section on Texas).

This map was issued with George M. v Ross’ 1851 Freistaat Texas. The Texas Handbook says, “Ross was for a time associated with Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer in the publication of the Neu Braunfelser Zeitung.” George M. indeed appears in advertisements in the Neu Braunfelser Zeitung in early 1853. The paper also includes his obituary which states that he was co-editor of the NB Zeitung and also the editor of the Allgemeinen Auswanderungs Zeitung. He died on his farm in Sisterdale in October 1856. So, the map might actually have been his.

I also wanted to know about the map’s maker, K. W. Pressler. Karl Wilhelm Pressler was born in Prussia in 1823. Karl studied cartography and surveying and upon graduation, he worked for the Prussian government (or as a civil servant). Dissatisfied with most everything about Prussia, Karl, like many other young men his age, became certain that his destiny awaited him in Texas. Pressler joined the Adelsverein and landed in Galveston in February 1846, right as Texas officially became the 28th state to join the United States.

Karl joined three other German lads and tried out farming. It was a “no go” for him and he made his way to Austin. There, he became friends with a fellow German immigrant who was drawing maps for the Texas General Land Office. He managed to get a 2-month job with the GLO and spent his days drawing maps from 9-12 and 2-5. After his job ended, he travelled a bit and met Jacob de Cordova.

Cordova was also an immigrant, not from Germany, but from Jamaica. He became successful as a land agent in Philadelphia before he turned his eyes on Texas. Here he found more land than even he knew what to do with. For us in New Braunfels, Cordova is important for founding the community of Neighborsville in 1847 (Milltown) and naming many of the creeks in the Canyon Lake area. Cordova lived on the Guadalupe/Comal County border on his land, “Wanderers Retreat” for several years.

In August 1846, when young, 23 year-old Pressler met Cordova, he was made head of Cordova’s surveying expeditions of 1846 and 1847. Pressler also fact-and-quality-checked Cordova’s first map of Texas issued in 1849. Jacob de Cordova founded the city of Waco that same year. Karl, or Charles as he would come to be known, also surveyed in Guadalupe County. That makes sense. He was probably bunking at Wanderer’s Retreat with the Cordova family.

In 1850, Karl Pressler became a full-time draftsman in the Texas General Land Office. He was promoted to principal draftsman in 1858 and chief draftsman in 1865. With a short stint of service as an engineer for the Confederacy and also city engineer of Galveston, Pressler served at the Texas GLO until he retired in 1899.

Our little orphan map, issued along with G.M. v Ross’s book, is the first map K.W. Pressler drew and published. It was followed by another revised and corrected map of de Cordova’s and then his own map of Texas issued in 1858. The 1858 Pressler map was considered to be the most accurate map of Texas that had been produced and took him four years to create from records he found at the GLO. It faithfully depicted rivers, creeks, mountains, pioneer routes, forts, locations of Native-American tribes, towns and counties. The Texas Legislature appropriated $1,000 to purchase copies of Pressler’s 1858 Texas map for placement in each county clerk’s office in the state. Pressler revised his map again in1862, but it was not widely circulated due to the Civil War. Revised and reissued in 1867, it was known as the Traveler’s Map of the State of Texas. He is also credited as the creator of maps for 38 counties in Texas.

Pressler died in 1907 in Austin.

But this is not the end of this story. While researching Mr. Pressler, I found that Oscar Haas was given a collection of letters that new Texan Karl wrote home to his family in Prussia. These letters tell his story of immigration, finding work, surveying the Texas Hill Country, dances, living conditions and include descriptions of the people he met. Be on the lookout for more on this intrepid and adventurous young man.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum: Oscar Haas Collection, Neu Braunfelser Zeitung Collection; Heritage Auctions; Texas State Historical Association: George M. von Ross, Karl Wilhelm Pressler; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: Karl Wilhelm Pressler; Texas Historical Commission: Texas Time Travel: Charles Pressler’s Map of the State of Texas.

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

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

Christmas lights and decorations are going up all over town. I love all the green, the red, the shiny and the bright. Our German town founders did too.

The tradition of putting up a Christmas tree goes back to 16th century Europe. Germanic-speaking Christians brought fresh-cut evergreens into their houses and decorated them. Not the first time that people celebrated with trees; older cultures like the Druids, Romans and Vikings used trees to celebrate during winter solstice festivals. The German Christian Christmas tree had evolved from the Medieval practice of the “Paradise Tree”. A fir tree was decorated with apples and communion wafers on Christmas Eve and used as the central prop in the “Paradise Play” which told the story of Adam and Eve’s fall into sin and the promise of the coming Savior, Jesus. A tree, the cross, figures in this story as well.

The 16th century Christmas trees were decorated with baked goods and fruit. The first recorded decorated tree was in Riga, Latvia, in 1510.

The first recorded Christmas tree with a New Braunfels connection was reported by our well-known teacher, mayor and lawyer Hermann Seele, in his book, Assembled Writings. It was on December 14, 1843, that Seele’s ship landed in Galveston. A stranger in the Republic of Texas, Seele was feeling a bit lonely and homesick on Christmas Eve. He attended the Episcopal church Christmas Eve service. It was decorated with fresh dark green cedar garlands and well-lit with lamps and candles. Seele delighted in the feeling of his home country and in the choir’s beautiful songs.

Nostalgia set in and Hermann Seele found himself strolling the streets of the East End to see if perchance there was a Christmas tree he could glimpse through the window of a home. He did find a candle-lit tree and after gazing at it for a while, he returned to his lodgings a happy and more settled young man.

Also in Assembled Writings, Seele records the story of December 24, 1844. Here, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels is the hero by providing Christmas spirit and cheer for the children encamped with their parents at Indianola. The immigrants of the Johann Dethardt were camped in a grove of live oak trees for protection from the foul weather and access to firewood. Prince Carl decorated a small live oak with candles and presents for the children on their first Christmas in Texas. To accomplish this wonderful gift, Prince Carl had to have bought small presents and Christmas candles in Galveston before he sailed down to meet the immigrants at Indianola. Surely, that Christmas on the beach in 1844 was a precious and delightful memory for all.

Ferdinand Roemer, in Roemer’s Texas, wrote about his Christmas experience in New Braunfels. It is the first recorded Christmas that was celebrated on the Sophienburg Hill. For those who do not know, the Sophienburg Museum stands on that hill and is where the Adelsverein (Association) built their log headquarters. Named the Sophienburg by Prince Carl in honor of his fiancé Sophie, this is where the officers of the “Verein” were quartered. In 1846, geologist Ferdinand Roemer was passing through New Braunfels and was told by John O. Meusebach to ask Lt. von Coll for a place to stay within the “Verein Building”. Roemer writes, “According to a custom at home, Christmas Eve was celebrated in the company of the jolly companionship of the Verein’s officers around a richly decorated and candle-lit Christmas tree, for which a young cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) was used.”

No mention is made of what was going on in the immigrant homes within the town, but I suspect that they, too, were gathering around their own freshly cut cedar trees. The tradition of cedar Christmas trees decorated with cookies, fruit, small gifts and candles was widespread in our founder families and carried on even after the addition of shiny glass ornaments. Funny thing, they used to sometimes use Spanish moss as icicle-like decoration.

Today our decorations go up around Thanksgiving. Back then building fronts were festooned with green cedar garlands the week of Christmas. The Christmas trees were put up that week as well, but no child ever saw the tree, or their gifts, until Christmas Eve. The big reveal of the decorated and candle-lit Christmas tree with presents was a magical and wonderful moment.

The Sophienburg Museum invites you to another precious, time-honored Christmas tradition in New Braunfels. On Friday, December 5, our German-speaking St. Nikolaus will visit on the eve of his feast day. It’s just $10 a family and a fun way to learn the story of St. Nikolaus, get a chance to take a photo and chat with him, make a kid’s craft and enjoy the Christmas decorations throughout the museum. Sophie’s Shop will also be open for purchasing German and other gifts.

Please RSVP at 830-629-1572 to reserve your family’s place at the 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. session.

My wish for you is that during the flurry of events and things we do during this holiday season, you stop and experience at least one moment of wonder and magic. Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Sources: Sophienburg Museum: Assembled Writings, Herman Seele; Roemer’s Texas, Ferdinand Roemer; Oscar Haas Collection.

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

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

What if New Braunfels was not named New Braunfels? I had never considered this, but of course the wonderful historian Oscar Haas did and recorded his findings in his book, History of New Braunfels and Comal County 1844-1946.

There are two occasions on record wherein New Braunfels nearly lost its place-name. — Oscar Haas

Many of you readers know that New Braunfels was named and founded on March 21, 1845, by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels. He chose to name this town after his hometown of Braunfels on the Lahn River in Germany. The first time the name “New Braunfels” was in jeopardy was just prior to the creation of Comal County by the First Texas Legislature.

There was much talk of creating a new county with our town as the county seat. There was some dispute as to whether the county seat should be called New Braunfels or Comaltown. — Oscar Haas

The Republic of Texas began creating counties in 1836. Rusk County was the 36th and the last to be formed during the Republic. In March 1846, Comal County became the 44th county and was formed from the eighth precinct of Bexar County. Bexar County was the third county created by the Republic of Texas and it was beyond enormous. Between 1845 and 1876, the Texas Legislature formed over 120 new counties from what was originally Bexar County. Just FYI: there are 254 Texas counties.

New Braunfels kept its name. It is interesting to note that a lot of county seat cities are located near the center of the county so it is reasonably accessible to the whole county. New Braunfels sits on the southeast boundary of the county as it was, and still is, the largest city in Comal County.

The second time New Braunfels found its name in danger was in 1918. The October 31, 1918, edition of the Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung published an article first published in the October 29, 1918, edition of the Galveston News.

The war with Germany has set a movement on foot aimed at changing the name of the City of New Braunfels. It could be that the loyal descendants of the German colonists of the year 1845, who settled there … [would] under present circumstances consider it a disgrace. It may be true that Prince Solms-Braunfels was not possessed of great aptitude. It is said that he left the colony in the lurch at a critical moment and that his successor had to pay some of the Prince’s debts in Texas and that he never returned.However, New Braunfels is an established name that has grown estimable to the highest degree through the citizenship of that community among whom are many direct descendants of the colonists who landed at Galveston and via Indianola came overland to the Comal in search of freedom and opportunity. The name signifies a great deal with regards to history and cannot possibly have any bearing on the present international state of affairs.

With the place-name New Braunfels, which stems from an ancient place-name of the old country, with its street names, Texas possesses an aesthetic treasure. In New Braunfels one finds Spanish, Mexican, Indian, German, and unalloyed Texan street names, in a manner that reveals beauty and meaning. The picturesque historical names of Texas cities, which came into existence since the Republic, are Texan. Names should never be changed just because of a foreign country origin whose behavior we do not sanction.

To the above article, the editor of the Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung added:

The Galveston News has eminently reasonable views in such matters. Besides, here, no one thinks of changing the name of our city, which, moreover, is not named for a prince, but an especially pretty little city which has furnished our country with admirable citizens. Loyalty is not proven by name-changing or through vandalistic destruction of historical characteristics, but through disposition and performance, and on these standards New Braunfels can confidently be surveyed.

New Braunfels has kept her name. People get it wrong, but locals will always proudly correct them to its true pronunciation.

Just for grins, Oscar Haas listed a few of the before-mentioned multi-cultural street names in early New Braunfels:

• Hispanic — Guadalupe, Nacogdoches, San Antonio, Seguin, Veramendi
• Native American — Waco (Caddo), Comal (Nahuatl), Comanche (Ute)
• German — Baden, Basel, Becker, Castell, Clemens, Coll, Dittlinger, Eickel, Faust, Giesecke, Gruene, Guenther, Hampe, Jahn, Karbach, Klingemann, Kuehler, Lindheimer, Meusebach, Seele, Tolle, Zink
• Scottish — Ferguson, Murchison
• Irish — McGaugh, McKenna
• English — Torrey, Lincoln, Water, Mill, Bridge

What multi-cultural street names can you add to the list?

And, if you are interested in more fun, unusual and “make-you-look-clever” historical facts, Oscar Haas’s book can be purchased at Sophie’s Shop in the Sophienburg Museum for $40 plus tax.

Sources: History of New Braunfels and Comal County 1844-1946, Oscar Haas; Handbook of Texas.

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

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

How great is this photo of New Braunfels boys!

The image was copied for Oscar Haas by Mr. Seidel in 1960, but it dates way back to March 17, 1900. The young men, dressed up for the Kindermaskenzug (Children’s Masquerade Parade), are standing in front of the New Braunfels Academy. The Academy was on the corner of Mill and Academy streets (that’s why it is called Academy Street) and was often the starting point for parades that would end over the Comal River bridge at Matzdorff’s (now Eagles) Hall.

Professor John B. Pratt, a teacher at the Academy, enlisted a group of mothers to design and sew sailor uniforms of bleached “Indian Head suiting”. The uniform consisted of trousers, a loose-fitting shirt with a striped collar and cuffs, a dark belt and shoes and a jaunty sailor cap with “TEXAS” on the band.

Why “TEXAS”? Because, the group was representing sailors of the Battleship Texas as “The Spirit of the Spanish-American War”.

Oscar Haas is the fourth sailor from the left in the front row, and like the others, he holds a wooden rifle and bayonet. Back in the Civil War, William Seekatz had the rifles made so he could train boys, under the age of 18 years, how to handle a rifle with a bayonet attached; the boys could shoot but combat with a bayonet was a new skill. Seekatz is best known for his Opera House downtown and for constructing the 1863 saltpetre kiln down by the Landa Park springs. Bat guano was hauled from Brehmer Cave off FM 1863 to the kiln where it was mixed with urine and water and soaked for several months. The liquid was then drained into trays and dried in the sun. Evaporation produced potassium nitrate crystals (saltpetre) which when mixed with charcoal and sulfur made gunpowder.

Writing on the back of the photo and in a letter from 1975, Mr. Haas added more details to the story told by the image. Professor Pratt drilled the group of boys to follow the captain’s orders; in the photo, the captain is Erich Fischer (the older gent on the left). Fischer had the boys perform drills at the completion of the parade at Matzdorff’s Halle. The sailors executed complicated drills as everyone came into the hall and again, at the conclusion of the children’s dance — the Kindermaskenball.

Mr. Haas also said that the Battleship Texas was “commissioned during the Spanish-American War and is now used as a museum for tourists berthed on the Houston Ship Channel at San Jacinto Battlefield Park.

Hmmmm … I have been to the Battleship Texas (before it was moved to Galveston for restoration in 2022) and I was fairly certain that I was told that the Battleship Texas was first used in WW1 and then in WW2. Fact check time!

What I discovered is kind of fascinating.

Investigating the Spanish-American War, I found out that there WAS a Battleship USS Texas (BB1) which was commissioned in 1892 as the first USN battleship of the “new Navy” after the Civil War; the USS Maine (AC), an armored cruiser, joined the Texas in 1898. After the Maine famously exploded in Cuba, the Texas took part in the brief 1898 Spanish-American War in the battle of Santiago de Cuba. The USS Texas was decommissioned in 1908 for she had become obsolete. Recommissioned the USS San Marcos in 1911 (so the name could be reused), she was downgraded to a gunnery target in Chesapeake Bay. She was used for target practice through World War II. In 1959, what was left of her flooded hull and upperworks were razed by explosives and pushed deeper into the mud of Tangier Sound. What a way for this old girl to die.

The second USS Texas (Battleship 35, BB-35) was commissioned in March 1914. It is this Battleship Texas that participated in World War I and World War II. This ship was decommissioned in 1948 and given to the State of Texas. She has been maintained as a memorial at San Jacinto until her drydocking in Galveston for a total restoration. The USS Texas (BB-35) was the first naval battleship to be declared a United States Historic Landmark. She is set to reopen as a museum in Galveston in 2026.

So, Oscar Haas was a little off on his recollection, but that is what makes history so fun for me. A little deeper dive into the story of this photo led me to a couple of Neu Braunfelser Zeitung newspaper articles from March 29,1900. The first is a colorful description of the Kindermaskenball and parade. It refers to the Battleship Texas sailors as “a detachment of strapping marines” who walked from the school to Matzdorff’s Halle. The dance began at 8 p.m. and included “the strapping marines in their elegant uniforms drilled under the command of their lieutenants, which was a real joy, but also frightened the costumed fairies and butterflies with their skillfully executed sabers and bayonets.”

Pretty cool, right? But we’re not done. Also in that newspaper was a letter to Professor Pratt.

Battleship Texas Galveston, March 22, 1900
Mr. J. B. Pratt, New Braunfels, Texas

Worthy Sir!

I have just received your very pretty photograph of your company “Texas Infantry of the Neu-Braunfels School”. This is a further sign of the friendly consideration that has been shown so much to the officers and crew of the Battleship Texas since its arrival in this port. It is most gratifying that the people of Texas are taking such a friendly interest in the ship that bears that state’s name. It will encourage us all to maintain the reputation for efficiency gained in the last war. Rest assured that I will always treasure the image.

Respectfully yours
W.C. Gibson Captain U.S.N.

Obviously, Captain Gibson was unaware that one, Texas means friend and two, Texans love all things Texas. From an old black and white photo to a pretty interesting story. I love my job.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum Seidel Collection, Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung newspaper and Oscar Haas Collections, https://battleshiptexas.org/education/history/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Texas_(BB-35), https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/texas-bb-35.html, https://www.rosenberg-library-museum.org/treasures/u-s-s-texas, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOp8d_GQBsM, https://naval-encyclopedia.com/industrial-era/1890-fleets/usnavy/uss-texas.php#google_vignette.

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

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By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

Have you ever tugged at a loose thread only to find that the thread was not really loose, resulting in an irritating unraveling of sorts? I recently pulled at said “loose thread,” but the odd “thread” that I pulled exposed a beautiful tapestry with a surprising outcome. Last month, I wrote about the beautiful cut limestone house in Comaltown built by Johann Georg Moeller (spelled with an OE) that was finished in 1866. The home was purchased in 1881 by Johannes Mueller (spelled with a UE). When I checked it out to make sure that it wasn’t just a mix up of vowels, I found a whole lot more.

Who was Johannes Mueller spelled with a “UE”? Johann or Johannes, the German form of John, was a common name. There are a ton of Johns in the world, and so it was with Johannes. This particular Johannes Mueller was born November 22, 1823, in Welsch-Neudorf, Nassau (Germany). He, along with who may have been his maternal uncle and family (Stendebach), set sail for a new life in September 1845 aboard the Ship Auguste Meline. At the ripe old age of 22, he arrived in Galveston on December 9, 1845, and made his way to New Braunfels, in what were the waning days of the Republic of Texas.

About that same time, a young woman by the name of Maria Magdelena Rheinlander arrived in Galveston on the Barque B. Bohen, December 22, 1845, with a man destined to become her husband. She wed Gottlieb Heldberg in New Braunfels in May of 1846, but her “happily-ever-after” was short-lived. Gottlieb was killed by Indians in August 1847 when Magdelena was pregnant with their daughter, Anna. Johannes and Magdelena met in 1847 and married in December 1848.

Johannes appeared to be an ambitious soul. In his first years in Texas, Johannes engaged in the freight hauling business. Freight by wagon was the only way to get goods into and out of New Braunfels for a number of years since the railroads did not arrive until 1880. Johannes was in business with Mr. John Halm until 1869 before dissolving the partnership. Besides the freight business, Johannes had opened a store, which was known as the Hannes Mueller Store selling dry goods, groceries, shoes, boots, and cutlery to name a few things.

The store, located on the corner of Main Plaza and San Antonio Street, was a two-story structure which later became the Streuer Brothers. When I was young, it was the site of the United Gas Company (now Entex) and eventually a bank building (Guaranty State Bank, Mbank and Moody Bank). Like many store owners in 19th-century New Braunfels, the Hannes Mueller family lived on the second floor above the Hannes Mueller Store (and there were a lot of people in that family).

Hannes really had his fingers in a bit of everything. While still involved with the freight company, he also served as both town Marshall and County Treasurer from September 1863 to July of 1865. In his later years, he was elected city Alderman (precursor to our city council members) from April 1881 to October 1883.

He somehow earned the nickname “MuellerHannes”. Literally translated it would be “MuellerJohnny”. MuellerHannes was said to be a very humorous man. His friends told many anecdotes about him. One of his friends was Anselm Eiband, editor and publisher of the New-Braunfelser Zeitung. He printed his anecdotes about MuellerHannes in the newspaper. Nice friends.

Johannes had developed quite the business acumen and accrued quite a bit of land in their lifetimes. In 1881, they bought the beautiful rock home in Comaltown and six adjacent lots. In 1882, their son, Henry, joined the family business. They also sold two acres of land west of town to the trustees of Three Mile School. It later became Lone Star School in 1901.

Johannes and Magdelena shared 62 anniversaries (62!) together. He died in 1908 at the age of 85 and she, the following year at 82. Their lives and the lives of their thirteen children, 59 grandchildren, and 26 great-grandchildren played out in the newspapers: births, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, deaths, funerals. It was the long listing of their family members at each gathering that caught my eye. I know those names. I know those people. In the story about the Moeller House, I told how the youngest Mueller daughter, Emma, married a grandson of Georg Moeller. What I did not tell you was that Johannes and Magdelena’s third child, daughter Marie, born 1853, who married Theodor Meckel, is my great, great grandmother. Little did I know I was writing my own family history when I first started the Moeller House story. Pulling the thread that leads to another branch of your family tree is pretty cool. And very addicting.

The Sophienburg Archives is an absolute gold mine for finding things like this. Even if you use Ancestry.com, there are things found in the Red Family Surname Books and the hanging files that most people don’t know about. And if you are working on a family history, I would strongly recommend giving a copy to the Archives, both for safe-keeping and as a resource for others. Digital records/photos may be great, but paper documents are priceless.

Sources: Sophienburg Archives: Red Family Surname Books; Rural Schools and Teachers of Comal County, Texas, 1854-1956; Alton J. Rahe.

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The Daughters of the Republic of Texas: One and Indivisible

By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

There is nothing more beautiful to a Texan than the Lone Star Flag flying against a brilliant azure blue sky. You may have noticed the Texas flags posted around Main Plaza and on downtown streets earlier in the week. But do you know why? Or by whom they are posted?

Every good Texan should recognize March 2 as Texas Independence Day and March 6 as Alamo Day. For the “Newly Texan” or those who do not remember 7th grade history, here is a short explanation in a nutshell.

In 1835, Texian Colonists had grown discontent with the dictatorship of President Antonio López de Santa Anna. Things heated up in the fall of ’35 with a couple of battles taking place. On February 1, 1836, delegates, representing seventeen Texas municipalities, were elected to meet March 1 to discuss independence from Mexico. Before they could meet, Santa Anna’s army attacked the Alamo on February 23, where the battle raged for 13 days. On March 2, 1836, fifty-eight members signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, and the Republic of Texas was born! The Alamo fell on March 6, 1836, sparking the cry “Remember the Alamo” that carried Texians on to win the Battle at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836 (San Jacinto Day).

How do we know these things? There are people and groups that make it their life’s work to research old documents, diaries, and letters to keep history alive. One such group, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas have been sharing the stories of Texas for more than 130 years.

Founded in 1891, The Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) is the oldest patriotic women’s organization in Texas, as well as one of the oldest in the nation. It came about when Miss Betty Ballinger and her cousin, Miss Hally Bryan, both of Galveston, came up with the idea of honoring the memory of the Texas pioneer families and soldiers of the Republic of Texas by forming an association of their female descendants. They, along with fourteen other ladies at the Houston home of Mrs. Andrew Briscoe, formed the organization that is known today as the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

The DRT held their early meetings in conjunction with the Texas Veterans Association reunions, inviting the wives and daughters of these Veterans to join their organization. It had been fifty-five years since the Battle of San Jacinto. It was easy for the women to realize the necessity of a patriotic group to assist and carry on the work of the aging heroes identifying and preserving important historical sites.

The 34th and final reunion of the Texas Veterans Association took place in Austin in 1907. Only six Veterans answered roll call. The Veterans voted to dissolve the Veterans Association but chose to merge their memories and historical meaning with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

Building on the DRT mission of perpetuating the memory and spirit of those who achieved and maintained the independence of Texas, the organization provides education programs and preserves historic documents and memorial historic sites from the Republic of Texas period. The DRT chapter numbers have grown to ninety-one chapters statewide, plus one in Arkansas and one in Washington, D.C. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas is a genealogical organization. Membership is open to any woman who is a lineal descendant of a man or woman who rendered loyal service for Texas prior to annexation of Texas to the United States of America (February 19, 1846, Texas Statehood Day). Each chapter is a part of the larger organization, operating within the framework of Bylaws established by the Association.

In New Braunfels, the Ferdinand Lindheimer Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas was chartered on May 11, 1982 with nineteen Charter Members including: Agnes Glasscock Grimm, Sudie Wray Barker, Katherine Elva Grimm Burrell, Ann Cunningham Burrus, Martha Amanda Burrus, Mary Ellis Burrus, Esther Gerhardt, Mary Ann Moore Greaver, Marie Shelly Holm, Mattie Nelson Howard, Viola Mae Shearer Johns, Carolyn Grimm Appling, Mary Elizabeth Williams Lozo, Hilary K. Lyon, Joyce Avery Moore, Luciclaire Proud, Mary Jane Kincaid Schoch, Bronwyn Ann Wilson, and Jeanne Renni Wilson. The Chapter now boasts 145 members and associate members.

The Ferdinand Lindheimer Chapter name pays homage to the Father of Texas Botany, who rode with Prince Solms into New Braunfels, and qualifies as a Republic of Texas Ancestor. The local DRT Chapter has taken on multiple projects preserving and promoting Texas history: the purchase and posting of the Texas flags on Texas Honor Days (several mentioned above); provision of books and educational materials about Texas to local schools; holding essay contests promoting Texas history; awarding scholarships to graduating students in Comal County and to DRT descendants. The Ferdinand Lindheimer Chapter of DRT funds their local projects and the larger DRT State projects with fundraisers held throughout the year.

As part of their mission, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas has maintained the birthplace of DRT in Galveston, The Cradle, and other historic properties overseen by DRT chapters across the state. They also maintain and oversee the DRT Library Collection in San Antonio. Recently, the DRT opened the Republic of Texas Museum presented by the Nelson Pruett Foundation in the new Republic of Texas History Center’s state-of-the-art facility located at 810 San Marcos Street in Austin.

If you are interested in learning more about your Texas ancestors and celebrating Republic of Texas history, check out the Daughters of the Republic of Texas website or email questions to ferdinandlindheimer@drtinfo.org . Who knows? You might be a descendant of a Republic of Texas Ancestor.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum and Archives; Daughters of the Republic of Texas; Handbook of Texas Online.

The post The keepers of Texas history appeared first on Sophienburg Museum and Archives.

By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

New Braunfels historians have told us that the first immigrants arrived with very little in the way of belongings. And, unlike today’s new arrivals in New Braunfels, our founding ancestors had a lot to do before settling into a house. They had to secure materials (chop trees for lumber, make mud bricks, cut stone) to be able to build their own places to live. We are very fortunate to live in a place where so many of those early homes still exist. One of my favorites stands on a lot at 212 W. Austin Street in Comaltown, exactly where it has stood for over 150 years.

The story? It begins with people making life-changing decisions to build a new life, sell everything, move across the Atlantic Ocean and settle on the Fisher Miller Grant in the Republic of Texas. Like many, that is exactly what Johann Georg Moeller did.

Georg Moeller left Bremen aboard the ship Weser, arranged by Henry Fisher for the San Saba Colonization Company, in May of 1844. Once he arrived in Galveston in July 1844, he learned that the Fisher & Miller land grant had never materialized. He was stuck along with several others from his hometown of Michelsrombach, Hesse. Moeller did eventually end up in New Braunfels in late 1845.

Meanwhile, on similar track, Johann Peter Hoffmann boarded the Garrone, arranged by the Adelsverein, with his wife and children. They arrived in Galveston in December of 1844 and finally reached New Braunfels with the First Founders. Mr. Hoffmann died shortly thereafter, leaving Elizabeth Hoffmann to fend for herself and her two children, Charlotta and Alex. (Soap operas got nothing on true history!).

So fast forward to 1848, when Georg Moeller and widow Elizabeth Hoffmann married. Their instant family of four eventually totaled seven with the addition of twin sons, Franz and Johann, in 1849 and Louis in 1852.

The Moellers settled in Comaltown. At one time, they owned/farmed most of the Landa Estates area. Georg Moeller began building my favorite limestone house in 1859. He built it all by himself. The beautiful two-story is constructed of hand-cut hard limestone that was quarried locally. All the walls are constructed of hard limestone, cut into squares and rectangles with stone lintels across the top of each window.

The wood beams and roof rafters are of hand-hewn cedar logs and the floors are hand-hewn cypress planks. Although the outside walls are perfectly square and the floors and ceilings are perfectly level, there are no two rooms the same size, no two walls the same thickness and no two rooms with the same size floorboards. The walls range from 8 to 18 inches in thickness. The original house had two staircases: one leading to the basement, the other to the second floor. Each wood tread of the steps going upstairs is smoothly fitted into grooves in the supporting side boards. No nails were used. The stairs to the basement are solid rock. It is truly amazing that no cement was used to put the stones together. In some places, it is said to be plain black dirt mixed with straw; and in others, a mortar made of sand and lime was used.

The limestone house, begun in 1859, took 6 years to build. The family lived in a modest home where Our Lady of Perpetual Help is now located while their limestone home was being built. It was finally completed in 1866. Sadly, Johann Georg Moeller died in 1867, just weeks after the family moved into the new home.

In 1881, ownership of the house changed. Okay, this is where it gets sticky. Pay attention to the “OE” and “UE” here. The home was sold by the Johann Georg M”oe”ller family to Johannes M”ue”ller, known as “Mueller-Hanas” in 1881. He owned a freight company. Mueller-Hanas was a very interesting guy, but I will save that for another day. He raised his family in the home. Johannes Mueller died in 1908 followed by his wife in 1909. Oddly enough, Emma, daughter of Johannes Mueller, married Henry Moeller, the grandson of Johann Georg Moeller.

In 1910, the home was sold to Mr. & Mrs. Albert Nowotny. Their son Jerome, who was born in the home, bought it in 1947. He eventually built a very successful tourist attraction/restaurant around it — Bavarian Village. By coincidence, Jerome Nowotny’s son, Lionel, married Mary Lou Mueller, a great-granddaughter of Johannes Mueller, second owner of the house. The Moeller House is now owned by Schlitterbahn Waterparks/Cedar Fair.

There were many descendants of the Moellers in the area and many were builders. Most of the structures are still standing as they are very well built like the Moeller House. The following is a list just to name a few: Garden Street Bridge, Mission Valley Mill Dam, Old Fire Station, Richter Buildings, Wagenfuehr House, Celebrations, Comal Flower Shop, The Black Whale Saloon, Lamar School, Seele Parish House, Johnson Furniture, Main Plaza Gazebo, Gerlich Home (Borchers Office), Fischer House (next to the Civic Center), Corner Coffee Shop, Old New Braunfels High School, Citizens Ice House (Conway’s), numerous curbs and sidewalks, and hundreds of homes in the area and surrounding counties. They truly lived well-built lives.

The Moeller House became a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1970; however, at some point the marker was removed. A new marker was sponsored by a Johann Georg Moeller descendant, Myra Lee Adams Goff.

The Moeller House Marker Rededication ceremony will take place Sunday, March 3, 4:00 p.m. at 212 W. Austin Street. The public is invited.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum & Archives; Comal County Historical Commission.

The post History of the Moeller House appeared first on Sophienburg Museum and Archives.

By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

It was very early in the morning, still dark, but they had far to go. As Conrad gave a final tug on the ropes securing the six bales of cotton in the wagon, he watched his 13-year-old son Heinrich say goodbye to his wife. It would be a long separation for the boy and his mother, two weeks, but the 100-plus-mile round trip to Austin and back from Geronimo would teach the boy many things he needed to know as a farmer. The cotton was good this year, and Conrad was delivering the bales to a William Schuchard who had promised to give him 18 cents a pound for it, very good money indeed. It was worth the trip.

What Conrad could not know was that this was a final good bye. Neither he nor Heinrich would return to the farm.

In the last week of March 1872, Conrad and Heinrich Bormann set out on their journey to Austin. At a rate of about 15 miles a day, it would take them at least three days to get to Swenson’s Farm outside of the city. The farm was founded as a cattle ranch in 1850 by Swedish immigrant Swen Magnus Swenson. It is now the area of Govalle located between Webberville Road and Airport Boulevard. Conrad Bormann and his son were last seen alive camping on the farm on April 1.

On March 29, 1872, William Schuchard met up with S.B. Brush of Austin. He promised Mr. Brush that in a few days he would have six bales of cotton to sell him. They shook hands and Mr. Brush waited to hear from Schuchard about the cotton’s arrival.

As the morning of April 2 dawned, Conrad and son Heinrich made ready to head for home following the sale of the cotton. What transpired is conjecture on the part of investigators. It is supposed that when Schuchard came to the campsite he wanted to take the cotton and pay Bormann the following day. Bormann was no fool and he insisted that the cotton be paid for — cash-on-delivery — as agreed. The meeting went awry. Schuchard picked up an ax and brutally beat in the skulls of both father and son. With the murder done, he claimed the wagon of cotton and contacted Mr. Brush.

Brush went out to Swenson’s Farm that afternoon and met with Schuchard near the location of the Bormann’s campsite. He bought the cotton still loaded on the wagon. Schuchard received $528 in gold — clear profit.

Back in Geronimo, Mrs. Bormann had received a telegram from her husband that he and Heinrich would be back home on Friday, April 5. When the men had not returned by Monday, she sent one of her sons off on the road to seek his father and brother while she went into New Braunfels and sent a telegram to James Davidson, Adjutant General of Texas and Chief of the State Police, to inquire about her husband and eldest boy.

Davidson immediately began an investigation. Finding out that the Bormanns had camped at Swenson’s Farm, he made a thorough search of the area. In an abandoned log cabin, he came across the partially decayed bodies of the father and son. The bloody ax used to bludgeon them lay nearby. The bodies had been concealed under the canvas tarp from the wagon and everything hastily covered with straw and hay. Davidson collected reports and determined that the murderer they were after was indeed Schuchard, an alias for William Byfield. Byfield’s reputation for trouble-making was well-documented and well-known to General Davidson. He began a state-wide manhunt for Byfield.

Oscar William Byfield (alias Schuchard, alias Kellner) was reported to have been born in 1853, in Hanover, Germany. When he emigrated is unknown. He can be traced in Texas through a series of official documents. From July 1869 until May 1870, Byfield was appointed sheriff of Kerr County until his actions got him into trouble. An 1869 muster role for Kerr County verifies he arrived in the area in July of 1869. He appears in the 1870 Kerr County census: age 23, married to a woman with six children, ages 1 year to 11 years (It is unknown whether some or any of them were his). In September of 1870, Byfield served in Captain H.J. Reichardt’s Co. E Frontier Forces until he was ousted in June 1871. Byfield once again enlisted as a soldier in San Antonio on July 14, 1871, but deserted 12 days later. This register gave a good description of William Byfield: age 24, gray eyes, brown hair, fair complexion, 5 feet 10 inches tall.

After almost four years of bouncing between law enforcement groups, William Byfield showed up in Austin in 1872 for the cotton deal with Conrad Bormann and became a murderer.

On Wednesday, April 11, General Davidson sent a telegram to Mrs. Bormann informing her of the murders of her husband and son. Mr. Loose, of the New Braunfels Telegraphic Office, immediately took the telegram to Geronimo to personally deliver it. He returned to New Braunfels and reported a heart-breaking scene as Mrs. Bormann and her nine children received the horrific news. Mrs. Bormann was just over eight months pregnant.

General Davidson continued the hunt for William Byfield who had last been seen in Austin on the day of the murders. It was first thought that he might have taken the night train to Galveston for the train arrived in Galveston at 10 o’clock the following morning just in time to catch a boat to New Orleans. On Thursday, April 4, a man was arrested, but it was not Byfield.

The newspapers reported on April 12 that a man had been arrested in Brenham by police officer Doran and was to be transported to Austin. The man arrested also turned out not to be William Byfield.

Two weeks after the murders, news arrived in New Braunfels that William Byfield had been arrested on the 14th in Castroville. A sizable police detachment was being sent by Chief of Police Davidson in order to prevent “Lynch Justice” and guarantee a proper trial by law. Once again, the arrested man was not Byfield.

Davis, the Governor of Texas, issued a statement offering a $400 reward for the capture of William Byfield, but by then the trail had grown cold. Oscar William Byfield had simply vanished.

There are a few bright spots in this dark story. Conrad and Heinrich share a single grave in Austin’s Oakwood Cemetery, buried in the section for “Mexicans”, “Blacks” and “Strangers.” S.B. Brush sent Mrs. Bormann $528 in gold — the same amount he had paid Schuchard for the cotton. And Mrs. Bormann gave birth to a healthy baby boy, the 10th child of Conrad Bormann.

Today, you can find many descendants of Conrad Bormann’s family intermarried with the other families of the Geronimo area. If you are really interested in the Bormanns, you can visit the Texas Agricultural Education and Heritage Center at 390 Cordova Road and State Highway 123 South. Located on the premises are the Conrad Bormann family kitchen and blacksmith shop as well as son Carl’s home. You can also see Conrad and Heinrich’s original limestone headstone from Oakwood Cemetery on view in the kitchen — they still rest in peace in Austin beneath a new gray granite stone.

Sources: Sophienburg Archives: Bormann and Boenig Family Histories; US Census and Fold3 records; Neu Braunfelser-Zeitung and New Braunfels Herald newspaper collections; The Texas Agricultural Education and Heritage Center; Oakwood Cemetery records; Kerrville Genealogical Society; www.austinmonthly.com; Chas. S Middleton and Son Ranch Sales.

The post True Crime Series: Local farmer and son murdered in Austin appeared first on Sophienburg Museum and Archives.

By Myra Lee Adams Goff —

New Braunfels has an historic and active downtown. In order for that to happen, three things are necessary. First, the buildings themselves must be of lasting quality. Secondly, an active preservation philosophy must be prevalent. The third is to have creative successful business owners. We are fortunate to have all of three.

As I drove around Main Plaza, on Seguin Avenue and down San Antonio Street, I was surprised and pleased to count 17 buildings built in the early 1920s by my grandfather, A.C. Moeller. This prompted me to do research on the Moeller brothers of Comaltown.

The Moeller family has been involved in building since their immigration to Texas and the formation of Comaltown. The story began, as so many do, in a German town called Michaelsrombach. Several years ago, I was able to visit this beautiful tiny village where the emigrant, Johann Georg Moeller, was born. It was a charming place. The house where the Moeller family lived dates back to the 1600s. The stone house stands almost in the center of the village and is still occupied by Moeller descendants. Originally, cows lived on one side of the house to protect them from the winter elements but over the years, additions were made to the home and the cows are gone. A beautiful Catholic church sits on a small hill overlooking the village. The Moellers attended this church and went to school there. The adjoining cemetery contains many Moeller graves. It is a very strange feeling to realize that all those buried there are my ancestors. Michaelsrombach seemed like a fairy tale place to grow up in.

Johann was 25 years old when he left the harbor of Bremen and sailed on the ship Weser. His Reisepass (passport) stated that he was 5 foot 2 inches tall, had blond curly hair and blue eyes.

There were seven men and one woman aboard the Weser from Michaelsrombach. I wondered why they left such a beautiful town. Then I found a statement made by historian, Rudolph Biesele, from his research on emigration. He writes: “Generations ago when German tribes were still living in their primitive social development, they frequently undertook adventurous enterprises under leaders especially chosen for that purpose. These expeditions developed among the early Germans an adventurous spirit for which in a much later period they used the term ‘Wanderlust.’ This Wanderlust or desire to wander, has remained with them through all the ages as one of their national characteristics.” Sound familiar?

Most of the Michaelsrombach emigrants were young men in their 20s. One couple, Peter and Maria Reus, were each 50 years old. Others were Johann Georg Moeller, Johann Arnold, Valentin Fey, Johann Schneider, Johann Schwab and Thomas Schwab. Why so many Johanns? Looking over so many family trees, I noticed that the oldest boy was named Johann. In America, most of these Johanns were referred to by their middle name. So, from this point on, Johann Georg Moeller will be referred to as Georg Moeller. His first son, who was named after him, became the Americanized name of John.

These immigrants, and 84 others, had been asked to settle Texas by Henry Fisher who had arranged for them to sail on the ship Weser. They arrived in Galveston in July 1844, five months before the Adelsverein immigrants. Prince Carl was to meet the Henry Fisher group in Galveston, but he left to secure another port for the Adelsverein immigrants to disembark. He established a port at Indianola and by December 1844, 292 immigrants had landed and awaited their trek inland. On March 21, 1845, the immigrants crossed the Guadalupe River into New Braunfels. Many of those from Michaelsrombach came with this early group. Georg Moeller did not make the trek with the immigrants but arrived soon after and settled in Comaltown. We do not know why he didn’t wait with the other immigrants, but could he have given in to Wanderlust? Nevertheless, we know that he arrived in Comaltown soon after the March 21st group. In I846, Georg married the widow Katherine Hoffmann; her husband had died shortly after the family arrived leaving her with two children. Eventually, Georg and Katherine had one daughter that died and then three sons. They were twins John and Franz and then Louis (Ludwig).

Georg bought a large piece of property in Comaltown and it was on this property that he built a magnificent two-story rock house that still stands at 212 West Austin Street. Supposedly, the rock was hauled from a nearby quarry on Rock Street. All the walls are constructed of smooth hand-hewn limestone. Heavy cedar beam staircases lead to a basement. No nails were used. After Georg died in 1857, the house was occupied by family members and eventually sold by the three sons. The most recent acquisition was by Schlitterbahn. In 1970 the house received the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation.

It is in this second generation that fellow researcher David Hartmann and I branch off. We share Johann Georg and Katherine Moeller as our first ancestors in New Braunfels. My great grandfather was John Moeller and David’s g-g grandfather was Louis Moeller. John Moeller continued in the building trade, constructing homes in the area. He also built a Victorian home in 1894, on the corner of Union Avenue and Camp Street, which still stands. On the back of this property, John had a small lumber mill. It was here that John and wife, Anna Rauch Moeller, raised their four boys and exposed them to the building business. Adolph was the oldest, then Ed, then Herman and last Alwin Carl Moeller.

Adolph Moeller carried on the building tradition and was known as a commercial builder. Several well-known downtown buildings were built by him: Fire Station #1, the old New Braunfels High School on Mill Street and many houses including his beautiful home on Garza Street. Ed Moeller is listed for a short time as a builder but spent most of his time as the owner of the bus station where the Celebrations Store is on Seguin Avenue. He was also involved in politics and became sheriff for a time. Hermann was listed as a carpenter.

And now we have the story of the prime builder of the Moeller clan: Alwin Carl “Kid” Moeller. He was my grandfather. To this day, his name is imprinted as “A.C. Moeller, Contractor” all over sidewalks and cornerstones in town, especially downtown. At an early age, he learned the contracting business from his oldest brother Adolph. A.C. went into business for himself and from the early 1920s until he died in 1936, he constructed many buildings. About 17 buildings downtown have cornerstones which carry his name. Some notable buildings that you are probably familiar with are the Seele Parish House, the Richter Building, Johnson Furniture, the Phoenix Saloon addition, the complete remodeling of the Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home, Plaza Drug Building, Comal Flower Building, the Black Whale, the Bus Station and many others. He built the first annex to the Courthouse (for $73,000) in 1930, the Garden Street Bridge and the textile mill dam across the Guadalupe River. Aside from commercial buildings, he was an expert on homes in the bungalow, craftsman and Prairie style. Some of these homes have been converted into offices contributing to the conservation of downtown. The law office of Jack Borchers on Seguin Avenue is a good example of a converted home to an office. Another example is the red brick Prairie style home on East San Antonio Street, owned by descendants of the Wagenfuehr family. Hundreds of A.C. Moeller homes still stand in New Braunfels and benefit from his skill at building. In 1924, he was awarded a big contract with New Braunfels schools to build Lamar School, Carl Schurz Elementary, Steven F. Austin School and the Home Economics Cottage for the high school on Academy Avenue. One of his last projects was the remodeling of the bandstand on Main Plaza.

Alwin Carl Moeller died in 1936 and it can definitely be said that he was one of those who “left footprints on the sands of time.” Also, I’m right about what I said about what makes a viable downtown. The Moeller brothers built buildings that last and are worth saving and we have people in NB who recognize the importance of preservation.

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

Day two of the 25th Jubilee of the founding of New Braunfels turned out to be just as wonderful as the day before. As it neared 10 am on Monday, May 16, 1870, citizens once again assembled at the school on Academy and Mill streets. The front of the building was gaily decorated with wreaths and garlands of evergreens and the old Academy flag. Today was not just a procession of citizens and guests, but an honest-to-goodness, full-blown extravaganza of a parade. It was to be a day showcasing the history and development of the town but also one of joyful fun.

While the parade was forming up, a sixty-gallon barrel of beer was tapped and glasses served to the participants and spectators. A sixty-gallon barrel of beer? Yeah, let’s try this today!

A group of young men, dressed as Native Americans, rode on horseback at the front of the parade. The grand marshal and the US flag led the group of First Founders and their descendants. They were followed by a plethora of floats and societies

The Turnverein float, drawn by six white horses, carried the 37 young ladies who had presented the banner to the men the day before. Dressed in white with blue scarfs, they represented the 37 states of the Union. At the top of the float stood a tall young lady in white with a golden belt and crown holding a flag emblazoned with “USA” and “Liberty”.

The groups of children from all the local schools walked in the same order as before. They were followed by an immigrant wagon pulled by four mules. The driver smoked a pipe and wore a Staubkittel (blue duster). The recently arrived Börner family joined 70-year-old Mr. Riedel, Mrs. Sacherer, Mrs. Merz and Mrs. Pfannstiel in the wagon already full of immigrant trunks and a spinning wheel.

The next float entered was the New Braunfels Woolen factory which portrayed industry in New Braunfels. Examples of lovely colored fabrics, green wreaths and a sign created with flowers decorated the float. A large working loom was being used causing spectators to cheer as it passed by.

Marching and singing, the members of the Neu Braunfelser Gesangverein and the Turnverein came next. They were followed by a float drawn by four oxen with gilded horns. This float carried Mr. Schuster dressed as Gambrinus in “a costly cloak of real red satin trimmed with ermine” and wearing a crown (Gambrinus is the legendary “King of Beer”). The float carried the sixty-gallon barrel of beer that was tapped at the beginning of the parade; the barrel was marked “From the First German Brewery in West Texas”. It had been donated to the festivities by W. A. Menger of San Antonio. Two smaller 15-gallon barrels from Rennert’s brewery were hitched to the back. King Gambrinus reigned over four boys dressed as pages who served beer to the thirsty parade members.

Various other businesses and groups participated in the parade that took the same route as the procession the day before. Each new section of the parade was separated with horse-back riders carrying US standards. The parade participants played “tin music” and cheered as they walked along. The shout of “Hoch!” (High! Raise up!) was sounded each time the parade passed through the arches on Main Plaza. A very loud cheer arose from both participants and spectators when the parade paused to take on new barrels of beer from Rennert’s Brewery.

Cheers from the spectators greeted groups and floats. Float riders sang German songs as they travelled along. The agent who worked for The Union and Bulletin in Galveston was hailed. Parade participants shouted, “Prost!” as they passed the homes of the mayor, Jubilee committee members and Dr. Koester. The “Indians” on horseback randomly attacked and tried to raid the floats. They were successfully fended off with guns, smoking pipes, a crutch and yes, one woman used a sausage! The “Indians” managed to steal a boot and a bottle of whiskey, but these were soon confiscated by the sheriff.

Even with all the unbridled levity, the boisterous crowd became silent and bared their heads in honor as they passed the home of Dr. Remer on Seguin Street. He “who had worked so diligently for the success of the Jubilee, who had labored so faithfully with the founders for the town’s development” was very ill. (The day before, he had been in a chair on his porch and received loud cheers and the well-wishes of friends as they passed by.)

The parade continued and finally passed over the Comal Bridge. When Joseph Landa’s coachman turned the oxen of the Gambrinus float to pass the triumphal arch, Mr. Landa seized the reins and guided the float smoothly under the arch to the applause and cheers of “Landa, the driver of oxen!”. The crowd dispersed and found one of the many bars scattered around that dispensed beer and both native and imported wines. There was also an all-day lunch room which served hot meals and “good coffee” for a nominal price. Just past the festival grounds were two shooting ranges where contests took place — – one for target shooting, the other for shooting flying targets and skeet.

Mr. Seele delivered another speech and read congratulatory letters from absent dignitaries. Gambrinus stepped onto the platform and gave Seele a glass of beer to drink to the health of these well-wishers. Later in the day, Seele addressed the American population, in English, emphasizing how they helped, encouraged and stood by the Germans. He ended with a “Lebenhoch” (Good luck cheer) for the town’s American friends.

In the evening, the grounds were again lit up with colored lanterns and large kerosene torches. The triumphal arch was lit in a manner that made it seem transparent with changing red, blue and white lights. Music and dancing lasted late into the night only to be finished by another dramatic firework display.

Over 200 cannon shots were fired during the two-day festival!

On Tuesday, several citizens and Jubilee committee members “held a cozy post-celebration on the festival grounds and at Mrs. Josts, and so the Jubilee which will always be dear to the memory of all came to a close.”

Did these guys know how to party or what!?!

Sources: Faust Collection, Heilig album, Seele collection, Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung: Sophienburg Museum & Archives

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