Document text
POLICLORE.
Miss Effie Cowan, P.N.
AcLennan Coanvy, Texas,
District 8.
tteferenoe.
NO. of'Words 1600
Pile NO. 240.
Page NO. 1.
Interview with 'Ars Lucinda Permian Bolsi), Riegel, Texas.
(White pioneer)
I was born in the year 1887 in Meoblenburg Germany. iy father, Ludwig
Permien eligrated to America in the year 1871. Re settled at the,
town of Predericksburg Taxes. "then be was located be sent for my folks
in the year 1873. By this time be had become a naturalized American
citizen The war between the states was over and the worst of the re,-,
-construction days were p et. Ent there were still some Indians in the
western part of the state where we came,
The country was mostly a stock and ranch country but in between the
bilis there wee timber and so they raised their grain iu these valleys.
Ihen they took their stock and produce to the markets they went to San-
-Antonio, Austin and Brownsville. There was lots of 41exioana near our
town and the German settlers employed them to clear, the brush from the
land they pit in cultivation and to help herd the cattle. There were a
very few slaves at this time in Gillespie county. The settlers lived
in log cabins and the schools an churchs also were the log houses.
"The ecboo1 rere the one teacher schools and the teachers would board
,around with the families of their papils and the salaries Wrere'ar-und
twenty-five dollars a'month. After I was grown I went to Austin ad
helped do hc)use ork for the white ';omen Then in J.879 I imarrie4Lur
Frederick Holze ancrmoved near the town of Brenham Texas, to a kittle
village named Industry.
Folklore,
lies fffie Cowan, P.N.
McLennan County Texas.
District S.
File NO. 240.
Page NO. 2.
"Yor may years my husband operated a little country store at this
place. I have heard him tell about when he was a sixteen year old boy
daring the Civil 4ar how he was a teamster and drove the freight
wagens from Industry to Brenham nnd on down to the nearest railroad.
The wagon trains would go together to protect each other from the
robbers Sometimes when they were passing thro' the river bottom
the robbers would take their wagon 1-13 with the freight and the team',,
the men would be gold to esdape with teir lives.
I can remember when I lived in Austin how the rw gers would be
stationed over on the Concho river to watch Cor the Indians. They
were still giving trouble, robbing the set"ers of .their stook and 1
.their grain. I can ale() remember the old court house in Austin. It
was located down near the Zolorado river the course of the river
rao thro' the oity making a very picturesque picture with its .large
trees that bordered the banks of the river.
"When the river was on a rise we cropsed on the ferry boats and when
it was low it was easy to ford it as the bed of the river was rook.
Sometikes in the tirring it' would frt on a 'big rise snd overflow the
lowlands near the city, the people who lived in these places would have
#o move to higher ground. It was about the time I loft.Acistin in 1879
that they built the new capitol.
"After I came to tndustry near Brenbap7I was surprised to see sach
large farms, they called them ,lantatiohs,they were situated cloLe to
the river's the Brazos and Little Riveroand many were called the
Folklore,
Miss Effie Cowam,P.1.
McLennan County, Texas,
District 8.
File NO, 240.
Page NO. B.
Bottom plantations. The soil was very rich and they often made a bale,
of c')tton to the °acre. There were so many more negroes They bad been
slaves of the plantatiOn owners and since their freedom they were
working the land for th•Ar former owners and the oners giving them
part of the crops for their work,
The towns of Brenham and Industry are near Little River,as well as
the Brasos,and sometimes it overflowed to, and the Sapta Fe rail -road
would be under water and the trains delayed for days at a time. The
White poeple lived away from the bottom but the negro cabins were
down on these plantations and it was com-lon for the Alite people to
have to go tvAi bring them out in boats when the over-flowis occurred.
"In 1884 my husband brought his ftmily to the German settlement
near what is now Perry Texas. le owned a little store and he was post-
-master at a little place called Stamps. It was at this place that
we had our experience ,:vith robbersOne efternoon as we -'ere ready to
close to store two men rode up on horse -back came in and asked
for t6bacco. As my husband turned to get It,, they drew a gun on him and
told him to give them all the money be had.
"At the same tire the other one turned to me and told me that if I
made a noise that he would shoot me, then he turned to help the man
who held the gun on my hasbandjirob the cash dndwer and safe.lhen be did
this I ran to a neighbor's and gave the alarm, but when the neighbor
got there they bad the money and were gone. le never did recover
of our money or find the robbers.
'Folklore;
Miss ffie Cowan, P.1.
McLennan ounty, Texas,
District a.
NO, 240.
Page NO. 4.
71 will not attempt to pive you the story of the German settlement
at l'erry, but there was a young man fromiGermany by the name of Von
Holwegg who was among the colony that Ur Soblimbech brought over.
This young Holwegg aocumalated a large amount of property nnd made
Mr Otto Rau his overseer. Mr Rau also was one of the first ones to
come over from Germany with this colony. son Louis married his daught0:
and after Ir Aaa-died) he took charge of this property and is the agent
yet. RA:cia.2)
I have five living ehildren, they are L.H. Schmidt-ljaith whom
I make my home. !ft 1oni8 Holse daco. Mr E.J.Holse,Otto, Texas. and q
daughter, Ire A.L.Leifeste of Houeton Texas. Uy husband passed away in
1918 at the age of sixty-nine years.
"Yes; I can give you a l'ttle of the history of the early days of some
of the German communities in Texas before the Civil Jar came, as handed"
down tb the descendents Of those who were among the first settlers.
It is eaid that in the erring of 1846 the first traih for Erederickeburg,'
consisting of twenty wagons and some two -wheel .iexican carts left the
town of New Braunfele for the new settlement on the Pedernalesa There
were about 120 men, women and children in this train, accompanied by eight
of the soldiers furnished by the"Siciety for the jrotection of Gorman
Immigrants in Texas."
After a trip lAting sixteen days they arrived at the future tn of
ltredericksburg. It is worthy' of note that the meat, for the first meal
vreved to them in this new location was bear meei;John Schmidt one of
the military soldiers shot a bear on.the banks of the iedernales river.
?olklore.
Miss Effie Cowan, Pia.
McLennan Cfsunty, Poxes,
District 8.
File NO. 240.
Page NO. 5.
The immigrants passed a band of Indians just before they crossed
the river and when they heard the shot from the rifle,they thought
it was an Indian attack, but it was only the hunters shooting at the
bear. Another soldier killed a- panther just before they crossed the
river, the timber here was dense and the animals wire Plentiful.
A partial list of the first settlers has been kept, but the fall
list seems to have been lost since the county clerks records were dest-
-royed by fire in 1850. Among, the family names are Ahelger, Schmidt,
Locbte, Bonn, Berbens, Schwarz. Strackbein, Durst, Syeabing, Heinmann,
Mein, Leydendeoker, Eckhardt, Neffendorf, Thane, Schneider,*2ritz,
jeidenfeld. and Schnaats.
It is a mntter of record that the first school in ?rederioksburg
was organised by thellSociety for the Protection of German Immigrants
in Texas..John Leydendecker held the. school in the church building. \\\\N
Then the first city school was organised in 1856 Auguatt Siemering was
chosen i8 the teacher. By 1860 tlere wows ten shhools in the settleqemt
around iredericksbarg and an enrollment of 260 pupils'. In 1860 the
number of white people in the country was around twe,ty.seven hundred
thirty...three slaves and thirty.peight people in business.
"The first religious serVioe for the German immigrants was held in
the city of Houston t, Dec. 1839 and in a short while there were regular
services held for tem i. the city by a -ir'vendeT who came to .ouston
from Illinois in 1839. In the year s 1840 6o 1844 this Ur Evendberg
and Johann Anton ftsber organized Protestant churches in Industry)
Folklore;
lass Effie Cowan, P./.
MoLefinan ounty, Texas,
District 8.
File NO. 240,
Page NO.6.
Cat Springs Biegel, La Grange and Colombas. The Catholices also had
churches in "law Braunfels and Erediericksburg. The first mass was oele-
-brated in tew Esiaunfels by a priest named George Blensel, who in the
same year built a cross on the Ireusberg mountain to the northwest
of Prederiskoburg to sho+o the world the Catholic standard as a symbol
of salvation and civilisation.
mow first Jethodist church Organised in l'redericksbarg was in the
year -1649 and Aev, Eduard Zohneider organised it and held the services
in the societies hell until 1855 when the congregation built a church
house for themellves.
en the 'eve of ihitsantide the German's.of Tndastry and ,;at,Bpriugs
organised a German orderiknder the leadership of ireiderich Ernst,
which was to farther immigration and oorrespondence between Germany
and Texas and to preeeerve the German traits. To belong to this order
the requisites were talent, ability and education. Ob tarob 1843 tte
memb,re Phewild their patriotism of Saxon by Celebrating the anniversnyy
of7rixas independence. After this there wage organised various clubs
and societies for the social life of the communities.
"In telling of the social life of the German people of that day my
story would not be complete without telling you of the invisible pea-
-anger that came with these first familiesand that was the tnlent for
music as expressed both with instruments and in song.To the march Serous
the wilderness of this.state it aacoftpanied then and-belped.them to
win in their straggles against the hardships of the life of the pioneero
FOLKLORE.
Wes &fie Cowan, NW.
Mc Lerman onnty„ Texas,
District 8.
File NO. 240.
Page NO. 7.
The first singing society in Texas W88 organised at iiew Brannfels
in larob 1850. It was called the"Germania: Some Of its first directors
were Petmeoky, C.F.Blum, Dr Adolf Douai, and &Guenther. Besides the
Germania to* other clubs were organised at 4ew Braunfels before 1861,
they were a chorus of men and women one was onlled the "Concordia'.
There w quartette at Sisterdale composed of men dnd at Comfort there
was a quartette ooai:osed of 2rnst iltgelt, 2rits Goldbeck, C.N. Boerner
and Frits Holeknmp under the direction of Hermann Schimmelpfennig.
"In August 1863 there war a st.te song festival ataats- Saengerfest)
with the above mentioned einging societies taking part together with
others from San Antonio and Austin. There were four other state meetings
before 1861 at New Braunfels rid ?rederioksbarg bat when the Civil Nar
was declared then the song festivals were ended for the duration of the
war.
The culture of the pioneer German peocle was also manifested in the
art of clanting, ,nd what wondarful colors to draw their inspiration from,
4
In the spring the landscape was brilliant with the wild flowers, tile bta.
-bonnet, the Indian blanket with its coat of red, and the "'Yellow Rose
of Texas" -;(the song the confederate soldiers loved so well to marob by.)
as well a m ny other flowers%of equal beauty.
"Hermann Lungkwits was one of the most prominent of the 1 ndsoape
p inters. Ile scene of Bear Mount,in nenr Prederioksburg ,the Pei**,
-nales River, Marble Fnlls on the Colorado nd Jailer -Creek at Anetin
are among his best work.
Folklore,.
Miss 3ffie Cowin,
MoLennan County; Texas,
Distriot 8.
File NO. 240.
Page O. 8.
"Two of Lungwits's painting's hang on the walls of the south entranoe
hall of the St-te Capitol Building. One is that of David Crockett, and
the other shows the surrender of Santa Anna to Gen. Sam Houston. The
portraits to these painti:Ig's were donelpy the artist Huddle, bat the
landscapes are the works of aermann Langkwita.
To the success of the German settlements in Texas is due to n grea
extent to the"Sooiety for the 2roteotion of German Ippigrants in Texa
The immigrants came to Texas to escape oppression in their country and
to enjoy the blessing's of liberty and the rights of citisenshiI: This
they acoomnlished nd at the same time their ways, oust MB and character-
-tattoo were preserved.
"Then here's to our state, our own dear state,
Right or wrong, oppressed or free;
In poverty and wealth, enthroned -or disowned,
Our mother our queen shall be.
Oh: the Lone 3tar State our home still be,
As long as her rivers run into the ape.