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 Table of Contents Volume 1: Hin nach Amerika! Off to America! Volume 2: The Lone Star State
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19th Century German Immigrants to the Texas Hill Country Die Friedrichsburger Manuskripte The Fredericksburg Manuscripts When so many of us can remember seeing men travel to the moon, take a short walk, and return in 8 days, it can be hard to imagine what faced the early European immigrants traveling to America. Three sick and miserable months on the high seas on a ship full of sick and equally miserable strangers. Some brought bottles of syrup and vinegar to mix with water as a means of refreshing themselves. They had left their relatives, friends, careers and everything that was familiar. What would make anyone undergo such a 3-month ordeal? They came to the Texas Hill Country and found:
Some who came were Freidenkers, or Free Thinkers, fleeing intellectual persecution. The Industrial Revolution, bad weather, and too many generations of dividing the land among the children displaced many farmers. The Adelsverein Society hoped to start a German colony, or at least discover gold, and funded thousands to move. Still others had received letters from those that went before them, telling them to "not let anyone persuade you to go to any other place than Fredericksburg." Others still say it is the leylines, the energy channels of the planet itself. These channels criss-cross and protrude throughout this spiritual region, Fredericksburg in particular, and have attracted people from the Comanche, to the Spanish Conquistadors, to the German immigrants, to today's retirees. Something about living here just makes you feel good. Bits and pieces of their stories have been told here and there. Rumors and myths have continued for 160 years as various family members and authors try to put the pieces together. But truth can be elusive. At last, a native son, trained as an investigative journalist, has put his ancestor's stories together into an on-going collection of manuscripts. Mr. Kenn Knopp has been collecting stories of German immigrants for over 40 years. Even now, he is still interviewing the offspring, friends, and friends of friends of those who came before. A retired deacon of the Catholic Church, this is one honest "Teller of the Tales" who has never stopped trying to sort fact from fiction. The American Frontier A cultural anthropologist has pointed out that the Native Americans had more influence than they usually get credit for. Europeans came to this land. But Americans are not Europeans. Where did this new American culture come from? Rocks, trees, lakes, rivers, mountains -- these are not the things that change a culture. The Europeans met the American Indians - and became more like them. Indian values became cowboy values became all- American values. Look at John Wayne, Jack Palance, any of the Hollywood early Americans, or their real life counterparts. Maximum freedom, direct and honest speech, love of simplicity, kindness to children, and an affinity for nature -- Americans are Europeans with Native American values. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the Texas Hill Country. The "Peace Treaty of the Comanche with the German Settlers in Friedrichsburg, Texas" (as it was originally named) is reputed to be the only treaty ever written between the Native Americans and early settlers that was never broken by either side. Both sides still celebrate this friendship every year during the Fredericksburg Inter-tribal Powwow, always the second weekend in May. These tales are the essential stories of frontier Americans. Another Self-Publishing American Author And Kenn is the perfect narrator. As a junior in high school, Kenn won the Texas State Agricultural Department's essay contest on protecting the environment. He decided he liked writing. He studied investigative journalism in college, worked in public relations for the Army, and always researched the Texas-German heritage of his hometown. His bi-lingual travels between Texas and Germany have produced dozens of hand-written manuscripts, published both in the United States and in Germany. Traditional publishers told him to shorten the first volume, remove many of the pictures, and make other modifications that Kenn knew would prevent "The Story" from being told as they should. So he has joined the ranks of Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Zane Grey, Thomas Paine, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain and found a small publisher willing to publish these stories the way he wants. Mythpopper For years, rumors circulated that the early "Freidenkers" or "Free Thinkers" had a tie to the early Marxists. But those who knew for sure weren't saying - a common occurrence with these old German families. Kenn's research trips to Berlin and his knowledge of German enabled him to discover that Baron Westphalen, who went by the name Edgar Westphal in Texas, was Karl Marx' brother-in-law. Edgar traveled a number of times between Sisterdale, Texas and Germany. Do you know the first woman U.S. bank president? Read the letters of Anna Mebus Martin and learn what it was like to be one of the original women not to notice that it was a man's world. Think you know who flew the first airplane in the United States? Read these manuscripts to learn that the first successful flight happened in Texas, decades before the Wright brothers' attempt. The inventor's luck after that was not so good. Incredibly Illustrated These volumes contain family archival B&W pictures, many available nowhere else, of early founders and residents. Maps of the early Hill Country contain the old names, such as Indianola, which do no appear on modern state maps. In addition, drawings of some of the animals, birds, and fish that the German pioneers found in the Texas Hill Country in the mid-1840s are scattered throughout the volumes. They were drawn and provided through the courtesy of S. David McKelvey, ornithologist, naturalist, and artist. In some cases, these beautiful illustrations depict creatures that have since been eliminated from this region. A Researcher's Aid While Kenn's pursuit of the truth borders on fanatical, his thoroughness is also overwhelming. He lists dozens of complete family trees as well as detailed personal histories. His studies have gone beyond his own family to include all of the original Fredericksburg (and, to some extent, Gillespie County) German families. It is important to remember that these volumes are intended to preserve the region's culture through an even- handed understanding of its major events and stories. Thus, the focus is not on following individual family lines. Yet, as a part of this understanding, there are several year-by-year accounts of major characters. And many of his citations contain the phrase "personal interview" which truly is information you will find nowhere else. These books contain over 40 years of investigative journalistic research performed by a bi-lingual local who regularly traveled to Germany to get the facts right. If the author were paid even $1/hr for his effort, these manuscripts would be worth 10s of thousands of dollars! However, for a limited time, you can receive the electronic versions of these evolving manuscripts on CD for only $17 American each (plus shipping). As a special incentive, you can own both manuscripts for only $27 American (plus shipping). So click on the link below and aid cultural preservation while receiving hours of enjoyable reading. Or, if you would rather, feel free to mail your check to the address that appears at the bottom of this page. Make your check payable to "Classic Knowledge Publications". In these 2 volumes, Kenn has collected the top 10% of the most interesting, funny, upbeat, and reverential immigrant stories. They paint a positive picture of early Americans that will inspire you for years to come.
P.S. Whether you are one of the one in six Americans that traces their ancestry to Germany, a Texas history buff, or a scholar interested in tracing the origins of our uniquely American culture, nowhere will you find a more detailed, story-rich narrative of this important period in American history. P.P.S. Several people have asked about a bound version of these manuscripts. Currently, we are able to offer comb-bound versions for $60 each, plus shipping. With almost 150 illustrations, including early maps of the region, these are the perfect option for older relatives or those of us who prefer to end the day with the book on the nightstand. If this is what you want, then please click into our store. Copyright © 2006-8 German Heritage Foundation All content rights reserved. www.GermanHeritageFoundation.com/FbgManuscripts.html 22 February 2008 |
