The
Wen dish
Texans
SYLVIA ANN GRIDER
The University of Texas
Institute of Texan Cultures- San Antonio
1982
THE TEXIANS AND THE TEXANS
A series dealing with the many peoples who have contributed to the history
and heritage of Texas.
Now in print:
Pamphlets- The Afro-American Texans, The Anglo-American Texans, The
Belgian Texans, The Chinese Texans, The Czech Texans, The
French Texans, The Greek Texans, The Indian Texans, The Italian
Texans, The Jewish Texans, The Mexican Texans, Los Tejanos
Mexicanos (in Spanish), The Norwegian Texans, The Polish
Texans, The Spanish Texans, The Syrian and Lebanese Texans
and The Swiss Texans.
Books- The Danish Texans, The German Texans, The Irish Texans, The Polish
Texans and The Wendish Texans.
The Wendish Texans
Copyright 1982
The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures- San Antonio
Jack R. Maguire, Executive Director
Pat Maguire, Director of Publications and Programs
Production Staff: Sandra Hodsdon Carr; David Haynes; Meredith Rees; Tom
Shelton; Deborah Large, Indexer.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number
82-82854
International Standard Book Numbers
Hardbound 0-86701-000-2
Softbound 0-86701-001-0
First Edition
This publication was made possible, in part, by the Institute of Texan Cultures
Associates, the Texas Folklife Festival and the Houston Endowment, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
The
Wen dish
Texans
SYLVIA ANN GRIDER
4330
Preface
CJ L/-3 . .Q.,/ 0 '17 c, '-/­G'
6J./-7w
The Institute of Texan Cultures has produced numerous books and
exhibits about the various ethnic groups in the state, and The Institute's
annual Texas Folklife Festival further shows evidence of cultural diver­sity
to hundreds of thousands of visitors. But, of all the ethnic groups
represented, the Wends are probably the most obscure.
The Wendish Texans will help answer queries about this unique Texas
group. Emphasis here is on the cultural attributes of the group rather
than on outstanding individuals of Wendish descent. Other studies and
primary sources are listed in the bibliography.
Contents
Introduction 7
Emigration Begins 13
Wends Follow Germans to Australia 15
The Other Frontier: Texas 19
Pastor Kilian Leads His Congregation
to Texas 21
Religious Freedom and the Wends 23
Johann Kilian 25
The Voyage to Texas 29
Serbin: The Heart of the
Wendish Colony 35
The German-Wendish Schism 41
The Wendish Language in Texas 47
Customs and Traditions
Christmas
Easter
Weddings
Folk Medicine
The Birds' Wedding
Superstitions
The Wends Today
An Abstract of the Original Ship
57
59
63
67
73
75
77
81
Register (Ben Nevis) 91
Informants 111
Bibliography 112
Photo Credits 116
Index 118
About the Author 120
Introduction
Texans share a rich heritage. The accents of Spanish, German and
Czech color the speech of some regions of the state, while much of the
architecture and cuisine can be traced to Mexico and the antebellum South.
The population of the young state expanded rapidly in the 19th century
as wave after wave of European immigrants swept across the plains and
the Hill Country. These settlers were also harbingers of the wealth and
stability that Old World civilizations would ultimately bring to the frontier.
Members of different ethnic groups, often displaced by the political and
economic upheavals in their homelands, gave the state an increasingly
cosmopolitan personality.
Most Texans today, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, can iden­tify
the majority of the cultures of the state. A mental image springs to
mind for the German Texans, the Lebanese Texans or the Mexican Texans.
But who are the Wends and whoever heard of Wendish Texans? Generally
unrecognized outside of Lee and Fayette Counties except to specialists
such as linguists and ethnographers, the Wends nevertheless make up
a distinctive segment of Texas's ethnic population.
7
West Germany
East Germany
Wend ish
Region
Czechoslovakia
Austria
Map of Germany indicating the contemporary Wendish homeland
8
Poland
Although they have East German citizenship today, the Wends in
Germany are a distinct ethnic minority. Called Sorbs in most European
languages, they are also occasionally referred to as Lusatian Sorbs, after
the region in which most of them still live. But in Texas the descendants
of the early settlers today call themselves Wendish, a name derived from
the imprecise German vernacular term, Wendisch. To avoid confusion,
Wendish is the term that will be used throughout this book to refer to
the Texas colony.
The Wends are a Slavic people of obscure origin who settled in cen­tral
Europe, probably during the migrations following the collapse of
the Roman Empire. In Europe today they are concentrated in East
Germany near the modem cities of Bautzen and Cottbus and along the
picturesque banks of the Spree River. Their language, customs, religion
Young people boating to work in the fields
on the banks of the Spree River
and sense of ethnic integrity all set them apart from their German
neighbors, even though they have never had separate and independent
national status in the modem political sense.
9
By the 18th century the ruling Prussians were exerting considerable
pressure on the Wends to abandon their distinctive language and culture.
Since they had no political or economic power of their own, many Wends
gave in to the pressure and were absorbed into the German mainstream.
Those who resisted became an isolated minority, often discriminated
against. They were denied citizenship and admission to professional guilds
and were restricted to special sections of the cities. Most Wends resorted
to tenant farming as their only means of livelihood, and thus an exten­sive
landless Wendish peasantry evolved and remained even after serf­dom
was legally abolished. These conservative peasants kept their native
language and customs.
Gathering in a peasant cottage to spin, knit and tell stories
Religion was a primary factor in the maintenance of the Wendish
language. Before the 16th century Reformation there was a movement
to train Wendish-speaking priests and chaplains, which finally led to the
establishment of a Catholic Wendish Seminary in Prague in 1706.
After the Reformation the majority of Wends became Protestants,
and candidates for the clergy were trained primarily at Leipzig, where
10
Wendish family returning home after evening church services
the Wendish-speaking students banded together. The switch to
Lutheranism set the Wends apart still further from some of their German
neighbors as well as from the predominantly Catholic Czechs and Poles
to whom they were otherwise culturally and linguistically related. The
Reformation also had a profound impact on the development of the
Wendish language because even though a widespread Wendish literature
never flourished, the catechism and parts of the Bible were translated
from German into the vernacular Wendish, thus stabilizing its written
form. Both clerical and governmental authorities discouraged these transla­tions
because they feared the potentially dangerous rise of Sorbian nation­alism
as a result of supporting the Sorbian culture through the language.
By the early 19th century a few aggressive urban Wends had risen
to the middle class economically, but practically none could be regarded
as wealthy. Only the most conservative and patriotic were able to resist
Germanization after moving off the farms and into the cities, where they
were drastically outnumbered by the Germans. Nevertheless, a small
nucleus of upwardly mobile Wends evolved in Bautzen, but most of those
11
who resisted Germanization remained economically dependent on the
German landholders. They stayed on their small farms and yearned for
a better way of life, even though such a dream seemed impossible.
A tiny Wendish intelligentsia was developing among those who were
training for the clergy at the universities in Prague and Leipzig. University
education exposed these young men to radical political theories and
broadened their knowledge of the world around them. Education for the
rest of the Wends was limited to their local parochial schools with instruc­tion
in the Wendish language, but these groups- the bourgeoisie and the
intelligentsia- provided the leadership that the Wends had lacked before.
12
View of the citadel of Bautzen as it stands today
Emigration Begins
Over the years more and more Wends began to look for a better
way of life. Crop failures, drought and other agricultural disasters of the
mid-1800's brought this desire into clear focus. The peasants began to
talk of leaving Germany to find land of their own and make a new begin­ning.
Some German farmers, as impoverished as the Wends by the
abysmal agricultural conditions in Europe, initiated emigrations to the
frontiers of Australia and America. Even though the Prussian bureaucracy
regularly discriminated against the Wendish minority within its boun­daries,
the German and Wendish farmers had no real animosity toward
one another, and as a result, some bilingual Wends began to follow their
German countrymen abroad, encouraged by letters from successful
emigrants published by the sympathetic press. These first Wendish
emigrants, however, lacked any cohesive leadership.
13
Wends Follow Germans
to Australia
Because the Germans had already made a place for themselves in
Australia, small groups of Wends emigrated there throughout a ten-year
period, starting during the widespread European political unrest of 1848.
There was no organized, large-scale movement of the Wends to Australia;
rather, family groups or friends from a small community would band
together to finance and endure the long and arduous ocean voyage to
the rough Australian frontier. Many stayed in Port Adelaide and worked
on the docks to earn money to buy land. The new settlers were faced
with an alien terrain and climate, but with the help of German neighbors
who had already established farms and settlements, they quickly learned
to build "pug" houses of mud .and straw and to cultivate wheat and other
crops in the virgin fields. which they purchased from the Australian
government. Coping with learning the English language only added to
the tensions and disruptions of adjusting to the harsh frontier environment.
Because they arrived sporadically, the Wends did not form a distinct
colony in Australia as did their countrymen who went to Texas. It is
15
-~ <.!0{) - · i 'r .-:;,'\o
[ __ -_·:-;,
Emigrants wait to board ship in England for Australia
estimated that 2,000 Wends emigrated to South Australia during this
period; they congregated in several communities, among them Ebenezer,
Peters Hill, Tarrington, Tabor and Walla Walla. Even though a Wendish­speaking
Lutheran minister, Andreas Kappler, was among them, he could
not control the headstrong and independent Wendish peasants in search
of a new way of life in a new land.
Life on the frontier was so rigorous that the Wends' primary con­cern
had to be survival. They gave more attention to their crops and
livestock than to their culture and language. Practically all the Wendish
settlers depended heavily on their more numerous German neighbors and
within barely a generation were practically absorbed by the German immi­grants'
way of life. Ironically, this was exactly what so many patriotic
Wends in Germany had sought to avoid. One historian of the Wends,
George Nielsen, has said:
The Wend in Australia was no visionary laying the founda­tions
for a greater society. He had no mission to transport
democracy or religious freedom to a foreign soil. He was a
simple, conservative peasant looking for a place where he could
sink his roots and be left alone. He did not strive for political
·power, for positions of leadership or influence, but he worked
to get another acre of land, and he battled nature to keep his
family fed. His contribution to Australia (and he never intended
16
to make one) was not dramatic but consisted simply of devel­oping
a small portion of the Australian frontier.
Nevertheless, many of the settlers took the time to write long let­ters
back home to the Wendish newspapers and to their friends and
relatives. These letters were, of course, widely read and discussed. Others
wrote lengthy diaries and memoirs and even book-length accounts of
their pioneering experiences, which influenced other Wends to leave
Europe and join their countrymen abroad.
17
A typical view of the Lusatian countryside
The Other Frontier: Texas
While small struggling groups of Wendish farmers were adapting
to a whole new way of life in Australia, an immigration drama of a totally
different type and scale was unfolding halfway around the world in Texas.
The first trickle of individual Wendish adventurers came to Texas
around 1849-1850 seeking good farmland, but they were so quickly
absorbed by the German settlers of the central Texas Hill Country who
had preceded them that even their names have been forgotten. The
German culture in Texas was well established by the time the Wends began
to move in, because the Germans had undertaken large-scale and initial­ly
well-financed emigration to Texas and founded New Braunfels,
Fredericksburg and other towns. These pioneers were understandably
enthusiastic about their new homeland.
In 1853 a group of about 35 Wends sailed together from Bremen
to Texas, influenced in part by enthusiastic letters from the already­established
Germans and Wends. Some may have even seen copies of
the handbooks for emigrants that the Texas government was distributing
throughout central Europe to attract settlers to sparsely settled regions
of the state.
19
An artist's view of Fredericksburg, Texas, in the 1850's
But misfortune struck this little band before they ever reached Texas.
Their ship was wrecked off the coast of Cuba, and although none of the
settlers were killed, they lost all of their meager possessions. Not many
details of this mishap are known, but descendants of Pastor Hermann
Schmidt still include as part of their family history the story of how his
grandmother, Maria Michalk Kraus, learned to make cigars to supple­ment
the family income while they were stranded in Cuba.
The German consul in Havana notified a German benevolent society
in New Orleans of the plight of their Wendish countrymen, and this society
financed the rest of their journey to Galveston. Ironically, Germans were
once again the mainstay of the Wends during the initial stages of their
emigration from Europe.
From Galveston most of the Wends went on, a few at a time, to
New Ulm and Industry, northwest of Houston. Both of these settlements
soon became meccas as more and more Wends decided to move to Texas.
Descendants of this early group of immigrants still live in and around
Lee and Fayette Counties. Some of these "founding fathers" were
Christopher Krause, August Polnick, Johann Noack, Johann Kasper,
Mathias Matthiez and Mathias Mitschke.
20
Pastor Kilian Leads His
Congregation to Texas
The most dramatic and influential migration of Wends involved a
boatload of nearly 600 devout and pious Lutherans who landed at
Galveston in mid-December 1854. Before leaving Germany they had
organized themselves as a separate and autonomous congregation under
the leadership of the highly educated and forceful Pastor Johann Kilian.
This group of Wends established the colony of Serbin in what is now
Lee County and, ever since, has been a cultural influence in that region.
Wendish descendants readily claim that their forefathers carne to
Texas for religious freedom and escape from German oppression, and
thus they regard the migrant ship, the Ben Nevis, as a Texas counterpart
of the Mayflower. However, even though religious freedom for this con­servative
Lutheran congregation was undoubtedly a consideration, the
same harsh economic conditions in Germany that precipitated the depar­tures
to Australia, as well as the desire to own land, still had a strong
bearing on the decision to emigrate to Texas. There were, and still are,
Catholic Wends in Germany, but there is no known record of any of
them emigrating.
21
Sketch by Julius Stockfleth of Galveston Harbor in 1850
There is also some debate about why such a large group decided
to come to Texas instead of go to Australia, where they had friends and
relatives who would have welcomed them and helped them adjust to
their new way of life as frontier pioneers. In fact, many of the Wends
in Australia were surprised and disappointed when they received the news
that Kilian's congregation had gone to Texas instead.
Many contemporary scholars believe that the determining factor was
Kilian's friendship with C.EW. Walther, his classmate at the University
of Leipzig who had emigrated to Missouri in 1839. The influential Walther
rose to the presidency of the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church
and also served as editor of Der Lutheraner, an influential German­language
periodical which is no longer published. Even though Kilian
was a powerful, charismatic leader, it is doubtful that he alone could
have persuaded over 500 people to leave their homes and follow him
to Texas instead of to Australia. Kilian's Wends undoubtedly had close
ties with their countrymen in Australia, but they were also in direct contact
with the group which had come to Texas the year before. These settlers,
according to George Nielsen, sent home glowing letters which " ... com­mented
favorably on the absence of state regulations, on the opportunity
of obtaining firearms for hunting and the availability of jobs." These letters,
more than anything else, may have brought this large group of settlers
to Texas.
22
..
Religious Freedom
and the Wends
In the early 1800's the Calvinist ruler of Prussia had tried to create
a single Protestant Church by combining the Lutherans and Calvinists .
with common liturgies that would be acceptable to both. The Wends
resented this governmental interference with their religion. Many,
including Johann Kilian, openly protested this attempt at consolidation,
and by the 1840's the Prussian government had become quite lax in trying
to enforce its policies regarding religion. It was politically more expe­dient
not to antagonize this vocal Lutheran minority.
During this period of tolerance a group of devout and conservative
Wends began worshipping privately in the home of Andreas Urban in
Weigersdorf, then built a small church in 1845. Almost ten years later,
in March 1854, the lay leaders of this congregation formed a special
organization which drew up a constitution to supervise the migration
of the whole group to a new land where they could transplant their con­servative
religious doctrines and practices. And although they did not
openly acknowledge it, presumably many were attracted by the idea that
23
Pastor Johann Kilian
they could at last own their farms and thus break out of the poverty
and hardship so many of them had suffered for so long. The congrega­tion
sent the call to Pastor Kilian, who accepted, and then invited other
Lutheran Wends from throughout the region to join them. The group
soon swelled to more than 500 members.
The intellectual and aristocratic Kilian was the lone professional man
in the group, but he was only the spiritual and educational leader of the
congregation. The lay leaders were in charge of everything else, including
important decisions. The Wends who banded together to migrate were
mostly farmers and a few skilled craftsmen of the urban middle class,
not all of whom stayed with the group once they reached Texas. Never­theless,
the settlers had enough varied skills to guarantee the self-sufficiency
of the little pioneer colony.
The two primary leaders of this organization for emigration were
Carl Lehmann and Carl Teinert, the latter Kilian's coachman, compan­ion
and song leader on his regular rounds to minister to the far-flung
flock. Lehmann and Teinert played dominant roles in the development
of the Texas colony.
24
..
Johann Kilian
Johann Kilian was born in Saxony on March 22, 1811, the only child
of Wendish parents, both of whom died young, leaving enough money
to educate their son well. He studied first at Bautzen and then became
a student of theology at Leipzig in 1831. He was ordained in 1834 and
soon went to Basel, Switzerland, to prepare hims~lf for missionary work.
Before completing his studies he was called to take over the pastorate
of his deceased uncle at Kotitz, a post he kept until 1848. During his
stay at Kotitz he translated Martin Luther's catechism and the Augsburg
Confession into Wendish and published some other religious tracts and
sermons as well as poems and hymns. In 1848 he undertook the position
of circuit rider for the congregation at Weigersdorf and Klitten.
On May 23, 1854, this dissident but ardent defender of the faith
accepted the call from the new congregation which was making plans
to emigrate.
Kilian spent the remaining 30 years of his life in Serbin, Texas, and
was buried there after he died of a stroke on September 12, 1884. His
wife Maria Groeschel Kilian, whom he had married in 1848, died in 1881.
25
Pastor Johann Kilian and his
daughter, Terezija Marta
26
They had nine children, four of whom died young. Two of his sons were
college-educated: Hermann (1859-1920) graduated from Concordia
Theological Seminary in St. Louis and succeeded his father as pastor of
St. Paul's; Gerhardt (1852-1916) was the organist and teacher at the Serbin
school for 44 years, after graduating from Concordia Teachers Seminary
at Addison, Illinois. The other son, Bernhard (1858-1922), was a farmer
near Loebau, Texas. One daughter, Hulda, married Gotthilf Birkmann,
the popular and scholarly pastor at Fedor; the other daughter, Terezija
Marta, married Albert Peters of Winchester. Many of Kilian's
grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives are still living in
Texas today.
Kilian's life in Serbin was a paradox. So highly educated that he
could converse in Wendish, German, English and Latin, he felt intellec­tually
deprived on the frontier, so far away from libraries and profes­sional
colleagues. Nevertheless, his talented leadership was crucial to the
colony's survival, and today he is regarded as the founding patriarch of
Texas-Wendish Lutheranism.
The Kilian family plot in the Serbin cemetery
27
-
The Voyage to Texas
The migration of such a large group of people involved considerable
coordination, cooperation and planning. These devout Wends were
prepared to give up the security of all that was familiar in the hopes that
they would find a higher standard of living and more religious freedom
elsewhere. Money had to be raised for ship fare and land purchase, and
the trip was so expensive that most of the Wends knew that they would
probably never see their homeland again. The congregation agreed to
take those who could not afford to pay all of their expenses because there
were many elderly Wends who wished to accompany their families on
this crucial move rather than be left behind with no one to support them.
With so many people traveling together on one ship, there was limited
space for luggage, so families took only what was necessary for survival
on the frontier. As a result, there are few artifacts in Texas which can
be traced back directly to this momentous voyage.
This congregation constituted the only mass exodus of the Wends,
and so their journey to Texas is the single most important event in the
saga of Wendish emigration. Those who emigrated before this group and
29
those who left Germany afterwards- not only to go to Texas but to other
parts of the United States and to South Africa- went as isolated family
units and individuals. And as Wendish historian Anne Blasig succinctly
points out:
Johann Kilian's ambition had been to establish a Wendenland,
a Wendish refuge in America. He wanted to blaze a trail for
other Wends to come to a country where there was ample bread
and freedom. Many more Wends than the ones who came in
1854 had planned to migrate, but when the Prussian officials
learned of this colonizing movement, they suddenly became
more lenient with the people they considered foreigners. Indus­tries
began to hire Wends, incomes improved and employment
was procured in the cities.
The 80-day ocean voyage was arduous and sometimes heartbreaking
for the Wends. Of the nearly 600 who finally embarked for Texas, 73
died before the ship reached its
destination, primarily because of
an on-board cholera outbreak.
Even today descendants of these
immigrants have kept alive tales
of the suffering and courage of
their forebears. But the most
moving record of the journey is
this eye-witness account which
was written later by Johann
Teinert, who was only 13 years
old when he made the voyage:
In the year 1854 we went on
the railroad to Hamburg
. . . the ship owners char­tered
us a large ship, Ben
Nevis by name. [Since] it
was in the harbor of Liver­pool,
England, at the time
... it was necessary that we
The last farewell as emigrants depart
for a new land
travel on a freighter [from Hamburg] to England.
Then we arrived at Liverpool. There 14 died. There we
waited until the ship was loaded. While we were sailing the
30
cholera broke out and many became sick. Twenty-two died.
How long we traveled no one knows. Because many were sick
we docked at Ireland, Queenstown harbor. There we all had
to leave the ship and go on another while our ship was washed
and fumigated. This took a long time until everything was ready.
Then we boarded our ship again and traveled on. (October 22,
1854) Thirty more died during the quarantine. We sailed a long
time, and then one afternoon a fierce storm came up which
threatened to destroy the ship. The captain gave the command
that two people should go up on the mast-beams and loose the
sails. But no one wanted to climb up there in the storm. Then
the captain took off his coat and went up there himself. A sailor
climbed up following the captain. They brought the compound­pulley
or bottlejack down on deck. Also the lower mast-beams
were all brought down. When all this was completed, the
captain and sailor came down. The captain was real pale. He
had to be carried by some of his men. Four men changed off,
dipping water out of the ship as long as the storm was in
progress. When it was all over, the lower mast-beams and the
sails were all hoisted again and fastened.
Burial of an emigrant child at sea
31
So we sailed on.
A few more were still
sick and some died.
(Seven infants.) One
night my mother also
died. In the morning I
went out on the deck
and looked into the
ocean and suddenly
noticed how some men
shoved a corpse into
the water and how
slowly it went down
in the deep. This was
my mother. This I
could never forget.
We sailed always
onward until we saw
sandy bars or dunes.
There we held anchor for a couple of days because a big calm
had set in and it was quite warm. One night a wind came up
again, and so we traveled onward until we could see ... Cuba.
That meant that it was not very far to America.
We sailed onward until we came to land early in the morn­ing.
Everyone was glad. It did not take long and a ship met
us. It showed us the way into the harbor and the place where
our ship should anchor and where we should stay standing.
Travel-weary voyagers see America at last
Johann Teinert's straightforward account, written many years after
the fact, has become a primary source for historians seeking details about
the Wends' ocean crossing. The above-quoted translation is taken from
The Teinert Book, a privately printed family history-genealogy. The other
written source pertaining to this voyage is the ship's register, part of which
was kept in Kilian's own handwriting. (See the Appendix for an English
translation of this document.) Both documents bear testimony to the
ongoing tragedy as the trip progressed from Hamburg to Liverpool,
through the quarantine in Queenstown Harbor, Ireland, and finally out
to sea.
32
Teinert poignantly recorded the ocean burial of his mother, but for
other families who had no one to immortalize their sufferings, there are
only such stark notations in the ship's register as, "Died and buried
December 6, 1854," and "Born on the ship; died on the ship, September 23."
The survivors who reached Galveston just before Christmas 1854
were exhausted and disillusioned by the rigors of the journey, and many
of the grumblers unfairly began to blame Kilian for their misery. The
disastrous and tragic cholera epidemic had already destroyed many family
units. Of the 12 Schattes who had embarked at Liverpool, for example,
only 17-year-old Johann lived to reach his destination. But the Wends
were determined to take care of their own. Most orphans were taken
in by other families, and widows were looked after by those who had
the money and heart to give them support.
The Wends' problems were compounded by the yellow fever epidemic
that was raging in Galveston when they landed. Spurred by fear of being
decimated by still another plague, they hurried on to Houston where
they were welcomed by the German pastor of the local Lutheran church.
But Reverend Casper and his small congregation could not shelter and
care for all the impoverished travelers, some of whom had to camp out­doors
before beginning the winter trek northward to their new home.
Throughout December and January small groups of Wends made
the muddy 85-mile walk to the German-Wendish settlements around New
Ulm and Industry. Still others, most of them trained craftsmen, decided
to remain in the urban environment of the young city of Houston rather
than endure the hardships of pioneering on the frontier. Once they reached
New Ulm, the Wends waited there until unoccupied land could be found
for them further west. They also encountered some unexpected opposi­tion
to their plan to found a colony in Texas from some of the Wends
who had already settled near the Germans in the vicinity of Industry.
These more experienced settlers argued that there was no more good,
productive land available. Discontent continued against Kilian, although
he suffered as much as the rest of his congregation; in fact, his infant
daughter, born during this part of the journey, died after only a month
and was the first Wend to be buried in what later became the cemetery
at Serbin. In spite of their hardships, however, the Wends held to their
dream of land and freedom.
33
'
Serbin: The Heart
of the Wendish Colony
One of the reasons the Wends had come to Texas as a group was
to have land of their own where they could live together instead of
having to disperse, but finding a large contiguous tract of land which
they could afford and to which they could get clear title was frustrating
and time-consuming, just as their countrymen had predicted. Finally
Johann Dube and Carl Lehmann, two lay leaders of the congregation,
purchased a league of nearly 4,000 acres on behalf of the Wends for
$1.00 an acre. This tract of land in what later became Lee County
belonged to A. C. Delaplain, who had received it as a grant for his service
in the Texas war for independence from Mexico. The congregation
immediately set aside 95 acres for a church and school. Individuals then
purchased acreage for farming from Dube and town lots in Serbin from
Lehmann. They soon began clearing their virgin land for homes and
fields, even though most arrived too late in the planting season to put
in a decent crop.
35
,,
~ .. ~ ... .,_ . ~ . ~~
•.. ~ . ~: _:r~ -~. . ~??~ .: -.:: :· ~, .'
f :...~~,..J:.~]It,-;..'~ .. ~-~~~ :~!~~1#.--ic±-·~~-"'-·='~'··~~-=·h"-.l ......
The A. C. Delap lain League was purchased by Wends in 1855.
Early Wendish settlers occasionally lived in dugouts
such as this one near Serbin, 1900.
36
Diseases such as malaria and typhoid as well as dysentery wracked
the already-weakened settlers. The harsh drought conditions and
unfamiliar plants and wildlife of the unaccustomed warm climate added
to their misery. Nevertheless, the Wendish colonists survived that first
winter and founded Serbin about 50 miles east of Austin.
At first they made do with crude dugouts and hastily constructed
log cabins, homes which were completely different from what they had
known in Europe. But by a combination of experimenting and following
the advice of earlier settlers, they eventually constructed reasonably
comfortable shelters. Those who had purchased town lots built more
permanent homes and businesses, and within a year of their arrival and
the founding of their community, the Wends built a two-room log house
for Pastor Kilian and his family, one room of which served as both
church and school.
After that initial bitter winter the Wends began to have closer con­tact
with their German neighbors who were established not far away
on more fertile farmland. Unfortunately, the land the Wends had bought
was generally poor and unproductive; the fertile land had already been
purchased and settled, leaving the sandy, heavily wooded Delaplain
League for the late arrivals. As a result many Wendish families moved
south into Fayette County as soon as they could find and afford land
to purchase. Thus, although they had come to Texas as a cohesive con­gregation,
the Wends' dreams of staying together were shattered by the
economic necessity of finding more productive land.
Religious dissension also began to develop in the little colony. Some
of the settlers at Serbin became well acquainted with the German
Methodists in the area and were attracted to their form of worship. By
1858 a splinter group of dissatisfied Wends had founded a second Lutheran
church which they called St. Peter's Church of Rabbsville; however, by
1867 this group had reunited with the mother church at Serbin. The other
Wends, meanwhile, had been working steadily on their new church
building so that services could be held somewhere other than in Pastor
Kilian's home. This building was dedicated on Christmas Day 1859, with
Pastor Kilian preaching on the virtues of democracy and separation of
church and state in Wendish, German and his newly acquired English.
The following year, 1860, brought the Wends squarely into the
mainstream of American life- that year the congregation sent Pastor
Kilian to St. Louis to attend the national convention of the Missouri
37
St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Serbin
Synod, a conservative confederation of Lutherans in America. Because
of his friendship with Dr. Walther, Kilian had already enrolled his church
in the Missouri Synod in 1855, thus making it the first Missouri Synod
church in Texas and therefore the Mother Church of Wends in America.
Furthermore, the community finally got a United States post office in
1860, and the name officially became Serbin, the Wends' own name for
their new town, instead of being casually referred to by English speakers
as the Low Pinoak Settlement on Rabb's Creek. The name Serbin means
"The Sorbian Place" and is a reminder of its inhabitants' ethnic heritage.
Also in 1860 the Wends were included for the first time in the United
States census.
Over the years the Wendish farmers· learned how to extract the max­imum
yield from their land. Cotton, com, sweet potatoes and peanuts
became the most successful crops. Later many of the farmers diversified
and became small ranchers and stockmen.
The Civil War created problems for the Wends as well as for the
Germans because, in general, neither group favored slavery or the cause
of the Confederacy. The peaceable Wends had hated enforced military
38
..
Serbin's first band, organized for the Lutheran Synodical Convention
service in Germany and were unwilling to take up arms in their new
homeland. Draft evasion was dangerous, but some Wends resorted to
such tactics as dressing in women's clothes while plowing in order to fool
the Confederate officers. One very short man reportedly hid under his
wife's floor-length skirt when the draft authorities came to get him. Never­theless,
some young men were drafted into the Confederate forces and
died fighting for a cause for which they had no sympathy. Other Wends
slipped north to join the Union troops.
The wartime demand for cotton and other crops brought much­needed
cash into the community and enabled many Wendish farmers to
Earlier area of the Serbin cemetery with European-style tombstones
39
expand their land holdings away from Serbin in surrounding communities
such as Manheim, LaGrange and Winchester. After the Civil War Wendish
migration expanded throughout the state and beyond. The Wends founded
or joined Lutheran churches wherever they settled. St. Paul's in Austin,
for example, was founded in 1891 as a daughter church of the original
St. Paul's in Serbin.
Throughout the Civil War Serbin prospered as a community, but
in 1872 the Houston and Texas Central Railway branch was extended
from Brenham to Austin, completely bypassing Serbin and establishing
a loading dock at Giddings. At this time Serbin was an active and pros­perous
frontier settlement. There were several stores, a blacksmith shop
and a cotton gin as well as numerous private homes. St. Paul's Lutheran
Church dominated the landscape. Nevertheless, the shift of commercial
importance from Serbin to Giddings was completed in 1885, when the
San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway was routed through Northrup
instead of Serbin. Since both railroads bypassed Serbin, the stores and
businesses in town gradually closed, and the thriving community dwindled
once again to a mere cluster of houses and the church. Modem trade
and commerce depend on commercial transportation, so, without a
railroad depot, Serbin faded into relative obscurity.
The Texas state historical marker at Serbin
with the general store in the background
40
The German-Wendish Schism
Before the coming of the railroad, outside influences had already
begun to undermine the unity of the Wends. In 1866 a teacher was brought
from St. Louis to conduct the parochial school of St. Paul's. This move
was intended to relieve Pastor Kilian of the extra duty of conducting
classes, which he had done from the very beginning of the community.
This teacher stayed at Serbin for only a year, but during that time he
supported the German-language faction at nearby St. Peter's church. After
he left Kilian resumed the teaching duties, since he was the only person
in the congregation with enough education to perform this task. As long
as Kilian was both teacher and pastor, the Wendish language dominated
the religious life at Serbin.
Then in 1868 another teacher was brought in to serve as organist,
even though he didn't know enough Wendish to be the cantor or to instruct
the children in their native language. The German-Wendish split became
even more pronounced because the new teacher advocated using German.
Carl Teinert became the outspoken leader of the Wendish faction. Teinert
was a very influential personality and urged his countrymen to preserve
41
The confirmation certificate
of Traugott Zoch signed by
Pastor Johann Kilian
Pastor and Mrs. Gustav Zoch of Taylor, with a crucifix and candlesticks
once used at St. Paul's in Serbin
42
their native culture and language, in spite of the pressures to assimilate
with the local Germans. Teinert later spearheaded the founding of a
separate church in the new community of Warda.
Partly because of this ongoing dissension but also because he wanted
better educational opportunities for his own children, Kilian considered
leaving Serbin. He inquired about returning to Germany and also about
teaching in the seminary at St. Louis. He even tendered his resignation,
but the Wendish faction persuaded him to stay. The second teacher was
asked to resign, and in 1870 Kilian again resumed his former position.
The German faction split into another separate congregation, as others
had done earlier, and again named their sister church St. Peter's. Rev.
Johann Pallmer was called from St. Louis to be the pastor and Kilian
installed him. The two congregations remained separate until1914, by
which time German had become the common language of the entire com­munity,
and English was beginning to be the second language. The only
church at Serbin today is St. Paul's, the direct descendant of the congre­gation
which first worshipped in one room of Pastor Kilian's log house.
In spite of the tension and pressures created by the presence of both
Germans and Wends in the congregation, the mother church at Serbin
remained a powerful force in the community. The name was changed from
'The First Sorbian Lutheran Church in Texas" to "The First Wendish and
German St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Unaltered Augsburg Con­fession,
in Serbin, Lee County." The present building, started in 1866 to
replace the original building which the congregation had outgrown, was
dedicated in 1871. It stands today as a living monument to this unique
and pious group.
But small factions continued to break away from the mother church
at Serbin. In 1870 some Wends organized the West Yegua congregation
in what is now Fedor. By 1873 the Wends had dispersed throughout a
wide area surrounding Serbin. One strong pro-Wendish faction under
the leadership of Carl Teinert moved away from Serbin and established
another community at Warda about six miles distant. This group had
fundamental disagreements with the policies of the church leaders of St.
Paul's. They decided to form another separate congregation at Warda,
in part because it was so far over rough and muddy roads to Serbin for
them to send their children to school and for church services. And
according to Anne Blasig's later account, "A few farmers argued that the
mules did not get any rest on Sundays since they had to draw the entire
43
The interior of St. Paul's at Serbin
The interior, which resembles that of Kilian's former church
at Kotitz, is unique. A high balcony supported by columns
extends all around the church interior and includes the minister's
pulpit, which is above the altar and directly opposite the
entrance. In the balcony section above the entrance is the pipe
organ, which was dedicated on July 24, 1904, at the fiftieth anni­versary
celebration. Adhering to an old European custom, the
men occupied the balcony, while the women sat downstairs. The
girls sat on the short benches parallel with the altar, while the
elderly men sat on the opposite side of the altar. [This seating
practice is no longer followed. Ed.] The church has a seating
capacity for six hundred people.
A spotless blue and white motif with touches of gold
characterizes the interior. The ceiling, painted a 'heavenly blue,'
has on it stenciled designs of gold. The white pillars are stained
to look like marble. The pillars adjoining the pulpit have a capital
of hand-carved acanthus leaves which are painted gold. The all­seeing
eye above the pulpit also is painted gold. The ornate
chandeliers, formerly adapted to burning kerosene, now have
electric wiring. The baptismal font is very ornate with its gilded,
hand-carved cherubs, grapes and cross. The floor, originally
constructed of flagstone, has a concrete covering. The settlers
made no provision to heat the building during the early years.
(From Anne Blasig's The Wends of Texas)
44
Trinity Lutheran Church at Fedor
family great distances to church. They felt that this was unscriptural,
for even the beasts should be given some rest."
At first there was widespread objection to the creation of a third
Wendish Lutheran church, since the splinter congregation of St. Peter's
still flourished at Serbin. But the Warda group persisted and Holy Cross
was founded, even though the group was unable to procure a pastor who
could speak Wendish. The creation of a separate congregation at Warda
was the last major separation from the original church at Serbin. Holy
Cross is still the focus of the Warda community today and celebrated
its centennial in 1973.
45
The Wendish Language in Texas
Wen dish (or Sorbian) is a West Slavonic language closely related
to Polish, Czech and Slovak. All of the Sorbian speakers in Europe today
are clustered in the Dresden and Cottbus districts of the German
Democratic Republic, which have been officially designated as bilingual.
In Europe the language is split into two distinct dialects, Upper Sorbian
and Lower Sorbian. The Upper Sorbian, or Bautzen dialect, was spoken
in Texas. This distinct language is generally regarded as the most out­standing
trait of the Wends in Texas and has received the most attention
from scholars.
Although there are a few scattered elderly native speakers in the
Serbin-Warda-Winchester area today, for all practical purposes the
Wendish language is extinct in Texas. Those few who can still speak the
language rarely have opportunities to get together for Wendish conver­sation,
and the younger generations, many of whom are already bilingual
speakers of English and German, have little interest in seriously learning
a third language for which they can find no practical use. Furthermore,
there is hardly anyone left to teach the language, and there are no Wendish
47
Sample Word List with Modern Spellings
English German Upper Sorbian Lower Sorbian
freedom Freiheit swoboda lichota
house Haus cheza wjaza
building Gebaude twarjenje chrom
garden Garten zahroda gumno
grandmother Grossmutter wowka stara mama,
starka
luck Gluck zbozo glucka
Christmas Eve Heiliger Abendpatorzica gwezdka
to say sagen prajic groni§
cousin (fern.) Kusine kusina, sesenica
wujowc
to economize sparen lutowac zari§
one ein jedyn, jena, jaden, jadna,
jene jadno
two zwei dwaj, dwe dwa, dwe
three drei tro, tfi tso, tsi
four vier styrjo, styri styfo, styri
five fi.inf pjec pes
ten zehn diesac zase§
grammar books readily available. Although a few Texas Wends have
German-Wendish dictionaries, no one has yet compiled an English­Wendish
version.
But for nostalgia's sake and the amusement of children, many Texans
of Wendish descent will still count or recite memorized verses and ritual
greetings, which they learned when they were young. Those who speak
a bit of Wendish occupy a special status in the rural communities; they
are the ones to whom researchers seeking information about the Wends
are referred and are regarded locally as the custodians of what is left of
the old ways.
,
0 t ,
t
Wendish type characters used in the Giddings Deutsches Volksblatt
48
Samples of Wendish: Table Prayers
(Before meals)
Pschindz Knjes Jesus butsch nasch Hose.
A pozohnuj wschitko stoz ty nom wobradziw sy.
(Come Lord Jesus, be our guest
And let thy gifts to us be blessed.)
(After meals)
Dzazkujci:e so tema Knjesey
Pschetoz won je dobroduvy.
A jeho dobrota traje weduje.
(Oh give thanks unto the Lord
For he is good.
And his mercy endureth forever.)
Most of the Wends who came to Texas, however, never did make
a concerted effort to maintain their native language. The majority of the
immigrants were already bilingual (German and Wendish), and their
German was indispensable for transacting business and making other con­tacts
with their new German neighbors in Texas. Immigrant Germans
helped the Wends at practically every crucial point in their trek through
Texas-from the Lutherans who took them in at Houston to the farmers
who helped them establish their village and church at Serbin. Pastor Kilian
himself began to conduct more and more services at St. Paul's in German
so that these neighboring countrymen could understand the rites and
sermons; yet he also wrote a hymn in Wendish which was quite popular
with his congregation for a while. The English translation of the title is
all that remains, 'Wends, Be True to Your Language and to Your Religion,"
because the song succumbed to the same pressures which eradicated the
language itself.
On the whole, the Wends wanted to become part of their new
homeland, and they saw the use of their mother tongue as a handicap
to this assimilation because none of their new neighbors could under­stand
them. Furthermore, many of the immigrants associated speaking
Wendish with the low social status to which they were relegated in
Germany, and so they were hesitant to speak their native language outside
of their homes. These people reasoned that if their German neighbors
heard them speaking Wendish, the Germans would discriminate against
49
them in Texas just as they had done in Europe. Many Wends German­ized
their surnames so that they would be less conspicuous, while others
had their names changed by German officials before they emigrated. And,
too, speaking German was a fortuitous asset because it enabled the Wends
to take full advantage of doing business with their German neighbors
and learning the skills of pioneering on the frontier from them.
Common Surnames
Sorbian German
Bart Barth
Bjar Biar
Cyz Ziesch, Ziesche
Domaska Domaschke
Hola Hohle
Hornik Hornig
Hurban Urban
Kokel Krockel
Kowar Schmidt
Krawc, Krawz Schneider
KiiZan Zieschang
KruZa Krause
Kubica Kubitz
Lorenc Lorenz
Micka Mitschke
Mierwa Moerbe
Nemc Niemz
Nycka Nitschke
Pic Pietsch
Pjech Pech
Rjenc Rentsch
Smoler Schmaler
Sw6ra, Sw6r Zwahre, Zwahr, Zwar
Wicaz Lehmann
Wjela Wehle
Zejler Seiler
The Wends were also fully aware that English and not German was
the real language of their adopted country, and so Wendish was reduced
not only to second-, but in many instances, third-class status. Pastor Kilian
was the first member of the congregation to learn English, and he served
so
as translator for the congregation and helped conduct business with non­German-
speaking Americans in the vicinity. Other Wends quickly
recognized the economic and social advantages of knowing English also,
and as a result many of them became trilingual, with Wendish being the
language spoken in the home and to the elderly. Some older Wends in
the Serbin area today contend that they are still trilingual, with English
as their primary language, German spoken in the home and informally
among friends, and Wendish only a dim memory.
The German language, however, is also faltering under the pressures
of higher education and mass media, and many Wends today lament the
decline. They see the loss of German as the last outward manifestation
of their European ethnic heritage. Many families still speak German at
home, especially when grandparents are involved, but teenagers and other
young people are no longer fluent. Most, however, can still understand
it, and there is a renewed interest among young people in learning and
maintaining the language. German instruction in the schools was inter­rupted
by World Wars I and II because so many Americans distrusted
the German speakers in their midst, but there are still rural Lutheran
churches, such as those at Serbin and Warda, which conduct monthly
services in German. These German-language services are attended primar­ily
by the older people in the communities. Language students from
surrounding universities sometimes take special field trips to these services
to hear the language spoken in its native context.
Nevertheless, under special conditions the Wendish language did sur­vive
well into the 20th century. Informants today like to tell how their
parents and grandparents would converse in Wendish whenever they did
not want the children to understand what they were saying, and after
telephones became fairly common in the rural areas, some people would
speak Wendish to keep neighbors from eavesdropping on the party line.
Many of those who speak some Wendish today learned the language as
children for a special reason, such as humoring a favored aunt or grand­parent,
or reading the Bible to an older relative whose eyesight was failing
or who could not get out to go to church.
The history of the Wendish language in Texas parallels the devel­opment
of the community itself. Just as Serbin was the only cohesive
colony of Wends outside of Europe, the parochial school there was the
first and only non-European school conducted in Wendish. Instruction
there was begun in February 1856 under the direction of Pastor Johann
51
Kilian and continued until the death of teacher Gerhardt Kilian, Johann's
eldest son, in 1916. The last Wendish confirmation class was in 1905.
Since 1950 all confirmations have been in English; in the intervening years
they were in German.
Discontinuation of formal Wendish language instruction at the Serbin
school marked the ultimate demise of the language throughout the
subsequent generations in the community, and Wendish was gradually
dropped at home, even as a second language. During this transitional
period many children who grew up speaking Wendish at home learned
German at school, adding English when they became adults. And in some
families children spoke Wendish with their parents and German with their
brothers and sisters. The other Wendish settlements- Warda, Fedor and
Loebau, for example- had difficulty locating pastors or teachers who
knew Wendish, and so the language died out more quickly there.
Pastor Kilian himself, although he was trilingual, was the strongest
single force in maintaining the Wendish language in Texas. He realized
that speaking Wendish created a special bond among his parishioners.
Although he did preach in German, he continued the Wendish services
until his death in 1884. He was succeeded by his younger son, Hermann,
who served as the second pastor at Serbin until his death in 1920. Hermann
Kilian conducted the last active services in Wendish for a Wendish-speaking
audience, and there are people alive today who remember hearing him.
Pastor Hermann Kilian and family at Serbin
52
Pastor Hermann Schmidt
she was writing her history,
Hermann Schmidt, who
served as pastor at Serbin until
1947, used the language of his
forebears only in private con­versation
and home ministry
to the elderly. Schmidt was
born in Serbin in 1875 and
was baptized by Pastor
Johann Kilian. He was con­firmed
in 1890 by Pastor
Hermann Kilian. Schmidt's
studies for the ministry were
supported liberally by his
friends and relatives at Serbin,
and so he gratefully accepted
the call in 1922 to come home
and serve as pastor. Schmidt
was very interested in the his­tory
of his church and the
Wendish people in Texas, and
was an invaluable source of
information for his daughter,
Anne Schmidt Blasig, when
The Wends of Texas, in 1954.
St. Paul's celebrated its 75th anniversary in August 1929, and Pastor
Schmidt delivered a special sermon in Wendish composed for the occa­sion.
According to one account, "He thanked God that even though
Wendish was not preached anymore, the Congregation believed and
preached the true word of God." This was the last time that Wendish
was preached from the pulpit of St. Paul's until June 1979, when the retired
Reverend Theodore Schmidt, a cousin of Hermann, read that same sermon
to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the congregation.
At one time Wendish Bibles, hymnals, catechisms and other books
were plentiful in Texas, but today only a few families have them. After
the language began to falter in the 1920's, the books were generally
regarded as worthless 'because few people could read them. Wendish
Bibles, however, were often kept because family records- especially dates
of births and deaths-were recorded in them. Most of the other books
fared less well. One farmer, for example, told about finding the creek
53
running through his property almost dammed up by the armloads of
Wendish books that were thrown into it some years before. Books were
also tossed into abandoned wells and cellars. These old volumes had either
been brought from Europe by the immigrants themselves or were sent
to America later by relatives and friends in Germany. Most of the Wendish
books existing today are kept as family heirlooms or fragile old curiosities,
although some have been deposited in museums and libraries.
It has only been fairly recently- within the past ten years or so­that
many Wends have begun to take an interest in their ethnic history
and background. This interest has generated widespread attic and trunk
cleaning in search of artifacts, and so more Wendish books have come
to light. The Texas Wendish Heritage Society located enough books to
set up special displays at both the Fayette County Museum in LaGrange
and at Serbin's 125th anniversary celebration. Wendish books were also
displayed at the Warda Holy Cross centennial and at the Texas Folklife
Festival. There are also a few Wendish books in the Wendish Heritage
Society Museum at Serbin.
Although the church was the primary medium of language
maintenance, the Giddings Deutsches Volksblatt provided secular reading
Front page of the Giddings
Deutsches Volksblatt of August 29,
1929, commemorating the 75th
anniversary of the arrival of the
Wends in Texas
54
material. This trilingual newspaper was established in 1899 by J .A. Proske,
and it reported regularly in German, English and Wendish on local
happenings. The unique Volksblatt was the only Wendish-language
periodical published outside of Germany. The Gothic Wendish type Proske
imported enabled the printer and his helper, Albert Miertschin, to set
up church bulletins, funeral notices and so forth for the congregation
at Serbin. Unfortunately, few examples of this Texas Wendish printing
still exist. The 1929 special edition of the Volksblatt celebrating the
Diamond Anniversary of the Wends' arrival in Texas is an extremely rare
collectors' item, since the use of Wendish was discontinued in 1938.
However, some of the newspaper's equipment was donated to The
University of Texas at Austin and later loaned to The Institute of Texan
Cultures at San Antonio for the Wendish exhibit. Other memorabilia,
including some Wendish type fonts, were rescued from oblivion by private
individuals, among them Jack D. Rittenhouse, former director of the
University of New Mexico Press. The Volksblatt ceased publication in
1949, when it was succeeded by Theodore A. Preusser's Giddings Star.
Albert Miertschin at the linotype of
the Giddings Deutsches
Volksblatt, 1943
55
Customs and Traditions
The Wends are definitely a distinct ethnic group in both Texas and
Germany, but much of their folklore has been obliterated. Traditional
folk costume, for example, is preserved in Germany primarily as a tourist
attraction. The conservative Lutherans who came to Texas, however, did
not wear distinctive and colorful dress in Germany because they consid­ered
such garb ostentatious and vain, and, in any case, the few clothes
that they brought from Europe were quickly ruined by the harsh climate
of Texas. The pioneers dressed discreetly in sensible and loose-fitting
homemade clothes, usually of black or some other dark color lest they
be regarded as worldly or frivolous.
In Texas most contemporary Wends learn about their ancestors'
customs through published accounts or visits to the European homeland.
The problem of studying Wendish folklore in Texas is complicated by
the difficulty in separating what is strictly Wendish from the German,
because they have intermingled to the point that today there is very lit­tle
to distinguish the two distinct ethnic groups. However, the strong and
unifying Lutheran faith of the Wendish immigrants provided stability in
57
. . ... y
... .,_>_, • ~ ... .. ~ ·~~ . • <
~"" ... ,._ , ·!\., ... .... . ... ~'
A Wendish hunting party near Loebau
their lives, including folk customs. As Professor George Nielsen has
remarked, 'Not only did the church furnish them with the church calen­dar
to identify their festivals, such as Christmas and Easter, but it helped
highlight the milestones of each life with ceremonies associated with birth,
marriage and death. The church ... was at the centre of community
activity, and religion was a vital part of each life."
58
Christmas
The annual high point for the early settlers was Christmas, a time
for feasting and socializing as well as attending special church services.
They decorated the interior of the church with cedar boughs cut from
the local woods, and the women worked for days preparing the elaborate
pastries that are still characteristic of Wendish cuisine. The young people
were responsible for selecting and cutting down a well-shaped cedar tree
to put at the right of the altar.
For the children the frightening but hilarious visits of Rumplich (also
known as Rumprich, Rumpricht or Ruprecht) were the most exciting
aspect of the holiday. The Wends apparently borrowed this tradition from
their German neighbors. Up until the late 1920's and early 1930's local
youths disguised themselves in homemade masks and costumes, often
women's castoff apparel or white tunics covered with dark red stripes
two or three inches wide. The masks were usually black or white cloth
with a cowtail for a beard. The leader of the group carried a long stick
or staff to make himself look more impressive, and the merrymakers
disguised their voices so that the hosts would have to guess their identi-
59
The Rumpliche entertain a Wendish household with
their antics at Christmas.
60
ties. They wandered from house to house to ask the children if they had
been good throughout the year and what they wanted for Christmas.
Sometimes a child was asked to recite a prayer, for which he would be
rewarded with a handful of candy. As punishment for mischief, the
clowning Rumpliche would sometimes spank the hands of the children.
They sang German Christmas carols, pantomimed and distributed candy,
fruit and nuts.
The more conventional Americanized Santa Claus with his sled and
bag of toys gradually replaced this older custom, but even today some
men in the Serbin area reminisce about the fun they had dressing up and
playing Rumpliche.
The Wendish celebration of Christmas, however, really focused on
the special church services which often lasted two or three hours and
featured recitations and religious pageants by the schoolchildren. Wends
congregated from miles around to feast and celebrate Christmas Eve
together at Serbin and the other community centers.
61
ties. They wandered from house to house to ask the children if they had
been good throughout the year and what they wanted for Christmas.
Sometimes a child was asked to recite a prayer, for which he would be
rewarded with a handful of candy. As punishment for mischief, the
clowning Rumpliche would sometimes spank the hands of the children.
They sang German Christmas carols, pantomimed and distributed candy,
fruit and nuts.
The more conventional Americanized Santa Claus with his sled and
bag of toys gradually replaced this older custom, but even today some
men in the Serbin area reminisce about the fun they had dressing up and
playing Rumpliche.
The Wendish celebration of Christmas, however, really focused on
the special church services which often lasted two or three hours and
featured recitations and religious pageants by the schoolchildren. Wends
congregated from miles around to feast and celebrate Christmas Eve
together at Serbin and the other community centers.
61
Easter
Easter was the other religious holiday associated with special tradi­tions,
both sacred and secular. Church services and feasting were an
integral part of the annual observance, but for the children, the prepara­tion
of elaborately etched and decorated traditional Easter eggs was an
annual highlight.
Decorating Easter eggs with intricate geometric designs is a folk art
throughout eastern Europe including parts of Russia, and the Wends share
in this widespread tradition. The art, which has almost died out in Texas,
is still practiced by some talented craftsmen in the Wendish districts of
East Germany. The distinctive coloring and decorating technique basically
involved carefully inscribing elaborate designs- often Christian symbols
such as stylized thorns, chalices and lambs- on the empty eggshells with
a quill dipped in hot beeswax. After the wax hardened, the eggs were
boiled in an onionskin dye which the waxed designs resisted. The process
resulted in Easter eggs of deep red hue, said to symbolize the blood of
Christ, set off by striking white designs left after the wax was all scraped
63
' Decorating Easter eggs at the Wendish booth, 1977 Texas Folklife Festival
Wendish girls dipping the "Easter Water"
64
away. These eggs were kept as precious gifts rather than immediately
broken and forgotten, as is usually the case today.
For the older girls of the community, gathering the "Easter water"
(jutrowna woda) was a special event. The night before, or early Easter
morning, the girls would go silently to the creek and fill a container with
water. Then they sprinkled the water on their friends and livestock and
sometimes even woke the sleeping household with it at daybreak in order
to ensure good luck for the rest of the year. Wendish women today admit
that the most difficult aspect of the custom was trying not to whisper
and giggle as they crept down to the creek, because they believed that,
if they broke the silence, the spell of the ceremony would be broken.
As a result many girls would go alone to dip a pail of water rather than
risk a fit of giggles at the last minute. This custom is still occasionally
practiced in Europe, but the magical belief that the blessed water will
bring health and beauty has faded.
65
Weddings
Weddings provided another occasion for community festivity, and
the Wends practiced the elaborate rituals that they had known in Europe
until about 1900. Anne Blasig provides an excellent description of a typical
wedding in Texas before the tum of the century which explains, among
other things, the distinctive Wendish custom of brides being married in
black wedding dresses:
The wedding was the most important event of the Wendish
settlers and during the early days was celebrated for three days.
There were always many guests, relatives and neighbors who
were invited to this gay event. The bride and groom were
expected to personally invite every family. To visit the homes
of the prospective guests for personal invitations required many
days, especially before 1890 when horseback-riding was the
means of transportation. Later the conveyance was a horse and
buggy. Frequently some of the guests were invited on Sundays
at the church services to conserve time.
67
The approaching marriage had to be announced in the
church, preferably three times and not less than two, preceding
the date of the ceremony. Those who failed to comply with
this custom were frowned upon with suspicion, deprived of a
church wedding with its festivities and, as a result, were married
quietly at the parsonage.
The wedding ceremony usually was performed on a
Sunday and, during the early years, immediately after the
church service because of slow and inadequate transportation
facilities. Before the wedding procession left for the church, the
guests who had arrived at the bride's home sang a song led by
the braska, who also recited the Lord's Prayer. The pastor never
came to the home of the bride prior to the nuptial service.
During the early days the members of the bridal party rode
to the church on horseback. In later years the groom's attendants
traveled in the few carriages available. The horses of the groom's
attendants were decorated with flowers and ribbons . . . . The
buggies were decorated with native flowers. Usually only the
young people attended the ceremony at the church, while the
older people celebrated at the bride's home. The father and
mother during the early days never attended the ceremony,
because they were too busy with the wedding preparation.
The bride wore the traditional Wendish black gown, which
waS' so tight-fitting that movement was very uncomfortable.
The costume, according to the custom, was supposed to sym­bolize
the sufferings of the new life ahead of her. In Lusatia the
bride was crowned with myrtle, while in Serbin the headdress
of the bridal veil was adorned with available wildflowers.
During the years of the drought, the bride carried a Wendish
prayer book instead of flowers. The bride usually had a retinue
of eight to ten bridesmaids who wore black dresses and floral
headdresses. During the 1890's gray was substituted for black,
and after 1900 the traditional white wedding gown became the
accepted fashion.
The braska, who was a young married relative of the
bridegroom, entered the church first, followed by the bride and
groom. Then came the two swunkas who were also garbed in
black. One swunka was a married relative of the bride; the
68
Originally, Wendish brides wore
black, but by 1900 tastes had
moderated to gray and, eventually, to • '~-·~~~~~~·
the modern white.
69
I.
other, a married relative of the groom. The swunkas were
followed by the bridesmaids and an equal number of grooms­men
who wore flowers and pink or red ribbons in their coat
lapels. The service consisted of an opening song by the con­gregation,
a short sermon, the nuptial rites and a closing
congregational song. The collection laid on the altar by the
groomsmen was for the minister and the organist.
After the wedding ceremony there was a rush to reach the
destination of the wedding festivities. The rush often was halted
abruptly by groups of school children who roped off the road.
The children would not let down the rope until the groom gave
them nickels or some other small change. During the later years
not only the groom but all the wedding guests had to give the
children small change. Rice, old shoes and tin cans had no place
in the old Wendish wedding.
After the wedding party arrived at the bride's horne, the
pastor and the parochial schoolteacher led the assembled guests
in a religious song which invoked the Lord's blessing. Then the
wedding feast was served. There was always an abundance of
deliciously cooked and baked food, since the pioneer women
were good cooks. The attendants and the bridal couple ate at
the first table, after which the other people were served. The
wedding table had to be reset many times for the many guests.
The bride and groom had to sit at the table during all of
the meal shifts until midnight. The dinner was followed by an
evening meal, and at midnight there was the customary meal
of pickled herring and potato salad. The bride's swunka sat next
to her, and the groom's swunka next to him during all the meals.
The bride's swunka was expected to bring a wedding cake, while
the groom's swunka brought two candle holders and the candles
which were burned on the wedding cake.
During the evening meal someone pulled off one of the
bride's shoes. This shoe was passed around for a collection "so
that she could buy another shoe." The money in the shoe was
given to the bride as a wedding gift. A collection also was taken
for the cook who was said to have burned her apron.
70
At midnight the flowers and the veil were taken away from
the bride, after which the bridal couple was free to mingle
among the guests.
The braska was in charge of serving the refreshments. It
was his duty to invite the guests to the table and to say grace.
He and his helpers served drinks during the entire wedding
celebration. The adults were served beer and whiskey- straight
whiskey for the men and caraway whiskey (kiimmel-whiskey)
for the women. The groom furnished the drinks and the cigars.
The bride's parents paid all the other wedding expenses.
The concluding festivity of a Wendish wedding was a shivaree late
that night, after the bride and groom had finally retired. Young men from
throughout the community, whether they had been invited to the wedding
and the feast or not, gathered under the windows of the bedroom and
paraded back and forth, making all the noise they could by beating on
pans, tubs and plows with rocks and hammers. They usually kept up
this racket for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, and then everybody
went home and went to bed, so that they could get up early on Monday
morning and go to work.
71
Folk Medicine
Folk medicine has given way to hospitals and ambulances, but many
contemporary Wends still prize Lebensweckers (German for life
awakeners) as heirlooms and antiques. These curious devices combined
the principles of acupuncture and liniment-rubbing. The Lebenswecker
is a hollow wooden tube about ten inches long which contains a spring­released
plunger. On the end of the plunger is a small disc containing
several needles set close together. When placed against the afflicted part
of a patient, a spring drove these needles lightly into the skin, barely
puncturing it. A special oil imported from Germany was then rubbed
into this irritation, allegedly curing anything from rheumatism to earache.
Not all families owned Lebensweckers, but those who did shared
them with their neighbors whenever they were needed. As recently as
SO or 60 years ago, Texas Wends would drive many miles to take a
suffering relative to be treated with the Lebenswecker, especially if the
medicines and therapy prescribed by a medical doctor were not successful.
Those today who remember being treated with one of these curious
devices say that the pricking of the skin was not really painful, and that
73
Mrs. Emma Wuensche of
McDade demonstrates the
use of the lebenswecker
on Mrs. Mary Simmang
of Houston at the
Wendish booth of the .
Texas Folklife Festival.
recovery from such ailments as malaria or arthritis was often almost
instantaneous or at least effected overnight. But use of the Lebenswecker
is obsolete now, primarily because the special imported oil is no longer
available, and without the oil the treatment is incomplete.
The early Wends also practiced other forms of folk medicine, espe­cially
during the early days of the colony when trained medical doctors
were difficult to reach. The pioneers combined their general knowledge
of European folk remedies with the raw materials available on the Texas
frontier and produced medicinal salves, teas and poultices which were
effective for treating the ailments of humans as well as farm livestock.
And, of course, they also resorted to various superstitious charms and
rituals to help ensure the success of their home remedies. An early Serbin
resident, Peter Fritsche, regularly gave rustic chiropractic treatments to
sufferers after church to help alleviate backache and rheumatism.
74
-
The Birds' Wedding
Another interesting European custom which prevailed in Texas well
into the 20th century was the Birds' Wedding (PtaCi Kwas in Wendish,
Vogelhochzeit in German), a custom especially for children. On January
25 the children would place empty plates and saucers outside, usually
up on fence posts and other high places to prevent raids by dogs and
cats. The next morning the children would wake to find the dishes filled
with candy and nuts supposedly left for them by the birds, who were
said to be celebrating their wedding and wanted to share their gifts with
neighboring humans.
Through the years the Wends allowed this and other European cus­toms
to fade away as each new generation became Germanized and then
Americanized. Distinctive Wendish music, for example, ceased to be sung
when church services were no longer conducted in the native language,
and today standard Lutheran hymnals in English are used. Gerhardt
Kilian, who was not only a teacher but also church organist at Serbin,
performed the last true concerts of Wendish music on the pipe organ at
75
St. Paul's. Likewise, folk songs, which were quite popular in Europe, are
no longer sung. But Carl Miertschin, an elderly Wend living near Warda
and Serbin, still remembers the old hymns of his youth and has sung
them both at the Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio and privately
for various friends and researchers.
Fanciful engraving of the "Birds' Wedding." The
translation of the Wendish is
Look, something new has happened;
Listen, you will understand!
The magpie has taken a husband,
She was longing to be wed.
76
Superstitions
Their European peasant background provided the Wendish Texans
with a rich store of supernatural beliefs and superstitions. European Wends
at one time possessed a wide repertoire of folktales and other narrative
literature which has been meticulously documented in both Wendish and
German publications, but these tales died out quickly in America, prin­cipally
because of cultural assimilation and the rapid loss of the Wendish
language. Legends of witches and mysterious evil creatures have persisted
in Texas, however. Older Wends tell of hearing stories in their youth about
a so-called witch in Serbin with a houseful of frogs, who kept her
neighbors' cream from turning to butter when they aggravated her. Because
of their devout Christian background and training, most local Wends
do not like to discuss these old tales which they consider sacrilegious.
Nevertheless, others occasionally mention tales that they used to hear
as children about a mysterious little man with no head who wandered
around accompanied by huge black dogs. There are stories of ghost lights
that allegedly lurked around local cemeteries and stopped the wheels of
passing wagons. Some Wends whisper half-forgotten tales of buried
treasure and of horse manure miraculously turning into gold.
77
Texas counties where the Wends today are concentrated.
78
1
1927 portrait of Charles
Simmang Jr., noted sculptor
and die-sinker, hom at Serbin
in 1874
79
Charles Simmang at work in
Charles Stubenrauch's San
Antonio studio in the 1890's
But the most persistent belief focuses on the infamous Seventh Book
of Moses, a collection of ''hocus pocus" with which practitioners were
said to be able to perform both black and white magic. Although con­temporary
Wends profess little or no belief in these legends, there is con­siderable
uneasiness among some when the Seventh Book is mentioned.
They obviously know about the book and its alleged properties, but no
one will admit to having seen one in recent years.
And so from published accounts and contemporary interviews one
can piece together a mental image of the Wends of a century ago: somber,
deeply religious, hard-working, frugal. These sturdy pioneers formed deep
and lasting family ties, keeping largely to themselves, intermarrying and
socializing with their German neighbors rather than with Catholic Czechs
or English-speaking "Americans," as they called the native inhabitants.
But even though they were closer culturally to the Germans than to their
other neighbors, there were still subtle differences between the two groups.
As Anne Blasig points out, 'The homes and farms of these early pioneers
had, generally speaking, fewer comforts and improvements than their
German neighbors who settled in Serbin later on. The homes of the Wends
were unpainted, and the furnishings included only bare necessities. The
Wends, with their innate desire to accumulate savings for old age, were
slower than their German neighbors to make improvements on their prop­erty.
Some of the furnishings of their German friends were called 'German
luxuries' by the Wends."
A small but constant flow of immigrants from Europe continued
to swell the ranks of the Wendish community in Texas up until the late
1890's. New immigrants usually came directly to Serbin and then moved
into outlying communities where the land was more productive or where
they had relatives. These newcomers enabled the Wends to maintain
contact with their European friends and relatives and helped reinforce
Wendish customs and folkways threatened by the pressures of frontier
living. Small groups continually moved farther and farther away from
Serbin, attracted by better farmland or job opportunities in Austin and
Houston. The oil boom of the 1920's drew young Wends to the refineries
and docks of Port Arthur and the lower Gulf Coast where many of their
descendants remain today. Nevertheless, those who have moved away
nearly always maintain close family ties.
80
The Wends Today
The Wends have lived in quiet obscurity throughout their Texas
sojourn, and many hope to retain their privacy in spite of a revival of
Wendish ethnic consciousness, especially among descendants of the
Serbinites who have moved away and are trying to stay in contact with
their past.
There is little to attract casual tourists to the area. Highway 77 runs
directly through the heart of Warda, but all that remains of this once­active
community is a general store, Holy Cross Lutheran Church and
a few houses. Trucks on their way to Houston barely slow down when
they pass through Warda, and most drivers seem unaware that Warda
is a town at all. The other Wendish communities are equally unimpressive
at first sight, one reason the Wends in Lee County and vicinity are not
bothered much by outsiders. Serbin is no longer on a main highway,
but to the Wends, large modem buildings and bustling traffic are not
the indicators by which they measure the life of their communities. Their
attachment is to the land itself and the memories that focus there. Serbin
81
Holy Cross Lutheran Church at Warda
Northrup General Store, a popular gathering place located between Serbin
and Warda
82
is not an incorporated town, but it is the spiritual homeplace of the Wends,
where the church and cemetery have special significance.
Scholars over the years have shown interest in the Wends. In 1934
an anthropologist at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. George C.
Engerrand, published an account of the Lee-Fayette County colony, The
So-Called Wends of Gennany and Their Colonies in Texas and Australia.
Professor Engerrand's interest in the Wends developed from having
Wendish students in his classes, and his professional curiosity forced him
to investigate this ethnic group. Although he planned to do subsequent
research and writing on the subject, the monograph is all that he published;
his notes and files have been lost.
Other primary investigators of Wendish history have been Wendish.
The late Anne Blasig, daughter of Pastor Hermann Schmidt of Serbin,
based her 1951 M.A. thesis at The University of Texas at Austin on original
church documents which had been kept by the congregation at Serbin.
These original records have now been deposited in the Lutheran Missouri
Synod Archives at St. Louis, with a copy kept at Serbin. Three years
later, coinciding with the Wendish centennial of 1954, Blasig published
a revision of her thesis, entitled The Wends of Texas, now out of print.
She also donated invaluable Wendish documents to the Barker Texas
History Center in Austin, among them the original passenger list of the
Ben Nevis.
Lillie Moerbe Caldwell, a full-blooded Wend, wrote and privately
published a book entitled Texas Wends: Their First Half Century based
on the life of her own parents, Gerhard Moerbe and Ottilie Schatte
Moerbe. During her research she traveled to Germany and Australia,
and at the time of her death she was working on a book about the
Australian Wends.
The most recent and most scholarly account of the Wends is by
George Nielsen, a teacher of Wendish descent who is on the faculty of
Concordia College in River Forest, Illinois. He regularly leads tours
through the Wendish areas of Germany and Australia and has published
articles about the Wends. Various linguists over the years from The
University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University have done
fieldwork among the Texas Wends and have published their findings in
various American and European journals. Church historians have
documented the early phases of the congregations of St. Paul's, St. Peter's
and Holy Cross. With these books and articles, many Wendish Texans
83
have revived forgotten parts of their history and customs and are
encouraging their children to learn about their ethnic background.
The Wends themselves, not the academics, are most active in preserv­ing
their heritage today. In 1971 Lillie Caldwell, author of Texas Wends,
asked about participating in the Texas Folklife Festival at The Institute
of Texan Cultures in San Antonio. Upon being told that only selected
organized ethnic groups could participate, she consulted some of her
Wendish friends and relatives and formed the Wendish Culture Club.
That core group now numbers over 250 and has changed its name to
the Texas Wendish Heritage Society. The Society holds regular quarterly
r4f
~txa~ Dtnbi~b _,tritagt ~ocittp
Letterhead of the Texas Wendish Heritage Society,
featuring the stylized Ben Nevis
meetings, often in Serbin, and members come from Houston and Austin
to enjoy the programs and fellowship. Members who live too far away
to attend meetings receive a newsletter. The Society is in charge of the
Wendish booth at the annual Folklife Festival, where members wear
costumes and sell traditional foods such as homemade noodles. They
also participate in various other special events. The Society has built a
fiberglass replica of the Ben Nevis which is used as a float in local parades,
such as the McDade Watermelon Festival. The primary fund-raising
activity of the Society is the sale of a cookbook containing authentic
traditional Wendish and pioneer recipes contributed by the members. In
1979 the Society acquired the old Serbin schoolhouse and converted it
into a small museum.
On June 24, 1979, St. Paul's at Serbin celebrated the 125th anniver­sary
of the arrival of the Wends in Texas. Hundreds of visitors from all
over the state and beyond-most of Wendish descent- converged on
Serbin for the special religious and social event, which included a
barbeque, church services and a special slide presentation. The distinctive
language of the Wendish ancestors was acknowledged by the singing of
a Wendish hymn, "Ach! Wostan Pschi Nasz s Hnadu," and the reading
of a Wendish anniversary message. A commemorative booklet was
84
i i
!
I
'!
Kilian Hall at Concordia College in Austin
The original bell of St. Paul's at Serbin, now at Concordia College,
Austin. A translation of the German inscription is, "God's word and
Luther's doctrine pure shall to eternity endure."
86
in Texas is now proudly displayed on a pedestal outside the chapel of
the college.
There are thousands of people of Wendish descent in Texas, most
of whom are aware of their distinctive ethnic background. Others have
settled throughout the United States. There has been no effort to con­duct
an accurate Wendish census. Because the Wends were so closely
associated with the Germans and are at present intermarried with so many
other ethnic groups, it is now difficult to determine precisely who is a
Wendish Texan. In Lee and Fayette Counties there are still some individuals
who are full-blooded Wends because their families never intermarried
with other religious or ethnic groups. Many who refer to themselves as
Wendish would more accurately be called "of Wendish descent."
All Wends take pride in being able to trace their lineage back to
one of those who came on the Ben Nevis or to some specific immigrant
ancestor. For these people Wendishness is a way of life. Families and friends
gather annually for homecoming picnics. The Serbin picnic is always held
after church on the Sunday preceding Memorial Day and the Warda picnic
on Labor Day.
Parade float replica of the Ben Nevis
87
Holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving are still times for
feasting, and some families welcome the New Year with a meal of herring,
black-eyed peas and mashed potatoes which symbolize health, wealth
and happiness. Fish fries, the catch coming from the local stock tanks,
are the most popular summer activities. Several families join forces, the
women bringing vegetables, salads and pastries while the men deep-fry
the filleted catfish over homemade butane cookers.
Communal harvesting and butchering are also festive occasions, one
example of which is the annual "com party" each summer at the Kunze
farm near Warda when the sweet com crop is gathered. Wendish women
work together to "put up" pickles and other canned goods, much of which
is saved for use at church socials. Beef clubs still exist, just as they did
generations ago when refrigeration was not available; on a rotating basis,
each member of a club provides a cow to be butchered and divided among
them. There are not as many clubs as there used to be because not all
the farmers keep livestock anymore, and some say that they maintain
the clubs more out of a sense of nostalgia than of necessity.
As with so many other ethnic groups throughout the country, the
Wends have blended into the larger American society, and in the process,
of course, many of their distinctive customs faded away. Nevertheless,
on a deeper emotional level, the Wends of Texas have maintained a strong
sense of their ethnic heritage.
Gathering at St. Paul's, Serbin, for the 125th anniversary celebration,
June 24, 1979. The new school and auditorium is on the left.
88
Although being Wendish means different things to different people,
the strongest tie which binds these people is their Lutheran religion. Above
all else, they share the conviction that their forefathers came to Texas
in order to enjoy the blessings of freedom of religion. They may no longer
be able to speak Wendish- or even German-but they are still devout
in the conservative Lutheran faith which they have inherited from Pastor
Kilian and his original congregation.
As a result of education and economic mobility, Wends can be found
on all levels of Texas society. Among the Wends today one finds physi­cians,
lawyers, college professors and businessmen as well as Wendish
farmers and their wives who till lands which have been in the family
for over a century.
Some have joined the Texas Wendish Heritage Society, some have
remained in the Serbin area and some have moved far away but still
have memories- they are all Wendish Texans.
The founders of the Wendish Club, now the Texas Wendish Heritage
Society. Left to right: Mrs. Freda Wendland, Fedor; Mrs. Laura Zoch,
Giddings; Mrs. Lillie Caldwell, Bridge City; Mrs. Emma Wuensche,
McDade; and Mrs. Gertrude Mietschke, Loebau.
89
An Abstract of the Original Ship Register
(Ben Nevis) of the Wendish Colonists of Texas of 1854.
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
1. Kilian Johann Pastor Weigersdorf Rothenburg March 22, 1811
Maria Wife Weigersdorf Rothenburg July 1, 1823
Gerhardt August Son Weigersdorf Rot hen burg April 6, 1852
Hanna Groeschel Sister-in-law Weigersdorf Rothenburg Sept. 24, 1836
2. Neumann J. Carl Edward Cottage-owner Weigersdorf Rothenburg April 5, 1816
Maria Wife Weigersdorf Rothenburg March 24, 1818
John Carl Aug. Son Weigersdorf Rothenburg May 2, 1841
'() Aug. Fuerchteg. Son Weigersdorf Rothenburg Aug. 14, 1846
}-l Joh. Maria Daughter Weigersdorf Rothenburg Dec. 21, 1848
Mar. Magdelene Daughter Weigersdorf Rothenburg Oct. 25, 1851 Died Sept. 19 at Liverpool
Hanna Daughter Weigersdorf Rothenburg June 13, 1854
3. Arltt Johann Cottage-owner Weigersdorf Rothenburg March 17, 1810
Agnes Wife Weigersdorf Rothenburg Aug. 24, 1811
Johann Son Weigersdorf Rothenburg Nov. 6, 1842
Hanna Daughter Weigersdorf Rothenburg Jan. 22, 1846 1 4. Kiesling Johann (Not Given) Weigersdorf Rothenburg March 14, 1787 Died Oct. 17, 1854
Hanna Wife Weigersdorf Rothenburg 1797 Died Oct. 15, 1854
Johann Son Weigersdorf Rothenburg Oct. 29, 1832
Magdalena Daughter Weigersdorf Rothenburg Dec. 1835
Ernst Son Weigersdorf Rothenburg April 16, 1839
5. Lehmann Johann Traugott Mill foreman Dauban Rothenburg (Original frayed)
Single
6. Lehmann Carl Mill-owner Dauban Rothenburg March 4, 1814
Magdalene Wife Dauban Rothenburg July 16, 1820
7. Kieschnik Andreas Cottage-owner Dauban Roth en burg Nov. 13, 1828
Single
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
8. Kieschnik Johann Cottage-owner Dauban Rothenburg April1795
Agnes Wife Dauban Rothenburg April 28, 1795
Magdalene Daughter Dauban Rothenburg Dec. 2, 1830
Maria Daughter Dauban Rothenburg Jan. 7, 1834
Johann Son Dauban Rothenburg Jan. 8, 1834
Agnes Daughter Dauban Rothenburg (Original frayed)
9. Teinert Johann Carl Gardener Dauban Rothenburg - (Original frayed)
Maria Wife Dauban Rothenburg - Died at sea, 1854
August Son Dauban Rothenburg -
Johann Son Daub an Rothenburg May 14, 1841
Ernest Son Dauban Rothenburg - (Original frayed)
Anna Daughter Dauban Rothenburg -
Maria Daughter Dauban Rothenburg Feb. 2, 1850
Magdalene Daughter Dauban Rothenburg Sept. 22, 1852
"' 10. Moerbe Johann Cottage-owner Dauban Rothenburg June 4, 1830
N Hanna Sister Dauban Rothenburg - (Original frayed)
Maria Mother Daub an Rothenburg
11. Vogel Christoph Hand-worker Dauban Rothenburg (Not given)
(Not given) Wife Dauban Rothenburg (Not given)
12. Lowke Andreas Gardener Reichwalde Rot hen burg Oct. 1, 1814
Anna Wife Reichwalde Rothenburg July 21, 1819
Christoph Son Reichwalde Rothenburg July 27, 1839
Johann Son Reichwalde Rothenburg Aug. 15, 1849 Died Oct. 10, 1854
Maria Daughter Reichwalde Rothenburg Feb. 13, 1842
Johanna Daughter Reichwalde Rothenburg Aug. 9, 1845
13. Schmidt Matthaus Cottage-owner Reichwalde Rothenburg June 3, 1802
Rosina Wife Reichwalde Rothenburg April 16, 1801
Johann Son Reichwalde Rothenburg March 14, 1831
Maria Daughter Reichwalde Rothenburg July 28, 1836
Hanna Daughter Reichwalde Rothenburg Oct. 30, 1839
14. Lorentsk George Cottage-owner Reichwalde Rothenburg Oct. 3, 1816
Elizabeth Wife Reichwalde Rothenburg 1815
Johann Son Reichwalde Rothenburg 1838
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
Matthaus Son Reichwalde Rothenburg Dec. 21, 1839
Andreas Son Reichwalde Rothenburg Oct. 7, 1844
Magdalene Daughter Reichwalde Rothenburg Feb. 15, 1848
Hanna Daughter Reichwalde Rothenburg Oct. 20, 1853 Died Jan. 24, 1861
15. Knippa Johann Cottage-owner Buchwalde Hoyerswerda Sept. 13, 1811
Christiana Wife Buchwalde Hoyerswerda Oct. 16, 1831
Georg Son Buchwalde Hoyerswerda Oct. 1, 1837 (Original frayed)
Hoyerswerda Dec. 30, 1843
Hoyerswerda Feb. 1, 1847
Buchwalde Hoyerswerda Dec. 2, 1853
16. Wukasch - - Buchwalde Hoyerswerda Aug. 31, 1798
Buchwalde Hoyerswerda May 21, 1823
Buchwalde Hoyerswerda Jan. 6, 1818
Buchwalde Hoyerswerda Sept. 3, 1846 (Original frayed)
'() - Buchwalde Hoyerswerda Sept. 17, 1847
(jJ
Matthes Son Buchwalde Hoyerswerda Sept. 18, 1850
Marie Daughter Buchwalde Hoyerswerda Aug. 11, 1853
17. Lowke Georg Cottage-owner Kl. Radisch Hoyerswerda April 2, 1811
Anna Wife Kl. Radisch Hoyerswerda April 9, 1810
18. Hottas Andreas Cottage-owner Reichsw aide Hoyerswerda May 23, 1805
Maria Wife Reichsw aide Hoyerswerda 1822
Christoph Son Reichswalde Hoyerswerda Feb. 27, 1849
Andreas Son Reichswalde Hoyerswerda June 25, 1851
Hanna Daughter Reichswalde Hoyerswerda Oct. 24, 1853
19. Schatte Christoph Cottage-owner Reischwalde Hoyerswerda April4, 1825
Rosina Wife Reichswalde Hoyerswerda Aug. 17, 1832
Johann Son Reichswalde Hoyerswerda Nov. 14, 1849 Died Nov. 3, 1854
20. Kruper-Hohle Johann Gardener Tahmen Rothenburg Jan. 25, 1825
Rosina Wife Tahmen Rothenburg 1830
Johann Son Tahmen Rothenburg Nov. 10, 1853
Hanna Hohle Mother Tahmen Rothenburg Jan. 28, 1797 Died Oct. 5, 1854
Magdalena Jurak Wife's sister Reichswalde Rot hen burg Oct. 1836
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
21. Schatte Matthaus Cottage-owner Tahmen Rothenburg June 14, 1802 Died Sept. 22, 1854, Liverpool
called Rosina Wife Tahmen Rothenburg Oct. 21, 1801 Died Sept. 18, 1854,
Liverpool
Mroske Hanna Daughter Tahmen Rothenburg Nov. 18, 1827 Died Sept. 16, 1854, at 3
o'clock at Liverpool
Johann Son Tahmen Rothenburg April, 27, 1837
22. Becker Georg Baker Tahmen Rothenburg Dec. 24, 1823 Died June 12, 1855-
Buried June 14
Rosina Wife Tahmen Rothenburg July 25, 1826
Johann Son Tahmen Rothenburg July 17, 1853
Matthes Drosche Father-in-law Tahmen Rothenburg Aug. 16, 1786
23. Paulik Jacob Cottage-owner Klitten Rothenburg Aug. 1, 1800
Agnes Wife Klitten Rothenburg Aug. 28, 1786 Died Mar, 1855
'()
"'" 24. Iselt Georg Cottage-owner Klitten Rothenburg Sept. 18, 1814
Rosina Wife Klitten Rothenburg Aug. 16, 1810
Hanna Daughter Klitten Rothenburg Feb. 12, 1847
Johann Son Klitten Rothenburg Dec. 25, 1852
25. Schatte Johann Cottage-owner Klitten Rothenburg April4, 1825 Died on the ship,
Sept. 30, 1854
Rosina Wife Klitten Rothenburg Sept. 18, 1822 Died at Liverpool,
Sept. 26, 1854
Matthaus Son Klitten Rothenburg June 21, 1846 Died at Liverpool,
Sept. 22, 1854
Johann Son Klitten Rothenburg June 27, 1848 Died on the ship,
Sept. 27, 1854
Hanna Daughter Klitten Rothenburg Sept. 3, 1853 Died at Liverpool,
Sept. 25, 1854
26. Bartsch Maria Cottage-owner Klitten Rothenburg Dec. 14, 1782
Hanna
Widow
Daughter Klitten Rothenburg May 29, 1811
Maria Daughter Klitten Rothenburg Aug. 29, 1839
Rosina Daughter Klitten Rothenburg Oct. 24, 1822
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
27. Schubert johann Cottage-owner Klitten Rothenburg Oct. 8, 1806
Magdalene Wife Klitten Rothenburg july 27, 1825
Hanna Daughter Klitten Rothenburg Sept. 21, 1835
Rosina Daughter Klitten Rothenburg Oct. 4, 1838
Matthaus Son Klitten Rothenburg Dec. 24, 1841
August Son Klitten Rothenburg Dec. 30, 1842
Agnes Daughter Klitten Rothenburg May 23, 1849
johann Son Klitten Rothenburg May 9, 1852
Hanna Widow Klitten Rothenburg Nov. 20, 1776 Schubert's mother
28. Locke George Cottage-owner Kaschel Rothenburg June 26, 1812
Hanna Wife Kaschel Rothenburg April 28, 1816
Maria Daughter Kaschel Rothenburg Sept. 23, 1838
29. Domaschka Matthes Gardener Kaschel Rothenburg Nov. 8, 1818
Hanna Wife Kaschel Rothenburg March 22, 1824
'() Rosine Daughter Kaschel Rothenburg Oct. 31, 1843
01 Marie Daughter Kaschel Rothenburg Dec. 6, 1847
Hanna )urz Mother-in-law Kaschel Rothenburg 1783 Died Aug. 17, 1855, at
1 a.m. Buried the same
day
30. Schubert johann Gardener Kaschel Rothenburg july 25, 1825
Anna Wife Kaschel Rothenburg Oct. 24, 1825
Hanna Daughter Kaschel Rothenburg )an. 29, 1853
Rosina Mattke Stepdaughter Kaschel Rothenburg Feb. 13, 1847 Died 1855
Maria Gubbin Mother Kaschel Rothenburg Dec. 24, 1793
31. Schubert George Gardener Tauern Rothenburg june 1818
Rosina Wife Tauem Rothenburg Dec. 1816
Matthaus Son Tauern Rothenburg july 6, 1839 War casualty
Andreas Son Tauem Rothenburg July 4, 1844
johann Son Tauem Rothenburg Feb. 15, 1847
32. Schwoibe Rosina Maid Tauern Rothenburg 1830
33. Schoellnik Johann Retired estate-owner Duerbach Rothenburg Oct. 13, 1793
Hanna Wife Duerbach Rothenburg Nov. 1793
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
johann Son Duerbach Rothenburg Feb . 2, 1830 Died on the ship,
Sept. 28, 1854
Maria Daughter Duerbach Rothenburg March 28, 1829 Not on shipboard
34. Schoellnick Matthes Half-farmer Duerbach Rothenburg Dec. 10, 1815
Anna Wife Duerbach Rothenburg 1813
Johann Son Duerbach Rothenburg july 9, 1838
Mattheus Son Duerbach Rot hen burg March 23, 1848 Died Sept. 23, 1854,
Liverpool
Maria Daughter Duerbach Roth en burg May 18, 1852 Died Nov. 14, 1854,
10 a.m.
35. Bamsch Georg Cottage-owner Duerbach Rothenburg Nov. 17, 1813
Rosina Wife Duerbach Rothenburg jan. 7, 1825
Johann Son Duerbach Rothenburg ]an. 20, 1852
"' 36. Hollas johann Hired hand KI. Oelsa Rothenburg Feb. 18, 1821
0'
37. Michalk Hanna Maid KI. Oelsa Rothenburg May 8, 1825
38. Locke Magdalena Maid KI. Oelsa Rothenburg March 26, 1830
39. Schulze johann Gardener Forstgen Rothenburg Oct. 30, 1801
Maria Wife Forstgen Rothenburg june 9, 1799
johann Son Forstgen Rot hen burg Dec. 12, 1822
Mattheus Son Forstgen Rothenburg March 13, 1832
Magdalena Daughter Forstgen Rothenburg March 31, 1834
40. Schuster Mattheus Laborer Forstgen Rothenburg May 17, 1815
]oh. Eleonore Wife Forstgen Rothenburg july 17, 1823
41. Hocker Georg Cottage-owner Forstgen Rothenburg April 12, 1805
Magdalene Wife Forstgen Rothenburg 1806
42. Vogel Andreas Cottage-owner Forstgen Rothenburg Feb. 11, 1813
Agnes Wife Forstgen Rothenburg Dec. 23, 1809
johann Son Forstgen Rothenburg Feb. 19, 1841
Ernst Gottlieb Son Forstgen Rot hen burg Aug. 11, 1843
Maria Daughter Forstgen Rothenburg Dec. 26, 1845
August Son Forstgen Rothenburg Nov. 6, 1848
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
43. Kambor Christoph Cottage-owner Wuncha Rothenburg Jan. 1800 Died from fever,
June 16, 1855
Maria Wife Wuncha Rothenburg 1802
Hanna Daughter Wuncha Rothenburg July 28, 1837
Rosina Daughter Wuncha Rothenburg Feb. 10, 1840
44. Schulze Mattheus Gardener Wuncha Rothenburg Feb. 17, 1807 Died in Hamburg,
Sept. 10, 1854
Hanna Wife Wuncha Rothenburg 1813
Rosina Daughter Wuncha Rothenburg Aug. 15, 1833 Died July 6, 1855
Maria Daughter Wuncha Rothenburg Aug. 10, 1836
Johann Son Wuncha Rothenburg July 8, 1840
Matthes Son Wuncha Rothenburg Jan. 1, 1843 Died Nov. 20, 1854
Christoph Son Wuncha Rothenburg March 30, 1847
45. Zwahr Andreas Gardener Landforstgen Rothenburg Dec. 5, 1813 Died Sept. 29, 1855
'!) Maria Wife Landforstgen Rothenburg Oct. 16, 1816
'I Hanna Daughter Landforstgen Rothenburg March 20, 1845
Johann Son Landforstgen Rothenburg Dec. 24, 1846
Magdalene Daughter Landforstgen Rothenburg March 15, 1849
Maria Daughter Landforstgen Rothenburg Jan. 12, 1851
Agnes Daughter Landforstgen Rothenburg Jan. 22, 1852
Christiana Daughter Landforstgen Rothenburg April 1, 1854
46. Noak Christoph Cottage-owner Landforstgen Rothenburg Sept. 7, 1813 Buried Nov. 30
J oh. Christiane Wife Landforstgen Rothenburg June 1, 1825
47. Greulich Johann Cottage-owner Gebelzig Rothenburg Oct. 5, 1822
Joh. Christiane Wife Gebelzig Rothenburg May 24, 1828
Hanna Daughter Gebelzig Rothenburg Oct. 16, 1849
Maria Daughter Gebelzig Rothenburg Sept. 8, 1851
48. Greulich Andreas Cottage-owner Gebelzig Rothenburg Oct. 5, 1821 Not on shipboard
Magdelena Wife Gebelzig Rothenburg Oct. 28, 1829
49. Pohje Andreas Cottage-owner Schadendorf Rothenburg July 13, 1819
Hanna Wife Schadendorf Rothenburg Aug. 3, 1814
Matthiuss Son Schadendorf Rothenburg July 18, 1845
Joh. Gottlob Franke Stepson Schadendorf Rothenburg Jan. 22, 1839
Andreas Stepson Schadendorf Rothenburg Nov. 17, 1841
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
50. Dunzer Joh. Carl Cabinet-maker Muskau Rothenburg Jan. 3, 1824
Christiane Wife Muskau Rothenburg Jan. 6, 1826
Caroline Bertha Daughter Muskau Rothenburg Dec. 24, 1852 Died in Liverpool,
Sept. 22, 1854
51 . Winkler Joh. Carl Aug. Baker Muskau Rothenburg Aug. 16, 1823 Not on shipboard
52. Kohl Joh. Gottlieb Potter Muskau Rothenburg Oct. 20, 1802
Joh. Ernstina Wife Muskau Rothenburg May 12, 1827
Carl Gottlieb Son Muskau Rothenburg May 2, 1842
Joh. Paulus Son Muskau Rothenburg June 4, 1852 Died Sept. 30, 1854
Joh. Ernstina Bertha Daughter Muskau Rothenburg Jan. 31, 1854
53 . Patschke Carl August Cottage-owner Kolpen Hoyerswerda Dec. 19, 1818
Hanna Wife Kolpen Hoyerswerda April 22, 1826
Maria Daughter Kolpen Hoyerswerda Feb. 11, 1854
54. Caspar Georg Cottage-owner Kolpen Hoyerswerda June 2, 1816
'C) 00 Magdalene Wife Kolpen Hoyerswerda 1823
Maria Daughter Kolpen Hoyerswerda Sept. 13, 1845
Johann Son Kolpen Hoyerswerda April1, 1849
Traugott Son Kolpen Hoyerswerda Aug. 2, 1851
Andreas Son Kolpen Hoyerswerda May 12, 1854
55. Prellop Matthes Cottage-owner Geislitz Hoyerswerda Oct. 7, 1822
Dorothea Wife Geislitz Hoyerswerda 1827
Johann Son Geislitz Hoyerswerda Dec. 2, 1851
56. Kolba Christian Half-farmer Neudorf Hoyerswerda May 22, 1830
Maria Wife Neudorf Hoyerswerda 1827
Maria Daughter Neudorf Hoyerswerda Oct. 22, 1851
Traugott Son Neudorf Hoyerswerda Oct. 25, 1853
57. Kasper Christian Cottage-owner Neudorf Hoyerswerda Jan. 22, 1824 Died 1855
Dorothea Wife Neudorf Hoyerswerda 1823 Died May 28, 1855,
of high fever
Matthes Son Neudorf Hoyerswerda Dec. 4, 1850
58. Zoch Christian Half-farmer Spreewitz Hoyerswerda Dec. 13, 1825
Maria Wife Spreewitz Hoyerswerda Nov. 3, 1821
Hans Son Spreewitz Hoyerswerda Oct. 17, 1847
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
Johanna Daughter Spreewitz Hoyerswerda Feb . 27, 1851
Maria Daughter Spreewitz Hoyerswerda Nov. 3, 1853
59. Casparik Johann Cottage-owner Zerre Hoyerswerda Oct. 3, 1817
Hanna Wife Zerre Hoyerswerda Feb. 1813
Anna Daughter Zerre Hoyerswerda April 29, 1844
Matthes Son Zerre Hoyerswerda Aug. 22, 1847
Christian Jatzlau Stepson Zerre Hoyerswerda Oct. 21, 1834
Hans Stepson Zerre Hoyerswerda July 15, 1837
Maria Stepdaughter Zerre Hoyerswerda Feb. 20, 1841
60. Hand rick Georg Cottage-owner Dubrau Saxony Jan. 2, 1818
Johanna Wife Dubrau Saxony 1820
Maria Daughter Dubrau Saxony Oct. 10, 1851
Anna Daughter Dubrau Saxony March 11, 1853
'() 61. Fritzsche Peter Mason Dubrau Saxony Oct. 26, 1813
'() Johanna Wife Dubrau Saxony 1816 Died and buried
Dec. 6, 1854
Maria Daughter Dubrau Saxony Jan. 9, 1845
Andreas Son Dubrau Saxony Sept. 11, 1846
Anna Daughter Dubrau Saxony Dec. 20, 1848 Died Oct. 2, 1854
Johann Son Dubrau Saxony Sept. 25, 1851
Peter Son Dubrau Saxony Sept. 11, 1854 Died Dec. 25, 1854
Baptized on ship
62. Boehmer Georg Laborer Dubrau Saxony 1802 Not on shipboard (money
Hanna Wife Dubrau Saxony 1797 was returned to them)
63. Kubitz Johann Gardener Dubrau Saxony Nov. 12, 1810
Maria Wife Dubrau Saxony May 1822
Johann Son Dubrau Saxony 1842
Maria Daughter Dubrau Saxony 1845
64. Groeschel August Gardener Laerka near Weihsenberg Saxony July 22, 1827
Andreas Father Laerka Saxony Oct. 3, 1793 Died Aug. 1, 1855
at 7:30p.m.
Magdalena Sister Laerka Saxony Dec. 8, 1831
Agnes Sister Laerka Saxony April 9, 1839
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
65. Miertschin Andreas Gardener Laerka Saxony Nov. 22, 1809 Died on the ship,
Sept. 28, 1854
Anna Wife Laerka Saxony Oct. 1, 1809 Died on the ship,
Sept. 29, 1854
Johanna Daughter Laerka Saxony Aug. 6, 1835
Maria Daughter Laerka Saxony Feb. 23, 1840
August Son Laerka Saxony July 8, 1842
Andreas Son Laerka Saxony Feb. 18, 1847
Carl Son Laerka Saxony Feb. 3, 1849
66. Reinhart Christiana Joh. Miertschin's Laerka Saxony April 19, 1834 Died Oct. 10, 1854
bride
"child" August Son Place not stated Saxony Sept. 2, 1854 Died Oct. 6, 1854
67. Neitsch Johann Cottage-owner Laerka Saxony April 19, 1829
..... Maria Wife Laerka Saxony July 30, 1825
0 August Son Laerka Saxony Oct. 30, 1852 Died Oct. 6, 1854
0
68. Basche Maria Embroidery worker Broesa Saxony June 3, 1833 Not on shipboard
69. Moerbe Ernst Adolph Gardener Klix Saxony Aug. 6, 1824
Agnes Wife Klix Saxony 1826
Joh. Traugott Son Klix Saxony Oct. 1, 1847
Andreas Son Klix Saxony June 22, 1849 Died Nov. 7, 1854
Maria Daughter Klix Saxony Nov. 2, 1852 Died Nov. 9, 1854
Carolina Donath Maid Klix Prussia June 17, 1832 Not on shipboard
70. Simmank Carl August Cottage-owner Carlsbrun Saxony May 29, 1812
Ana Magdel. Wife Carlsbrun Saxony Oct. 19, 1812
Herman Ernst Son Carlsbrun Saxony 1837
Ernstina Helen Daughter Carlsbrun Saxony 1839
Louise Amalie Daughter Carlsbrun Saxony Dec. 9, 1844
Ana Juliane Daughter Carlsbrun Saxony April 16, 1849
71. Wirthschutz Carl Gottlieb Weaver Carlsbrun Saxony Nov. 21, 1820
72. Bensch Andreas Shoemaker Kl. Dubrau Saxony Sept. 5, 1829
73 . Symmank Andreas Cottage-owner Malschwitz Saxony Sept. 28, 1821
Joh. Christiane Wife Malschwitz Saxony 1827
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
Johann Son Malschwitz Saxony Aug. 31, 1848 Died Sept. 30, 1854,
near Queenstown
Andreas Son Malschwitz Saxony Feb. 28, 1852
Peter Son Malschwitz Saxony Oct. 27, 1854
74. Urban Johann Gardener Rackel Saxony May 17, 1818
Anna Wife Rackel Saxony June 1822
Maria Daughter Rackel Saxony Jan. 26, 1848
Hanna Daughter Rackel Saxony Jan. 14, 1850
Johann Son Rackel Saxony Jan. 6, 1852
75. Urban Michael Grinder Weihsenberg Saxony June 18, 1830
Hana Christiane Wife Weihsenberg Saxony Dec. 1, 1829
76. Jannasch Johann Watchmaker Weihsenberg Saxony May 4, 1809 Died in Houston,
Aug. 14, 1855
,.... Magdalene Wife Weihsenberg Saxony Jan. 30, 1815 Died in Houston,
,0.. .. Aug. 12, 1855 Anna Daughter Weihsenberg Saxony March 6, 1835 Died in Houston,
Aug. 18, 1855
Johann Son Weihsenberg Saxony May 10, 1839
Maria Daughter Weihsenberg Saxony March 7, 1843
August Son Weihsenberg Saxony Nov. 31, 1845 Died Dec. 10, 1854
Ernst Son Weihsenberg Saxony July 5, 1850 Died Dec. 14, 1854
Emil Son Weihsenberg Saxony July 8, 1852
77. Herbrig Gotthelf Benjam Saw-smith Weihsenberg Saxony Feb. 16, 1809
)oh. Christiane Wife Weihsenberg Saxony Oct. 15, 1823
Ernst Gotthelf Son Weihsenberg Saxony Sept. 20, 1847
)oh. Magdalene Daughter Weihsenberg Saxony Jan. 10, 1852
Israel Brother Weihsenberg Saxony Aug. 24, 1806
78. Behser )oh. Carl Gottl. Cottage-owner Weihsenberg Saxony Aug. 28, 1808
Hanna Wife Weihsenberg Saxony -
Johanna Daughter Weihsenberg Saxony Nov. 21, 1839
79. Taeger Carl Traugott Mason Weihsenberg Saxony Sept. 23, 1832
80. Lehmann Joh. Carl Aug. Leathercraft Weihsenberg Saxony Aug. 10, 1837
Harness-maker
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
81. )annasch Andreas Watch-maker Weihsenberg Saxony - Died Dec. 12, 1854
82. Urban Andreas Quarryman Kubschuetz Saxony March 8, 1826
Magdalena Wife Kubschuetz Saxony March 2, 1822
Johann Son Kubschuetz Saxony May 7, 1849
August Son Kubschuetz Saxony June 8, 1850
Ernst Son Kubschuetz Saxony June 12, 1852 Died Sept. 22, 1854,
at Liverpool
Peter Son Kubschuetz Saxony )an. 28, 1854
83. Urban Johann Farmer Kubschuetz Saxony 1787 Died Oct. 10, 1854
Maria Wife Kubschuetz Saxony 1794 Died early Aug. 1855
84. Kurijo Michael Gardener Wurschen Saxony Nov. 24, 1820
Magdalene Wife Wurschen Saxony july 15, 1820 Died Oct. 9, 1854
johann Son Wurschen Saxony March 25, 1843
...... Hanna Daughter Wurschen Saxony Dec. 25, 1845
0 Andreas Son Wurschen Saxony 1849 Died Oct. 5, 1854
N Maria Daughter Wurschen Saxony )an. 10, 1852
85. Wenke Carl Traugott Cottage-owner Wurschen Saxony April 11, 1812
Eleonore Wife Wurschen Saxony 1809
Marie Daughter Wurschen Saxony 1841
Carl Traugott Son Wurschen Saxony Dec. 1851
Schwarz )oh. Heinrich Stepson Wurschen Saxony March 1, 1834
86. Bjar Johann Blacksmith Groditz Saxony Feb. 16, 1823
Magdalene Wife Groditz Saxony Nov. 1825
Johann Son Groditz Saxony Aug. 30, 1850
Andreas Son Groditz Saxony Oct. 28, 1853
87. Wagner Mattheus Gardener Halbendorf on Spree R. Saxony Feb. 5, 1825
Maria Wife Halbendorf Saxony 1825
johann Son Halbendorf Saxony 1849
Andreas Son Halbendorf Saxony July 11, 1853
88. Noak johann Cottage-owner Wartha C. Guttau Saxony 1807
Johanna Wife Wartha Saxony
Hanna Daughter Wartha Saxony june 26, 1837
Johann Son Wartha Saxony Dec. 15, 1839
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
Maria Daughter Wartha Saxony March 1, 1842
Magdalene Daughter Wartha Saxony Aug. 9, 1844
August Son Wartha Saxony june 6, 1847 Died Sept. 19, 1854,
at Liverpool
Christiana Daughter Wartha Saxony Sept. 23, 1849
Andreas Son Wartha Saxony jan. 20, 1852 Died Oct. 27, 1854
Agnes Daughter Wartha Saxony March 26, 1854 Died Oct. 27, 1854
89. Noak Michael Locksmith Wartha Saxony Feb. 19, 1820
Maria Wife Wartha Saxony Aug. 5, 1839
Wilhelmine Daughter Wartha Saxony March 8, 1849
Auguste Daughter Wartha Saxony 1852 Died Nov. 16, 1854
August Ernst Son Wartha Saxony Aug. 12, 1854
Carl August Son Wartha Saxony july 26, 1857 (Last five names were
Ernst Emil Son Wartha Saxony jan. 11, 1860 added by Kilian
Theresia Bertha Daughter Wartha Saxony june 20, 1861 in Texas) ..... johann Son Wartha Saxony Feb. 27, 1866
0
(.;.J johann Paul Son Wartha Saxony july 19, 1862
90. Weihe Carl Benj . Skilled laborer Wartha Saxony Feb. 6, 1820
Maria Wife Wartha Saxony 1812
Magdalena Daughter Wartha Saxony 1837
Carl August Son Wartha Saxony 1842
Ernstina Daughter Wartha Saxony 1850
Ernst Son Wartha Saxony June 21, 1854
91. Falke Georg Gardener Wartha Saxony Nov. 15, 1812
Agnes Wife Wartha Saxony june 2, 1816
johann Son Wartha Saxony )an. 3, 1837
Hanna Daughter Wartha Saxony Aug. 2, 1839 Died Aug. 15, 1856,
at Roundtop
Ernst Son Wartha Saxony Oct. 11, 1841
Maria Daughter Wartha Saxony Dec. 15, 1847
Magdalene Daughter Wartha Saxony Sept. 18, 1854 Born on the ship; died on the ship, Sept. 23
92. Buettner Andreas Cottage-owner Wartha near Guttau Saxony Feb. 15, 1802
Maria Magdale. Daughter Wartha Saxony 1835
Carl Aug. Michael Son Wartha Saxony 1842
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
Agnes Daughter Wartha Saxony 1844
Caroline Daughter Wartha Saxony 1847
Joh. August Son Wartha Saxony 1851 Died Oct. 19
93. Pampel Peter Cottage-owner Wartha Saxony Jan. 18, 1808 Died Sept. 18
and cabinet-maker at Liverpool
Agnes Wife Wartha Saxony 1809
Hanna Daughter Wartha Saxony 1839
Carl Heinrich Son Wartha Saxony Feb. 7, 1842
August Son Wartha Saxony May 7, 1844
94. Spahn Johann Blacksmith Wartha Saxony 1828
95. Meltschak Johann Skilled laborer Konigswarthe Saxony July 20, 1875
Maria Wife Konigswarthe Saxony May 16, 1805
96. Moerbe Ferdin. Jacob Tailor and gardener Neudorf near Guttau Saxony Dec. 6, 1828
f-.' Anna Wife Neudorf Dec. 22, 1828 Died Nov. 29; buried
0 Nov. 30 "'" 97. Schoenig Johann Day laborer Baruth Saxony Aug. 26, 1805
98. Hantschke Andreas Cottage-owner Baruth Saxony March 6, 1794
Hanna Wife Baruth Saxony Dec. 5, 1818
99. Pampel Michael Day laborer Zittau Saxony June 18, 1819
Joh. Juliana Wife Zit tau Saxony Oct. 30, 1827
Gustav Adolph Son Zit tau Saxony Jan. 5, 1853
100. Regmann Johanna Maid Wawitz Saxony 1838
101. Dube Michael Half-farmer Rodewitz Saxony Sept. 27, 1807 Died on the ship, Sept. 29
Joh. Rosina Wife Rodewitz Saxony Dec. 18, 1807
August Son Rodewitz Saxony March 9, 1831
Christiana Daughter Rodewitz Saxony 1832
Johanna Daughter Rodewitz Saxony 1834
Eleanora Daughter Rodewitz Saxony 1836
Karl Son Rodewitz Saxony 1839
Ernstina Daughter Rodewitz Saxony 1841
Marie Daughter Rodewitz Saxony 1847 Died Dec. 22 near
Houston
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
Ernst Son Rodewitz Saxony Aug. 5, 1649
Louise Daughter Rodewitz Saxony June 5, 1651
102. Rensch Magdalena Maid Rodewitz Saxony 1626
103. Ritter Adam Blacksmith Rodewitz Saxony june 13, 1633
104. Ritter Agnes Maid Rodewitz Saxony Not given
Maria Daughter Rodewitz Saxony Nov. 25, 1852 Died Oct. 11
105. Ritter Anna Maid Rodewitz Saxony Oct. 29, 1836
106. Schlemmer Andreas Cutter Rodewitz Saxony Sept. 20, 1820
Theresia Wife Rodewitz Saxony 1827
Carl August Son Rodewitz Saxony March 2, 1850
Mar. Magda!. Daughter Rodewitz Saxony Sept. 27, 1653
107. Pilak Andreas Gardener Rodewitz Saxony 1798 Died on the ship, Sept. 30
f-l Maria Wife Rodewitz Saxony 1800
0 Magdalena Daughter Rodewitz Saxony 1830
(/1 Maria Daughter Rodewitz Saxony 1850
Hanna Daughter Rodewitz Saxony 1853
Andreas Son Rodewitz Saxony 1840
106. Born Georg Miller Crosta near Milke! Saxony jan. 9, 1826
Maria Wife Crosta Saxony Nov. 4, 1823
Maria Daughter Crosta Saxony April 7, 1851
109. Sommer johann Mason Quatitz Saxony Aug. 1, 1822
Gertraud Wife Quatitz Saxony 1632
)oh. Traugott Twin Quatitz Saxony June 1854
)oh. Ernst sons Quatitz Saxony June 1854
110. Sonsel Hanna Widow Loemishau Saxony 1805
Carl August Son Loemishau Saxony 1833
Magdalena Daughter Loemishau Saxony 1837
Ernst Son Loemishau Saxony 1640
Andreas Son Loemishau Saxony 1844
Hanna Daughter Loemishau Saxony 1846
111. Pampel johann Landlord Larch on Saxony - Died Nov. 21
Agnes Wife Larch on Saxony
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
Agnes Daughter Larch on Saxony
Joh. Traugott Son Larch on Saxony
Peter Son Larch on Saxony
112. Schneider Hans Hired hand Spreewitz Saxony May 24, 1829
Nowotonik Magdalena Fiancee Zerre Saxony May 6, 1834
113. Wagner Magdalena Cottage-owner's Weigersdorf Rothenburg April 16, 1831 Not on shipboard
daughter
114. Mikan Michael Laborer Groeditz Saxony Jan. 21, 1821
115. Richter Carl Ernst Wheelwright Viereichen near Rothenburg Oct. 25, 1831
Reichswalde
116. Magnus August Tailor Leipe Not given (10 Thaler returned
,.... to him)
0a - 117. Duerrlich Johann Hired hand Weicha Saxony Died 1855
118. Handrick Johann Gardener Weicha Saxony Oct. 1, 1811
Hanna Wife Weicha Saxony June 14, 1818
Maria Daughter Weicha Saxony Aug. 5, 1839
Hanna Christiana Daughter Weicha Saxony March 11, 1841
Johann Son Weicha Saxony AprilS, 1844
Maria Magdalena Daughter Weicha Saxony Sept. 12, 1847
Agnes Daughter Weicha Saxony Nov. 16, 1850
Christiana Theresia Daughter Weicha Saxony Dec. 27, 1853
119. T eschke Joh. Traugott Cottage-owner Weicha Saxony April 26, 1813 Died Oct. 1
Hanna Wife Weicha Saxony Sept. 16, 1811
Maria Daughter Weicha Saxony Jan. 5, 1846
August Twin Weicha Saxony April 4, 1851 Died Nov. 12
Johann Ernst sons Weicha Saxony April 4, 1851 Died Sept. 23 in Liverpool
120. Fiedler Carl August Inhabitant Gorlitz Saxony July 9, 1816
Johann Christian Wife Gorlitz Saxony Aug. 16, 1816
Emilie Bertha Daughter Gorlitz Saxony May 7, 1844
Joh. Carl August Son Gorlitz Saxony Nov. 25, 1845 (Line through name)
Anna Maria Daughter Gorlitz Saxony July 24, 1848
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
121. Noack Johann Cottage-owner Groditz Saxony March 1823
Magdalena Wife Groditz Saxony 1812 Died Oct. 22
122. Richter Joh. Gottlieb Ernst Mason - - Jan. (Original frayed)
Hanna Wife - Feb.
Simon Johannes Son - - Nov.
August Herrman Son - - Aug. 22, 1852 Died Nov. 12
123. Simmank Johann Ernst Cottage-owner - - Jan. 21, 1826
Johanna - Wife - - April4, 1828 (Second name not legible)
Ernst Adolph Son - June 15, 1851
- Ernstina Daughter - - July 11, 1853 (First name not legible)
124. Zieschank Johann Mill-master - - April 11, 1810
Hanna Wife - - Nov. 25, 1808
...... Kasper Maria Wife - - April 22, 1829 (Notation not clear)
0 'l Greulich Maria Her child - June 13, 1852 Died Dec. 6
125. Tjchornak Johann Cottage-owner - - 1814
Hanna Wife 1819
Marie Daughter Jan. 17, 1844
Johann Son - - -
Hanna Daughter 1847
Rosina Daughter - Feb. 10, 1850 Died Oct. 8
Agnes Daughter March 13, 1853 Died Oct. 23
126. Mrosko Matthaus Cottage-owner Saxony April 13, 1814
Hanna Wife Saxony Jan. 1, 1818
Maria Daughter - Saxony Oct. 13, 1837
Hanna Daughter - Saxony Sept. 13, 1840
Rosina Daughter - Saxony Aug. 1, 1843
Agnes Daughter - Saxony June 5, 1849
Magdalena Daughter - Saxony Feb. 8, 1854
127. Fritsche Johann Cottage-owner
and butcher Saxony Feb. 18, 1817
Hanna Wife - Saxony Feb. 18, 1810
Magdalena Daughter Saxony June 1840
Family Family City or
Name Members Status Village Region Birthday Remarks
128. Schneider Michael Laborer Saxony April 10, 1812
Maria Wife - Saxony May 1, 1825
Magdalena Daughter - Saxony March 6, 1849
129. Kerk Johann Gardener - Saxony Jan. 6, 1798
Hanna Wife - Saxony Feb. 2, - (Original frayed)
Magdalena Daughter Saxony Jan. 24,
Agnes Daughter - Saxony -
Johann Son - Saxony - Died
130. Tscho-(Name - - Thiemendorf {Not given)* Dec. 9, 1815 (Original frayed)
incomplete) - Thiemendorf (Not given) Jan. 17, 1814
Thiemendorf (Not given) Jan. 25, 1835
Thiemendorf (Not given) July 12, 1840
Johann Ernst Thiemendorf (Not given) Aug. 14, 1846
August Heinrich - Thiemendorf (Not given) June 13, 1851
f-l 0 131. Dube Johann (Original frayed) Prauszke (Not given) April 24, 1826
Q) Magdalena Wife Prauszke (Not given) June 22, 1829
Carl August Son Prauszke (Not given) June 14, 1853
132. Kokel Christoph (Original frayed) Reichwalde (Not given) Jan. 14, 1823
Maria Wife Reichwalde (Not given) Nov. 30, 1830
Christiana Daughter Reichwalde (Not given) Aug. 26, 1851
Johann Son Reichwalde (Not given) June 29, 1854
133. Peter Matthaus Retired estate-owner Reichwalde (Not given) 1789
Rosina Wife Reichwalde (Not given) 1793
134. Schiwart Christoph Cottage-owner Kl. Radisch (Not given) March 29, 1825
Hanna Wife Kl. Radisch (Not given) Dec. 18, 1823
Maria Daughter Kl. Radisch (Not given) May 22, 1851
135. Bartel-Metting Johann Cottage-owner Thomaswalde (Not given) Feb. 9, 1824
Hanna Wife Thomaswalde (Not given) March 1826 Died on the ship
Johann Son Thomaswalde (Not given) Feb . 27, 1851 Died on the ship, Sept. 27
Matthaus Son Thomaswalde (Not given) April 24, 1853 Died Oct. 11
*Johann Kilian did not give the region.
1-'
0
'-()
Family Family
Name Members
136. Bartel-Merting Johann
Hanna
137. Kruper-Hole Matthaus
Christoph
138. Bucke Johann
139. Pampel Hanna
140. Taffe] Bernhard
141. Matke Hanna
Hanna
142. Nowak Johann
143. Eiffler Carl Gottlieb
144. Schara th Joh. Gottlieb
Johann
145. lselt Rosina
Andreas
Johann
August
Matthaus
146. Lorentschk Hanna
Maria
147. Kolba Matthaus
148. Casparik Magdalena
149. Schmidt Joh. Christiane
150. Werthschutz Johann
151. Noack Wilhelm
Status
City or
Village
Retired estate-owner Thomaswalde
Wife Thomaswalde
Brothers Tahmen
Tahmen
Mill-master Sdier
Maid Saerchen near Klix
- Niedergurig
- Klitten
Ereinschau
Region
(Not given)
(Not given)
Rothenburg
Rothenburg
(Not given)
(Not given)
(Not given)
Rothenburg
(Not given)
Schoeps near Weihenbach (Not given)
(Original frayed) Dauban Rothenburg
(Original frayed) Dauban Rothenburg
(Original frayed) Rothenburg
(Original frayed) Rothenburg
Cottage-owner's Klitten Rothenburg
widow
- Rothenburg
Children Rothenburg
Rothenburg
Rothenburg
Not married Reichwalde Rothenburg
Daughter Rothenburg
Retired estate-owner Neudorf near Spreewitz (Not given)
Working woman Neudorf (Not given)
Maid Krisha (Not given)
Weaver Carlsbrunn (Not given)
Mill apprentice Grosz Sauberuitz
Birthday
April 17, 1780
Sept. 1796
April 11, 1830
April 5, 1834
(Not given)
(Not given)
(Not given)
May 24, 1816
Oct. 13, 1847
(Not given)
(Not given)
Oct. 28, 1805
March 1815
April 11, 1844
1848
April 10, 1842
(Not given)
June 8, 1836
July 23, 1836
March 7, 1847
Dec. 29, 1805
Nov. 28, 1837
(Not given)
(Not given)
Feb. 16, 1824
Remarks
Died on the ship on 27
(Original frayed)
Died Sept. 30
near Queenstown
Died (Original frayed)
Died (Original frayed)
Died Oct. 15
Died Oct. 5
Died Nov. 9
..........
0
Family
Name
152. Noack
153. Noack
154. Buettner
155. Wuensche
156. Melde
157. Trinks
Micksh
Family
Members •
Carl Ernst
Hanna
Maria Magdalena
Christoph
Maria
Johann August
Andreas Traugott
Johann Ernst
Andreas
Gottfried
Elizabeth
2 persons
(Michael)
Status
Mill apprentice
Maid
Maid
Landlord
Wife
Son
Son
Son
-
Landlord
Wife
Miller
The above table is from The Wends of Texas by Anne Blasig,
published by The Naylor Company, San Antonio, Texas,
1954; original document in the Barker Texas Historical
Center, The University of Texas at Austin. Irregularities in
spelling, etc., are attributed to Blasig's translations directly
from the Wendish.
City or
Village Region
Wartha Saxony
Wartha
Weiszenberg Saxony
Weiszenberg Saxony
Weiszenberg Saxony
Weiszenberg Saxony
Weiszenberg Saxony
Dabemschutz (Not given)
Sophienthal near Muskau (Not given)
Loebau Saxony
Birthday
Dec. 23, 1833
(Not given)
June 25, 1812
1804
Dec. 15, 1837
Sept. 20, 1841
Aug. 29, 1846
Dec. 25, 1825
(Not given)
60 years old
(Not given)
Remarks
Died Oct. 10
Died Oct. 2
(Writing faded)
Informants
Mr. Fred Bleeke, Austin
Pastor A. Brand, Winchester
Mrs. Martha Brockman, Granger
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dunk, Warda
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Giese, Warda
Mr. David Goeke, San Antonio
Rev. Paul Hartfield, Serbin
Mrs. Evelyn Kasper, Warda
Dr. and Mrs. George Kunze, College Station
Mr. John Kunze, Warda
Dr. and Mrs. Otto Kunze, College Station
Mr. Ron Lammert, Austin
Mr. Ted Lammert, Katy
Mr. and Mrs. Hermann Lehmann, Warda
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lehmann, Warda
Dr. Ray F. Martens, Austin
Mrs. Ella Melde, Giddings
Mr. Carl Miertschin, LaGrange
Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Mitschke, Serbin
Mr. Arthur Moerbe, Warda
Dr. George Nielsen, River Forest, Illinois
Mrs. Otto Noack, Warda
Mrs. Alvina Paul, Austin
Mr. Robert Robinson-Zwahr, Lubbock
Dr. Curtis Schatte, College Station
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Schmidt, Warda
Mr. Herb Schmidt, Houston
Mr. Rudy Schmidt, Houston
Pastor John J. Socha, Giddings
Mr. and Mrs. R.A. Teinert, Austin
Mrs. Bea Tschatschula, Giddings
Dr. Joseph B. Wilson, Houston
Rev. Marcus Wolfram, Warda
Mrs. Emma Wuensche, McDade
Mr. Martin Wukasch, Austin
Dr. Charles Wukasch, Austin
Mrs. August Zoch, Giddings
111
A Note on Sources
Material in this book draws heavily on the most reliable basic studies
of the Texas Wends: Anne Blasig, The Wends of Texas; George Engerrand,
The So-Called Wends of Germany and Their Colonies in Texas and
Australia; and George Nielsen, In Search of a Home: The Wends (Sorbs)
on the Australian and Texas Frontier. These sources are so well known
by the Wends themselves that much in their oral history and interviews
can be traced to facts learned from these books. These and other published
sources are cited in the bibliography, which includes most known materials
relating to the Wends published in English.
Bibliography
Bernstein, Geneva M. "The Forgotten Wend." West Texas Historical
Association Year Book 33 (1957): 127-37.
Blasig, Anne. ''The Frontier Experiences of the Wends of Lee County,
Texas." The University of Texas at Austin, M.A. Thesis, 1951.
-----· The Wends of Texas. San Antonio: Naylor, 1954.
Brauer, A. Under the Southern Cross: History of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Australia. Adelaide: Lutheran Press, 1956.
Burger, Rupert J. "The Coming of the Wends." Yearbook of the Lutheran
Church of Australia. Ed. E. W. Wiebusch. Adelaide: Lutheran Press,
1976: 22-63.
Caldwell, Lillie Moerbe. Texas Wends: Their First Half Century. Salado:
Anson Jones Press, 1961.
Dahl, John A. ''The German-Wendish Settlement of Serbin, Texas."
Genealogical Journal 7 (1978): 17-20.
DeBray, R.G.A. Guide to the Slavonic Languages. 2nd rev. ed. London:
J.M. Dent and Sons, 1969: 673-789.
Engerrand, George C. The So-Called Wends of Germany and Their
Colonies in Texas and Australia. The University of Texas Bulletin #3417,
May 1934. (Rpt. R. and E. Research Associates, San Francisco, 1972.)
Esau, Helmut, and Sylvia Grider. ''The Wends: A Case Study of Ethnic
Variables." The Fifth LACUS Forum. Ed. Wolfgang Wolck and Paul
Garvin. Columbia: Hornbeam Press, 1979: 383-96.
Fitzhugh, Bessie Lee. "Saint Paul's Wendish Bell- Serbin." Bells Over Texas.
El Paso: Texas W