Robertson County - TXGenWeb

John George Meyer
1882
New Baden, TX
16-page booklet (with large fold-out map)
The Center For American History Collection
The University of Texas at Austin
TZ976.411 N4225M
Center For American History TXC-Z Collection

John George Meyer, a native of Baden, Germany, was one of the original founders of New Baden.
The information below is the story of the founding of New Baden in Mr. Meyer's own words.

This booklet promoting New Baden to potential European settlers was translated from its original
old-style German by volunteer Jens Heik with Video International of Alexandria, Virginia.

A description of the land and the conditions in the colony, plus
a short description of Texas, its climate, and its road systems.

Texas, the biggest state in the union, has an area of 296,694 English square miles. It stretches from the 26 to the 36 1/2 degree northerly latitude and from the 91 to 106 degree westerly longitude. It is bordered in the north by the Indian territory, in the west by the territory of New Mexico and the Mexican Republic, from which it is separated by the Rio Grande of the North, in the south by the Gulf of Mexico, and in the east by Louisiana and Arkansas.

The topography of the land seems like terraces from the so-called "Llano Estacado," an English "Staked Plains", in a southeasterly direction towards the Gulf.

The above mentioned area was described by early travelers as a notorious desert, which turned out in the last years to be one of the best grazing grounds of the American continent and where now the biggest cattle herds, counted by the thousands, find their food. It reaches from the northwesterly part of Texas and partly from New Mexico and is about 5,000 feet above sea level.

There is nothing for the traveler to see besides an endless plain, not even separated by little hills or woods. Just a grass-covered plain, which it looks like the only separation is through the horizon. The name "Llano Estacado" or spiked plain got its name from old descriptions that the first Spanish explorers who came there around 1700 had to mark their way by putting spikes in the ground to find their way.

From the northerly border of the plain, which falls very rapidly from a high of about 500 feet to 300 feet, all the rivers from Texas, except the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers, have their origins. All take the same direction from southeast towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Next to the mentioned plain starts the Texas highland, which has fairly steep mountains and is rich in minerals. It slowly loses its mountainous character and it looks more and more like a hill formation, like rolling hills, with the nicest, richest, and the most developed part of the state continues. In the northeast and east stretches that part from the Red River and Sabine River borders into the nicest woods slowly towards the coastline before it reaches the lowlands which in widths of 50 - 100 miles parallel would be Gulf Beach stretches. In the southwesterly part of the state the lowland winds and leaves from the coast in westerly directions from the San Antonio, Nueces, and Frio Rivers carved towards the Rio Grande. The Colorado River, which also starts in the "Llano Estacado" plain, is viewed as the border between east and west Texas. At the same foothill is the city of Austin, also the capitol of the state, with a population of more than 13,000 souls.

The main villages of the land are at the coast and on the lowland: Orange on the Sabine River; Beaumont on the Neches; Liberty on the Trinity; Houston on Buffalo Bayou (the big railroad center of the state); Galveston on Galveston Island; Richmond and Brazoria on the Brazos; Matagorda and Wharton on the Colorado; Indianola on Lavaca Bay; Victoria on the Guadalupe; the old city of Goliad from the Texas Independence War on the San Antonio River; Brownsville on the Rio Grande; and Corpus Christi on the bay of the same name.

In the center zone are the important villages of: Marshall, Jefferson, Denton, Dallas, Fort Worth, Weatherford, Corsicana, Waco, Tyler, Austin, Palestine, Crockett, Nacogdoches, Hearne, Bryan, Huntsville, Brenham, LaGrange, Columbus, Gonzales, Seguin, San Antonio, San Marcos, Castroville, Eagle Pass, Laredo, and New Braunfels.

The most important villages in the mountainous region are: Fredericksburg, Boerne, Comfort, Fort Concho, Burnet, and Hamilton.

Texas, which has lots of rivers running through it, has no navigable rivers to show. Only by artificial help like dredging are some of them, like the Sabine, Neches, Trinity, Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Rivers, in their lower ends navigable with little boats.

Artificial travelways had to be built. The progress of the railroads in Texas shows a very interesting illustration of American entrepreneurship. At the end of the Civil War, in the year 1865, there were only 330 miles of railroad track in working condition. By the year 1868, only 182 had been built. From then on, started the development of the state very rapidly. So, by the year 1880, about 2, 855 miles of railroad track had been built. The biggest construction in this area (the area near New Baden) was in the last year. The eyes of the capitalists in the northern states are looking towards the huge resources of the land which, with a population of only 1 3/4 million people and through its huge resources and riches, its moderate and healthy climate, is able to support millions of people. On September 1, 1881, they had a laying of railroad tracks that were ready to travel of about 4,389 miles, and that has now been extended to 5,000 miles.

The steam engines are steaming through all directions of the land that only 30 to 40 years ago was occupied by Indians. The wild sons of the continent have been pushed back by the expanding civilization of the area. Only in the far west, near the Mexican border, one finds small bands of the earlier, very powerful tribes that the settlers feared in horror.

The International & Great Northern Railroad traverses the state from its northeasterly corner in a southwesterly direction towards the Rio Grande. The Texas Pacific Railroad, from the same entrance, goes westerly to El Paso, where the same merges with the Southern Pacific Railroad and establishes the connection with the silent ocean (the Pacific ocean). Another branch of the before mentioned railroad will be built in a southeasterly direction from El Paso to San Antonio, and will be in the next summer the connections to the Galveston, Harrisburg, & San Antonio Railroad, the shortest way from San Francisco to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Houston & Texas Central Railroad, the oldest railroad of the state, cuts in an almost northerly direction, like her name says, the center of that area. While one of her most important westerly branches connects the state capitol with the coastline, at the crossroads of this railroad with the International & Great Northern Railroad in Robertson County lies the village of Hearne. Fourteen miles towards the northeast of the line we just mentioned, at the end of the last decade was established the German Colony of New Baden, at the half of the watershed between the Brazos and Navasota Rivers.

This county lies in the center of the mainly now settled part of the state. It is bordered in the south by the Old San Antonio and Nacogdoches Road, in the north by Limestone and Falls Counties, in the east by the Navasota River, and in the west by the Brazos River. The county has an area of 869 square miles; the population is 22,427. The main cities are: Calvert with 2,300 souls; Hearne with 1,500 souls; Bremond with 800 souls; and Franklin, the county seat, with 400 souls.

Ending in September 1881, that area shipped 31,000 bales of cotton. Listed separately: from Calvert 20,000 bales; from Hearne 6,500 bales; from Franklin 3,000 bales; and from Bremond 2,500 bales. But, these numbers don't represent the full amount of the county for the last year because an important part of the harvest was shipped to other areas in the bordering counties.

The assessed value of properties for taxes in the county were $3,444,836, which seems to be very low. The tax rate including all special taxes was 85 cents per $100 in value. The specification of taxes are: 40 cents for state tax, 20 cents for county tax, and 25 cents for the amortization and the building of a new courthouse, which cost $40,000. The county for that year did not have any debt.

Like mentioned before, the Colony New Baden lies on the International & Great Northern Railroad, 4 miles northeast of Franklin on an old Mexican land grant, which in the year 1828 was granted from the government of the States of Coahuila and Texas to the Mexican citizens Pedro Pereira and Jose de Jesus and Mariano Grande. The area was purchased by the New York and Texas Land Company, which was the new owner. The original area of this grant was 45,000 acres (one acre equals 4,046.7 square meters or 1 1/10 badischer Morgen). 30,000 acres are still owned today by that company. The title to this grant proved right by the United States District Court in Galveston. The land company owns receipts that prove that all taxes for that land have been paid.

This grant stretches to a length of about nineteen miles and a width of about four miles over the Navasota River, which forms the border between Robertson and Leon Counties. This river splits the land so that 1/3 of the unsold part east of the river lies in Leon County; the other two-thirds lies westerly in Robertson County.

The International & Great Northern Railroad runs through the northwest corner of the grant in a length of about three miles, where the newly started little town of New Baden is located, which later will have a railway station. At this northwest corner starts the reserved land for the colony. It is slightly rolling and through a network of little creeks, which take care of the natural draining of the land. The soil is flaky, of dark gray color, and very fertile. It has a layer of clay in the depths of twelve to twenty-four inches. This clay layer gives the soil a fine natural humidity. It helps the land but it also gets in very dry years a very good harvest. On the higher points, the soil is sandier but still fertile. The land is very easy to cultivate and it needs less work than the heavy soil in the low lands. It can almost be worked immediately after every rain.

The land is covered by a huge area of Post Oak (it is fairly close to the German Oak Tree), Black Jack (Schwarzeiche), Hickory (eine Nuessbaumart), Pin Oak with different wood. The only problem are the roots which the first year after cultivation create a lot of work but very soon they start to rot. In the beginning, the clearing of the land was done as carefully as in Europe. The little trees and brushes are chopped off. The trees that they don't need for fences are killed by putting a ring into the trunk and you let the tree die that way and then you start plowing the land. Over time, you take away the rest of the wood that starts to rot. The cultivation and fencing in the land is not as complicated and time-consuming as people who have no idea might think. Almost everybody who can handle an axe is able to cultivate and fence-in ten acres in about two months.

Robertson County has one of the best cotton fields in the state and produces about a half to three-quarter bale of cotton per acre. A bale of 500 pounds of cotton produces in the marketplace about $50.

After cotton, the main product is corn or Turkish wheat. With good care and fairly good climate conditions, you will make 25 to 30 bushels per acre (one bushel equals 36.34 liter). They also plant wheat (regular wheat), oats, and barley. But, there is a little problem with wheat, oats, and barley in the early years of cultivation because the former wood soil needs a lot of years that you work the ground before it gets clean enough to have big harvests. Potatoes, German potatoes, and also the domestic sweet potatoes grow very excellent. You get 200 to 300 bushels per acre. Also, all of the produce you normally use in household grow very, very well and there is no problem with it.

To cultivate fruit trees is in the early stages and normally it is only done on the side. But, it looks like it has a good future because pears, apples, and plums grow very well and a lot and the fruits taste very, very good.

The cultivation of grapes is in Texas in the very, very early stages because the production of amenities has to stay back until the stuff you really need is taken care of. With few exceptions, the wine produced in Texas is just from wild growing grapes. But, the establishment and growing of very, very fine grapes is growing and more popular. It looks like that Texas, like California, will be one day one of the most important wine producing states in the Union. Like in every branch of farming, the most important thing for the wine is the influence of the climate. Even the most experienced wine grower from Germany has to collect enough experience to get good results.

Besides the above mentioned trees, one also finds in most areas of Texas, the wild grape. In Robertson County, especially on the land of the colony, the soil is absolutely covered with that kind of stuff.

In the immediate vicinity of New Baden, there has been little or nothing done to try to set up a wine culture. It will probably be left to the German settlers to do that.

Cattle Breeding. Cattle breeding as a source of income has only been done in the westerly part of the state where there is enough room for cattle herds counting in the thousands. In the more occupied parts of the state, and that includes Robertson County, the cattle herds are a lot smaller, but there is still enough room for the farmers to hold little herds from 20 to 50 head. Even if a farmer has only a very small pasture, they still have some ox as work animals and raise their own milk cows for the winter. The prices for animals in Robertson County are as follows: $72 for a team of good work ox; $20 to $25 for milk cows; $15 for meat-producing cows; horses, by means of size and work ability, from $20 to $50. Fine riding horses are for sure a lot more expensive.

Pigs are roaming free in the woods and they feed on an abundant amount of acorns. A short time before slaughtering, they round up the pigs and feed them. In this part of the state, breeding of sheep is unknown or not present at all. Chicken and geese are abundant on all big farms.

Climate. The climate of Texas is, despite the southerly location of the state, moderate. The average temperature for the year is 68 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 degrees Reaumur; in the midst of summer, the temperature rises up to 90 and sometimes also up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat is alleviated from the almost constantly blowing breeze from the Gulf of Mexico; especially the evenings and the nights are absolutely great. In winter, the thermometer will go almost never under the freezing point. The influence of the sun rays are enough that the ice that might buildup at night will thaw away the next day.

But, there is also a dark part in the climate of Texas. The weather barriers in European countries are running from east to west. That enables these areas, despite their very northerly location, to be protected from the very cold northerly winds. These weather barriers are non-existence in the westerly hemisphere. All the mountain chains are running from north to south. That's why the very cold winter storms have no barrier and can even reach Mexico. This is also the reason why the temperature, even within half an hour, can drop up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The cold created by these winds from the normally don't last longer than three to four days. That enables the farmer to work year around outside. Snowfall is very rare and normally doesn't stick to the ground.

The average rainfall is about 16 1/2 inches. So, Texas is not notorious for poor rainfall. For sure, there are wet and dry years. The rainfall in the wet years is 50 to 60 inches of rain; in the dry years, still 20 to 30 inches of rain at the average. Once in a while it happens that there is no rain for two to three months. But, the drought only happens after the wheat harvest is already over. Cotton and corn can stand a long period with no rain. A complete crop failure doesn't happen very often if the farmer doesn't stay with one crop.

But, there is still one dark part of the climate. The trees already in the middle of February start to build buds. By the middle of March, the whole of nature is blooming. Fairly often, late occurring frost kills the just-started vegetation completely. The farmer has to start planting again but still mostly he is able to have good harvests. In the month of May, the danger of these late frosts is over and it warms up from day to day, up to the months of July and August, when the heat reaches its peak. In September, the heat subsides and the fall, the best time of the year, starts. The flowers start again to bloom and you get all kinds of fresh vegetables. The pastures are green again and at the end of November or the beginning of December, the first frosts at night start the new winter.

About the general state of health, Mr. Siemering, the editor of the Free Press in San Antonio, writes:

The description of Texas, especially the area where the Colony New Baden is located, doesn't lay claim to be complete especially since the editor is barely a year in this country. His only intention was to tell his or other people's experiences truthfully and with no over- or under-statement. There are a lot of complete publications about Texas available. The reason for this little brochure is to only explain the Colony of New Baden and her short history. It was necessary for people for whom Texas still is a strange country, to tell them of the circumstances.

Tired of the poor conditions in Germany and to start a new carefree life for me and my family are the reasons why I decided in the year 1880 to leave Germany. At first I started a correspondence with people who had left earlier. Because they were all positive, I decided to come to Texas.

As soon as it became public, a lot of people approached me who had known me through my occupation in public life. They also wanted me to find a new home for them. Through my job I spent a lot of time in my life in the countryside. That's why I was familiar with the circumstances about farming and living in the countryside.

After the unnatural boom of the economies in the 1870s, a downturn followed and hit the working class families the worst. After the unnatural rise of the value of the properties in the 70s, there followed a downturn that reversed that whole process. It fell far below its real value. The productivity of the farms also feel dramatically. That's why more and more people wanted to immigrate.

The farmer, through his job, normally has a very narrow view. So, it is hard for them to get the right idea about the circumstances and economy in a foreign country. That is the reason why so many people approached me so they could get information from somebody they knew and trusted.

In March 1881, I left my native country with five companions. I was also the representative for a lot of other families to find a new home for them in a new world.

My attention for Texas originated through a brochure that was published by the Galveston, Harrisburg, & San Antonio Railroad. It contained the description that the railway company offered to the immigrants and explained it as very good soil condition, cheap prices, good climate, and a lot of other amenities. It was no doubt that shortly after our arrival in Texas we will find our goal.

We decided to start a colony and families whom we left back in Germany should join us over time.

After a pretty good journey, we arrived on April 26, 1881 in New Orleans (see S. S. Frankfurt) and continued from there direct to San Antonio on the train. We arrived in San Antonio on April 29th.

I was only a very short time in the land when I figured out that here everything is not as easy as it was described in the brochures by the agencies.

As soon as the reason for being in San Antonio was known, I was approached by the agents of different railroad and land companies and they all tried to explain the advantages of their lands that they wanted to sell. As the representative of about 50 families and farmers from Germany who would follow me, I was a very interesting subject for them.

After a lot of trips that I took into different directions, I found out that it was very easy for an immigrant family to find work and if they wanted to farm, also to find the land. But, it's fairly complicated to find land or a place for a large number of people. When I found good land, it was too expensive. If there was land offered to me for a price that we could afford, it was mostly poor soil conditions or it was in an area with a not very healthy climate or it wasn't in the right place. I figured out how to expand my project big time.

Soon after my arrival in Texas, I contacted the International & Great Northern Railway Company. They offered me a free ticket to Palestine, the headquarters of this company. I researched the land on the sides of the tracks.

After arriving in Palestine, I found out that the land department of the International & Great Northern Railway Company ceased to exist. All of the land changed over into the New York & Texas Land Company, whose President, Mr. Ira H. Evans, was the land commissioner of the railroad company.

In the office of that company, I was welcomed very nicely. I met the chief clerk and he was a fellow countryman of mine. I figured out that even if this company, like any other land company, wanted to sell their land, it seemed they liked to do it very business-like and very honest. They seemed to understand that the start of a colony is a mutual project. To secure the later existence, there had to be pre-conditions.

Most immigrants, and especially the ones who farmed, didn't have the money to secure the trip and to survive the first year to the first harvest. Some of the main conditions of the colonists were that the settlers find excellent land with just a little or no down-payment, long payment conditions, a temporary home for the families, fine land, enough woods to build buildings and fences, good water, and good roadways so they could get their produce and harvests to the market.

The New York & Texas Land Company owns over five million acres of land spread over all parts of the state. They can fulfill every requirement in quality and in quantity.

After I explained to the gentlemen of the company the reasons of my arrival and after I explained the circumstances of the people who sent me on this mission, Mr. Evans offered me the land which I've tried to explain on the pages before.

Mr. A. B. Langermann, the chief clerk in the office of the president, was ordered to join me in the survey of the land. After I checked out the land and after I was sure that all of the requirements were fulfilled, I went back to San Antonio to meet my fellow countrymen and to report to them. After my report, we decided that we should settle on the 11 league grant in Robertson County. The final conditions and terms of the colony were settled with the land company via mail and the contract was completed.

Like mentioned before, the president of the company acknowledged the necessity to offer the new colonists a refuge and offered to take care of them. In consideration of the fact that the new settlers hadn't adjusted to the new climate, we decided not to settle before the first of October.

I didn't want to rush it and I would give the people the possibility to look at their new homeland in person before they settled. So, we elected a committee, which in the month of August of the same year, started an inspection trip to that area. The committee consisted of: Matern Leber, Friedrich Roessler, and myself from Baden; and Johann Oheim from Munich. After we arrived in Franklin, we were met by A. B. Langermann and F. M. Giraud of the land company, who offered us a wagon and horses so we could do an in-depth survey of the area. After we were all convinced that the land was perfect for our purpose, we accepted the conditions of the land company and finished the contract, which reads as follows:

The land company offers me a big enough area for two years to settle it with German settlers. The price of an acre was $2.50, which had to be paid in four yearly payments. The first payment had to be paid only after two years. In case of a missed harvest, we could postpone all payments for a year. The interest for the amount of the loan was 8%. For this area, this is cheap interest because it's normally 10%.

Every settler for the first two years had to obligate to cultivate at least 10 acres of land. In case he for a time of six months leaves the land and doesn't cultivate it, his contract with the company will be nullified. And, the land company agrees to build a Colony House on the place of the settlement next to the railroad tracks so that the families have a roof over their heads until they can build their own houses.

Through unfavorable weather and other problems, the finishing of the Colony House was postponed until mid-November. So, the first settlers couldn't move in until November 23rd of the same year. They were brought in on a special train of the International & Great Northern Railroad. The members were: Matern Leber, Friedrich Roessler, & Gustav Fautin from Baden; Heinrich Bollier, Johann Stadelmann, & Bernhard Baertschi from Switzerland; Wilhelm and Johann Rehberg, Hermann Sauer, from Prussia, with their families. I myself awaited the arrival of the new people in the colony.

On the morning after the arrival there was a very busy time in the square. People took out axes and shovels and in a very short time the area surrounding the house was a very neat and clean place. After the settlers and their families established themselves in the Colony House, they started to organize the chapter of the Deutsch Colony New Baden. The regulation of the colony states as follows:

After the organizational things were completed and the ten members signed the statutes, they started to choose their plots. Everybody could choose the one he liked. The only condition was that the plots had to be next to each other. To demonstrate how good the plots were, they finished in no time to select their properties.

As little as the beginning was (there were only thirty persons including women and children), it was very promising. All the people were very competent and clever and were able to work hard and they had a strong will to create a nice place where they could live. The convenient two story high and eighty foot long Colony House took care of their sorrows, which normally go along when you build your own place to live and so every father of a family could start with the construction and didn't have to worry about his family.

Since that time, the Colony of New Baden had a steady flow of new immigrants who knew lots of crafts and were all able and liked to work. In the first three months since the arrival of the first settlers, their number doubled.

A lot of different areas from our beloved fatherland are assembled in this little colony. The aforementioned first settlers, the pioneers of our colony, plus Max Raupp, Karl Danquard, Nicholaus and Johann Klausmann from Baden; Anton & Karl Quasnitza from Austria; Johann Heinrich Schlueter from Holstein; Franz Schech from Bavaria; K. F. Peters, E. H. Rathmann, and Daniel Weidner from Prussia; and Johann Heinrich Reusch from Hassau. They and their families make the result of our little census.

So far, the colony acquired 2,400 acres out of the 8,000 that could be bought from the land company. We are sure that the rest of this acreage will be settled by the end of the year. Over all, there are still 20,000 acres that belong to the land company that new settlers could acquire if they want to join us.

Anyone who visits New Baden during the week will only find women and children in the Colony House. All the males are in the woods, working with axe in hand, to clear room for a house, garden, or field.

The first seven families have finished their houses and they live on their own property.(1) The others decided first to work on the fields, then they can start planting. On Sundays, everybody is at the little village of New Baden, which consists temporarily only of the Colony House. After breakfast and after the women take care of their housework, the members of the colony, men, women, and children assemble in the biggest room of the Colony House and Mr. Raupp celebrates the church service at which every different denomination takes part. After lunch, the children settle into Sunday School, which will also be supervised by Mr. Raupp. During the week, everybody works on his farm and the colony is still too weak of money or manpower to start a regular school service. But, we hope to take care of that problem in the near future. They celebrate the Sunday evenings in a very nice atmosphere. They sing; they make music; they talk. On Monday morning, they go with big steam and start working again.

Since my arrival in Texas, I have worked mostly upon the accomplishments of our colony. Thanks to Major Evans, the president of the land company, who helped me with very favorable conditions. His employee, Mr. Langermann, who knows life in Texas very well, were able to help me with my very complicated work with advice and technical assistance. Though I was able to finish my intention to start a German colony in Texas, I have reason to believe that New Baden in the area of German establishments, will play an important role in the future to attract German immigrants to Texas.

After our first experiences, every family that wishes to join our colony should have at least $250 in cash, that is 1,000 marks, to take care of their life until the first harvest and to be able to buy tools and such.

The best travel route to Texas is via New York. At Number 417 Broadway immigrants can acquire reduced price tickets to Franklin, Texas. People who want to join the colony should contact me by mail before they leave and provide the route they will travel at the address of New Baden, Franklin Post Office, Robertson County, Texas.

We, the people who signed, members of the German Colony of New Baden in Robertson County, Texas, certify that the description from Mr. Meyer, the founder of our colony, who wrote this article about the description of the land that we settled and the other circumstances, is true and not exaggerated.

Matern Leber	Friedrich Roessler	Gustav Christian Fautin	Heinrich Bollier
Jean Stadelmann	Johann Rehberg	Wilhelm Rehberg	Bernhard Baertschi
Hermann Wilhelm Sauer	Karl Danquard	Johann Heinrich Schlueter	Johann Heinrich Reusch
Anton Quasnitza	Karl Quasnitza	Franz Schech	E. H. Rathmann
Daniel Weidner	K. F. Peters	Max Raupp

(1) Editors Note:
According to the accompanying plat, the following seven people had built homes by the time this brochure was written:
Christian Fautin, Hermann Sauer, E. H. Rathmann, Bernhard Baertschi, Wilhelm Rehberg, Daniel Weidner, & Johann Heinrich Reusch.