Mathias Caspar Schmidt (1800 - 1872)

Born 11 Feb 1800 in Belg, Rheinland, Prussia, Germany

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Maria Elise Catharine (Faller) Schmidt — married 1838 in Germany

Descendants

Died 20 Oct 1872 at age 72 in Gillespie County, Texas, USA

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Biography

Mathias was born about 1800 in Belg, Prussia, Germany. His birth and marriage records are under the name Caspar. He and his family immigrated to Texas on the ship "James Edward" on September 17, 1846, Mathias Schmidt was accompanied by his wife Elizabeth, and their six children Adam, Peter, Jacob, Catherine, Eliza, and Nicholas.

Here is the letter that Mathias wrote to obtain enough money to make the voyage to the Verein zum Schutze deutscher Einwander in Texas (Translation by James A. Smith)

Zell District, Mayor’s district (Burgermeistery) Sohren, village of Belg.

Belg, on the 14th of May 1846 Request for advance money for a free passage for 8 persons by Mathias Schmitt, farmer.

The obedient undersigned (person) imposes on your well born agent to give ear to my request and help me achieve my purpose.

I, Mathias Schmitt, 45 years of age, belong, with my family to the Protestant (Evangelische) religion and have, with my wife, who is 38 years old, 6 healthy and strong children, four sons and two daughters, the eldest being 19 years old and the youngest 7 years old. We are all committed to one particular motivation: under the protection and guidance of the Verein to emigrate to Texas and hav e a good life there.

And now to move forward on this track: My property, which is in good condition and which consists of 21 Prussian acres in cultivation on which 3 th. (thaler = dollars) and 11 sg. (silbergroschen = silver coins) property tax are due annually and which gives 32 thaler of clear profit, I turned over to a notary (agent) from Zell to sell at auction. However, I was only going to get 1,006 thaler on the sale. This was 600 to 700 thaler too little so I took the property back and did not sell it.

The land is near the village of Belg, which has only 39 inhabitants who are, most of the time, in dire straits. Already 6 families have sold their goods and 5 have emigrated to Brazil and 1 to the United States. I was thus willing and ready, and with my family, resolved to turn ourselves over to your organization. However, the cash loss of 600 to 700 thaler on the sale of my property would be insurmountable. But, I am not wavering in my thinking to seek for my family a better life in the new homeland. So, I allow myself, furthermore, to imagine a good life in the United States.

I served my beloved state from age 22 to 25 as a common soldier (private) and have, during this service, such attention and dedication shown that I was made a non-commissioned officer. I served in this capacity for 12 years in the 29th Militia (home guard). In the year 1835 I was elected as city councilman by my fellow citizens. I can calculate (do math), read and write, and have, since childhood to this time, have led a pure and unspotted life, and have treated others with love and respect and set a good example. My family and I have a good reputation in respect to religion and morality. I, in truth, can validate the quality of my service with positive and satisfactory recommendations from my military superiors.

I have a son 15 years of age who can also furnish a Qualifications Certificate as a school teacher.

Now comes my humble application to your esteemed organization or duly appointed agent that I may be granted advance money for passage for 8 persons, and then be given the name of an official office where, after my arrival in the new country, my family and I can within two years’ time gradually repay the passage costs.

Because my family members are skilled and experienced in farming, we can take on the care and development of the land we will receive from the state (of Texas), and promise through written agreement that we will not consider the land our personal property until the fare costs have been repaid.

If your esteemed organization should grant my proposed request, I ask for a prompt notification so that I still might be able to emigrate with a good friend from this place, and so that I can appoint a curator for my property who will sell it in the first good year and send me the money, and in this way I will pay it to your official representative and pay off my debt to you and I will sign papers to this effect before I emigrate.

In deepest respect I hope for a compliant answer to my proposal and I have the honor to name myself

Mathias Schmitt (Schmidt)

About the middle of the nineteenth century, conditions in Germany (particularly industrial and political), were not very favorable. Reports of conditions in America, on the contrary, were glowing. As soon as money could be accumulated, family after family left Germany to make a new home in America. Many of these families went to Texas through the auspices of the colonization society known as "Verien zum Schutze Deutscher Einwanderer in Texas", (Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas), and later as the German Emigration Company, which acquired a large tract of land on which it expected to settle its emigrants.

When its first settlers came to Texas, the Company found that its lands were too distant from settled areas to allow their safe settlement, so several tracts between the Colorado River tract and the settled areas were acquired on which were founded first the City of New Braunfels, and later the City of Fredericksburg.

Fredericksburg was named in honor of Prince Frederick of Prussia. Prince Frederick was a member of the Verien zum Schutze Deutscher Einwanderer in Texas, and resided in Duesseldorf on the Rhine. The site for this new settlement was chosen by the Commissioner General of the Verein, John O. Meusebach, and was laid out in lots by the surveyor Wilke.

It took the brave families eight weeks to cross the Atlantic Ocean to Galveston: eight weeks of being tossed by a storm-swept ocean and suffering from severe sea-sickness. They entered Texas through Indianola, the German immigrant port.

The gathering camp at Indianola had only minimal shelter. The settlers, many already sick from their long ocean voyage, were expected to live in tents furnished by the Verein. Some of them remained in camp at Indianola a year or more because they had no means to move inland. The Verein had not been able to provide enough overland transportation because of the demands of the Army in the prosecution of the War with Mexico and because of mismanagement by officials of the Verein both in Texas and in Germany.

The first wagon train of settlers left New Braunfels for Fredericksburg on April 23, 1846, and consisted of approximately twenty two-wheel Mexican carts drawn by oxen.

Settlers had to meet certain requirements to emigrate. First, they had to have cash: $120 for a single man, and about twice that for a man with a small family. That was the case for the first year, and varied slightly in later years. They also had to execute a contract if they expected to be granted land. They also had to have a birth certificate, an emigration permit (usually a passport), a marriage certificate (if married), and character references. Smallpox vaccination certificates were required for the younger ones, which was a rather advanced state policy for that day and time and reflected the progressive cultural and scientific climate of the Germans.

The Verein issued a small account booklet to each immigrant, which was used as a debit and credit journal of his business with the Verein. The Verein officials credited the booklet for cash paid for the voyage, for cash left to draw interest, and for services rendered to the Verein by the settler. The settlers drew extra rations, tools, medicine, etc. from the Verein storehousewhich the Verein debited in the booklet. After a year or two, the process of keeping the booklets and the books fo the Verein even reasonably in balance demanded much bookkeeping.

In the spring of 1846, construction was begun on the Vereins Kirche, the first church of Fredericksburg. It was of octagonal design located on the open space of the plaza. Protestants as well as Catholoic pioneers worshiped in the Vereins Kirche, and it also served as a school and fort.

During the winter of 1847-48, sickness (mainly scurvy) took many settlers' lives becasue their diet consisted mostly of meat and bread with very few vegetables. In 1848 there was a bountiful harvest of vegetables and corn, and the sickness abated.

In the winter of 1848 and the summer of 1849, wagon trains of immigrants to California passed through Fredericksburg. This brought business to early Fredericksburg, as this was the last station were different items and services were available. As a result, a considerable amount of money came into circulation locally, but in addition, diseases, especially cholera, were brought into the settlement, taking the lives of many.

Native Americans were a constant threat to the immigrants even as they were being transported to their new destination of Fredericksburg. There were many attacks on the settlers, especially on those who were framing and ranching in the area surrounding Fredericksburg. People were ambushed as they worked in their fields, tended their livestock, or traveled to their destination in the outer regions.

Mathias Schmidt passed away on October 20, 1872, in Gillespie County, Texas.

Sources

• The Schmidt-Wahrmund Family History 1789-1988, by Erna Schmidt Schneider