Unpublished Texas Immigrant Journals -- Germany to Galveston and Houston in 1866-67
A compact manuscript containing the accounts of two mid-19th-century German immigrants to Texas who left Europe just before the outbreak of the Austro-Prussian War. August Stübner and Gustav Reiman left their homes in Bremerhaven in 1866, apparently settling in Galveston and Houston, Texas. The present neatly-written manuscript, seems to be a clean copy in a uniform hand, possibly written by August Stübner himself, or perhaps a scribe, to be sent home to relatives in Germany. The manuscript is apparently unpublished.
The first report by the weaver August Stüber, dated "Texas, February 1, 1867", comprises the bulk (39 pages) of the manuscript. It describes his journey from Gersdorf to America in 1866 and is addressed to the “children and sons-in-law” who remained back home in Germany. According to his account, he departed from "Neugersdorf, our old homeland," on September 10, 1866, traveling via Leipzig, Hanover, Bremen, etc., to Bremerhaven, where he boarded the ship Weser (here written as "Weeser"). He states that the ship departed on September 18 to "Küstenmünde" (likely Geestemünde) and on September 19 for Galveston. However, records from the Bremen State Archives indicate that the emigrant ship Weser, under Captain H. Schnibbe, actually left for Galveston on September 22.
Stübner provides detailed daily accounts of the weather, food, and onboard events, such as seasickness, religious services, and fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. According to his report, the Weser arrived in Galveston on November 27, from where he continued by train to Houston on November 29. Settling in Houton, he describes finding work as a weaver, making acquaintances, acquiring a house with land, etc. He concludes with greetings and signs off as "The Stübner Family."
The second account is a brief summary of the sea voyage of the carpenter or cabinetmaker Gustav Reiman (or Reimann), who departed on May 1, [1866?] by steamboat to Bremerhaven, where he boarded a ship on May 4 bound for Galveston, arriving on July 1. His account includes short entries on the weather and onboard events, each dated accordingly.
First-hand record of 19th-century German immigrants to Texas, reflecting the arduous sea passage and other details and travails en route to Texas.
Context of Germans Immigration to Texas
During the 19th century, German immigration to Texas, particularly to the Galveston area, was driven by political upheaval in Germany and economic opportunity in the United States. Galveston served as a major port of entry, and from the 1830s onward, Germans settled across a broad "German Belt" stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Hill Country.
A key figure in early German migration was Johann Friedrich Ernst, whose 1831 land grant in Austin County encouraged further settlement through widely circulated "America letters." The Adelsverein, a colonization effort by German noblemen in the 1840s, brought thousands of immigrants and led to the founding of New Braunfels (1845) and Fredericksburg (1846), among other towns. Many of these settlers were middle-class farmers, artisans, and professionals seeking economic opportunity, not just an escape from political strife. The process of chain migration, where immigrants from specific German regions—such as Oldenburg, Westphalia, Hesse, and Nassau—clustered together, reinforced ethnic identity and created a distinct cultural presence. While many Germans moved inland, a significant number remained in Galveston, Houston, and San Antonio, forming urban communities.
By 1850, Germans made up over 5% of Texas’s population, and they continued to arrive in large numbers after the Civil War. Their influence extended to Texas’s agriculture, commerce, and civic life, with distinct traditions in architecture, music, and social institutions that persisted even as later generations assimilated.
Rarity
Original 19th-century manuscript accounts by German immigrants to Texas are rare in the market.