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Emil Kriewitz (January 18, 1822 – May 21, 1902) was a German immigrant and veteran of the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
, who came to this country with the
Adelsverein The ''Mainzer Adelsverein at Biebrich am Rhein'' (''Verein zum Schutze Deutscher Einwanderer in Texas''; "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas"), better known as the ''Mainzer Adelsverein'' (; "Nobility Society of Mainz"), orga ...
colonists. After John O. Meusebach successfully negotiated the
Meusebach–Comanche Treaty The Meusebach–Comanche Treaty was a treaty made on May 9, 1847 between the private citizens of the Fisher–Miller Land Grant in Texas (United States), who were predominantly German in nationality, and the Penateka Comanche Tribe. The treaty ...
, Kriewitz lived among the Penateka
Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...
as an intermediary between the whites and Penateka. In 1993, his home in
Castell, Texas Castell ( ) is a small unincorporated, rural town in Llano County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Texas German belt region, and most residents are still ethnic German-Texan. Its population was 104 at the 2010 census. Located in the h ...
, was designated a
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...
, Marker number 9444.


Early life

Emil von Kriewitz de Czepry was born on January 18, 1822, in
Zinna Zinna () is a village and a former municipality in the district Nordsachsen, in Saxony, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.


Texas

Kriewitz emigrated to Texas as part of the
Adelsverein The ''Mainzer Adelsverein at Biebrich am Rhein'' (''Verein zum Schutze Deutscher Einwanderer in Texas''; "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas"), better known as the ''Mainzer Adelsverein'' (; "Nobility Society of Mainz"), orga ...
colonization program. He left
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
, Germany, on October 28, 1845 aboard the ''Franziska'', and disembarked at
Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...
on January 11, 1846. From there, Kriewitz accompanied other Adelsverein colonists to Indianola, which Adelsverein Commissioner-General
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels Prince Carl (Karl) of Solms-Braunfels (27 July 1812 – 13 November 1875) was a German prince and military officer in both the Austrian army and the cavalry of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. As commissioner general of the Adelsverein, he spearheaded ...
had renamed Carlshafen in honor of himself, Count Carl of Castell-Castell and Count Victor August of Leiningen-Westerburg-Alt-Leiningen whom Solms claimed had been christened Carl. Prince Solms' choice of Carlshafen and its inadequate accommodations as a port of entry, as well as the isolated route to New Braunfels, was to keep the Germans from interacting with any Americans. John O. Meusebach, as successor to Prince Solms, had arranged with the Torrey brothers for transporting the colonists inland, but the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
hired the Torrey brothers for use in the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
to serve Zachary Taylor's army in Corpus Christi. An epidemic of
spinal meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasionally ...
broke out at Carlshafen and spread with the emigrants to
New Braunfels New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 Census. A suburb just north of San Antonio, and part ...
and Fredericksburg. Fellow German colonist and veteran of the
French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...
Augustus Buchel formed the First Regiment of Texas Foot Rifles, serving as its captain. Kriewitz was a co-founding member of the company of 80 volunteers. On May 22, 1846, the company was drafted into the service of Col. Albert Sidney Johnston as Company H, First Texas Rifle Volunteers. The unit saw service at
Matamoros, Tamaulipas Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and the municipal seat of the homonymous municipality. It is on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Bro ...
and Camargo. A combination of bad climate and bad living conditions decimated the unit, and most of the members were discharged.


Life with the Comanches

May 9, 1847, the vested party representatives of the
Penateka The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in Lawton, Oklahoma ...
Comanche and German colonists met in Fredericksburg to ratify and sign the "Treaty Between the Comanche and the German Immigration Company". In accordance with the terms of the treaty, Meusebach paid the Penateka Comanches $3,000, slightly less than $70,000 in today's money, in food, gifts and other commodities for their participation in the signing of the agreement. The Penateka also requested that a representative of the German colonists serve as an in-house intermediary and live among them. Kriewitz was assigned to be the intermediary, and went to live at the camp of war chief
Santa Anna Santa Anna may refer to: Places * Santa Anna, Texas, a town in Coleman County in Central Texas, US * Santa Anna, Starr County, Texas, US * Santa Anna Township, DeWitt County, Illinois, one of townships in DeWitt County, Illinois, US Ships * San ...
. In the camp, Kriewitz began to assimilate into the culture to gain the confidence and friendship of Santa Anna, who otherwise was not totally trustful of the white settlers. Santa Anna's group traveled to New Braunfels in August 1847 to meet with Meusebach and his successor
Hermann Spiess Hermann Spiess (c. 1818–1873) was co-founder of the Bettina, Texas commune in 1847. He became Commissioner-General of the Adelsverein after the resignation of John O. Meusebach. Early life Hermann was born around 1818 in Offenbach am Main, Gran ...
. Because of his assimilated appearance, the German parties did not recognize Kriewitz, whom Santa Anna had forbidden to speak during the meeting. Kriewitz communicated with the German parties by tapping one beneath the negotiating table, which prompted the German to pass a pencil and paper to Kriewitz under the table. Kriewitz was able to slip out to visit friends, but Santa Anna became distrusting thereafter. Afterward, Kriewitz requested, and received, permission from Santa Anna to visit his old friend Wilhelm Victor Keidel, who had served with him in the Mexican War. Kriewitz, however, never returned to the Penateka camp after that.


Settlements

Adelsverein Vice President and Executive Secretary-Business Director Count Carl Frederick Christian of Castell-Castell, made a deal with the socialistic organization Darmstadt Society of Forty to colonize 200 families on the
Fisher–Miller Land Grant The Fisher–Miller Land Grant was part of an early colonization effort of the Republic of Texas. Its 3,878,000 acres covered between the Llano River and Colorado River. Originally granted to Henry Francis Fisher and Burchard Miller, the grant w ...
territory in Texas. In return, they were to receive $12,000 in money, livestock, equipment, and provisions for a year. After the first year, the colonies were expected to support themselves. Beginning in 1847, Kriewitz was assigned with building a road into the territory and to serve as guide for the Society of Forty immigrants into the territory to begin their settlements. The society began Castell, Leiningen, Bettina, Schoenburg, and Meerholz in
Llano County Llano County () is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,243. Its county seat is Llano, and the county is named for the Llano River. History The Tonkawa tribe were t ...
; Darmstädler Farm in
Comal County Comal County ( ) is a County (United States), county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 161,501. Comal County is known for its rich German-Texan and Eu ...
; and Tusculum in Kendall County. Of these, only Castell survives.


Post Comanche life

On December 15, 1847, Kriewitz was one of the petitioners requesting the creation of Gillespie County. In 1852, Kriewitz settled in Castell and went into retail partnership with Franz Kettner. In 1870, Kriewitz was elected justice of the peace for Precinct Four of Llano County. In 1871, he served as a county election judge. On December 27, 1876, Kriewitz was appointed postmaster in Castell, serving until the appointment of Ed Buckholtz in 1883. Kriewitz spent the rest of his life as a rancher and land speculator.


Personal life and death

In 1857, Kriewitz married Amelia Markwordt at Cherry Springs. The couple had eight children. Emil Kriewitz died on May 21, 1902, in Castell, and is buried in the Llano City Cemetery.


Notes


References

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External links

* {{Authority control 1822 births 1902 deaths Immigrants to the Republic of Texas Emigrants from the Kingdom of Saxony People from New Braunfels, Texas People from Llano County, Texas