Latin Settlement
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

A Latin settlement (German: ''Lateinische Kolonie'') is a community founded by German immigrants to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in the 1840s. Most of these were in
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, but there were "Latin Settlements" in other states as well. These German intellectuals, so-called
freethinkers Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...
and "Latinists" (German "Freidenker" and "Lateiner"), founded these communities in order to devote themselves to German literature, philosophy, science, classical music, and the Latin language.


History


Texas

As a consequence of their political struggle in the German states during the
revolutions of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...
, many professors and students saw no other option but to emigrate to North America in order to avoid being arrested and prosecuted or to implement their political ideal of a "free German nation" in the fairly new state of Texas in the United States, which at the time was still a growing nation itself, or both: "Ubi libertas, ibi patria",
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for "Where there is freedom, there is my homeland, my country". These refugees of the post-1848 era later came to be called "
Forty-Eighters The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the Revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In the German Confederation, the Forty-Eighters favoured unification of Germany, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human r ...
", in the tradition of earlier political refugees being called "
Dreißiger The term Dreissiger (German ''Dreißiger'') (Thirtiers) refers to liberal intellectuals who left Germany and came to the United States in the 1830s to escape political repression. In a broader sense, it refers to immigrants from across Germany, a ...
", which is
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
for "Thirtiers". From as early as 1832–1833 onwards, German intellectuals had been emigrating to North America. Since many of them went to North America organized in groups and with the support of emigration organizations such as the Gießener Auswanderungsgesellschaft (i.e. the Emigration Association of
Gießen Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 univers ...
) or the "Mainzer
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 ...
" (i.e. the Association of Noblemen of
Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
), most of them settled down in self-contained communities, which were called "Latin Settlements." These settlements, however, were not destined to survive for very long. The settlers were young adventurers or classically educated intellectuals, so-called "Latinists" or "Latin Ones" (German "Lateiner"), sometimes both, but by no means farmers. It is therefore no wonder that most of them went to bigger cities like San Antonio or Houston after the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
and the phenomenon of "Latin Settlements" gradually disappeared. One very telling description of the German settlers' ways of life at that time can be found online in an article of the
Karl May Karl Friedrich May ( , ; 25 February 1842 â€“ 30 March 1912) was a German author. He is best known for his 19th century novels of fictitious travels and adventures, set in the American Old West with Winnetou and Old Shatterhand as main pro ...
foundation:
Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...
(1822–1903), a landscape architect and traveler in Texas, went to visit these Germans. He described them and their peculiarities. According to this article, they had valuable madonnas hanging on wooden walls, they drank coffee out of tin cups which they placed upon saucers of fine Dresdner porcelain, they played the piano and had trunks half filled with potatoes and half filled with books. After dinner, they would walk miles to meet in a log cabin to play music, to sing and to dance. On his journey to Texas in 1867,
German-American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...
author
Friedrich Kapp Friedrich Kapp (13 April 1824 – 27 October 1884) was a German-American lawyer, writer, and politician. He was an outspoken opponent of Germany's colonization fervor during his time as a National Liberal Party (Germany), National Liberal Reichsta ...
met a former university friend of his, who explained his situation to him thus: "I am not happy in the true sense of the word, but neither I am unhappy, for I live freely and without coercion. I do not depend on anything except on my oxen and on the weather. There is nothing hindering me in expressing my revolutionary thoughts, except that there is no one listening to me." The evening after this encounter, Kapp attended a meeting of the "Latin farmers." The original purpose of the meetings had been to revive aspects of their former student life in
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
, with its traditions, its songs and its drinking sessions, but the meeting ended in meaningless conversations: "''Our life here would actually be quite bearable, if we only had a bowling lane.''"


Illinois

A. B. Faust speculates that the appellative "Latin settlement" or "Latin farmers" was first used in connection with some German settlers of Belleville/
Shiloh, Illinois Shiloh is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The 2010 census recorded a population of 12,651. Shiloh is located within the St. Louis metropolitan area History A site known as "Three Springs" for its geological characteri ...
, a large group of men who had been members of the "
Burschenschaft A Burschenschaft (; sometimes abbreviated in the German ''Burschenschaft'' jargon; plural: ) is one of the traditional (student associations) of Germany, Austria, and Chile (the latter due to German cultural influence). Burschenschaften were fo ...
en," the German student fraternities of a political cast, which had been made special objects of vengeance by the arbitrary governors of the
reactionary In political science, a reactionary or a reactionist is a person who holds political views that favor a return to the ''status quo ante'', the previous political state of society, which that person believes possessed positive characteristics abse ...
period in Germany. Many friends of gymnasium or university days gathered together within the radius of a few miles. Such were
George Engelmann George Engelmann, also known as Georg Engelmann, (2 February 1809 – 4 February 1884) was a German-American botanist. He was instrumental in describing the flora of the west of North America, then very poorly known to Europeans; he was particu ...
, G. Bunsen, A. Berchelmann,
Gustav Körner Gustav Philipp Koerner, also spelled Gustave or Gustavus Koerner (20 November 1809 – 9 April 1896), was a German-American revolutionary, journalist, lawyer, politician, judge and statesman in Illinois and Germany, and a Colonel of the U.S. Arm ...
,
Theodor Hilgard Theodore Erasmus Hilgard (7 July 1790, Marnheim – 14 February 1873, Heidelberg) was a lawyer, viticulturalist and Latin farmer. Europe He grew up during the Napoleonic Wars in a family very sympathetic to the principles of the French revolutio ...
, Theodor J. Krafft, Georg Neuhoff, Theodor and Adolf Engelmann, Karl Schreiber, Karl Friedrich, Ernst Decker, Wilhelm Weber, August Dilg. In 1849 there was added
Friedrich Hecker Friedrich Franz Karl Hecker (September 28, 1811 – March 24, 1881) was a German lawyer, politician and revolutionary. He was one of the most popular speakers and agitators of the 1848 Revolution. After moving to the United States, he served as ...
, the leader of the insurrectionary forces in
Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
during the revolution of 1848–49. At the university Hecker had fought a duel with Gustav Körner; now these men extended to one another the hand of comradeship in their new home. The German immigrants of
St. Clair County, Illinois St. Clair County is the oldest county in Illinois; its western border is formed by the Mississippi River, bordering Missouri. It is a part of the Metro East in southern Illinois. At the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 257,400 ...
, were interested and wide awake in politics. In Belleville, with over 15,000 inhabitants, it happened that for years no native-born American sat in the city council, and that all civic offices were filled by German immigrants. The county officers likewise were generally German immigrants, and their influence extended beyond the county limits. Eduard Retz was three times state treasurer, and Gustav Körner was lieutenant-governor of Illinois in 1852. Under
Julius Raith Julius Raith (March 29, 1819 – April 11, 1862) was a German-American military officer who served in the American Civil War and the Mexican–American War. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Shiloh. Raith came in the United States in 1836 wi ...
, a company of German immigrants was recruited for the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
, and during the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
all men capable of bearing arms fought for the cause of the Union. As early as 1836 a "Deutsche Bibliotheks-Gesellschaft" (German Library Association) was formed in Shiloh, which founded a library that in 1879 contained 5,500 volumes, exclusive of public documents presented by
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
.


Settlements

The five Texas settlements "officially" considered historical "Latin Settlements": *
Bettina Bettina is a female name predominantly found in the Italian and German languages. This name has various interpreted meanings and origins. In Italian, Bettina originated as a diminutive of the names Elisabetta and Benedetta. Benedetta is the Ita ...
,
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. During the American Civil War, the c ...
, 1847 named after
Bettina von Arnim Bettina von Arnim (the Countess of Arnim) (4 April 178520 January 1859), born Elisabeth Catharina Ludovica Magdalena Brentano, was a German writer and novelist. Bettina (or Bettine) Brentano was a writer, publisher, composer, singer, visual art ...
*
Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whi ...
, Washington County; the founder was the German Victor Witte (1820–1900), among the first settlers were the artist
Rudolph Melchior Rudolph or Rudolf may refer to: People * Rudolph (name), the given name including a list of people with the name Religious figures * Rudolf of Fulda (died 865), 9th century monk, writer and theologian * Rudolf von Habsburg-Lothringen (1788†...
and Wittes Schwager, as well as the engineer Hermann Rogalla von Bieberstein. * Millheim,
Austin County Austin County is a rural, agricultural dominated county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,167. Its seat is Bellville. The county and region was settled primarily by German emigrants in the 1800s. Austin ...
* Sisterdale, Kendall County, Nicolaus Zink built the first house in 1847,
Ernst Kapp Ernst Christian Kapp (15 October 1808 – 30 January 1896) was a German-American philosopher of technology and geographer, and a follower of Carl Ritter. He was prosecuted for sedition in the late 1840s for publishing a small article entitled 'De ...
founded the settlement in 1849 *Tusculum, Kendall County, founded in 1849, name changed in 1852 to
Boerne Boerne ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Kendall County, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country. Boerne is known for its German-Texan history, named in honor of German author and satirist Ludwig Börne by the German Founders of the town. The popu ...
after the German author and publicist
Ludwig Börne Karl Ludwig Börne (born "Loeb Baruch"; 6 May 1786 – 12 February 1837) was a German-Jewish political writer and satirist, who is considered part of the Young Germany movement. Early life Karl Ludwig Börne was born Loeb Baruch on 6 May 178 ...
. Occasionally the following locations in Texas are also named among the "Latin Settlements": *
Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...
, Fayette County *
Castell A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community. At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a t ...
, Llano County *
Comfort Comfort (or being comfortable'')'' is a sense of physical or psychological ease, often characterized as a lack of hardship. Persons who are lacking in comfort are uncomfortable, or experiencing discomfort. A degree of psychological comfort c ...
, Kendall County * Frelsburg, Colorado County * Leiningen, Llano County * Meyersville, DeWitt County * Ratcliffe, DeWitt County * Schoenburg, Llano County * Shelby, Austin County Outside Texas the following are also sometimes considered "Latin Settlements": * Dutzow,
Warren County, Missouri Warren County is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,513. The county is located on the north side of the Missouri River. Its county seat is Warrenton. The county ...
* Belleville,
St. Clair County, Illinois St. Clair County is the oldest county in Illinois; its western border is formed by the Mississippi River, bordering Missouri. It is a part of the Metro East in southern Illinois. At the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 257,400 ...


References

* Kurt Klotzbach: "Ernst Kapp, der Gründer der 'Lateinische Kolonie' Sisterdale," in: ''Mindener Heimatblätter'', 54. Jahrgang, Seite 21f., 1982. * Rudolph L. Biesele: ''The History of the German Settlements in Texas 1831–1861'', Boeckmann-Jones Publishing House, Austin (Texas) 1930. - New edition 1964. * Adalbert Regenbrecht: "The German Settlers of Millheim before the Civil War," in: Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Number 20, 1916. * Louis Reinhardt: "The Communistic Colony of Bettina," in: Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Vol. 3, 1899. * Annie Romberg: "Texas Literary Society of Pioneer Days," in: ''Southwestern Historical Quarterly'', Number 52, 1948. * Moritz Tiling: ''History of the German Element in Texas from 1820 to 1850'', Houston, 1913. * Gilbert G. Benjamin: ''The Germans in Texas'', University of Pennsylvania, D. Appleton Co., 1909. * Don H. Biggers: ''German Pioneers in Texas'', Gillespie County Edition, Fredericksburg Publishing, Fredericksburg, 1925. *
Albert Bernhardt Faust Albert Bernhardt Faust (April 20, 1870 in BaltimoreFebruary 8, 1951) was an American scholar of German studies. Biography After attending the German Zions School in Baltimore, he entered Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated in 1889 and to ...
: ''
The German Element in the United States ''The German Element in the United States, With Special Reference to Its Political, Moral, Social and Educational Influence'', by Albert Bernhardt Faust is a two-volume work published in 1909. It discusses the experience, influence and accomplis ...
'' (2 vols.), Boston: Houghton Mifflin & Co., 1909, v. 1, pp. 458–459.


External links


Texas Handbook
* {{Cite book, author=Carl Wittke, title=Refugees of Revolution: The German Forty-Eighters in America, publisher=
University of Pennsylvania Press The University of Pennsylvania Press (or Penn Press) is a university press affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The press was originally incorporated with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on 26 Ma ...
, year=1952, location=Philadelphia, pages=111–121, url=https://archive.org/details/refugeesofrevolu008276mbp Freethought in the United States German American German-American history German-American culture in Texas