Title: How German Immigrants Shaped Texas | Texas Heritage for Living
Headings: How German Immigrants Shaped Texas
How German Immigrants Shaped Texas
An Ambassador for German Texas
Chain Migration
The German Belt
A Disappearing Culture

Content: How German Immigrants Shaped Texas | Texas Heritage for Living
Texas Living
How German Immigrants Shaped Texas
Germans found Texas early and took root. By 1850, not 15 years after the close of the Texas Revolution, nearly 5% of Texans were German immigrants. Throughout the latter half of the 19th century, the population grew by the tens of thousands. It is estimated that by 1990, 17% of Texas’ total population was of German descent, making German the third-most populous cultural heritage in the state. The German immigrants who came to Texas in the 19th century settled in cities from Galveston to San Antonio, and in small rural communities ranging from the Coastal Plains to the Hill Country. Those settlements would become known as Texas’ “German Belt,” influencing the future of Texas culture, from cultural and political institutions to music and barbecue. Remarkably, the large German migration to Texas can trace its roots to a single enthusiastic German salesman who was never supposed to settle in Texas in the first place. An Ambassador for German Texas
Johann Friedrich Ernst (1796-1848) was a decorated veteran of the Napoleonic wars. He fled his native Germany in 1829 after being accused of embezzling a large sum of money from the post office in Oldenburg. He and his family first set out to New York and then went on to New Orleans, with the intention of settling in Missouri.