The Fisher-Miller Land Grant was part of an early colonization effort of the
Republic of TexasThe Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. Its 3,878,000 acres covered 5000 square miles (12,949.9 km²) between the
Llano RiverThe Llano River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 105 mi long, in central Texas in the United States. It drains part of the Edwards Plateau in Texas Hill Country northwest of Austin....
and
Colorado RiverThe Colorado River is a river that runs through the U.S. state of Texas; it should not be confused with the much longer Colorado River which flows from Colorado into the Gulf of California....
. Originally granted to
Henry Francis FisherHenry Francis Fisher , a notable German Texan, was born in Kassel, Hesse. In 1837 or early 1838 he came to Houston, Texas, where he was consul for the Hanseatic League...
and
Burchard MillerBurchard Miller, was one of the many persons interested in the 1840s in securing land grants from the Republic of Texas for colonization enterprises...
, the grant was sold to the German colonization company of
AdelsvereinSociety for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, better known as Adelsverein , organized on April 20, 1842, was a colonial attempt to establish a new Germany within the borders of Texas.-History:...
. Very few colonizations resulted from the land grant, as most settlers preferred
FredericksburgFredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
and
New BraunfelsNew Braunfels is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is a principal city of the metropolitan area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. The city's population was 57,740 as of the 2010 census, up 58% from the 2000...
, which lay outside the land grant boundaries. Designated a
Recorded Texas Historic LandmarkRecorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
in 1964, Marker number 9438.
Counties within Fisher-Miller land grant
Ten counties were formed from the Fisher-Miller land grant:
- Concho
- Kimble
Kimble County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 4,468. Its county seat is Junction. Kimble is named for George C. Kimble, who died at the Battle of the Alamo.-Geography:...
- Llano
Llano County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 19, 301. Its county seat is Llano, and the county is named for the Llano River....
- Mason
Mason County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 4, 012. Its county seat is Mason...
- McCulloch
McCulloch County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. The geographical center of Texas lies within the county. In 2000, its population was 8,205. Its county seat is Brady. McCulloch is named for Benjamin McCulloch, a famous Texas Ranger and Confederate...
- Menard
- Schleicher
- San Saba
San Saba County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Western Central Texas. In 2010, its population was 6,131. Its county seat is San Saba. It is named for the San Saba River, which flows through the county.-History:...
- Sutton
- Tom Green
Republic of Texas land grants
The
Republic of TexasThe Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
issued colonization land grants with individuals and conditional upon said individuals establishing settlements in a stated geographical area of Texas. They were limited to a given time period in which the colonization had to take place.
Fisher and Miller
On February 8, 1842,
Henry Francis FisherHenry Francis Fisher , a notable German Texan, was born in Kassel, Hesse. In 1837 or early 1838 he came to Houston, Texas, where he was consul for the Hanseatic League...
, Joseph Baker and
Burchard MillerBurchard Miller, was one of the many persons interested in the 1840s in securing land grants from the Republic of Texas for colonization enterprises...
, representing the San Saba Colonization Company, petitioned for a land grant from the Republic of Texas. On June 7, 1842, Henry Francis Fisher and Burchard Miller received a colonization land grant to settle 1,000 immigrant families of German, Dutch, Swiss, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian ancestry. The grant was issued as the Fisher-Miller Land Grant. The contract was renewed on September 1, 1843 by the Republic of Texas House of Representatives. The Fisher-Miller land grant consisted of 3,878,000 acres over 5,000 square miles between the
Llano RiverThe Llano River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 105 mi long, in central Texas in the United States. It drains part of the Edwards Plateau in Texas Hill Country northwest of Austin....
and
Colorado RiverThe Colorado River is a river that runs through the U.S. state of Texas; it should not be confused with the much longer Colorado River which flows from Colorado into the Gulf of California....
, in the heart of the
ComancheriaThe Comancheria is the name commonly given to the region of New Mexico, west Texas and nearby areas occupied by the Comanche before the 1860s.-Geography:...
. These lands constituted part of the hunting grounds of the Penateka Comanche Indians. Fisher and Miller had no success of colonization within the allotted time, but were able to get the timeline extended.
Adelsverein
When
Henry Francis FisherHenry Francis Fisher , a notable German Texan, was born in Kassel, Hesse. In 1837 or early 1838 he came to Houston, Texas, where he was consul for the Hanseatic League...
and
Burchard MillerBurchard Miller, was one of the many persons interested in the 1840s in securing land grants from the Republic of Texas for colonization enterprises...
sold the grant to the
AdelsvereinSociety for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, better known as Adelsverein , organized on April 20, 1842, was a colonial attempt to establish a new Germany within the borders of Texas.-History:...
on June 26, 1844, they were aware of the dangers of settling in Comancheria, but did not inform the Verein. Likewise, the Verein accepted the sale on face value and did not question it. The Verein was also obligated to take over expenses of the San Saba Colonization Company, and to make Henry Fisher part of the Verein colonial committee.
The first Adelsverein Commissioner-General
Prince Carl of Solms-BraunfelsPrince Carl of Solms-Braunfels , was a German prince and military officer in both the Austrian army and in the cavalry of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. As Commissioner General of the Adelsverein, he spearheaded the establishment of colonies of German immigrants in Texas...
had no success in colonization of the land grant. The responsibility then fell to
John O. MeusebachJohn O. Meusebach , born Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach, was at first a Prussian bureaucrat, later an American farmer and politician who served in the Texas Senate, District 22.-Early years:John O...
as his successor. Meusebach successfully negotiated a non-government peace treaty with the
Penateka ComancheThe Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
in 1847.
Darmstadt Society of Forty
Darmstadt Society of Forty founders
Hermann SpiessHermann Spiess 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:...
and
Ferdinand Ludwig HerffFerdinand Ludwig Herff was a 19th Century German-born physician who emigrated to Texas and became a medical pioneer in San Antonio. He was one of the co-founders of the Bettina commune...
were approached in
WiesbadenWiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
by
AdelsvereinSociety for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, better known as Adelsverein , organized on April 20, 1842, was a colonial attempt to establish a new Germany within the borders of Texas.-History:...
Vice President and Executive Secretary-Business Director Count Carl Frederick Christian of Castell-Castell, who made a deal with them to colonize two hundred families on the Fisher-Miller Land Grant territory in
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. 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.
Emil KriewitzEmil Kriewitz was a German immigrant and veteran of the Mexican-American War, who came to this country with the Adelsverein colonists. After John O. Meusebach successfully negotiated the Meusebach–Comanche Treaty, Kriewitz lived among the Penateka Comanche as an intermediary between the whites...
was detailed to guide the settlers through the land grant territory. The colonies attempted were
CastellCastell is a small unincorporated riverside town in Llano County, Texas, United States. Located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, its northern border is formed by the Llano River. Designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1964, Marker number 9440....
, Leiningen, Bettina, Schoenburg and Meerholz in
Llano CountyLlano County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 19, 301. Its county seat is Llano, and the county is named for the Llano River....
; Darmstädler Farm in
Comal CountyComal County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 108,472. Its seat is New Braunfels.Comal County is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History Timeline:...
; and Tusculum in
Kendall CountyKendall County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2008 census, its population was 32,886. Its seat is Boerne....
. Of these, only Castell survives.
External links