Genealogy Resources
GTHS Resources & Family Names
A
Afflerbach
Altwein
Aschmann
B
Barho
Bartoskewitz
Beicker
Bickler
Biehle
Biehle
Boeers
Bohlmann
Bohlmann
Bremer
Brendlinger
Burttschell
Busch
C
Carlock
Carolus
Clinger
D
December
Dreis / Drews / Dries
Duderstadts
Duelm
E
Eckert
Eickhoff
Eilers
Eisenhauer
Elley
Elmendorf
Engelking
Entrup
Erben
Eschenburg
F
Fabianke
Feuge
Fink
Fischer
Flach
Franks
Frels
Fries
Fuchs
Fuhrwerk
G
Geistweidt
Gerstenberger
Giegerich
Glück / Glueck
Goerlitz
Goldmann
Gozenbach
Graf
Grasshoff
Graue
Gruene
H
Haase
Hagedorn
Hahn
Halls
Hampshire
Hardt
Hartel
Hartman
Hartmann
Hartstack
Haselbusch
Heerssen
Heine
Helwig
Hempel
Henneke
Herschel
Hespos
Hessel
Heyne
Hoelscher
Hollis
Holmgreen
Holzhausen
Holzwarth / Holzworth
House
Huie
I
Irminger
Isensee
J
Jantz
Jechow
Jordan
Jupe
K
Kalteyer
Kartelmann
Kaspar
Keidel
Kemme
Kesemeyer
Keummel
Klatt
Klattenhoff
Klinger
Knesch
Kneschk
Knipping
Knipstein
Knoblauch
Köhler
Kolibal
Kortlang
Kothmann
Koy
Krause
Krebs
Kriewitz
Kuempel
L
Laux
Lee
Leifeste
Lessmann
Lich
Ludwig
M
Mahlandt
Marburger
Marquardt
Martz
Matthias
May
Meddeke
Meerscheidt
Meier
Mense
Mertz
Minton
Mueller
Musemann
N
Nemann
Neudeck
Nimitz
Nolting
O
Oeltjen
Olfers
Ortmann
P
Pace
Pape
Papstein
Patschke
Paulk
Paustian
Perner
Pfennig
Pfluger
Pierce
Poenisch
Porter
Posner
Pressler
Proske
Q
Quant / Quandt
R
Raba
Randow
Rauschhuber
Reich
Rethorn
Reuter
Richter
Richter
Ritzmann
Rothenberg
Ruhmann
Runge
S
Schaefer
Scheel
Schliesing
Schlittler
Schmedes
Schmidt
Schnarre
Schroer
Schuessler
Schuetze
Schultze
Schulz / Schultz
Schütze
Schwander
Schwenker
Schwier
Seeker
Seidenstickers
Seydler
Shearmire
Skalitzky
Sonntag
Splittgerber
Spricksmeyer
Staats
Staehler
Starcke
Steger
Stichler
Stoltenberg
Storch
Stork
Strey
Strieber
Struve
T
Tafel
Tiedt
Timmermann
Tobin
Treybig
Tschoepe
U
Uptmor
V
Vaught
Veith
Voigt
von Roeder
von Rosenberg
Vorwerk
W
Walsleben
Weber
Weigl
Weynand
Wille
Willenborg
Wilmann
Witte
Wittner
Wittners
Wolsch
Woodall
Wrange
Wuppermann
Wurz
Z
Zoeller
Zumalt / Zeumalt
/ Zum Wald /
Zumwault / Sommalt
Many family histories, memoirs, and other genealogical resources have been donated to the German-Texan Heritage Society over the years and are held in the Trenckmann Library at our downtown Austin location (the German Free School). Many German-Texan families are accounted for in these materials, including:
There are also more general genealogical resources available in our library, such as:
-
GTHS: German Immigrant Ancestors (1997) by Christa Prewitt – A compilation of member-submitted family sheets
-
Genealogical research guide to Germany (1988) by Margaret Krug Palen
-
German American Names (1995, 2nd edition) by George Fenwick Jones
-
German-English Genealogical dictionary (1992) by Ernest Thode
-
German immigration to America in the nineteenth century: A genealogist's guide (1985) by Maralyn Wellauer
-
German research materials in the Clayton library in Houston, Texas (1998) by Elizabeth Hicks
-
Germanic genealogy: A guide to worldwide sources and migration patterns (1997, 2nd edition) by Edward R. Brandt
-
In search of your German roots: A complete guide to tracing your ancestors in the Germanic areas of Europe (1994, 3rd edition) by Angus Baxter
-
The German research companion (2010, 3rd edition) by Shirley J. Riemer
-
A New Land Beckoned; German Immigration to Texas, 1844-1847 (1966) by Ethel Hander Geue
-
New Homes In a New Land; German Immigration to Texas 1847-1861 (1970) by Ethel Hander Geue
The GTHS’s quarterly journal is also an excellent resource. Previous editions (1979-2017) are available through the Portal to Texas History and the Trenkmann library catalog.
Visiting the Trenkmann Library
To explore our library, please visit us at 507 East 10th Street, Austin, TX.
Our office is open Thursdays between 11 am - 4 pm or by appointment.
For more information, please visit the Library Catalog & Services page.
Are you related to one of the founding members of the German Free School?
When the German Free School opened in 1858, it was the first chartered school in Austin. Below, you will find list of the original students, teachers, and trustees of the school. Your connection with GTHS might be older than you thought!
Trustees
Assmann, George Paul (1849-1910)
Bastian, Frederick “Fritz” (1818-1906)
Brown, Dr. J.A.
Buaas, John L. (1823-1906)
Forster, Francis B. (1839-1910)
Friedman, David
Haschke, Reinhold (1843-1940)
Heger, F.
Hofheintz, J. Henry (1822-1880)
Kluge, William (1820-1880)
Koerber, Rudolph C. (1834- after 1910)
Krohn (Krone), Carl (1817-1899)
Maas, Max (1842-1913)
Lane, Richard Newton (1828-1907)
Martin, Joseph (1811-1870)
Nitschke, Carl Ludwig (1813-1888)
Pressler, Charles William (1823-1907)
Reichow, Frederick (1821-1894)
Sattler, Wilhelm Martin (1808-1880)
Schneider, Jean (1818-1862)
Schroeder, Wilhelm (1823-1907)
Schuber, Joseph (1833-1922)
Schutze, Edward (1824-1902)
Schwartz, August
Steiner, Edward (1839-1903)
Steussy, Fred (1814-1880)
Steussy, Henry
Sutor, Frederick William (1819-1878)
Tips, Ed (1832-1872)
Vogel, Henry (1841-1915)
Von Rosenberg, William (1821-1901)
Wahrenberger, James (1851-1929)
Wahrmann, August (1826-1888).
Weise, Carl (1827-1879)
Wilhelm, Christian (1817-1897)
Wolf, August (1830-1913)
Teachers
Bickler, Jacob (1849-1902)
Bickler, Philip (1840-1905)
Brown, Amanda (1850-?)
Buaas, Alma Maria (1856 -1937)
Burnham, Clara
Emerson, Alnis
Kempfer, T.S.
Mundelius, Otto (1833-?)
Otis, William (1834-1889)
Schutze, Julius (1835-1904).
Seabaugh, Emma (1857-1933)
Stroeter, Ernst (1846-1922)
Weilbacher, August (1831-1903)
Students
The following names come from a handwritten list of students, and is thought to be an 1858 list of students. However, it is uncertain who recorded the names of students or when they attended the school and it is probably not a complete list.
Acklerlin (Acklen), Anna
Adam, Theresa (1852-1929)
Adam, Marie (1848-1934)
Arlitt, Max Herman (1850-1936)
Arlitt, Rudolph (1851-?)
Bagage, (Bayaye) Marie
(1847-after 1920)
Bagage, (Bayaye) Joseph
Bahn, Augusta (1848-1865)
Baker, Harden
Bernd, Paul (1856-1896)
Biberstein, Sarah
Biberstein, G.
Boehm, Emily (1856-?)
Bohls, Heinrich (1844-1867)
Bohls, Gustav (1847-1907)
Bonnet, Wilhelm A.
(1867-1930)
Besserer, William (1851-1931)
Brueggerhoff, Clara
(1847-1939)
Brueggerhoff, Julia (1845-1931)
Cezeaux, Gus (1855-1940)
Crozier, Danny
Crozier, John
Crozier, Ramsey
Crozier, Willie
DeRyce, Charles
Dohme, Agnes (1848-1922)
Domschke, Charles
(1853-1918)
Eckerlin, R.
Fruth, Marie (1849-1917)
Fruth, Rosine
Fruth, Theresa (1853-?)
Green, Minna
Grothaus, Herman (1846-1878)
Grothaus, Louis (1851-1907)
Harrell, Tom
Hartenstein, Natalie
(1853-1917)
Hartenstein, Oscar (1851-1907)
Henninger, Henry
Henninger, Katherine
Heyer, Richard
Heyer, Robert
Hoffmann, Carl (1843-1914)
Hofheintz, Elizabeth
Hofheintz, Katherine
Hutchins, Blucher (1841-?)
Hutter, Emilie
Isensee (Esensee), Jacob
(1852-1921)
Jurgensen, Herbert N., Jr.
Jurgensen, Julius (1849-1870)
Kelly, Jane
Kelly, John (1852-1931)
Kelly, Will Thomas (1850-?)
King, Margaret
King, Mary Ann (1854-?)
Kirschberg, James (1842-?)
Krohn (Krone), Emilie Marie
Ernestine (1842-1935)
Krohn (Krone), Ernest
(1848-1888)
Krohn (Krone), Marie
(1847-1912)
Kunze, Anna
Kunze, August
Kunze, Karl
Lea, Ed
Lea, Thomas
Lohmann, Adeline
Lohmann, Carl
Lohmann, Dora (1850-1915)
Lohmann, Emma (1852-1927)
Lohmann, Gus (1853-1928)
Martin, Anna
McLaughlin, Elias (1859-1866)
McLauglin, John J. (1852-1891)
Miethe, (Mauthe) Theo (?-1863)
Mourn, W.
Neile, Mark
Neumann, Oscar E. (1855-1916
Neumann, Otto J. (1853-1918)
Neumann, Theo (1843-?)
Nitschke, Mary Eliza
(1848-1925)
Nitschke, Oscar Emil
(1851-1915)
Nitschke, William Louis
(1843-1927)
Ohrndorf, Charles W. (1851-?)
Ohrndorf, Hulda (1849-1896)
Pecht, Francisca
Pecht, Hulda (1848-1909)
Perner, Paul
Pressler, Agnes (1853-1938)
Pressler, John
Ragsdale, Walter (1848-?)
Reichow, Emilie (1852-1918)
Reichow, Frederick Jr.
(1848-1888)
Riedel, August
Riedel, Bertha
Riefenstahl, Carl
Rissman, Albert J. (1851-1939)
Ropel, Minna
Sattler, Elise (1848-1919)
Sauer, Henry (1845-1916)
Schmitz, Anna (1847-1934)
Schmitz, William (1852-1953)
Schneider, Albert (1854-1938)
Schneider, Jacob P. (1852-1925)
Schneider, John Dominic
(1856-1912)
Scholz, Ida
Scholz, Marie (1854-1918)
Schrabe, Amelie
Schroeder, Mina (1848-1917)
Schroeder, Peter (1852-?)
Schuber, Casper (1852-?)
Schuelke, Emil
Schuelke, Max (-1884)
Schutze, Albert (1856-1942)
Settegast, Herman F.
(1853-1929)
Sommer, Louis (1850-?)
Sommer, Mina (1864-?)
Sparks, Amy
Sterzing, Adolphine
(1849-1930)
Sterzing, Charles (1851-1937)
Steussy, Caspar (1844-1922)
Steussy, Henrietta (1854-1917)
Steussy, Margarete
Sutor, John Louis
Sutor, William J. (1854-1913)
Thielepape, Gertrude (1854-?)
Thielepape, Minna
(1851-1944)
von Rosenberg, Arthur
(1851-1934)
von Rosenberg, Carl
(1850-1918)
Wetz, Henry
Wheeler, John
Wilhelm, Ferdinand A.
(1852-1885)
Wilhelm, Julie (1849-1934)
Wilhelm, Theo
Williams, James
Wooldridge, James (1850-?)
Ziller, Henry (1853-1924)
Zimmermann, Florian
(1852-1884)
Students from 1876-1877
Bastian, Alma and Julia
Bengener, George
Biernstiel, Emil and Hedwig
Blum, Alfred and Ernst
Boone, Tom
Bouchenneau, Henry
Bruno, Henry
Buaas, Hugo
Campbell, Lennie
Cohn, Harry, “Sippi” and Tena
Davis, Britton and Waters
Dohme, Ferdinand, Jr. and Louis
Domschke, Albert, Frank, Hettie
and Rosa
Fisch, Albert and Conrad
Fues, Alexander and Max
Girand, Arthur, Frank, Granville
and John
Goldmann, Adolph, Jr., Ernst, Oscar, and Paul
Green, Ida, Louise, and Washington
Greenberg, Ed and Leon
Gruber, Adolph
Guenther, Hilmar
Hadley, W.C.
Hadra, Fritz
Hellmann, Hermann and Sammie
Hofheinz, Charles and Henriette
Holzinger, Wilhelm
Human, Charles G., Clara Bell
and Fred
James, Henry and William
Johnson, Henry
Keller, Edwin John
Kelley, Hugh
Klein, John and Lizzie
Kuechler, Ralph
Lawrence, John
Lowdy/Lowday, Milton and Nellie
Lucksinger, Agnes
Lungkwitz, Guido
Maas, Julia, Laura and Louis
Martin, Arthur
Mauthe, Henry
Metz, Harry
Michael, Leon
Mundelius, Ernest and Paul
Neavitt, Thomas
Nitschke, Robert E., Aileen “Lena”
North, Harvey
Orlemann, Daisy, Karl and Louis
Pecht, Ida
Porsch, Johanna and Otto
Raatz, Otto
Richter, Tommy
Schenck, Adolph, August and Fritz
Schenken, Adalbert and Karl
Schmitz, William
Schneider, Adolph
Schubert, Anna, Jose/Josie, Louise
Schütze (Schuetze), Adolf, Edward
“Eddie” and Hugo
Siegmund, Auguste and Emma
Smith, Louise
Steiner, Helene and Hugo
Stelfox, John H.
Stern, Rosa
Sutor, Adele, Bertha, Fritz G.
and Matilde
Thielepape, Ernst
Tips, Ed, Karl and Walter
Tomlinson, Charles
Vogtsberger, Guido
Volz, John and Karl
Von Koenneritz, Frank and August
Von Rosenberg, Fritz
Waechter, Alfred, Bernhard
and Edmund
Wahrmann, Emma and Joseph
Weilbacher, August and Emil
Weinberger, Joseph, Katie and Sallie
Wittmann, John
Wolf, Emma, Gustav and Hugo
Genealogy Consultations
Simply interested in genealogy and wanting to know where your ancestors came from? We offer free genealogy advice and research suggestions for all our members.
Please contact Liz Hicks (erootrot@usa.net) with your genealogy-related questions.
Genealogy inquiries can also be submitted to Liz Hicks to be included
in the GTHS quarterly Journal.
Outside Resources
There are many other genealogical resources available in Texas and beyond. Several of these resources include:
Genealogical Societies & Research
-
Austin Genealogical Society (www.austingenealogicalsociety.org)
-
Texas State Genealogical Society (www.txsgs.org)
-
International German Genealogy Partnership (iggp.org)
-
Clayton Library Friends, c/o Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, 5300 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77004 (claytonlibraryfriends.org)
Online Resources
-
National Archives (www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/start-research)
-
Family Search (www.familysearch.org) – free to use, but registration required
-
Family Search German Resources (www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Germany_Websites) – guide to websites for family history sources that assist in finding genealogy records for German ancestors
-
Find-a-Grave (www.findagrave.com)
-
GenWIKI (wiki.genealogy.net/Hauptseite) – a project of the association for computer genealogy. Family researchers provide information about genealogy and post it here (in German)
-
Matricula (data.matricula-online.eu) – church registers (mostly books of birth, marriage and death) from various European countries. Not a free site
-
Archion (www.archion.de/en) – not free
-
Ancestry (ancestry.com) – not free
-
Meyers Gazetteer (www.meyersgaz.org) – an online, searchable version of the Meyers Gazetteer of the German Empire with integrated historical maps
-
Texas Wendish Heritage Society (texaswendish.org)
-
The Wendish Research Exchange (wendishresearch.org)
-
The Portal to Texas History (texashistory.unt.edu)
-
Traditional German Clothing. Submitted by Corrine Bass: https://www.lulus.com/blog/resources/traditional-german-clothing-german-heritage/
Reading the old German handwriting (Kurrent & Sütterlin)
See our GTHS Journal to find people who do translations of German genealogical documents and who can read the old script.