Inspired by a visit to the Hill Country, Barbara Ortwein is now telling the story of the region’s early German settlers through her own words and old music.
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Story by Pamela Price
Last night fans of Texas history were treated to a unique perspective on nineteenth-century German immigration to the Hill Country region. Barbara Ortwein, a novelist and independent scholar of the topic, presented a lively public talk at the San Antonio Conservation Society’s Edward Steves Homestead Museum.
A retired German school teacher now living in Prague, Ortwein said she first discovered the Hill Country while accompanying her pupils to Texas on an exchange trip coordinated by a school near Fort Worth.
“We visited the Texas Hill Country, and I discovered quite a few older people who addressed me in a very old German style that I hadn’t really heard,” said Ortwein. “I learned that their ancestors had lived near where I lived at the time [Winterberg]. But I had never heard about this mass immigration to Texas.”
She started exploring the topic back home by visiting historical centers in small towns.
“Some knew of what had happened, but others did not,” Ortwein said, adding that she eventually retraced the steps of many immigrants to Bremen, a major European point of departure in the 1800s. She also traveled back and forth to Texas, gathering information from key archives in the Hill Country region, including Fredericksburg’s Pioneer Museum and the Sophienburg in New Braunfels.
Eventually she decided to share what she had learned through a historical fiction trilogy, staying as true to life as she could. Her books include detailed descriptions of food, drink, and public and private spaces. She also writes of luminaries like medical pioneer Ferdinand Ludwig Herff and The Menger Hotel’s William Menger. Other figures include lesser known immigrants she discovered through conversations with modern Texans.
“People gave me their family histories,” she said, “and I had my [composite] characters interact with these real people.”
Readers: look for your own opportunity to purchase Ortwein’s books via Amazon.com at the end of this story!
In introductory remarks at the San Antonio talk, Alice Vickers, Ortwein’s friend and host of many years, noted that during Ortwein’s previous career as an teacher she was well-known for writing musical theatre, crafting every element from the story through to the score.
The earlier work certainly has influenced Ortwein’s storytelling today. The talk she presented in San Antonio featured excerpts from her book, historical notes, and live music. At various points and as she strummed a guitar, audience members were invited to sing old German and American songs. This touch was an especially fitting component of her talk, as German singing societies were once a cultural staple.
Ortwein said that she enjoys presenting the talks to a variety of groups as it gives her an opportunity to showcase an often overlooked historical era.
“I want to promote the topic of German immigration to Texas,” she added. “And I give these talks in Germany now, so that people better understand the connection.”
Ortwein’s invitation to speak in San Antonio came through a connection made via local historian Marlene Richardson’s family. In turn Richardson, known to many for her extensive research into the Leon Springs area as well as her work as a KLRN producer, connected Ortwein to the venerable San Antonio Conservation Society.
The society’s president, Susan Beavin, said that the public talk is part of a series designed to “put these kinds of discussions at the forefront of people’s minds. We’re about cultivating appreciation for architecture, natural resources, cultural history—all those things that make San Antonio distinct. Those things are our passion, and this kind of public talk is part of that ongoing effort.”
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I love these little bits of German heritage that are evident all around us. I love that someone is committed to sharing the back story.
Plus, there were songs, too!