Descriptive Summary
German-English School (San Antonio, Tex.)
German-English School (San Antonio, Tex.) Records
1858-1893
Materials are in Kurrent German, with partial English translation, and English.
Col 890
2.83 linear feet (1 document box, 3 flat boxes)
Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas
One of the earliest efforts to establish a comprehensive system of public education in San Antonio, the German-English School was established in 1858 by German-speaking immigrants to Texas.
Minutes, correspondence, financial records, student registers, lesson plans, reports, legal documents, and clippings are part of the German-English School records, documenting administrative and classroom activities.
Historical Note
One of the earliest efforts to establish a comprehensive system of public education in San Antonio, the German-English School was established in 1858 by German-speaking immigrants to Texas, who solicited subscriptions to finance the institution. The school aimed to educate the children of the recent immigrants, emphasizing proficiency in the language of their adopted country while retaining elements of the language and culture of their homeland. Instruction in both German and English was part of the curriculum, as were geography, writing, history, arithmetic, Spanish, and music. While German-American families provided the core of support for the school, students and financial contributions came from throughout the community.
Shortly after its founding, permanent buildings were constructed for the school, and it remained in that location until the property was sold in 1897. The buildings were used as a public school beginning in 1903, and San Antonio Junior College used the site from 1926 through 1951. After serving as office space for the city of San Antonio and for HemisFair, the buildings were restored for use as hotel conference facilities.
References
Donecker, Frances. "German-English School."
Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/kbg08.
Scope and Content Note
Minutes, correspondence, financial records, student registers, lesson plans, reports, legal documents and clippings are part of the German-English School records, documenting administrative and classroom activities. Records cover much of the life of the institution, beginning with an outline of its proposed organization from 1858 and continuing through 1885. Minutes of the school board of trustees cover the first twenty years of the school’s existence. Administrative records also include rules and regulations, instructions to teachers, statements of educational philosophy, lists of financial contributors, and lists of students and their tuition payments. Reports from teachers and lesson plans are also included in the records.
A bound volume of records related to the organization of the German-American Volksfest Association from the early 1890s is also part of the records.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions. The collection is open for research.
Usage Restrictions
Please be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel.
Related Materials
San Antonio German-English School Records, 1876-1893, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Frederick Charles Chabot Papers, 1837-1890, 1917-1959, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], German-English School (San Antonio, Tex.) Records, 1858-1893, Col 890, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Loraine Clingman Perry.
Processing Information
Translations of portions of the records were completed by advanced German students at Douglas MacArthur High School, San Antonio, Texas, under the direction of their teacher, Mary Mathis El-Beheri, in 1974.
Processed by Warren Stricker, 1994 October.
Finding aid edited and encoded by Caitlin Donnelly, 2010 August.
Index Terms
Organizations
German-English School (San Antonio, Tex.)
German-American Volksfest Association (San Antonio, Tex.)
Subjects
Education--Texas--San Antonio.
Germans--Texas--San Antonio.
School boards--Texas--San Antonio--Records and correspondence.
Schools--Texas--San Antonio--Records and correspondence.
Locations
San Antonio (Tex.)--History--1865-1900--Sources.
Genres/Formats
Administrative records.
Correspondence.
Financial records.
Legal documents.
Minutes.
Reports.
School records.
Detailed Description of the Collection
German-English School (San Antonio, Tex.) Records, 1858-1893
Items are arranged chronologically.
1
1
"Arta Schul Committe des Schul Vereins zu San Antonio, Tx." Includes an outline of the general principles of the school, specific instructions regarding subject matter, lesson plans, and letters. German and English. 1858-1861.
1
2
Translation of a portion of the above. Advanced German class, Douglas MacArthur High School, San Antonio, Texas.
2
Bound volume containing class schedules, reports, rules, letters, financial records, and instructions to teachers. Includes some of the initial documents associated with the formation of the school; its rules and philosophies; practical instructions; reports; and financial information, including contributions from various supporters, balance sheets, and lists of students and their tuition payments. German and English. 1858-1865.
2
12
Photocopy of a portion of the above.
2
13
Transcription and translation of a portion of the above. Advanced German class, Douglas MacArthur High School, San Antonio, Texas.
1
3
"Arten des Schillerfest Committees." Minutes and records of contributors. German and English. 1859.
1
4
Summary translation of a portion of the above. Advanced German class, Douglas MacArthur High School, San Antonio, Texas.
1
5
Clipping: "Bericht des Vorstandes der engli[sch] deutschen Schule." Fragile item; use photocopy in box 1, folder 6. 1859.
1
6
Photocopy of the above.
1
7
"An Act to Incorporate the German English School in the City of San Antonio" [manuscript copy], 1860 February 2.
1
8
Application by the German-English School Trustees to the San Antonio City Council for land for a school site [draft], circa 1860.
3
14
Minutes. Bound volume. German. 1858-1869.
3
15-16
Transcription and translation of a portion of the above. Advanced German class, Douglas MacArthur High School, San Antonio, Texas.
3
17
Minutes of directors meetings and general meetings. Also contains a list of members of the school society and contributors to special funds. Bound volume. German and English. 1869-1877.
3
18
Translation of a portion of the above. Advanced German class, Douglas MacArthur High School, San Antonio, Texas.
3
19
Financial records, including student tuition accounts and balance sheets. Bound volume. German. 1866-1869.
4
20
Lesson plans, student tuition records, income and expenses, and financial reports. Bound volume. German and English. 1870-1876.
4
21
"Monthly Reports." Reports from the faculty on the course of instruction. Bound volume. English. 1881-1885.
4
22
"Protocoll Buch der Central Comites zur [ ] des Deutschen Tages in San Antonio." Minutes and the articles of association of the German-American Volksfest Association of San Antonio. Bound volume. German. 1890-1893.
4
23
Photocopy of a portion of the above.
1
9
Lesson plans, undated.
1
10
Lesson plans, undated.
1
11
Blotter.