Descriptive Summary
Baumberger, Henry, circa 1823-circa 1883
Henry Baumberger Letters
1856-1867
Materials are in Kurrent German with English translations.
Doc 5171
8 items (8 folders)
Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas
Henry Baumberger (circa 1823-circa 1883) and his family emigrated from Switzerland in 1855 and settled in San Antonio, Texas.
The collection contains letters written and received by Henry Baumberger. The letters written by Baumberger to friends and family in his native Switzerland describe his journey from Antwerp to Texas in 1855, including conditions on the Atlantic passage and the overland trip from Indianola to San Antonio; his impressions of San Antonio; economic conditions; his business activities; the impact of the American Civil War on his life; and family matters.
Biographical Note
Henry Baumberger (born circa 1823) emigrated from Switzerland in 1855 and settled in San Antonio, Texas. He traveled with his wife, Anna Weiss Baumberger (circa 1822-1910), and their two daughters, Anna (born circa 1852) and Eliza (1854-1917). Henry and Anna lost three sons in infancy, but later had two additional children, Paulina (1858-1924) and Charles (1863-1948). Henry Baumberger worked as a teacher in Switzerland and, while he returned to teaching for a time in San Antonio, he was also engaged in other employment; at various times he was a merchant, beer garden owner, owner of a shipping business, San Antonio police officer, and city cart driver. Henry Baumberger died in San Antonio around 1883.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains letters written and received by Henry Baumberger. The letters written by Baumberger to friends and family in his native Switzerland describe his journey from Antwerp to Texas in 1855, including conditions on the Atlantic passage and the overland trip from Indianola to San Antonio; his impressions of San Antonio; economic conditions; his business activities; the impact of the American Civil War on his life; and family matters.
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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Henry Baumberger Letters, 1856-1867, Doc 5171, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Stanley Schmidt, 1980 March.
Processing Information
Processed by Warren Stricker, 1996 May.
Finding aid edited and encoded by Caitlin Donnelly, 2010 October.
Index Terms
Personal Names
Baumberger, Henry, circa 1823-circa 1883.
Subjects
Swiss Americans--Texas.
Locations
San Antonio (Tex.)--Description and travel.
San Antonio (Tex.)--Social life and customs.
Texas--Economic conditions.
Texas--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Sources.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Sources.
Genres/Formats
Personal papers.
Correspondence.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Henry Baumberger Letters, 1856-1867
The items are arranged chronologically.
1
Henry Baumberger, San Antonio, Texas, to relatives and friends, 1856 January 1.
2
Henry Baumberger, San Antonio, Texas, to Father, beloved brothers and sisters, brothers-in-law, and friends, 1856 October 13.
3
Henry Baumberger and Anna Baumberger, San Antonio, Texas, to relatives, father, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, etc., 1857 July 18.
4
A. Henry Grob, Zurich, Switzerland, to Henry Baumberger, 1858 September 3.
5
Henry Baumberger, San Antonio, Texas, to relatives and friends, 1860 August 10.
6
Henry Baumberger, San Antonio, Texas, to relatives and friends, 1861 January 23.
7
Henry Baumberger, Matamoros, Mexico, to relatives and friends, 1863 August 24.
8
Henry Baumberger, San Antonio, Texas, to relatives, 1867 August 28.