August Forcke Papers

Manuscript Collection: MC052

Creator Sketch

A practicing pharmacist in New Braunfels, Texas, for 50 years, Johann August Forcke was born in Hildsheim, Germany, on April 20, 1814, and studied pharmacy in Jena, Germany, before immigrating to Texas in 1845. He landed at Indianola and arrived in New Braunfels in 1846. An early settler of the city, Forcke served as one of the first city aldermen from June 7, 1847 to March 3, 1849. Forcke bought property in 1851 on South Seguin Street where he located his drug store. His business closed in 1898.

August Forcke married Johanne Sophia Fricke (1816-1898) in 1847. The couple had five children. He died January 2, 1903, and is buried in the Comal Cemetery in New Braunfels, Texas.

Scope and Content Note

Financial documents, correspondence, and printed materials record the professional life of August Forcke, Druggist, in New Braunfels, Texas, from 1852-1896. Financial documents (1860-1896), both bound and loose, include bills of lading (1867-1891), invoices and statements of account (1863-1896), and receipts (1866-1893) that record the materials and their prices, and the methods of obtaiing those materials needed to maintain a drug store on the edge of the Texas frontier. Of particular interest is an invoice from S. Ramos y Hermano of Monterey, Mexico, dated August 19, 1863, that documents the necessity for Texans to turn to Mexico to import drugs during the Civil War. A single daybook (1860-1873) records Forcke's daily financial transactions. Arranged according to the location where they were found in the records boxes, 2957 loose prescriptions (1860-1896) written primarily in German and on scraps of paper may or may not contain names of patients, drug formulations, the names of doctors, or the date. The correspondence seems to be related primarily to business. Eleven circulars advertise products related to drugstores. The preponderance of the documents are written in German with English used as a secondary language.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None.

Terms Governing Use

Open for research by appointment.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the San Jacinto Museum of History. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Jacinto Museum of History as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Citation

[Identification of Item], August Forcke Papers, MC052, San Jacinto Museum of History, Houston, Texas.

Acquisition

Gift of Mrs. Henry V. Schumann, 1942.

Processing Information

Processed by Sarah Canby Jackson, 2001.

Inventory