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TABLE OF CONTENTS |
A Guide to the Carl Heinrich Herbst Papers, 1710-1905, 1924, 1976, 1979
Biographical NoteCarl Heinrich Herbst (1828-1905) immigrated to Texas from Germany in 1848. After living in Indianola and New Braunfels, he moved to San Antonio where he worked in a saddlery shop for several years, before becoming an American citizen in 1853. In 1854, Herbst joined Ernst Hermann Altgelt to settle the new town of Comfort, and to populate it with German freemasons, freethinkers, and political activists. The new town lay near San Antonio and the settlers traded raw materials and items such as shingles for the goods needed to help the town thrive. Herbst soon established a farm in then Kerr County (which became Kendall County in 1860) and married Sophie Morhof in 1858. They had eight children, seven of whom survived to adulthood: Albert, Rudolf, Theodore, Robert, Ema, Lina, and Ida. Following the outbreak of the Civil War, many of Comfort’s men joined the Confederate Army. Herbst was no different, serving in the army under Captain Henry Schwethelm from 1862 to 1865. Upon the war’s end, he became District Clerk and was appointed principle of Comfort’s school. He remained the principle until his retirement in 1887, when he moved to his son Robert’s farm, where he lived until his death. Additionally, Herbst was an Honorary Member of the Order of the Sons of Hermann. Sources: Lich, Glen E. “Comfort, Texas.” Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed July 20,2010.http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hjc16. Schilo, Fritz. “Sons of Hermann.” Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed July 20,2010. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vns01. Obituary of Carl Herbst, Comfort News (Comfort, TX), February 17, 1905. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and ContentsThe Carl Heinrich Herbst Papers, 1710-1905, 1924, 1976, 1979, relates to the Herbst family history, life in Germany, Carl Herbst’s experiences after immigrating to Texas, the history of Comfort, Texas, and the Civil War in the South. The collection includes genealogical material, speeches about the founding of Comfort, the recently deceased, and other historical matters; manuscripts, certificate, funeral orations of Herbst, clippings relating to Confederate captain Henry Schwethelm, memorials, obituaries, biographical and historical sketches, and newspaper clippings relating to Herbst and Comfort. Materials are in German and English. Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsAccess RestrictionsThe collection is open for research use. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationPreferred CitationCarl Heinrich Herbst Papers, 1710-1905, 1924, 1976, 1979, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin. Return to the Table of Contents Detailed Description of the Papers
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