If you are a fan of Texas history and especially DeWitt County history, you will enjoy a special event celebrating a new book about the people and places of this county in the late 1800s. The DeWitt County Historical Commission helped this county celebrate its 175th anniversary in 2021, and a portion of the event’s financial support was dedicated to publishing this book. Titled “History of De-Witt County 1899,” the book is a result of translation and research of a German language study discovered in Yorktown in 2020.
“History of DeWitt County 1899,” by C.H. Waltersdorf, will be the centerpiece of the celebration set for Sunday, March 23, from 2-4 p.m. at the English German School located at 205 North Terrell on the Chisholm Trail Museum grounds in Cuero. The event is hosted by the De-Witt County Historical Commission and will be open to the public. Copies of the new book will be available for purchase.
In the book, Waltersdorf described Empresario Green DeWitt’s view of his new colony in 1825 that would become DeWitt County: “Everything that one could ask of Mother Nature was present: a sunny climate, adequate rainfall, and especially abundant water resources (rivers). As if bequeathed by God, a virgin and rich landscape opened up for a new wave of industrious settlers.”
By profession, Waltersdorf was the publisher of a German language newspaper in Hallettsville in Lavaca County just east of DeWitt County. Born in Germany, he came to the United States in 1889. He became a typesetter for the “Deutsche Rundschau,” a German newspaper published in Cuero. By 1895 he had established a German language newspaper in Hallettsville, “Lavaca County Nachrichten.”
In 1899 he penned “The History of De-Witt County,” covering the people and places of this county. It was this small history book that Yorktown Historical Society president Beverly Bruns found in her attic among her grandmother’s belongings. Transcribing the German language book became her goal. DeWitt County Historical Commission members Peggy Ledbetter, Mary Gayle Brindley and Glenn Rea assisted in that effort. They enlisted the help of Dr. James Kearney, historian, author and professor of Germanic Studies at University of Texas. Dr. Kearney not only translated the text, he contributed 23 pages of introduction and 92 footnotes. The translation and notes are the basis of this new book.
As an added measure of interest, the book also includes essays written by Rudolph Kleburg (1847-1924) whose family established a German colony in Texas in 1835. That family built log cabins in this county in 1848. Dr. Kearney also provides a background essay on the Kleburg family and their influence on DeWitt County.
Dr. Kearney, a resident of Colorado County, is scheduled to deliver remarks to those attending the celebration.
ThisnewbookonDeWitt County history has references to more than 600 family names and 50 locations in its index. There are also more thab 80 historic pictures that were collected by the Commission members and supporters.
Waltersdorf’s book describes early days and leaders in Yorktown, Clinton, Cuero, Yoakum, Arneckeville, Hochheim, and Lindenau. The author also provides an historic account of the infamous Sutton-Taylor feud.
DeWitt County Historical Commission plans to have German themed snacks and wine at the Sunday Kaffeeklatsch.
