Der Stadt Friedhof

Der Stadt Friedhof (the city cemetery) is a pioneer cemetery established in 1846 along Barons Creek on the corner of East Schubert Street and Lee Street, in Fredericksburg, Texas. It is the oldest known cemetery within Fredericksburg and is the final resting place for many of the original German colonists who arrived when John O. Meusebach opened up the area to settlement.

Der Stadt Friedhof
Details
Established1846
Location
on Barons Creek, corner of E. Schubert and Lee Streets
Fredericksburg, Texas
CountryUnited States
Coordinates30°16′16″N 98°51′42″W
No. of graves5000+plus
Der Stadt Friedhof
Der Stadt Friedhof, Fredericksburg, Texas

Background

When Herman Wilke laid out the town, a plot of land was set aside for the cemetery.[1] The various denominations who worshiped in the Vereins Kirche were responsible for cemetery maintenance. In 1850, the Catholics broke away and started their own church, establishing their own cemetery, now known as the Old Pioneer Cemetery.[2] There are upwards of 5,000 graves in Der Stadt Friedhof, not all of them currently marked, many unidentifiable due to the passage of time. Some of the graves had only wooden markers which rotted in time, and some graves were obliterated whenever Barons Creek overflowed its banks. During cholera epidemics many people were buried in mass graves. Rather than being grouped in family plots, the deceased have been buried in chronological order according to when they died. The oldest readable grave marker is dated 1849. Many of the tombstones are written in German.[3]

The graves in Der Stadt Friedhof are noted for their artistic carvings and sculptures. What is possibly the last known work of sculptor Elisabet Ney, that of a tousled haired cherub resting over a grave and known as the 1906 Schnerr Memorial, can be found at Der Stadt Friedhof.[4]

On May 5, 2000, the State of Texas recognized Der Stadt Friedhof as a State Historical Cemetery.[5]

Notable burials in Der Stadt Friedhof
  • Joseph Wilson Baines (1846–1906)[6] Grandfather of Lyndon Baines Johnson[7]
  • Ruth Ament Huffman Baines (1854–1936)[8] Grandmother of Lyndon Baines Johnson[7]
  • Thomas C Doss (1822–1873), co-founder of Doss, Texas[9]
  • Amanda Julia Estill (1882–1965) Educator, writer, and folklorist[10]
  • Lieutenant Louis J. Jordan (1890–1918) First Texan killed in World War I. Football player for the Texas Longhorns. The Louis Jordan Post of the American Legion in Fredericksburg is named in his honor.[11]
  • Hugo Emil Klaerner (1908–1982) Chicago White Sox pitcher[12]
  • John Peter Tatsch (1822–1907) Master cabinet maker. Tatsch's work is prized by collectors of Texas primitive furniture. His home is listed in the Historic American Buildings Survey of the United States Department of the Interior and its plans placed in the Library of Congress[13]

Signers of petition to create Gillespie County buried in Der Stadt Friedhof
  • Louis (Ludwig) Martin (1820–1864)[14] (First sheriff of Gillespie County)
  • Charles Henry Nimitz (1826–1911)[15] (Grandfather of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz)

See also

Further reading
  • Hafertepe, Kenneth (2015). A Guide to the Historic Buildings of Fredericksburg and Gillespie County. Texas A & M University Press. pp. 162, 217–21, 232. ISBN 978-1-62349-273-1. OCLC 905970019 – via Project MUSE.

Notes
  1. Morgenthaler (2007) p.58
  2. "Der Friedhof Cemetery Records 1846–1996". Gillespie County Historical Society. Archived from the original on 29 June 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  3. Unruh, Leon (2000). "Straight and Narrow is the Path in Fredericksburg". Final Destinations: A Travel Guide for Remarkable Cemeteries in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. University of North Texas Press. pp. 84, 85, 86, 87, 88. ISBN 978-1-57441-085-3.
  4. Elizabeth Emma Schneider Schnerr at Find a Grave
  5. "Details – Der Stadt Friedhof Cemetery – Atlas Number 7171000105 – Atlas: Texas Historical Commission". atlas.thc.state.tx.us. Texas State Historical Commission. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  6. Joseph Wilson Baines at Find a Grave
  7. Woods, Randall Bennett (2006). Lyndon Baines Johnson. Free Press. pp. 16, 17. ISBN 978-0-684-83458-0.
  8. Ruth Ament Huffman Baines at Find a Grave
  9. Thomas C Doss at Find a Grave
  10. Amanda Julia Estill at Find a Grave
  11. Lieutenant Louis J. Jordan at Find a Grave
  12. "Baseball-Hugo Emil Klaerner". Tex Gen Web. Archived from the original on 16 September 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011."Facts and Rumors from Major-Minor League Ball Marts". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 8 February 2011.Hugo Emil Klaerner at Find a Grave
  13. John Peter Tatsch at Find a Grave"THC-John Peter Tatsch". Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. Texas Historical Commission. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  14. Louis "Ludwig" Martin at Find a Grave
  15. Charles Henry Nimitz at Find a Grave

References
  • Morgenthaler, Jefferson (2007). The German Settlement of the Texas Hill Country. Mockingbird Books. ISBN 978-1-932801-09-5.
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