Nicolaus Zink
Encyclopedia
Nicolaus Zink was the founder of Sisterdale, Texas
and builder of the fort Zinkenburg. Under the direction of Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels
, Zink led a caravan of new settlers from Indianola
to New Braunfels
. He laid out the town and divided the original allotted farm acreage. In 1984, the Zink house in Welfare, Texas
was designed a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
, Marker 3595.
, Bavaria
, Germany
, on February 4, 1812. He was a career civil engineer
and former Bavarian army officer. In 1844, Zink and his wife Louise von Kheusser emigrated to Texas with other Adelsverein
colonists.
, renamed Carlshafen in honor of Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels
. The colonists rode covered wagons, pushcarts, and walked, as Zink led them to New Braunfels
, arriving on March 21, 1845. The first structure in their new home was a fort named Zinkenburg, in honor of the man who brought them from Indianola. Zink laid out the townsite and adjoining acreage. Zink Street in New Braunfels is named for him. In return for his labors, Zink was given twenty-five acres in New Braunfels and one hundred acres of farmland. He subdivided the farm acreage and sold it in tracts. By 1846, Zink was bringing new colonists and merchandise from Houston to New Braunfels.
on the banks of Sister Creek was settled in 1847 by Nicolaus Zink. Originally part of Comal County
, Sisterdale became part of Kendall County
when the latter county was formed in 1862. Zink originally intended to settle in Fredericksburg
when he left New Braunfels. Zink was among the 1847 Petitioners to Create Gillespie County, Texas. Instead of Fredericksburg, Zink built a new two-story log home on Sister Creek.
Sisterdale was one of the Latin settlements
, resulting from the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
. Those who came were Forty-Eighters
, intellectual liberal abolitionists who enjoyed conversing in Latin
and believed in utopian ideals that guaranteed basic human rights to all. They reveled in passionate conversations about literature, music and philosophy. The free thinkers petitioned the Texas Congress in 1853 for a charter to operate a German-English college to be built at Sisterdale, but the petition did not come to fruition.
Among the other original settlers in Sisterdale were German pioneers Fritz and Betty Holekamp
, geographer Ernst Kapp
; Anhalt
Premier progeny journalist Dr. Carl Adolph Douai
; August Siemering
who later founded the San Antonio Express News; author, journalist and diplomat Dr. Julius Fröbel
; future Wall Street
financial wiz Gustav Theissen; Baron Edgar von Westphalen, brother to Jenny von Westphalen
who was married to Karl Marx
; and Edward Degener
, future Republican
U.S. Representative
from Texas
during Reconstruction.
In Sisterdale, Zink gained success in farming, and became shrewd in his financial dealings when selling his wheat crop to the United States Army
posts.
and moved to Barons Creek near Fredericksburg to start a gristmill. On June 4, 1866, Zink married Sara Agnes Williams.
In 1853 Zink was living in Comfort
, which had opened to German settlements in 1852.
Zink acquired land on the Kendall County settlement of Welfare
in 1868 and built a limestone house there. Nicolaus Zink died in Welfare on November 3, 1887, and is buried in an unmarked grave on the property.
Sisterdale, Texas
Sisterdale, Texas, is an unincorporated farming and ranching community, established in 1847 and located north of Boerne in Kendall County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The community is located in the valley of Sister Creek. The current 2010 population is 25...
and builder of the fort Zinkenburg. Under the direction of Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels , was a German prince and military officer in both the Austrian army and in the cavalry of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. As Commissioner General of the Adelsverein, he spearheaded the establishment of colonies of German immigrants in Texas...
, Zink led a caravan of new settlers from Indianola
Indianola, Texas
Indianola is a ghost town located on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The community, once the county seat of Calhoun County, is a part of the Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1875, the city had a population of 5,000, but on September 15 of that year, a...
to New Braunfels
New Braunfels, Texas
New Braunfels is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is a principal city of the metropolitan area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. The city's population was 57,740 as of the 2010 census, up 58% from the 2000...
. He laid out the town and divided the original allotted farm acreage. In 1984, the Zink house in Welfare, Texas
Welfare, Texas
Welfare, Texas is an unincorporated farming and ranching community southeast of Waring on the Waring-Welfare Road in west central Kendall County, in the U.S. state of Texas...
was designed a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
, Marker 3595.
Early life
Nicolaus Zink was born in BambergBamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, on February 4, 1812. He was a career civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
and former Bavarian army officer. In 1844, Zink and his wife Louise von Kheusser emigrated to Texas with other Adelsverein
Adelsverein
Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, better known as Adelsverein , organized on April 20, 1842, was a colonial attempt to establish a new Germany within the borders of Texas.-History:...
colonists.
New Braunfels
For four months, December 1844 to March 1845, Zink oversaw the settling of the colonists who arrived at IndianolaIndianola, Texas
Indianola is a ghost town located on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The community, once the county seat of Calhoun County, is a part of the Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1875, the city had a population of 5,000, but on September 15 of that year, a...
, renamed Carlshafen in honor of Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels , was a German prince and military officer in both the Austrian army and in the cavalry of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. As Commissioner General of the Adelsverein, he spearheaded the establishment of colonies of German immigrants in Texas...
. The colonists rode covered wagons, pushcarts, and walked, as Zink led them to New Braunfels
New Braunfels, Texas
New Braunfels is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is a principal city of the metropolitan area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. The city's population was 57,740 as of the 2010 census, up 58% from the 2000...
, arriving on March 21, 1845. The first structure in their new home was a fort named Zinkenburg, in honor of the man who brought them from Indianola. Zink laid out the townsite and adjoining acreage. Zink Street in New Braunfels is named for him. In return for his labors, Zink was given twenty-five acres in New Braunfels and one hundred acres of farmland. He subdivided the farm acreage and sold it in tracts. By 1846, Zink was bringing new colonists and merchandise from Houston to New Braunfels.
Sisterdale
SisterdaleSisterdale, Texas
Sisterdale, Texas, is an unincorporated farming and ranching community, established in 1847 and located north of Boerne in Kendall County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The community is located in the valley of Sister Creek. The current 2010 population is 25...
on the banks of Sister Creek was settled in 1847 by Nicolaus Zink. Originally part of Comal County
Comal County, Texas
Comal County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 108,472. Its seat is New Braunfels.Comal County is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History Timeline:...
, Sisterdale became part of Kendall County
Kendall County, Texas
Kendall County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2008 census, its population was 32,886. Its seat is Boerne....
when the latter county was formed in 1862. Zink originally intended to settle in Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
when he left New Braunfels. Zink was among the 1847 Petitioners to Create Gillespie County, Texas. Instead of Fredericksburg, Zink built a new two-story log home on Sister Creek.
Sisterdale was one of the Latin settlements
Latin Settlement
Latin settlement is a term that refers to a handful of communities founded by German immigrants to the United States in the 1840s. Most of these were in Texas, but there were "Latin Settlements" in other states as well...
, resulting from the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
. Those who came were Forty-Eighters
Forty-Eighters
The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...
, intellectual liberal abolitionists who enjoyed conversing in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and believed in utopian ideals that guaranteed basic human rights to all. They reveled in passionate conversations about literature, music and philosophy. The free thinkers petitioned the Texas Congress in 1853 for a charter to operate a German-English college to be built at Sisterdale, but the petition did not come to fruition.
Among the other original settlers in Sisterdale were German pioneers Fritz and Betty Holekamp
Betty Holekamp
Betty Holekamp was a German colonist and pioneer in Texas. She is recognized for several "firsts" as a Texas pioneer, such as being the first to sew an American flag upon Texas's acceptance into the Union, and thus is known as the Betsy Ross of Texas...
, geographer Ernst Kapp
Ernst Kapp
Ernst Kapp was a German philosopher of technology and geographer, he was also a follower of Carl Ritter.He was prosecuted for sedition in the late 1840's for publishing a small article entitled 'Der konstituiert Despotismus und die konstitutionelle Freiheit' and was subsequently forced to leave...
; Anhalt
Anhalt
Anhalt was a sovereign county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Dukes of Anhalt :...
Premier progeny journalist Dr. Carl Adolph Douai
Carl Adolph Douai
Karl Daniel Adolph Douai , known to his peers as "Adolph," was a German Texan teacher as well as a socialist and abolitionist newspaper editor...
; August Siemering
August Siemering
August Siemering , was a notable German Texan educator, writer, publisher and political leader.-Forty-Eighters and Freethinkers:...
who later founded the San Antonio Express News; author, journalist and diplomat Dr. Julius Fröbel
Julius Fröbel
Julius Fröbel was a journalist, diplomat and author. He was active in Western Europe, the United States and South America at different times in his life.-Biography:...
; future Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
financial wiz Gustav Theissen; Baron Edgar von Westphalen, brother to Jenny von Westphalen
Jenny von Westphalen
Baroness Johanna Bertha Julie "Jenny" von Westphalen was the wife of the philosopher Karl Marx. They became engaged in 1836 and married in 1843. They had six children.- Background :...
who was married to Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
; and Edward Degener
Edward Degener
Edward Degener was a Republican U.S. Representative from Texas during Reconstruction.-Biography:Born in Brunswick, Germany, Degener pursued an academic course in Germany and in England...
, future Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
during Reconstruction.
In Sisterdale, Zink gained success in farming, and became shrewd in his financial dealings when selling his wheat crop to the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
posts.
Personal life and death
In 1847, Zink divorced Louise. By 1850, he was married to Elisabeth Mangold. They sold their Sisterdale home and acreage to Eduard DegenerEdward Degener
Edward Degener was a Republican U.S. Representative from Texas during Reconstruction.-Biography:Born in Brunswick, Germany, Degener pursued an academic course in Germany and in England...
and moved to Barons Creek near Fredericksburg to start a gristmill. On June 4, 1866, Zink married Sara Agnes Williams.
In 1853 Zink was living in Comfort
Comfort, Texas
Comfort is a census-designated place in Kendall County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,363 at the 2010 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, which had opened to German settlements in 1852.
Zink acquired land on the Kendall County settlement of Welfare
Welfare, Texas
Welfare, Texas is an unincorporated farming and ranching community southeast of Waring on the Waring-Welfare Road in west central Kendall County, in the U.S. state of Texas...
in 1868 and built a limestone house there. Nicolaus Zink died in Welfare on November 3, 1887, and is buried in an unmarked grave on the property.