Ottmar von Behr
Encyclopedia
Ottmar von Behr was a meteorologist
and naturalist
, who became an Adelsverein
colonist in Texas. He was the second settler at Sisterdale, Texas
, and the person who gave the town its name.
and naturalist
whose circle of friends included geographer-naturalist Alexander von Humboldt
and Bettina von Arnim
, for whom the Llano County
commune of Bettina, Texas was named.
. Gustav Dresel, Special Business Agent for the Adelsverein, sent correspondence in 1847 that Behr and his family had arrived from Germany and were staying with him in Galveston
, which was founded by Nicolaus Zink in 1847 on the bank of the Sister Creek. Ottmar von Behr first purchased a ranch two miles south of Sisterdale on what became FM 1376. Louise and Ottmar purchased an additional ranch, ten miles north of Boerne, with the same location. He developed a cross breed of sheep by breeding imported German sheep with Mexican sheep. Behr was appointed the first postmaster of Sisterdale on October 23, 1851. On October 16–17, 1853, Behr and three other vocalists represented Sisterdale at the first Texas Sangerfest in New Braunfels, sponsored by the New Braunfels Gesangverein.
Sisterdale was one of the Latin Settlement
s, 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. Visitors to Behr's Sisterdale home included Duke Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg, John Russell Bartlett
, and Frederick Law Olmsted
, who admired his lending library, pictures, and harpsichord.
Among the other original settlers in Sisterdale were German 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.
census of 1850 lists Ottmar von Behr and wife Louise with three children, but it is not known if Louise or his first wife was the mother of any of the children. Behr died on a later trip to Germany in 1856. Louise von Behr and four children remained in Texas.
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
and naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, who became an 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:...
colonist in Texas. He was the second settler at Sisterdale, Texas
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 the person who gave the town its name.
Early years
Baron Ottmar von Behr was born at Anhalt-Cöthen in 1810 to Chamber President August von Behr. He was a meteorologistMeteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
and naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
whose circle of friends included geographer-naturalist Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
and Bettina von Arnim
Bettina von Arnim
Bettina von Arnim , born Elisabeth Catharina Ludovica Magdalena Brentano, was a German writer and novelist....
, for whom the Llano County
Llano County, Texas
Llano County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 19, 301. Its county seat is Llano, and the county is named for the Llano River....
commune of Bettina, Texas was named.
Texas
Behr first came to Texas via New Orleans aboard the Itzstein and Welcker, date unknown. During 1846, he was in Houston where he made the acquaintance of Hermann SpiessHermann Spiess
Hermann Spiess was co-founder of the Bettina, Texas commune in 1847. He became Commissioner-General of the Adelsverein after the resignation of John O. Meusebach.-Early life:...
. Gustav Dresel, Special Business Agent for the Adelsverein, sent correspondence in 1847 that Behr and his family had arrived from Germany and were staying with him in Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
Sisterdale
Behr became the second resident of the settlement he named 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...
, which was founded by Nicolaus Zink in 1847 on the bank of the Sister Creek. Ottmar von Behr first purchased a ranch two miles south of Sisterdale on what became FM 1376. Louise and Ottmar purchased an additional ranch, ten miles north of Boerne, with the same location. He developed a cross breed of sheep by breeding imported German sheep with Mexican sheep. Behr was appointed the first postmaster of Sisterdale on October 23, 1851. On October 16–17, 1853, Behr and three other vocalists represented Sisterdale at the first Texas Sangerfest in New Braunfels, sponsored by the New Braunfels Gesangverein.
Sisterdale was one of the Latin Settlement
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...
s, 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. Visitors to Behr's Sisterdale home included Duke Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg, John Russell Bartlett
John Russell Bartlett
John Russell Bartlett was an American historian and linguist.-Biography:Bartlett was born in Providence, Rhode Island...
, and Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
, who admired his lending library, pictures, and harpsichord.
Among the other original settlers in Sisterdale were German 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.
Personal life and death
Ottmar von Behr was married twice, and owned property in Germany to which he made regular trips to collect rents. Nothing is known about the first wife, except that the marriage resulted in daughters whom Behr accompanied to Germany to enroll in school. His second wife was Louise Katzfass. The Comal CountyComal 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:...
census of 1850 lists Ottmar von Behr and wife Louise with three children, but it is not known if Louise or his first wife was the mother of any of the children. Behr died on a later trip to Germany in 1856. Louise von Behr and four children remained in Texas.