Wilhelm Victor Keidel
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Victor Keidel was the first doctor and first Chief Justice in Gillespie County, Texas
. He was a veteran of the Mexican-American War. Keidel founded the settlement of Pedernales
.
, Lower Saxony
, Germany
on March 2, 1825 to Dr. Georg Keidel. He attended Georg Augusts Universität in Göttingen from 1841 to 1845.
On September 1, 1845, at the age of twenty, Keidel boarded the Brig Margaretha, captained by a man named Libben, in Bremen
, Germany and disembarked in Galveston, Texas
on December 1, 1845.
Augustus Buchel formed the First Regiment of Texas Foot Rifles, serving as its Captain. Emil Kriewitz
was a co-founding member of the company of eighty volunteers. Keidel enlisted with the unit. On May 22, 1846, the company was drafted into the service of Col. Albert Sidney Johnston
as Company H, First Texas Rifle Volunteers. The unit saw service at Matamoros, Tamaulipas
and Camargo. A combination of bad climate and bad living conditions descimated the unit, most of whom were discharged.
Upon discharge, Keidel moved to Fredericksburg
. He was appointed by John O. Meusebach to be the Verein physican in Fredericksburg, Gillespie County's
first doctor. At the age of twenty-three, he became the county's first Chief Justice in 1848.
He relocated and founded the Pedernales Settlement on the river of the same name, where he became the leader. For any settlers who would relocate with him to the settlement, he agreed to give them free medical care. By 1850 the settlement had forty-four residents of German descent. On September 11, 1854, he hosted a meeting to plan Live Oak School and was elected trustee. Keidel founded the political and cultural club Society for Good Fellowship and Promotion of General Information. His community beautification project was to plant hackberry trees along local roads.
Keidel gave medical treatment to both whites and native Americans without regard to race. The native Americans paid Keidel with fresh venison and turkeys. During the War Between the States, Keidel refused align himself with either side, and gave medical care where needed, without regard to the allegiance of the patient.
Keidel died of typhus pneumonia on January 9, 1870 and is buried with his second wife and her sister in the Kott Family Cemetery in Gillespie County.
Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...
. He was a veteran of the Mexican-American War. Keidel founded the settlement of Pedernales
Pedernales, Texas
Pedernales, Texas was an early settlement of German immigrants in Gillespie County, located southwest of Fredericksburg near what is now Texas State Highway 16...
.
Early life
Wilhelm Victor Keidel was born in HildesheimHildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states 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 March 2, 1825 to Dr. Georg Keidel. He attended Georg Augusts Universität in Göttingen from 1841 to 1845.
On September 1, 1845, at the age of twenty, Keidel boarded the Brig Margaretha, captained by a man named Libben, in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, Germany and disembarked in Galveston, Texas
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...
on December 1, 1845.
Gillespie County
In the Mexican-American War, fellow German colonist and veteran of the French Foreign LegionFrench Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
Augustus Buchel formed the First Regiment of Texas Foot Rifles, serving as its Captain. Emil Kriewitz
Emil Kriewitz
Emil Kriewitz was a German immigrant and veteran of the Mexican-American War, who came to this country with the Adelsverein colonists. After John O. Meusebach successfully negotiated the Meusebach–Comanche Treaty, Kriewitz lived among the Penateka Comanche as an intermediary between the whites...
was a co-founding member of the company of eighty volunteers. Keidel enlisted with the unit. On May 22, 1846, the company was drafted into the service of Col. Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
as Company H, First Texas Rifle Volunteers. The unit saw service at Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
and Camargo. A combination of bad climate and bad living conditions descimated the unit, most of whom were discharged.
Upon discharge, Keidel moved to 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...
. He was appointed by John O. Meusebach to be the Verein physican in Fredericksburg, Gillespie County's
Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...
first doctor. At the age of twenty-three, he became the county's first Chief Justice in 1848.
He relocated and founded the Pedernales Settlement on the river of the same name, where he became the leader. For any settlers who would relocate with him to the settlement, he agreed to give them free medical care. By 1850 the settlement had forty-four residents of German descent. On September 11, 1854, he hosted a meeting to plan Live Oak School and was elected trustee. Keidel founded the political and cultural club Society for Good Fellowship and Promotion of General Information. His community beautification project was to plant hackberry trees along local roads.
Keidel gave medical treatment to both whites and native Americans without regard to race. The native Americans paid Keidel with fresh venison and turkeys. During the War Between the States, Keidel refused align himself with either side, and gave medical care where needed, without regard to the allegiance of the patient.
State Convention of Germans
Keidel was elected vice president of the 1854 State Convention of Germans in San Antonio. The meeting adopted a political, social and religious platform, including: 1) Equal pay for equal work; 2) Direct election of the President of the United States; 3) Abolition of capital punishment; 4) “Slavery is an evil, the abolition of which is a requirement of democratic principles..”; 5) Free schools – including universities - supported by the state, without religious influence; and 6) Total separation of church and state.Personal life and death
Dr. Keidel was married and widowed twice. His first wife Albertina Kramer died in childbirth on July 1, 1852. Their son Dr. Albert Keidel built the Keidel Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg. Albert died December 21, 1914. Keidel's second marriage was to Caroline Kott of the Bear community in 1856. Caroline's health declined while she was carrying the couple's son Herman in 1865. The family relocated back to Fredericksburg, and Caroline died of a fever in August 1865 after Herman's birth.Keidel died of typhus pneumonia on January 9, 1870 and is buried with his second wife and her sister in the Kott Family Cemetery in Gillespie County.