Johann Adam Baecker (1810 - 1879)

Born 9 Nov 1810 in Camberg, Herzogtum, Nassau, Deutscher Bund

Husband of Josepha (Diehl) Baecker — married 23 Jan 1836 in Camberg, Limburg-Weilburg, Hessen, Germany

Husband of Margarethe (Diehl) Baecker — married 23 Feb 1841 in Camberg, Limburg-Weilburg, Hessen, Germany

Husband of Mary (Mundac) Becker — married 1861 in Pin Oak, Bastrop County, Texas, USA

Descendants

Died 3 Sep 1879 at age 68 in Pin Oak, Bastrop County, Texas, United States

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Adam Baecker has German Roots.

Adam Baecker migrated from Germany to Texas, USA.

Biography

Johannes Adam Baecker

NOTE: My thanks go to Helmut Jungschaffer, who cheerfully provided translations and German knowledge to this author to correctly write the cities, districts and regions in Germany for this time period.

Society for Protection of German Immigrants in Texas (Verein zum Schutze deutscher Einwanderer in Texas)

A group of noblemen from Schloss Biebrich am Rhein, Germany formed a group (Verein zum Schutze deutscher Einwanderer in Texas) or Mainzer Adelsverein to promote emigration, settlement in Texas. They signed for a grant in central Texas, then sent Prince Carl of Solms to Texas to organize everything. ^{[1][2] [3]} This group was to provide sea and overland transportation to colonies, with a 500 Acre grant.

New Braunfels Mural.

Prince Carl of Solms saw the distance from the coast to the Adelverein grant was large. He signed for a new area for settlers: land near the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers with plenty of fresh water and wood for a way station:New Braunfels. He found a bay for ships to discharge immigrants (Indianola). ^[3]Prince Carl of Solms' replacement was Meusenbach who arrived, balanced the account books, signed a treaty with Indians, contracted teamsters for oxen/horse driven wagons for transporting the immigrants to New Braunfels in the future Comal County.^[3]

Meusenbach found nothing had been done to swampy Indianola. The Mexican American war had started, which enticed the teamsters to work hauling supplies for U.S. Army for more money. This left the German emigrants without transportation except to walk.^[4] Heavy rains resulted in disease and deaths of many of the German Immigrants. Upon learning 4000 were on their way, he bought 11,000 Acres of head right land for another way station, Fredericksburg. When he resigned there were no roads, land needed to be surveyed in New Braunfels and Fredericksburg. ^[3]

The Mainzer Adelsverein company misjudged the huge number of immigrants, size of Texas, distance from the coast, and the imminent Mexican American War of 1846-1848. The (7380) emigrants waited for transportation in the swampy area of Indianola for transportation wagons to New Braunfels. ^[5][1][2][3]

IMMIGRATION (German Pioneer)

Johann Adam was born 9 March 1810 (FindaGrave) in Camburg, Germany to father Johann George Baecker. He married Josepha Diehl on 23 Jan 1836, daughter of Phillip Diehl and Ann Maria Schult in Camberg, Germany. Children: Johann Phillip, 1833 and Margarethe,1835. Josepha Diehl Baecker passed away 12 Jan 1840 in Camberg, Germany.

Johann Adam next married Josepha's younger sister, Margarethe Diehl 1840 in Camberg, Germany. Children born were: Annette, George 1842 and Charlotte 1844. Even with skills of carpenter, farming and a cartwright's shop with a separate house, taxes were too high to support his family.

Adam heard of an immigration group called Verein zum Schutze deutscher Einwanderer. ^[2] Adam decided to immigrate to Texas where living would be better. He paid 500 Gulden for his family's passage to the promised 500 Acre of land, and signed the agreement. ^[1].

They departed from Antwerp on the ship Bohemia 4 Aug 1845-46. ^[6] Adam brought with him 2800 Guilden. His brother in law and brother with his wife came also. Each family was required to bring their food, water for the family for the voyage. Food went bad before completing of the sea voyage. The youngest child of the Baeckers died and was buried at sea. The 3 masted ship arrived in Galveston, Texas, then immigrants transferred to a packet boat for the trip west to Indianola, TX and arrived 10 Oct 1846 to chaos in Indianola. ^[2] Adam Baecker Manuscripts Indianola was still swampy, they finally found transportation overland to New Braunfels in a wagon pulled by horses or oxen.

There were just ruts in the mud left by other wagons for roads.. They made many stops to build rafts to cross creeks. Way stops had been established and many settlers stopped to settle there. ^[3]

Adam left Margarethe and children in New Braunfels, Comal Co. while he went on to Austin, TX to file his claim. In Austin, Adam learned he had been cheated of his claim. ^[7] The Guadalupe and Comal Rivers were flooded, preventing traveling directly south to New Braunfels. When the rivers went down enough to cross, he returned to New Braunfels, Comal Co.. Upon arrival in New Braunfels, he learned Margarethe had died, thinking he had been killed.

SETTLEMENT

Adam moved the children to settle Northwest in Comal County, Texas. He cleared the land to homestead for his farm and cattle. He built a house with a church for the Catholics to worship. The U.S. 1850 census shows Adam in Bastrop, Texas with the 4 children.^{[8] [9]}

Waymarker

In 1852, the homestead of Adam, was in Spring Branch, Comal County, Texas.. Adam built his house- 2 floors, 6 room log cabin of locally quarried stone and hand-hewn cypress from the banks of the nearby Guadalupe River. He added slate notches to fire weapons at any attacking Indians. (The area of remains of the house and a Texas Historical Marker stand today Northwest of New Braunfels in the hills of western Bastrop Co., Texas.) ^[10]. Adam hauled the first bell for the church with a donkey from Indianola, (over 200 miles). The bell still hangs in the 3rd church. He constructed the altar, the frame for the picture of the Crucifixion and a church pew. ^[2]

Adam gradually 'Americanized' his name so that he was known to all as "Adam Becker". Adam continued to contribute to the Adelsverein (German Emigration Company) and helped with the building in Fredericksburg, Texas. He married Mary Elizabeth Mundac (Monkin) 1861, their children were: Wilhelm 'William', Kathryn (1862–1959), Mary (1865–1885), Susan (1870–1956) and Rosa Barbara (1875–1950).

Adam became a naturalized citizen in 1860. The U.S. 1870 census shows Adam with 5 children and some grown. ^{[11] [10]}

Death:1901, Pin Oak/Springbranch Comal County, Texas USA

Burial: Saint Marys Catholic Cemetery, (his homestead). Find A Grave: Memorial #33628071 Adam Baecker ^{[12][13] [14]}

Note1: Adam's first choice of New Braunfels, Comal, TX, was a settlement of many German emigrants, but Adam moved on and built his house in Pin Oak, TX.. Pin Oak later became known as Spring Branch. Pin Oak is now a ghost town.

NOTE 2: Although Adam Baecker/Becker was cheated out of his land grant in 1846 for which he had paid money to Verein zum Schutze deutscher Einwanderer, Adam survived in Texas by purchasing land, and farm it.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} A New Land Beckoned: German Immigration to Texas, 1844-1847
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} "Die Auswanderung as dem Kreis, Limburg- Weilburg in den Kreis, Bastrop Co., Texas" (the Emigration from Limburg-Weilburg County to Bastrop Co., Texas" by Manfred Kunz: translated by Carol Marlo of St Louis, MO exerpt published in the St Louis Genealogical Quarterly I Vol XXXIV No.2 1991; I & 2 Vol XXIV Genealogical and Historical Society of Caldwell County; Luling, Texas, Plum Creek Almanac, Vol 10
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc701346/m2/1/high_res_d/Voyage%20to%20North%20America.pdf
4. ↑ http://www.texasescapes.com/WTBlock/Texas-German-Pilgrims-Death-March-to-Comal-County.htm
5. ↑ Louis E. Brister, ADELSVEREIN, Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ufa01), accessed April 13, 2015. Uploaded on June 9, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
6. ↑ U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s, www.ancestry.com
7. ↑ Baecker family history
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXLJ-JN8 : accessed 14 April 2015), Adam Becker, Bastrop county, Bastrop, Texas, United States; citing family 377, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.)
9. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pin_Oak,_Texas
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} way marker for homestead http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM17D0_Adam_Becker_Homestead
11. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXGV-3S5 : accessed 14 April 2015), Adam Becker, Texas, United States; citing p. 219, family 1597, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,073.
12. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKH-6WM7 : accessed 14 April 2015), Johann Adam Becker, 1879; Burial, Pin Oak, Bastrop, Texas, United States of America, Saint Marys Catholic Cemetery; citing record ID 33628071, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
13. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2657994/adam-becker-grave-site
14. ↑ "Bridging Spring Branch and Western Comal County, Texas" by Brenda-Anderson-Lindemann (2012), p. 94

• https://s3.glo.texas.gov/history/archives/forms/files/glo-german-collections.pdf

See also:

• http://vrhc.uhv.edu/manuscripts/indianola/iddresult.cfm?keyword=Adam+Becker&submit=Search

Note3 The city, Camberg is currently in Hessen, Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Hesse, Federal Republic of Germany)

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Helmut Jungschaffer for translations and German knowledge for this author to write the correct cities, districts and regions in Germany. Thanks to Donny Eisenbach for the Adam Becker article, and Carol Marlo's translation of Die Auswanderung as dem Kreis, Limburg- Weilburg in den Kreis, Bastrop County, Texas" (the Emigration from Limburg-Weilburg Co. to Bastrop Co., Texas" by Manfred Kunz: translated by Carol Marlo of St Louis, MO