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William and Auguste had five children when they moved to Austin, and they reared a total of eleven. There were a total of 48 grandchildren, of whom all but two were born in Austin. Two of their grandchildren are still living; both are over ninety years of age, and both live in Austin. It is the activities of these first three generations in Austin that I will discuss.

William was appointed to the Land Office in October 1856, when a vacancy occurred. Prior to that time William made drawings of the City of Austin. Three of these are in collections in Austin. His drawing of the state Capitol is in the Barker Collection at the University of Texas. It was exhibited throughout the state in the sesquicentennial year of 1986 with other Texas drawings and lithographs and is included in a book published in 1988 for the centennial year of the present Capitol.

Having a large family, William and Auguste knew the importance of education. In l857 they gave the land and $1000 in gold for the construction of the German Free School. Later, when public schools were established in Austin in 1880, William was elected to the first school board and was instrumental in the founding of the Austin High School in that year.

William was appointed chief draftsman at the Land Office in 1861 and continued in that position until 1863 when he left to serve as topographical engineer in the Confederate Army. After this service he resumed his position In the Land Office until Reconstruction began in 1867 when he lost his United States citizenship because of his service in the Confederate Army. Later he regained his United States citizenship. William spent the remainder of his life in a successful land agency. In 1871 he built a large stone house at 16th and Guadalupe Streets where he and Auguste resided the rest of their lives.

William von Rosenberg also served in the Austin City government. He was an alderman when he left for the army in 1863, and he was elected again in 1866 and in 1867 and was serving when the government was deposed in November, 1867, by Reconstruction. William and Auguste were also active in the religious life of Austin. In 1884 they were charter members of St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church. A stained glass window in their memory hangs in the educational building of the church today. William von Rosenberg wrote the first history of German settlement In Texas In 1894. He wrote this to refute an inaccurate article in a German language newspaper. His work served as the primary source for later histories Including Biesele's in 1930. After publication of Bialele's book, William's Kritik was not used since it was written in German. However, in 1981, William's Kritik was translated in English by Louis Brister and published In Southwestern Historical Quarterly.

Several of William and Auguste's sons served in city, county, and state government. Ernst, my grandfather, served one term as alderman. During this term he was on the building committee when the Municipal Building at 8th and Colorado was started. His name appears on the cornerstone of this building. Ernst was a member of and, for 41 years, Secretary-Treasurer of the Austin Hook & Ladder #1 volunteer fire department. Shortly before his death, Ernst was presented an ornate gold watch by George W. Littlefield in recognition of this service. Ernst played an important part in fighting the fire of the Temporary Capitol Building. At that time, there were two sets of fireplugs in Austin, one owned by the City and one by Joe Nalle. Mr. Nalle always sent a watchman to his fireplugs during a fire because the City would not pay him for the water. When the pressure on the City plugs failed, the firemen started to connect to the Nalle plug. The watchman told them to stop but Ernst, brandishing a wrench in a threatening manner said, "We'll have blood or water." They had water.

Ernst worked In the General Land Office for 39 years and, like his father, served as chief draftsman. He worked at the Land Office during the time that Will Porter, later known as 0. Henry, worked there. Ernst married Helene Lungkwitz, daughter of the artist Hermann Lungkwitz. Another Lungkwitz daughter, Martha, married Jacob Bickler who ran the Bickler Academy, a private school in Austin. The Bicklers and the Ernst von Rosenbergs were friends of E1isabet Ney, and the families hold picnics on the grounds of her studio.

Another of William and Auguste's sons, Paul, farmed in eastern Travis County and later ran a store In Manchaca. He served as county commissioner and started a road building project. In 1913 Paul moved his family to a ranch north of Lubbock.

It was William and Auguste's fifth son, William, Jr., who was best known for building roads In Austin and Travis County. William, Jr., obtained his law degree from Vanderbilt University and practiced law In Austin for 39 years. He held a number of elective offices, beginning as Justice of the Peace and culminating as County Judge of Travis County. He was elected first in 1892 and then again In 1912 and 1914. It was during his first term that he was known for building roads 0. Henry in his Rolling Stone newspaper called him the "Coloi3sus of Roads." William, Jr., sponsored other public improvements and compiled laws and regulations for the county. He also served as assistant fire chief. William, Jr., was an accomplished artist and is known to have published at least one piece of music.

Frederick, the youngest son, was also a lawyer, having obtained his degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D. C. Frederick held a number of appointive positions in state government, including Chairman of the blind school. He was later appointed to an unexpired term as Commissioner of Insurance and Banking.
 

The older three daughters all were piano pupils of Prof. Besserer. Laura, who married George von Carlowitz, moved to Fort Worth In 1890. When she would come to Austin for a visit, her sister Anna Hornberger would ride in from her husband's dairy near Fiskville to play duets with Laura and sister Emma. Emma was married to August Giesen who was business manager of Tips Hardware. Before her marriage, Emma worked in her father's land agency, attending to all correspondence in long hand. She was one of the first young ladies to work in a business In Austin.

The grandchildren of William and Auguste were also involved in the life of Austin. William had been active in Confederate veteran's activities and was on the committee which had the Confederate monument placed on the Capitol grounds In Austin. When this monument was dedicated shortly after his death, his granddaughter, Marie von Rosenberg, daughter of Ernst, unfurled the Confederate flag at the ceremonies. Marie later married Max Goeth of Cypress Mill and moved to the large stone ranch house of the Goeth family there.

Two of Ernst's sons, Ernest and my father, Hermann, followed their father and grandfather as engineers and mapmakers for the State of Texas. Both of them worked almost all their professional lives for the state. They began their careers as topographic mapmakers for the Reclamation Department and were transferred to the Land Office when the two departments were merged. Hermann completed his career with the Land Office, but E:rnest soon transferred to the highway department. These three generations of Texas mapmakers are featured In the German-Texan section of the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio. All three of Hermann's sons were trained as engineers as were two of my sons and one of my nephews. Thus, there are now five generations of engineers in the family.

Two other grandchildren influenced the lives of many young people In Austin. Granddaughter Edna was a teacher in the Austin Public Schools for more than forty years. She was on the mathematics faculty at Austin High School for 37 of these years. In the early 1940's, while on the high school faculty, she received her doctorate from the University of Texas. Dr. Edna was a demanding and exacting teacher, and many of her students came to appreciate the discipline she required.

Grandson August, son of William, Jr., began his career with the City of Austin as a policeman. He was one of the first two motorcycle patrolmen in Austin and was the nemesis of many young men who liked to speed In their automobiles through the city. August later joined the fire department and served as fire captain at the East Austin station for a number of years.

A number of other grandchildren also worked for various governmental agencies in Austin. August's brother William and their cousin Edgar were employed by the county. Other members of this generation had various positions In business or had farms or ranches. Several of the Hornbergers were dairymen like their father and for many years provided Austinites with milk.

Most of the next generation, the great-grandchildren grew up in and around Austin. Some of us, after completing our education In Austin, moved away to pursue professional careers. However, some of these have moved back to Austin upon retirement. Members of my children's generation are living throughout the United States, and many have never lived In Austin. However, the greatest concentration of the family remains in Austin. Thus, the von Rosenberg family will continue to contribute to life In Austin for generations to come.

Here are some excerpts from von Rosenberg Family History Volume I

 

Welcome to the Family Branch Page

Here you can read about the life of each family branch member. The following is taken from Volume I of The von Rosenberg Family of Texas book. To order the book and read the complete history, click here.
 

1794-1866

Peter Carl Johann von Rosenberg was the third son of Otto von Rosenberg and his second wife, Maria Wilhelmine von Stempel-von Rosenberg, of Raddeilen and Eckitten Estates. He was nine years old when his parents were divorced and we know nothing of his early life and education. He enlisted in the Prussian Army at an early age and at twenty-one he became a lieutenant in the cavalry. He later told his grandson Arthur von Rosenberg that in the Battle of Leipzig his horse's mouth was shot away, but he quickly mounted another horse whose rider had been killed. He fought with the Prussian guards under Bluecher with Wellington. When Napoleon faced the English on Belgian soil at Waterloo, with the remnant of the once-defeated Prussians and the fresh Prussians forces under Bluecher, the tide of battle turned on June 18, 1815. In 1819 he inherited Eckitten Estate after the death of his widowed stepmother, and the same year he married Johanna Dorothea Froelich. They had four children, Carl Hermann, Carl Wilhelm, Johanna Carolina and Johannes Carl, before she died at the age of twenty-nine, six weeks after the birth of Johannes. Peter Carl was a "Frei Denker" and in the disturbing days of 1848 was severely criticized for his political views. The consequent humiliation of the family was the direct cause of the immigration to Texas. In February 1830 Peter Carl married Amanda Fallier in Memel, East Prussia and had six more children. Carl Eugen, Amanda Karoline, Carl Alexander, Carl August Walter, Carl Freidrich Wilhelm and Charlotte Wilhelmine Libussa . Peter Carl died in 1866 of typhoid fever. He is buried in La Grange, Texas.

1806-1864

Much of the history Of Amanda Fallier cannot be found. However, history did come down by word of mouth that the early family members had always known she was of French descent and the family had originated in Italy. From the Froelich book we also learn that Amanda had four sisters and one brother, that all received splendid educations, were cultured, and grew up in a home of refinement. At the age of twenty-four Amanda married Peter Carl Johann von Rosenberg. They lived at Eckitten Estate and there she mothered Peter Carl's children by his first wife, then their own five children, and after 1846 the niece of Peter Carl and his wife Johanna Froelich. Therefore the little adopted girl, Libussa, was a double cousin of the first children. She was only seven years old, the same age as their youngest son, Walter. Amanda became ill in January of 1864 and died in April. Her death was caused by a stroke of apoplexy. She was buried in Soergel Hill Cemetery near Round Top.

1821-1901

Carl Wilhelm, son of Peter Carl and Johanna von Rosenberg, was born on his father's estate, Eckitten, near Memel, East Prussia. He was tall, with piercing brown eyes and dark or brown hair. Upon completing the course at the Memel high school, Wilhelm served as a government surveyor's apprentice. In '1838 he was employed as private secretary to administrative land official and accompanied him to Saxony. Wilhelm then entered the army and served his time as a soldier until 1844, when he was appointed lieutenant in the reserves. In 1845 at the Royal Academy in Berlin he passed the examination for surveyor with the unusual qualification of "excellent" and became a licensed surveyor. From 1846 to 1848 he attended the University of Architecture in Berlin, which qualified him as royal architect. He was then employed to supervise construction of two government school buildings in Berlin. Upon completing that assignment in June 1849, he was promptly discharged, proscribed because of outspoken democratic ideas and barred from further employment with the royal Prussian government. Rather than have him receive a dishonorable discharge, Wilhelm's major allowed him 'to resign his commission as lieutenant in the Prussian Reserve Army. Wilhelm realized that he would always be opposed by governmental influences because of his liberal ideas, so, like many other cultured Germans of that period, he chose a career in America. Wilhelm married Auguste Anders near Berlin in September 1849. In 1850 William purchased a small farm, part of Nassau Plantation owned by his father, near Round Top, Fayette County, Texas. He farmed for six years, learned the English language and in 1855 became a citizen of the United States. Being a skilled draftsman, he was called upon to draw a design for the Fayette County Courthouse in La Grange. The land office then occupied a small frame building in the Capitol yard. In 1861 he was appointed chief draftsman, which position he held until 1863, when he left to serve as topographical engineer under General J. Bankhead Magruder in the Confederate Army. His rank was Captain, in Hood's Brigade. He passed away at his home in December, 1901, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Austin.

1824-1856

Johanna Carolina von Rosenberg was the only daughter of Johanna Dorothea Froelich and Peter Carl Johann von Rosenberg. Her mother died when she was two years old. After their father's remarriage in 1830, the children made their home with him and their stepmother, but their education was continued at their grandmother's estate under the instruction of Dr. George Schiemann, whose private school was located on that estate. In August 1849, the von Rosenberg family started on its journey to Texas and stopped for a visit in Potsdam, the home of William's good friend and university classmate, Herman Hellmuth. They toured the beautiful gardens of Potsdam and spent their afternoons and evenings singing and dancing at the Hellmuth home, where gaiety prevailed and witty conversation flowed freely. It was in this romantic atmosphere that Johanna Carolina and Herman Hellmuth fell in love with each other. The von Rosenberg family, with the exception of William and Johanna, continued their journey to Bremen. William went to Berlin but Johanna remained in Potsdam. After a few days, Johanna, William, and Herman Hellmuth traveled to Herzberg. It was during this time that Johanna and Herman became engaged, and Herman decided to emigrate with her family to Texas. They would have married before sailing, but the Bremen laws prohibited marriage of an emigrant. On December 10, 1849, Johanna and Herman were married in Galveston, Texas. They went to San Felipe on the steamer Washington journeyed by wagon through Industry, Texas, and arrived January 28, 1850 at Farm Nassau, which Johanna's father had purchased. Johanna died in 1856, leaving three children. Two children having died in infancy. She was buried in the Kraus Cemetery, Nassau, Fayette County, Texas.

1826-1906

Johannes Carl von Rosenberg was born at Eckitten Estate, where his mother died when he was a few weeks old. The Veithofer-Froelich grandmother, beloved by all, took him home immediately after the funeral and cared for him until the remarriage of his father four years later. After his schooling at the Paul-Narmund Estate under Herr Schiemann, he was mobilized in the National Guards of East Prussia, served his term, and became a Sergeant Major in the infantry. Johannes immigrated to America with his family in 1849. After Johannes married Julie Groos in 1850, they lived on a farm that was part of Nassau Plantation, which he had cultivated while he boarded with his sister Hannchen Hellmuth nearby. Later he bought a larger farm at Evergreen, then Lee County, now Washington County. Soon the Civil War began, and he and his older brother William were together in the Engineer's Corps in East Texas. At his return he decided to give up farming and moved to Round Top, where the family resided until his wife died in 1894. In Round Top he founded a mercantile business and also an inn, which was widely known to travelers in that day. After 1894 he retired and lived with his two unmarried daughters, Hulda and Minnchen, until his death at the age of eighty. Johannes Carl died in l906 and was buried in the new cemetery in La Grange. There his wife was soon re-interred by his side.

1830-1913

Carl Eugen von Rosenberg was the first child of Amanda Falier and Peter Carl Johann von Rosenberg. His mother always looked to him for help in their pioneering days. He came to Texas in 1849 with his parents. He was too young to have taken much advantage of education before leaving Europe, Eugen lived on Nassau Farm or Plantation. He soon had his own cows and horses; after he was grown he farmed and was in charge of hauling freight and express from the nearest railroad station. He married Theodora Anna Henriette Sack-von Roeder on December 17, 1853. They had five children. After the Civil War, Eugen made trips, often of three months' duration, to Mexico to sell cotton. He drove his mules and horses until he was eighty years old. Carl Eugen von Rosenberg died on October 15, 1913, at Round Top, Texas, and was buried on October 16, 1913, in Florida Chapel Cemetery, Round Top, Fayette County, Texas.

1832-1911

Lina von Rosenberg was born in Eckitten. She spent much of her youth in Koenigsburg, near the Russian border, with her mother's relatives. There she attended various schools, and enjoyed operas and musical entertainment's with relatives and friends. In 1849 she accompanied her family to Texas. On November 9, 1850, she married Arthur Meerscheidt von Hullessem, a young German-Austrian officer. They settled on a farm near Nassau, where Lina diligently helped her mother. Lina and Arthur had thirteen children, six of whom died in childhood or infancy. Later they lived in La Grange for many years and were very happy. After Arthur died, Lina lived in San Antonio and kept house for three of her children, Max, Otto, and Martha, the youngest daughter, who taught piano. In her old age she returned to La Grange and lived the rest of her days in an invalid's chair, cared for in the home of her daughter Lieschen Scholz. She died of paralysis at the age of seventy-nine.

1833-1864

Alexander was born at Eckitten, and baptized in St. Johannes' Kirche in Memel. When he was sixteen he came to Texas, with the family group of twelve. He worked with his brothers at Nassau, caring especially for several head of cattle which his father had given him. He and four brothers joined the Confederate Army. Alexander was an artillery sergeant in Creutzbauer's Company, fighting in the skirmishes in East Texas and Louisiana. Alexander and Walter returned home after their company had been helpful in winning a great battle. They had earned a furlough by continuous fighting since the beginning of the war, but they found that their mother had passed away. However, their leave did much to cheer their grief-stricken father, brothers, and sisters. In the Froelich book we read that Alexander died October 2, 1864, near Liberty, Texas; therefore, this information has been given. However, in an old letter we read that he contracted typhoid fever in an army camp in Brownsville and died June 4, 1864, place not stated. He is buried near Liberty.

1839-1903

Walter von Rosenberg at the age of ten immigrated to America with his family. He had some schooling in Prussia with the Froelich grandmother who had a schoolroom at her home estate. He spent his childhood at the Plantation Nassau near Round Top. There he and his brothers had a very happy time. In 1850 he had two horses, a heifer calf, and a gray stallion. Each evening he and Alexander rode their horses to bring in the cows that grazed all day on the prairies. When the War Between the States began, Walter and his brothers, Eugen and Alexander, were among the first to enlist as privates in the artillery of the Confederate Army. He was in Creutzbauer's Company of the Wellhausen Battery under Captain Brickhaus. He fought in campaigns in East Texas and Louisiana. In later life he attended Confederate Reunions. Walter was married to Elizabeth Spangler, the adopted daughter of his aunt, Auguste Fallier-Soergel. He and his bride then lived on a farm a few miles from Round Top. Walter suffered from a heart ailment and because of his failing health in 1900, he sold that farm and moved to La Grange. They never enjoyed town life; they so loved the wide open spaces and activities of a farm. However, they remained there three years until his death in 1903.

1839-1918

Charlotte Wilhelmine Libussa Froelich was born in Ragnit, Germany, on November 9, 1839, and was also christened in Ragnit. She was the daughter of Dr. Christoph Froelich and Laura Rossette Eleonore von Rosenberg, who received in her dowry the old von Rosenberg home, Bertulischken or Raddeilen Estate. Tragedy came early in Libussa's life when both her parents died within a few months, leaving her an orphan at the age of six. Her family was then separated and she was sent to live with the family of her uncle Peter Carl Johann von Rosenberg. In 1849 she came with the von Rosenberg family to Texas and lived on a plantation called Nassau. On October 3, 1857, at the age of eighteen, she married Herman Gustav Hellmuth, land owner and teacher, whose first wife, Johanna Carolina von Rosenberg, was Libussa's double first cousin. To Libussa and Herman, two sons and three daughters were born. After the death of her husband on July 18, 1900, Libussa went to Hallettsville, Lavaca County, Texas, to live with her daughter, Ella Louise Hellmuth-Young, and remained there the rest of her life. Libussa died on June 26, 1918, at the home of her daughter, Ella Louise Hellmuth-Young in Hallettsville, and was buried in Pilgrim's Rest Cemetery at Bellville.