Sketches of Early Texas and Louisiana was written in 1838 by Frederic Gaillardet. It is a combination of description of life in early Texas and a 19th century travel guide to the area.
Earlier this month I took an extended weekend and traveled to Fredericksburg. While I was there I did what most tourist do; I shopped. But not normal shopping, I was on the lookout for Texana books. I found a neat bookstore in the back room of a wine tasting shop. The sign said Texas History books and that’s where I headed.
Books on Main is owned by Linda Langerhans, a seventh generation resident of Fredericksburg whose family arrived with some of the earliest German immigrants. Most of her books focused on the Hill Country and German Immigrants. However, she had two very interesting volumes that I snatched up.
The first one was Texas in 1848 by Viktor Bracht. Published in 1849 in German for immigrants to the Republic of Texas, it is basically a 19th century travel guide to the area. A couple of charts were enlightening. In late 1847 to early 1848, a Republic of Texas census showed that Hunt County had 128 voters but a total population of 998. The nearest post office in 1847 was at Honey Grove, serving both Hunt and Fannin Counties. Since many German immigrants were craftsmen, Bracht advised them to locate in a town, or at least near one. Then he listed towns by size of population. Greenville in Hunt County and Petersburg in La Vaca County were at the bottom of the list, each with about 20 inhabitants.
My other purchase was Sketches of Early Texas and Louisiana by Frederic Gaillardet. Both books were translations of originals in German and French. Gaillardet’s work was ten years earlier than the work by Bracht, but is very interesting. Gaillardet was a journalist traveling in the Republic of Texas and Louisiana. He sent his writings to newspapers in Washington as well as to prominent French newspapers. Surprisingly, it is an easy read, more as a description of life in early Texas. In part, it too is a 19th century travel guide.
I find both books helpful as resources for a book I have intended to write since 2008 about Northeast Texas. Maybe the newest items in my bookshelves will inspire me.