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From German Map of 1850 showing German Communities in Texas, Texas General Land Office
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Braden Connections
In addition to the direct connection of Anna Maria Rüder's mother being a Braden, there were several other ties through marriage between the Schmitt's and the Braden's, both in Büdesheim and in Texas. One such is the marriage of Johann and Anna Maria's second daughter, Maria Theresa, to John Baptiste Braden. This was Theresa's second marriage (the first being to John McBride, a boat builder in Indianola) and John's third. While no children came of this late-in-life marriage, the children of both sides of the family were raised together, as described in the following writeup from the Victoria Advocate (that has some details reversed). The reader is encouraged to consult "Branching Out in Texas" and "Descendants of Johann Schmidt II" for a more thorough explanation of the relations.
Johann Schmitt III and Anna Maria Rüder
Johann was born circa 1802-1805 to parents Johann Schmitt and Anna Maria Muller. There are some variations of the spelling of the surname in various records including Schmidt and Schmitt, but the Schmitt spelling will be used hence. It is generally recorded that Johann III was born in Sponsheim (49°55'N 7°55'E), Mainz-Bingen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Anna Maria was born to parents Joannis Rüther(Ruder) and Elizabeth Braden, although there is conflicting information on the date of birth and christening, between the years of 1797 to 1799 in Büdesheim (50°13′N 6°33′E), Rheinhessen, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. They were married at the Roman Catholic church in Büdesheim on November 21, 1824. Johann and Anna Maria had five children, Elisabeth, Maria Theresa, Henry, John Baptist, and Anna Margarita, all born in Büdesheim.
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Anna Maria’s 4-year Texas experience may have been arduous, but her legacy includes hundreds of descendants, glad she made the sacrifice. Additionally, her name will remain in perpetuity in Mason County Property Records.
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The family sailed on the Andacia (or perhaps the Hamilton), originally scheduled to depart in November, but ultimately departing from Antwerp in December after an 18-day delay due to storms [1]. They landed in Galveston on March 27(29), 1846[2], and likely transferred to a smaller vessel on which they sailed to Indianola, arriving April 12.
Like many others during that period, their trip was sponsored by the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants to Texas (Mainzer Verein), however, the family settled in Indianola (Indian Point / Carlshafen), rather than continuing inland where Anna Maria’s 320 acre land grant was supposed to be located. Henry (as Anna's heir) eventually gained title to 640 acres in Mason County in 1851.
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They lived at Old Town and his mother froze to death the 29th of Dec. 1849. Was an awful warm day. She was thinly dresse[d] and the calf got out with the milk cow so she [took] a little [w]rap and went out to get the calf and got so far out to get it and all of a sudden it came up a fog and cold freezing norther a regular blizzard and she got lost out over the se high ridges. SO where they found her she was lying there with a little hole dug in the ground and her head in it for protection and she was frozen stiff. Was so terrible cold they took a wagon out to get her but couldn’t stand it so finally taken……blankets…out there to wrap her in and bury her right out there.
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WHY SO MANY VEREIN EMMIGREES FROM BÜDESHEIM ?
As revealed in Pilgrimage to the Past", Büdesheim had its own Verein agent, George Joseph Epeneter. Anna Margaretha Epeneter was the mother of several Bradens on early ships to Texas......coincidence?? Read pages 36-37 (of the pdf file) of Arliss Treybig's work for more information! Our Schmitt ancestors are mentioned and there are numerous Braden connections to our family as well. Both of these documents have great information directly and indirectly related to the Schmitts and the Smiths!
[1] Pilgrimage to the Past", Arliss Treybig, editor
[2] When the family boarded the Andacia, Texas was an independent republic, but by the time they arrived in Galveston, Texas had become the 28th state of the United States.
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WAITING IN ANTWERP TO BOARD THE SHIP
Excerpted from "Branching Out in Texas," Arliss Treybig, editor, privately printed, page 28 (page 36 of the .pdf).
Caspar Rothemere wrote to the Mayor of Büdesheim on December 10, 1845:
St.Aureus & Justina
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"I learned through my daughter Lena that you gave my brother-in-law Lucas Burtschell a present for me. When I asked him about it he said that he had not received anything for me. However, he boasts of having a bottle of Schralachberg wine which he received from you as a souvenir. It is annoying to me for someone else to wrongfully enjoy a present intended for me. We have learned that Georg Mueller wrote an alarming letter home, complaining that everything here is so expensive, and that all of us are ill and in a deplorable condition. During the first week most of us did not feel very well, but this was caused by the change in climate; there were a few who had stomach problems and vomiting. But now everybody is in good health. The reason we have had to wait here is for lack of our ship. For six days we had to furnish our own food, however at the expense of the Verein; our lodgings are all good and we certainly are neither discouraged nor in a deplorable condition. The Andacia may sail today if the wind calms down; one can see that no expense has been spared in equipping this ship."
Immigration Details
Documents from Texas GLO Archives
note Anna Maria's maiden name as Ruther, which was carried forward by the Geue's in A New Land Beckoned
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The family certainly endured hardships during the sea voyage and then upon landing, as others have recorded. For Anna Maria, however, the hardship must have been even greater, as her husband Johann never made it aboard the Andacia.
Grandpa’s Father had so much good home made wine to bring over when he got on the ship with it….not allow him to bring it along so had to give it away and he drank a good deal of it to keep it from wasting more than he should have drank so he got lively and started to run and jump one ship to the other. They caught him and held him and he seemed to be all right and said he wouldn’t run away again so they turned him loose and he ran again and a little later he fell between 2 ships as they were nearly ready to leave so delayed leaving to get him but never did find him. So [the rest of the family] came on [to Texas] and enquired after they got over here. If
he was found over there but they don’t think they ever found him. So it was Grandpa’s mother and her family
of three girls and two boys came over with lots of other people on the ship. Grandpa was a boy about 16
years old when they came out. --from Handwritten Notes of Alice Smith, written prior to 1937
The account continues with the following, a reminder of how difficult pioneer life must have been, particularly with little information on weather patterns common to the Texas Gulf Coast that would have been strange and unpredictable to someone from Central Western Germany.
A New Land Beckoned: German Immigration to Texas, 1844-1847 By Chester William Geue, Ethel Hander Geue
Original Marriage Record