Rare Original 1840s German Immigration Agreement

This very rare German Immigration Agreement bears the Official Paper Seal of the Republic of Texas and is signed by the Consulate to the Republic of Texas in Antwerp. Published accounts throughout Europe described the plentiful and productive lands in Texas and the great personal liberties residents in Texas enjoyed. In Germany, two dozen noblemen organized The Society for the Protection of German Emigrants to Texas to purchase tracts of land in Texas and encourage the orderly movement of immigrants to the rich farmlands of Texas.

In 1842, the Society’s representatives negotiated directly with Sam Houston, first buying 4,428 acres at seventy five cents an acre just east of what is now Round Top, Texas. Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels was appointed by the Society as the Commission General and arrived in San Antonio in August of 1844. He quickly acquired 3,878,000 acres on the Colorado River, as well as two leagues of land at Comal Springs where he established New Braunfels, named after his estate back in the fatherland. In the space of only two years, over 5,000 men, women and children moved to Central Texas with the help of the society. The impact was enormous as the population of Austin at the time was only 200 people and San Antonio, which had been founded 120 years earlier, was a city of 1,500.