19th Century German Immigration to the Texas Hill Country: Laying the Groundwork for a Successful International Novelty Business

The 19th century witnessed a significant influx of immigrants from Germany into the central Texas Hill Country. Initially encouraged by a consortium of German princes and nobility in the 1840s, these immigrants arrived to a country and climate that was very, very different from their own, forcing them to learn anew everything they thought they already knew. In this, the Germans were highly successful due to several key qualities:

• their ability to adapt;
• their willingness to assimilate;
• a strong ethic for hard work; and
• a proclivity for experimentation and ingenuity.

Into this milieu, Carl "Charles" Apelt (my great-grandfather) arrived from Mühlberg, Germany, in 1887 for a visit with relatives. A family tragedy during his trip resulted in his decision to remain in Texas, where he later started and successfully operated an international novelty business, the Apelt Armadillo Company. I believe that the German people and communities of which he was a part provided a vital and solid foundation on which he could build his company. He both benefited from and possessed himself the qualities listed above, all of which proved so important to his (and his critters') success.