Alsace to Medina County - Henri Castro

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In February 1842, a Frenchman named Henri Castro. received a land grant contract from the Republic of Texas. The grant promised him more than a million acres of land in South Texas if he would introduce at least 600 families and/or single men within three years and establish four towns. 

To entice people to leave Alsace and other regions of Europe and come to Texas, Castro promised each head of a family 640 acres (one square mile) and each single male (17 or older) 320 acres. The settlers had to agree to build a cabin, cultivate at least 15 acres, and live on the property for at least three years.

On September 3, 1844, Castro, with 50 men and 27 oxcarts, crossed the Medina River near the site of the present-day Landmark Inn. Two weeks later, on September 12, 1844, he founded Castroville, 25 miles west of San Antonio. Between 1842 and 1847, Castro introduced more than 2,100 colonists to Texas, second only to Stephen F. Austin. 

About Henri Castro  https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/castro-henri  

Colonists' Ships - 1840's and 1850's  https://sites.rootsweb.com/~txmedina/PassengerLists/ships.htm  

Our TSCHIRHART, SCHOTT, & MEYERS ancestors joined the large group of Alsatians organized by Fr. Gregor Pfanner, the Catholic pastor of Soppe-le-bas, in response to Henry Castro's immigration project. 

Two ships the Probus and the Norwegien were commissioned and sailed from Antwerp in December 1844.  The two ships with some 300 passengers reached Galveston (or New Orleans?) in January 1845 and proceeded to Port Lavaca, where they were met by Henry Castro and escorted to Castroville.  

Among the passengers of The Norwegian was 30 year old Nicolas TSCHIRHART, b. 1814, of Soppe-le-Haut, Haut Rhin, Alsace, France

The Norwegian SHIP LIST

Captain H Arveskawz, Departed Anvers (Antwerp) 19 December 1844, destination Lavaca

Ship List:   from Haut Rhin   Tschirhart, Nicolas Age 30 farmer

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~txmedina/PassengerLists/norwegian.htm

Among the passengers of The Probus were Joseph Stephen MEYER, b. 1801 and his wife Catherine SCHOTT, b. 1804, of Wittlesheim, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France.  At the time they would have been approx ages 43 & 40.  Daughter Catherine MEYER, b.1827, would have been abt 17 yrs of age

Joseph Stephen Meyer and his wife Catherine traveled on the Probus with their children, Joseph, Theresa, Michael, Erasmus, and Edward.  Their oldest daughter Catherine was also with the family, but the stories conflict.  Some say she traveled on the Norwegien where she met Nicholas, others think she traveled with relatives, but wasn’t listed on any ship log. 

The Probus SHIP LISTS

online ship lists of the Probus arriving in Jan 1845 show CONFLICTING INFORMATION

Ship Master DeVries or Captain Denries

DEPARTED: 6 or 19 Dec 1844  Anvers [Antwerp], Belgium or Amsterdam, Netherlands

ARRIVED 27 Jan 1845   New Orleans, LA - HOWEVER, our ancestors arrived at Galveston or Port Lavaca,  so this is not clear.

Probus Passenger List found online

https://www.genesearch.com/neworleans/probus1845.html  

this list shows as departed from Amsterdam and lists TWO MEYER Families:

MEYER Family #1 - Family of 8

• Jos Meyer * (44m, Laborer, Germany, Texas)  
• Cath Meyer (42, Laborer, Germany, Texas)
• Jos Meyer (20m, Laborer, Germany, Texas)
• Cath Meyer (15, Laborer, Germany, Texas)
• Therese Meyer (11, Germany, Texas)
• R. Meyer (6m, Germany, Texas)
• M. Meyer (4, Germany, Texas)
• E. Meyer (4m , Germany, Texas

MEYER Family #2   Haut Rhin family of 8  

(these ages sdo not ync with our our MEYERS ancestors)

• Joseph 39 farmer  
• Catherine   38      
• Waldebourg   13      
• Seraphine   9      
• Catherine   8      
• Imerinzia   7      
• Marie   3      
•  Louise   10 mo

Another Probus Ship List  

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~txmedina/PassengerLists/ships.htm

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~txmedina/PassengerLists/probus.htm

Captain Denries, departed Anvers (Antwerp) 6 December 1844, destination New Orleans

Haut Rhin Meyer Family of 7

         Joseph  7 44 farmer  

  Catherine 42  

  Joseph 15  

  Therese 9  

  Michel 8  

  Rassimus 5  

  Edouard 6 mo

 to be continued ... 

Though we may never know the complete story of how they met, we do know that Nicholas and Catherine attained a marriage license on January 31, 1845.   They married on Feb. 7, 1846, ages 31 and 19

And so the story of the Texas Tschirharts began..... 

A brief snippet of ancestry:

Nicolas | Nicholas | Niclaus TSCHIRHART

Born  4 May 1814    Soppe-le-Haut, Departement du Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Married:  7 Feb 1846, Bexar County (?), Texas

Died 1866 (age 51–52)  Castroville, Medina County, Texas

Burial:   Saint Louis Cemetery,  ,  Castroville, Medina County, Texas,

Catherine aka Kathrina MEYER | MEIER

Born 2 Feb 1827, Wittelsheim, Departement du Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Died 10 Oct 1890 (age 63), Castroville, Medina County, Texas, USA

Burial: Saint Louis Cemetery,  Castroville, Medina County, Texas, USA 

Parents of Nicolas   -  Pierre & Elizabeth

Nicolas was the only son of Perrie TSCHIRHART and Elizabeth LUGENBUHLER

Married 7 Feb 1812  Soppe-le-Haut, Haut Rhin, Alsace, France  

Father:  Jean Pierre TSCHIRHART      a School Teacher

Born 17 Sep 1780 Soppe-le-Haut; Died 19 Jan 1817 Soppe-le-Haut, Haut Rhin

Mother Marie Elizabeth LUGENBUHLER

Born 23 Nov 1780 Soppe Le Haut, Haut Rhin, Died 25 Jul 1846

Scroll to bottom of page for the TSCHIRHART LINE back to 1554

Parents of Catherine  MEYER Tschirhart

Joseph Stephen MEYER

Born  4 Jul 1801   Wittelsheim, Departement du Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Married: 9 Nov 1824

Died  29 Mar 1883 (age 81)  Castroville, Medina County, Texas, USA

Buried   Saint Louis Cemetery,   Castroville, Medina County, Texas, USA 

Catherine | Katherine SCHOTT

Born  12 Feb 1804,  Wittelsheim, Departement du Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Died  1879 (age 74–75)   Medina County, Texas, USA

Buried  Saint Louis Cemetery, Castroville, Medina County, Texas,

Both are buried in St. Louis Church Cemetery. No tombstones for this couple were found.

Hans TSCHIRHART

Born 1554     Soppe-le- Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Died  Unknown Soppe-le- Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Marriage unknown

unsure about the Switzerland connection

Jean Hans TSCHIRHART 

Born;  1570 

Died  1632  Soppe-le-Haut, Haut Rhin, Alsace, France 

Marriage  1590  Soppe-le-Haut, Haut Rhin, Alsace, France

Anna or Anne FRIEDRICH /  FRIDRICH

Born 1575,  Soppe-le-Haut, Haut Rhin, Alsace, France

Died 1675  Soppe-le-Haut, Haut Rhin, Alsace, France

Jean Thiébaut TSCHIRHART

Born 1594 Soppe-le-Haut, Haut Rhin, Alsace, France 

Died  9 FEB 1661 Soppe-le-Haut, Dep Haut-Rhin, Alsace

Marriage:  14 MAY 1630  in Roderen, Haut Rhin, Alsace, France

Agethe MEYER 

Birth:  ca 1600;   Death unknown.  

 Thiébaut & Agethe moved from Switzerland to Soppe-le-Haut, Dep Haut-Rhin, Alsace

Jean Vieux Joannes TSCHIRHART

Born 1636 or 37 Soppe-le-Haut

Died  1 MAR 1703  or 30 NOV 1701,  Soppe-le-Haut or Mortzwille

Marrage 26 SEP 1662  Masevaux, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Jacobé HIBSCHGIPP

Born 1642, Bourbach-le-Bas, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Died:  28 JUL 1718 ,  Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Jean Pierre Petrus TSCHIRHART

Birth 24 JAN 1675  Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Death 24 AUG 1731  Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Marriage 28 Jan 1699  Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Anastasie MANIGOLD

Birth ABT 1678  Guewenheim, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Death 1 JAN 1745  Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Jean Pierre TSCHIRHART

Birth 03 JAN 1702  Soppe Le Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Death 10 DEC 1782 Soppe Le Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Marriage 21 Feb 1726 Soppe Le Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Anne Marie SCHMID

Birth 12 MAR 1703  Soppe Le Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Death 02 FEB 1761  Soppe Le Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, Franc

François Antoine TSCHIRHART

Birth 04 OCT 1736  Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Death 02 FEB 1795 Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Marriage:  10 Nov 1761  Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Régina Agnés TSCHIRHART 

Birth 6 FEB 1742   Mortzwiller, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Death 20 JAN 1782   Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Jean Pierre Peter TSCHIRHART

Birth 17 SEP 1780   Soppe Le Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Death 19 JAN 1817  Soppe Le Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

1st Marriage 1804 to Madelaine HENNER

2nd Marriage 07 FEB 1812  Soppe Le Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Elizabeth LUGENHUHLER  2nd Wife of Jean Pierre

(Mother of Nicolas TSCHIRHART) 

Birth 23 NOV 1780   Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Death 25 JUL 1846   Soppe, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Her parents are Jean Michel LUGENBUHLER & Elisabeth TSCHIRHART

Nicholas Nicolas Niclaus Tschirhart Tschirhard

Birth 4 MAY 1814   Soppe le Haut, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Death 12 NOV 1866   Castroville, Medina, Texas, United States

.... to be continued 

The plan is to create a page and photo galleries for each of the children of Nicholas and Catherine.