A New Fatherland

German Freedom under a Texas Sky

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This quick read is inspired by authentic letters, journals, and first-hand accounts. Fortunately, I have a German co-author, Manuela Schneider, to bring a German perspective and fix my Texan dialogue.

This collaboration was fun, and we are thrilled to bring you the dramatic, stirring story of two families who risk everything and lose so much. Immerse yourself in the history of the Texas Hill Country and learn about the German emigrants who have played a decisive role in shaping the state of Texas to this day in volume one of the historical novel series A new Fatherland.

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Texas, 1834
The story begins in the early 1830s with the first group of German settlers arriving to American and then traveling to the busy Port of Galveston. Their unique tale involves people who were educated Nobility, tradesman, carpenters, farmers, beer makers, bakers — all successful in their own right but lacking the personal freedoms to conduct business and hold on to their assets. Texas at that time was part of a Mexican held state called “Coahuila y Tejas”. Stephen F. Austin had just renegotiated with the Mexican Government to continue the work of his father and to bring 200 families to his capitol city of San Felipe de Austin, on the west bank of the Brazos River.

The more I learned about the life they left behind, the more I am amazed at what they accomplished. We still enjoy their legacy as evidenced in the Texas Hill Country area. Craft beer, public education, Bratwurst sausage, furniture and housing design, community centric societies, polka music, and the list goes on.

In A NEW FATHERLAND, two German families take the leap into the unknown: A new life, far away from oppression – that’s the lure of Texas. But instead of the new beginning they long for, they are met with illness, shipwreck, and bitter losses.
Karoline Romberg is torn from her noble family’s estate and the hardships of the overseas journey into the maelstrom of the Texas struggle for liberation against the ruthless General Santa Anna.
Underage Sophie Dankert, on the other hand, finds herself in harsh servitude – trapped in a life of deprivation and the ever-present threat of death.

Our publisher has released A NEW FATHERLAND in both English and German formats!

An epic beginning full of courage, hope, and an unshakeable belief in freedom – under the wide skies of Texas.

A NEW FATHERLAND sets the stage for Book 2 which will focus on the next group of German immigrants as they settle in a new Republic of Texas, following independence from Mexico. I am excited about this story too. The German Texans under the leadership of John O. Meusbach were the only successful group to negotiate a peace treaty with the Comanche. Both groups honored that agreement and continued to live in peace.

On to Texas, On to Texas, Where the Lone Star in its Glory Prophesies a world of freedom, beckons to each heart resounding to call for Truth and Justice. There alone my heart would be.

A poem by August Heinrich Huffmann von Fallersleben, German poet and author of the national anthem of Germany. His poem about Texas was inspired by the travels of his friend, Gustav Dresel. von Fallersleben never made it to Texas.

Texas author Natalie Bright & German author Manuela Schneider