| Marker Text |
Julius Theodor Splittgerber (1819-1897) was a German immigrant and prominent member of early Fredericksburg. He was born in Brandenburg, Germany to David (1741-1823) and Johanna Susanna Sophia Seiffert (1764-1829) von Splittgerber. Julius attended the University of Breslau to study farming. After graduation, he entered required military service and achieved the rank of second lieutenant in 1842. Splittgerber joined an endeavor led by Prince Carl von Solms Braunfels to settle German emigrants in Texas, arriving in 1845 on board the Arminius.
In 1848, newly settled in the outpost town of Fredericksburg, he married Sophie Dorothee Miehe (c. 1832-1906) of Gadenstedt, Hanover. The couple had nine children: Carl (1850-1851), Theodor (1851-1927), Ida (1853-1935), Emma (1856-1943), Clara (1858-1862), Nina (1860-1928), Hulda (1863-1865), Elfriede (1866-1948) and Julius Alex (1869-1946). Julius Theodor operated a quarry and lime kiln. Around 1851, the Splittgerbers constructed a limestone house at what is now the corner of Schubert and Orange Streets. He resigned his Prussian army commission in 1853 and became an American citizen.
When the Gillespie County sheriff died in 1862, Julius stepped in to serve the remainder of the term. However, his determination not to fully endorse the Confederates’ cause brought increasing social pressure. Splittgerber decided to move to Menard in the 1870s, but the plan was financially disastrous. He spent the last twenty years of his life writing early historical accounts of Gillespie County and tutoring. Sophie decided to live with their children who had moved to Mason. Julius is buried in the family plot at Pioneer Rest Cemetery in Menard; Sophie is buried in the family plot at Gooch Cemetery in Mason. (2023) |
