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Speaking German in Texas

In Texas there is a town called New Braunfels , where there is a large German-speaking population. One day, a local rancher driving down a country road noticed a man using his hand to drink water from the rancher's stock pond.

The rancher rolled down the window and shouted: "Sehr angenehm! Trink das Wasser nicht. Die kuehe haben darein geschissen " which means: "Glad to meet you! Don't drink the water. The cows have schit in it."

The man shouted back: "I'm from New York and just down here campaigning for Obama's health care plan. I can't understand you. Please speak in English."

The rancher replied: "Use both hands."

What? They haven't assimilated yet?

Most of the Germans I know in Central Texas have very conservative leanings. They are waiting for the rest of the country to assimilate with them.

Thats funny, dont mean to hi-jack this thread but to tell a little historical story to this...

I knew an older gentleman from that area raised on a farm during WWII and he told me this story. There was a German POW camp near by and some prisoners were assigned to help in the fields. The US Army truck pulls up they all get out and are assigned chores by the guards. All morning long the Germans are jabering away in German along side the farmer his family(the old gentleman was a teenager during the war) and the other farmhands. As lunch time came about Bob's mother had made a big spread for all. as they sat down at the large outdoor table, Bob's father began to say grace "In perfect old school GERMAN". Bob said and I quote,"those Kraut's eyes were as big as saucers." Needless to say there was not quite as much chatter that afternoon.

I dont think that is approprate to mention my older friends family name but lets just say that it is very very German.

Why use both hands? If the rancher really wanted to help he'd have offered a large cup.

Germans make up the largest ethnic group in this country (about 15%)and there are LOTS of them in Texas and up through the center of the country. Hell in places like Fredericksburg Texas (lovely town and the birthplace of Chester Nimitz) every other restaurant's German).

there were German settler communities farther west, too. Brandenburg in Stonewall county changed its name to Old Glory during WWI to demonstrate their loyalty to their new country.
There was also a little German town in Knox county called Rhineland. Not sure if either of them survives.

They tended to become a little more patriotic after the deal in Nueces, 1962.

Humm. I'm not remembering that one Lt.

Google "Battle of the Nueces". German immigrants at that time didn't want anything to do with American politics (or wars) and the Confederacy basically said "If you ain't fer us, yer agin us.".

I think that Pat meant 1862...

At least in the 80s you could find communities in MN that if you spoke German, you could get a response back in German quite easily...

I use to be fluent in German, but have not used it in so many years, most of it is gone..If I was able to go to Germany, I am sure I'd pick it up pretty quick again...

Took my wife down to New Ulm MN one fall for Octoberfest.. walked into a bar, sat down at a table and no waitress ever showed up to take our order... tried to flag down the bar tender, never seems to catch his eye...

finally I just put up my hand and loudly said "zwei beer bitte!" and very quickly this old waitress comes over with two steins and starts rattling away at me and the wife in German....me picking up about every 10th word she said...

my wife's grandparents on each side, were 3rd generation German descendents in Minnesota, but still spoke fluent German... both uncles served in WW 2 in Europe and both were kept over there for a while afterwards, because they were used as translators..

both of her parents could understand it, but never used it...
her brothers and sisters are clueless on it..

before her grandmother passed, she was THRILLED that I spoke some German and wanted me to teach it to my wife... who couldn't care less...

myself, I like to be around people who keep their cultural heritage alive...and also think it is sad that our children in our schools are not taught to speak multiple languages like they do in Europe...

Too bad too. The Germans had doen a great job settling and one of my favorite little towns is Groene TX. Groene was an immigrant who owned a grist mill (now it is a cool restaurant), started several businesses and owned land on the Frio and I have often thought he was one guy I would not have minded tradinding places with. Beautiful place on the Guadelupe.

The Germans actually got along well with the Indians and could trade with them -even the Comanche. A rare feat Sam Housotn was a friend to the Cherokee and wanted to coexist with the tibes but things changed when second President Burnett came to power.

My folks live down in the ares -Kerrivlle and Sister too- in Center Point. I have bagged many axis deer an my best white tail to date at their little place. I adore the hill country.

I think that it was in her book, Pine Tree Shield, about her late husband, that Elizabeth Canfield Flint told of a Negro who worked in the northern Wisconsin woods with a bunch of old-country Swedes and picked-up their lingo. The Swedes were sending money home for relatives to come over for jobs in those same woods. When a contingent of new Swedes was coming-in on the train, the Negro was sent � with the wagon � to meet 'em at the depot and to bring 'em out to the timber camp.

These Swedes had never seen a Negro, and were discussing him aloud in Swedish before he greeted 'em in good colloquial Swedish.

As if their surprise at that weren't amusing enough, the Negro then told 'em that he was a Swede whom the long northern Wisconsin summers had browned.

Seafire- just saw your post -smilar experience for me. Was at the Stock Yards in Fort Worth near some shy German tourists and we met at a door at the same time. I held it open and said "entshuldige bitte" and politely went on my way. Stunned look by one of them as they ran to friends to whisper and point my way. Little did they know that that, and Happy Birthday, was about the extent of my high school German!

An old anecdote � probably true � told of an American tourist in Germany who sneezed.

"Gesundheit!" a nearby German gentleman said.

"Oh, you speak English!" the American woman said.

Most of eastern and central Wisconsin was settled by Germans, in fact that is my heritage. The northern part of the state (North of Hwy. 64) is a different terrain and has a heavy contingent of Swedes and Finns. The area looks identical to pictures from a good friend's elg (moose) hunting trips to Sweden.

If memory serves, I think Castroville was also settled by Germans. I think it was Henry Castro that brought immigrants from Alsace/Lorraine in the mid-late 1840's to the area in exchange for land.

My ancestors on dad's side came from Alsace-Lorraine about the same time. Only they went to Missouri and Iowa.


And yes, the Hill Country is beautiful. Been to Kerrville, Mountain Home and Fredericksburg. Actually drove through Fredericksburg on the morning of July 4th before their parade started. Town was packed and really neat to see.

im guessing you would be surprised how much you still know if given a chance to use it.....my wife used to be pretty fluent in German but hasnt used it for most of 20 year....if yah ask her bout it or ask her to translate something off the top of her head(she doesnt do to bad if its written) she has a hard time but if im watching something on WWII and she is in the kitchen she has no problem following along with any of the interviews in German and knows whats being said....

a large portion of my family is only bout 100 years off the boat from Norway and Germany.....no one in the family speaks either(in the states atleast, have living relatives still in Norway)....the reason? my great grandparents would punish any of the kids that they caught speaking German or Norwegian....their families were American and would speak English and nothing else....granted they would speak German and Norwegian to other immigrants but each and every one of them went out of their way to take classes to learn english shortly after they hit the US....

Right...sorry.