First Czech Immigrants in Texas
Nelsonville, Austin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
People from Czechy began to come to America for liberty as early as 1633. First known Czech in Texas was Jiri Rybar (George Fisher), customs officer in Galveston in 1829. Others arrived individually for years before letters sent home by the Rev. Josef Arnost Bergman, an 1849 Czech settler at Cat Spring (9 mi. S), inspired immigrations in large numbers. Josef Lidumil Lesikar (1806-1887) was instrumental in forming the first two large migrations, 1851 and 1853, with names of family parties listed on ship logs as Silar (Shiller), 69; Lesikar (Leshikar), 16; Mares (Maresh), 10; Pecacek (Pechacek), 9; Rypl (Ripple), 7; Coufal, 6; Rosler (Roesler), 6; Motl, 5; Jezek, 4; Cermak, 3; Janecek, 3; Jirasek, 3; Kroulik, 2; Tauber, 2; Marek, 1; Pavlicek, 1. With Pastor Bergman's counsel, many of the Czechs began to farm in Austin county. Other immigrations occurred in the 1850s, and became even heavier in the 1870s. Czechs eventually spread throughout the state, gaining recognition for industry, thrift, and cultural attainments. To preserve their heritage they succeeded in having a chair of Slavic Languages established (1915) at the University of Texas, and later at other schools. Their ethnic festivals have been held in various cities for many years. See incising on back of marker (1974)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This marker traces the roots of Czech settlement in Texas, beginning with a lone customs officer in 1829 Galveston and swelling into the organized migrations of the 1850s. Letters home from the Rev. Josef Arnest Bergman, a Czech settler at nearby Cat Spring, drew whole family parties across the Atlantic — the Silars, Lesikars, Mareses and others whose names filled the ship logs. Guided by Bergman's counsel, many took up farming in Austin County, and the community grew heavier in the 1870s, eventually spreading Czech language, festivals, and culture across the state.
Why it matters
The Czech migration to Texas is a vivid chapter in America's 19th-century immigration story, showing how a single settler's letters could seed an enduring ethnic community on the frontier.
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Related people
- · Jiri Rybar (George Fisher)
- · Josef Arnest Bergman
- · Josef Lidumil Lesikar
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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