New Braunfels Cemetery
New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Dedicated at the burial of Mrs. Elise Peter, on June 23,1845, a few months after New Braunfels was founded. This cemetery gave rest to many colonists in early years of hardship that besieged the German Emigration Company. Gerlach Peter, husband of the first tenant, was buried in July as one other of the 20 fatalites of 1845. There were 348 bruials in 1846. A ferry operator, Johann Justus Kellner (1821-51), has the oldest stone. There are 753 marked and hundreds of unmarked graves. The last vacant lot was sold in 1945. No burials are allowed except in lots purchased before 1946.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Dedicated in June 1845 at the burial of Mrs. Elise Peter, this cemetery opened just months after New Braunfels was founded by the German Emigration Company. It became a resting place for the many colonists who died during the settlement's hard early years, with 20 fatalities in 1845 alone and 348 burials the following year. The oldest surviving stone belongs to ferry operator Johann Justus Kellner, and the grounds hold 753 marked graves and hundreds unmarked, sold out by 1945.
Why it matters
The cemetery is a somber ledger of German immigration to Texas, recording the steep human cost paid by the colonists who built one of the state's enduring immigrant communities.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
New Braunfels was born in 1845 out of one of the most ambitious emigration schemes of the 19th century. A society of German noblemen, known in Texas as the German Emigration Company (the Adelsverein), set out to settle thousands of German families on Texas land. Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels led the first colonists inland from the coast that spring, and the town took its name from his family seat.
The timing was dramatic. Texas was moving from independent republic to American state, and annexation was completed at the end of 1845. In 1846 war broke out between the United States and Mexico, tying up wagons and teams that the stranded colonists badly needed.
The Company's planning and money fell far short of its promises. Thousands of immigrants landed on the Gulf Coast with little shelter, poor food and no means of moving inland. Disease spread through the camps and along the road, and many who reached New Braunfels arrived weakened and sick.
People & events
The cemetery began with a single grief. In June 1845, only months after the town's founding, Mrs. Elise Peter was buried here, and the ground was dedicated at her burial. Her husband, Gerlach Peter, followed her in July, one of twenty colonists who died that first year.
The next year was far worse. In 1846, as waves of sick and exhausted immigrants made their way inland, the cemetery received 348 burials. Families who had crossed an ocean in hope of a better life buried parents, spouses and children here in heartbreaking numbers.
The oldest surviving stone belongs to Johann Justus Kellner (1821-51), a ferry operator, part of the practical work that kept the young town connected across its rivers. Over the years the cemetery filled with 753 marked graves and hundreds more unmarked. The last vacant lot was sold in 1945, and burials since then are limited to lots purchased before 1946.
Its place in the American story
The New Braunfels Cemetery is a sobering record of what immigration has often cost. The German settlement of Texas became one of the great immigrant success stories of the American West, producing thriving towns, a lasting cultural imprint and a strong tradition of farming, crafts and community life. This ground is a reminder of how many people never lived to see that success.
The unmarked graves matter as much as the marked ones. They stand for colonists whose names were lost in the chaos of those early years, a common fate for poor immigrants all across American history.
The cemetery also connects to the national story of 1845-46, a moment when Texas joined the Union and the United States went to war with Mexico. The Germans of New Braunfels lived through those events not as headlines but as hunger, illness and loss, which is how most ordinary people experience history.
If you visit
Walk slowly and read the stones. Many of the older markers carry German names and inscriptions, a clear sign of the community that founded the town. Look for the oldest surviving stone, Johann Justus Kellner's, and remember that the open spaces between marked graves may hold the unmarked dead of the hardest years.
This is a historic burial ground, still cared for and still in use for families who hold older lots. Be quiet and respectful, keep to the paths and leave everything as you find it.
New Braunfels lies between San Antonio and Austin and is full of German heritage, from its historic downtown to its museums and festivals. A visit to the cemetery adds depth and gravity to a day spent there. It's the place where you can feel the human cost behind the town's charm.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Elise Peter
- · Gerlach Peter
- · Johann Justus Kellner
Related events
- · Founding of New Braunfels, 1845
Themes & tags
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