Site of the Home of Robert Justus Kleberg
Meyersville, DeWitt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
who came to Texas in 1834. Fought at San Jacinto in Captain Moseley Baker's Company. Senator in the State Legislature. Born in Herstelle, Germany, September 10, 1803. Died at Yorktown, Texas, October 23, 1888. A Texas county was named in his honor.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Robert Justus Kleberg, born in Germany in 1803, came to Texas in 1834 and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto in Captain Moseley Baker's company during the Texas Revolution. He went on to serve in the state legislature as a senator and lived in the Meyersville area until his death at Yorktown, Texas, in 1888. A Texas county was later named in his honor.
Why it matters
Kleberg was among the German immigrants who cast their lot with Texas independence and helped govern the new republic and state, founding a family that shaped south Texas for generations.
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Related people
- · Robert Justus Kleberg
- · Moseley Baker
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
De Witt County
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This ground lay within Green De Witt's 1825 empresario grant and became DeWitt County in 1846, its seat shifting from Cameron to Clinton and finally to Cuero in 1876. Settled first by Anglo-Americans and, by 1860, half by German immigrants, the county sent its men into nearly every fight of the Texas Revolution — the Alamo, Goliad, Gonzales, and San Jacinto among them. The marker rolls out a long honor list of the pioneers and soldiers who founded and defended it.
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Meyersville
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Meyersville grew from an 1843 settlement opened by Peter Bluntzer, who drew fellow immigrants from the French border region of Alsace to the DeWitt County prairie. Named for early arrival Adolph Meyer, whose home hosted the post office from 1851, the community anchored itself with Lutheran and Catholic congregations and, in time, a public school. It became known for its turkey farms and reached its height around 1923.
Peter Bluntzer
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Peter Bluntzer, an Alsatian immigrant, reached Texas around 1843 and settled at Coleto—present-day Meyersville—after his wagon overturned and injured his wife en route to Castroville. Devoted to his new home, he made two return trips to Alsace to recruit families to join him, and in 1859 he donated land for Sts. Peter and Paul Church, the first Catholic church in DeWitt County. The marker also recalls how his young daughter, taken by Indians, was found unharmed months later.