Frelsburg was founded in 1837 by Captain William Frels who immigrated toTexas in 1834. He came from Germany on the ship "Congress" with other settlers such as the Bartels, Juergens, Kleberg, Von Roeder and others. Captain Frels participated in the storming of the Alamo in the fall of 1835 and was in the Battle of San Jacinto.
Settlers came in the early 1830's and before with the Stephen F. Austin colonists. These were the Jordt, Leyendecker, Zimmer, Georg, Seidel, Piper, Zimmersheidt, Ruhmann and others. They came from Holstein and Oldenburg, Germany. Captain Frels donated land for a town site, school, Protestant Church, parsonage and cemetery.
On the 22nd of September 1847, Frelsburg was granted a post office with William Frels as the first postmaster. In 1852, Frelsburg consisted of two blacksmith shops, a cobbler shop, two general stores, a Catholic Church, a cotton gin in addition to the post office. On the 21st of December 1852, Charles Jordt was appointed postmaster. Theo. Weigert and Johann Schuette operated the blacksmith shops.
Trinity Lutheran Church was organized June 5, 1855 by Pastor J. C. Roehn. Prior to this, free Protestant and Lutheran pastors visited the area from 1841 to 1854 for ministerial works. April 23, 1978, a dedication of the official Texas Historical Marker to the church was held with the Colorado County Historical Commission participating in the program.
Peter Maas was born on January 20,1795 and wife Anna Maria SENGER was born on July 14, 1800, in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, her father, Johann, was 41, and her mother, Anna, was 42. They had three sons and six daughters between 1817 and 1833. Sophie, Phillip, Magdalena Helene, Elisabeth, Katherina, Susanne, Catherine, Johann Christian, Peter. They immigrated to Texas where Anna Maria died in 1836 in Colorado, Texas, at the age of 36.
Edward Ruhmann was born in 1808 in Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, to Johanns and Dorothea Marie Maragarethe Tegtmeyer. He married Magdalena Helene " Helen " MAAS on May 18, 1842, in Colorado, Texas. She was born June 7, 1822 in Germany. She died in 1899 in Colorado, Texas, having lived a long life of 77 years. They had eight children. Edward died in October 1869 in Colorado, Texas, at the age of 61, and is buried in the Ruhmann Cemetery in Frelsburg, Colorado County, Texas. Edward Ruhmann is my 2nd Great Grand Father. Their children, all born in Frelsburg,were Phillip Edward-1843, Johannas Friedericka Hannah-1844, Karl Gustav-1847, Julius Paul-1848, Wilhelm Barnard-1853, Albert Gerhard-1859, Emil Vertinand (or Ferdinand)-1861, and Augusta-1864. They lived in a small log cabin in Frelsburg, which is still standing today and should be protected as a STATE HISTORICAL SITE.
Augusta is my Great Grand Mother. When Augusta Ruhmann was born on January 1,1864, in Colorado, Texas, her father, Edward, was 56, and her mother, Magdalena, was 41. She married George MOSMEYER on November 1,1882, in Columbus, Texas. She died on December 31, 1925, in San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 61, and was buried in Floresville, Texas where her husband George Mosmeyer joined her March 24,1940. Shortly after their marriage they relocated to Lavaca County, Texas where they had ten children in 20 years: Ella born in 1883 in Lavaca County, Monroe Bernard, Lee Henry (my Grand Father), Aaron, Della Teresa, Dely, Walter, George H., Henrietta, and August Henry.
Their land holdings can be seen on early Colorado County maps.
Submitted by Gary V. Mosmeyer