Germans in Los Angeles - Chapter I This file is a part of a manuscript entitled "The Germans in Los Angeles County California 1850 - 1900" by Lamberta Margarette Voget, written in February, 1933. Scanning and OCR by Joy Fisher ------------------------------------------------------------------ USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PREFACE The recent enthusiastic reception of German participants in the Xth Olympiad tendered by the Germans of Los Angeles and their friends is only one of many proofs that a large and aggressive element of these semi-foreigners partake even today of the ever-moving panorama of this great city. American life is made up of many different elements all of which have been blended together in a unique fashion creating a new society. This thesis has taken as its subject one phase of this society and,described it in its historical setting. The Germans of Los Angeles County have kept their identity sufficiently to make an investigation of their activities and influence an interesting and profitable study. This thesis is an attempt to discover their early history, including their industrial, social, and religious life. The dates 1850 to 1900 have been selected arbitrarily as a matter of convenience. The first chapter is intended as a rather complete introduction to the general topic, and is devoted largely to a description of various phases of the early life of pioneer Germans in this county. For the second chapter the author was fortunate to find that materials on the founding of Anaheim have been collected and written out by several individuals. No attempt has been made to add materially to previous studies. However, it has been felt that no account of the Germans in this county is complete without discussing the unique enterprise which they succeeded in realizing in Anaheim. The phases of German life discussed in the next three chapters have never been worked out so far as the present writer has been able to discover. It has been necessary to gather material from many different sources and build of these the concepts and history here presented, Chapter III takes up the industrial aspect of German life largely by means of concrete situations. The unifying thread is the industrious habit which characterizes the Germans in general and the wide range of their activities. In addition to the summaries of occupations, the discussion includes farming and viniculture, mercantile activities, manufacturing, banking, and German activities in law and politics. Chapter IV is given over chiefly to organized social life. Various social and benevolent societies are described, in most cases from the historical standpoint. The chief of these is the Turn Verein Germania, which is discussed at some length because of its relative importance, the accessibility of material pertaining to it, and the fact that it serves to illustrate the different phases of German social life in Los Angeles. The last part of the chapter is devoted to the two German newspapers of the period, the Sud-California Post and the Germania. The last chapter deals with the German churches, of which there were many in Los Angeles County. The approach is the same as that used in Chapter IV, namely, the historical. In many instances it has been possible to discover how the churches came to be organized and what growth took place during the early years. The time of this chapter, as well as the one which precedes it, lies for the most part in the last two decades of the period covered by the thesis. Explanation is necessary in regard to the limitations of the word "German," In such sources as the United States census reports and the County Register of Voters, such places as "Prussia," "Bavaria," and "Hamburg" have been designated in many instances rather than "Germany." In such cases we have limited ourselves to those states and cities which are now thought to be included in Germany proper, and have excluded such German states as Austria, German Jews have been included in cases where it has been felt that they have made typical contributions to the life, of the community, Harris Newmark has been a convenient figure because of the record he has left in his autobiography; moreover his journey from the home country and his pioneer life in the little pueblo of Los Angeles serve as excellent examples of the point in question. Materials from which the information has been gathered have been various. Certain general histories of the county and the state have been of lesser value. In order to secure bibliographical information upon the lives of certain Germans, resort has been made to the bibliographical sections of early county histories. In the case of the Turn Verein Germania and many of the churches, the twenty-fifth or fiftieth anniversary has called for booklets including historical sketches of the society in question; these have been invaluable aids. United States census reports, city and county Directories, and county Registers of Voters have been drawn upon freely for information. Certain copies of the Sud-Califomia Post which are available have also been of great assistance. A complete record of sources and secondary authorities is found in the bibliography at the end of the thesis. Because of the present status of much of the material dealing with the Germans in Los Angeles County from 1850 to 1900 it has been necessary to call upon various persons for assistance in gathering information. In this respect, the writer's special thanks are due the Rev. Henry D. Kamp, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Rev. Martin Lankow, historian of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Rev. Armand Mueller, assistant pastor of St. John's Congregation at Orange, the Rev. E. W. Matz and the Rev. S. J. Boelter, both of the Evangelical Church, the Rev. O, R. Schroeder of the German Baptist Church at Anaheim, Mr. R. Moritz, clerk of the German Baptist Church of Los Angeles, the Franciscan Fathers of St. Joseph's, also of this city, and to Mr. Carl Entenmann, one of the early pioneers who is still active in German circles.