Ernst and Antoinette Gruene Home
The Ernst and Antoinette Gruene Home is located at 532 Rock Street in New Braunfels, Comal
County, Texas. The area was historically
called Comaltown but was a part of New Braunfels. The 1852 home was built by the Gruenes using early New Braunfels building construction
techniques. The home has been beautifully preserved to this day by current owners Dr. Danny and Anna List Tamez and son, Nolan Bluntzer and wife,
Katherine. Ernst and Antoinette were hard working early German settlers of the area and the Gruene Family was significant in the settlement of New
Braunfels establishing businesses and the community of Gruene. The Google map shows the location of the home on the north side of New Braunfels.
Overview
In Germany in 1845, a young 26-year-old man decided he liked what he heard about the place called Texas, and he wanted to go there. Texas
was the land of opportunity and the new settlements, primarily settled by German immigrants, attracted this young man. His name was Ernst Gruene, born on
July 9, 1819, in Netze, Koenigreich, Hanover, Germany. Ernst had heard about the freedoms people enjoyed in Texas: including freedom from conscription, taxes and
ruling royalty. Germany's problems such as lack of freedom, overcrowding as well as social, economic and political strife were other reasons to journey to Texas.
In addition, Ernest had a German trait called "Wanderlust."Thus, Ernst sold his share of the family estate to his four half-brothers for $5000 dollars and decided
to make the trip to Texas with $5000 in $20 gold pieces in his possession for passage to Texas and to get started in his new land.
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