German immigration to Puerto Rico

There were certain factors which contributed to the German immigration to Puerto Rico. German businessmen first began to immigrate to Puerto Rico during the early part of the 18th century. However, it was the economic and political situation in Europe during the early 19th century plus, the fact that the Spanish Crown issued the Royal Decree of Graces ("Real Cédula de Gracias") which allowed the immigration of people of non-Hispanic origin to immigrate to the island, that contributed the most to the immigration of hundreds of German families to the New World and Puerto Rico in search of a better life.

Early German immigration

According to Professor Ursula Acosta, the first German immigrants arrived in Puerto Rico from Curaçao and Austria during the early 19th century. Many of these early German immigrants established warehouses and businesses in the coastal towns of Fajardo, Arroyo, Ponce, Mayagüez, Cabo Rojo and Aguadilla. One of the reasons that these businessman established themselves in the island was that Germany depended mostly on Great Britain for such products as coffee, sugar and tobacco. By establishing businesses dedicated to the exportation and importation of these and other goods, Germany no longer had to pay the high tariffs which the English charged them. Not all of the immigrants were businessmen, some were teachers, farmers and skilled laborers. [ [http://home.coqui.net/uahorm/ Dr. Ursula Acosta: Genealogy: My Passion and Hobby ] ]

ituation in 19th century Europe

Economic situation

Many economic and political changes occurred in Europe during the latter part of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century which affected the lives of millions of people. One of those changes came about with the advent of the Second Industrial Revolution. Many people who worked the farmlands abandoned their homes and moved to the larger industrialized cities with the hope of finding better paying jobs. Those who continued to work in the agricultural sector suffered the consequences of the widespread crop failure which came about as the result of long periods of drought and diseases, the cholera epidemic and a general deterioration of economic conditions. Starvation and unemployment were on the rise. [Beaudreau, Bernard C. "The Economic Consequences of Mr. Keynes: How the Second Industrial Revolution Passed Great Britain By," (New York, NY:iUniverse, 2006)]

Political situation

Europe also faced a series of revolutionary movements known as the European Revolutions of 1848 which erupted in Sicily and then were further triggered by the French Revolution of 1848. Soon, the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states erupted, leading to the Frankfurt Parliament. Ultimately, the rather non-violent "revolution" failed. Disappointed, many Germans immigrated to the Americas and Puerto Rico, dubbed as the Forty-Eighters. The majority of these came from Alsace-Lorraine, Baden, Hesse, Rheinland and Württemberg. [ [Breunig, Charles (1977), "The Age of Revolution and Reaction, 1789 - 1850" (ISBN 0-393-09143-0)] ]

panish Royal Decree of Graces

The Spanish Crown had lost most of its possessions in the New World. Two of its remaining possessions were Puerto Rico and Cuba, who were demanding more autonomy and had pro-independence movements. The Spanish Crown issued the Royal Decree of Graces ("Real Cédula de Gracias") which was originated August 10, 1815, with the intention of attracting European settlers to the islands. The Spanish government, believing that the independence movements would lose their popularity, granted land and initially gave German, Corsican, Irish, and French settlers who swore loyalty to the Spanish Crown and allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church "Letters of Domicile". After a period of five years, settlers were granted a "Letter of Naturalization" that made them Spanish subjects. [ [http://www.icp.gobierno.pr/galeria/archivogeneral/documentos/index.htm Archivo General de Puerto Rico: Documentos] ]

Religious influence

In 1870, the Spanish Courts passed the "Acta de Culto Condicionado" (Conditional Cult Act), a law granting the right of religious freedom to all those who wished to worship another religion other than the Catholic religion. The Anglican Church, the Iglesia Santísima Trinidad, was founded by German and English immigrants in Ponce in 1872. Among the original founders was G. V. Wiecher, who wrote to the Anglican Bishop of Antigua, W. W. Jackson, requesting a Spanish speaking priest for their church. [ [http://credo-josefrios18.blogspot.com/ Iglesia Episcopal Puertorriqueña] ] The church, which is located in "La Calle Marina" (Marina Street) was the first non-Roman Catholic Church established in the Spanish Colonies and is currently a tourist attraction.

Albert and Betty Ostrom, began training Puerto Ricans for pastoral service in the Lutheran Church of Puerto Rico from 1905 to 1931. [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German_immigration_to_Puerto_Rico&action=submit History of the Luthern Church in Puerto Rico] ]

Influence in the economy

The descendants of the first Spanish settlers owned most of the land in the coastal areas, however some of the well-to-do German immigrants were able to settle in these areas and establish their businesses in coastal towns such as Fajardo, Arroyo, Ponce, Mayagüez, Cabo Rojo and Aguadilla. Those who expected free land under the terms of the Spanish Royal Decree, settled in the central mountainous areas of the island in towns such as Adjuntas, Aibonito and Ciales among others. They made their living in the agricultural sector and in some cases became owners of sugar cane plantations. Others dedicated themselves to the fishing industry. Amongst the first settlers in Puerto Rico were Johann Kifenhover, who in 1832 established a school in San Juan, Adolfo Rauschenplatt, who founded a sugar cane export business. [http://www.preb.com/articulos/alemanes.htm La Presencia Germanica en Puerto Rico] ]

In 1915, Walter Tischer married Carmen Vargas Alayon and opened a ballet school in San Juan which still exists today. Some of the businesses founded in Puerto Rico were Mullenhoff & Korber, Frite, Lundt & Co., Max Meyer & Co. and Feddersen Willenk & Co.

Unlike their counterparts who settled in the United States in close knit communities, the immigrants in Puerto Rico intermarried with Puerto Ricans and adopted the language and customs of the island thereby completely integrating themselves into the society of their new homeland. [http://www.preb.com/articulos/alemanes.htm La Presencia Germanica en Puerto Rico] ]

Currently

By the beginning of the 20th century, many of the descendants of the first German settlers had become successful businessmen, educators, and scientists and were among the pioneers of Puerto Rico's television industry. The German element of Puerto Rico is very much in evidence and German surnames such as Herger and Rieckehoff are common in the island. Dr. Ursula Acosta, who was born in Germany, is a psychologist and retired professor of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. As member of the Puerto Rican Genealogy Society, she has studied and written many works on genealogy and the German influence in Puerto Rico. Among her works are the following: [ [http://home.coqui.net/uahorm/ Dr. Ursula Acosta: Genealogy: My Passion and Hobby] , Retrieved July 13, 2007]
* Familias de Cabo Rojo, 1983 (con David Enrique Cuesta Camacho)
* Cabo Rojo: Notas para su historia (con Antonio "Mao" Ramos Ramírez de Arellano)
* Cofresí y Ducoudray: Dos hombres al margen de la historia, Editorial Edil, Río Piedras, PR, 1991
* New Voices of Old: Five Centuries of Puerto Rican Cultural History, 1987

urnames of the first German families in Puerto Rico

The following are the surnames of the first German families to settle in Puerto Rico [http://www.preb.com/articulos/alemanes.htm La Presencia Germanica en Puerto Rico] ] :

Famous Puerto Ricans with German surnames

The following is a list of notable Puerto Ricans or people of Puerto Rican descent with German surnames.
* Dr. Brau, Salvador - historian, uncovered important information about how the Tainos lived and how they were treated harshly by the Spanish settlers
* Degetau, Federico - politician, the first Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico to the United States House of Representatives
* Goderich, Ivonne - actress
* Herger, Alfred D. - former Puerto Rican television show host and a psychologist.
* Hertell, Hans - U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic
* Kupferschen, Franz Von (1751-1814) - father of the Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresi
* Magath, Felix - (Puerto Rican on father's side) soccer player and coach
* Mayer, George E. - U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, first Hispanic Commander of the Naval Safety Center
* Meyners, Jose Arnaldo - Journalist
* Miller, Orvil - Actor and musician
* Miller, Virgil R. - U.S. Army Colonel was the Regimental Commander of the 442d Regimental Combat Team and led the 442nd in its rescue of the Lost Texas Battalion of the 36th Infantry Division, in World War II.
* Oppenheimer, Isabel Luberza - madam of a well known bordello, also known as "Isabel la Negra"
* Rev. Raschke, Jorge - evangelist
* Rieckehoff, Carlos - nationalist and brother of German Rieckehoff
* Rieckehoff, German - former president of Puerto Rican Olympic Committee
*Riefkohl, Rudolph W.- U.S. Army Brigadier General, the first Puerto Rican to receive a "Tombstone promotion" to Brigadier General which technically makes him the first Hispanic general in the regular Army
* Riefkohl, Frederick Lois - U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and a recipient of the Navy Cross
* Ross, Julita - singer, also known as "The Great Lady of the Danzas".
*Dr. Schmidt Acosta, Ursula - educator and one of the founding members of the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía (Puerto Rican Genealogical Society)
* Schmidt, Edna - journalist
* Schmidt, Waldemar - boxing referee
* Schomburg, Arturo Alfonso - historian, writer and activist, known as "The Father of Black History."
* Schatz, Thomas Rivera - secretary-general of PNP
* Stahl, Agustín - the first renowned Puerto Rican scientist.
* Stege, Sonia M. - Miss Puerto Rico 1974
* Völckers, Luis R. Esteves - U.S. Army General, was the first Puerto Rican (Hispanic) to graduate from the United States Military Academy (West Point)
* Watring, Mark - sportsperson, Puerto Rican equestrian.
* Wiechers, Alfredo - architect
* Wirshing, Lila Mayoral - Former first lady of Puerto Rico [ [http://genealogy.about.com/cs/surname/a/german_surnames.htm German Surnames - Meanings & Origins] ]

ee also

*List of notable Puerto Ricans
*Royal Decree of Graces of 1815
*German Confederation

Notes

External links

* [http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/WELT/usa.html German Genealogy: Germans in the United States of America]
* [http://www.preb.com/articulos/aleman2.htm German influence in Puerto Rico]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~prsanjua/cedula.htm Royal Decree of Graces / Real Cedula]
* [http://www.ponceweb.org/Datos_y_Simbolos/Ponce_y_su_importancia_histori/ponce_y_su_importancia_histori.htm Bienvenidos a Ponce]