May 7, 1801-Nov. 1, 1900
In Jan. 1831 Charles Fordtran, a German of Huguenot descent, joined the colony of Stephen F. Austin. His first work was to survey land for Austin's partner, Samuel May Williams. He was given a league (4,428.4 acres) as his fee. Soon he brought in two families of settlers who worked for him for a time, then obtained their own land in present Fayette county. On July 4, 1834, he married Almeida Brookfield (1817-1887), daughter of a noted Indian-fighting family. Fordtran also fought Indians who stole livestock and kidnapped the wives and children of colonists. In the Texas war for independence, he joined the "Spy Rangers" under Capt. John Bird, defending civilians who were fleeing to escape the Mexican invaders. Charles Fordtran was one of the first Teutonic settlers in Texas—arriving some years before the main tide of German immigration. Music and good living abounded in his home. He and his wife had 14 children, with nine living to adulthood. Of four sons in the Confederate army during the Civil War (1861-1865) two survived. His descendants have made contributions to Texas history as industrialists, engineers, lawyers, physicians, and teachers. This marker stands on land he received in 1831.| HM Number | HMKKO |
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| Tags | |
| Year Placed | 1976 |
| Placed By | Texas Historical Commission |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Friday, September 12th, 2014 at 4:34pm PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 14R E 739323 N 3318203 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 29.97138333, -96.51971667 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 29° 58.283', W 96° 31.183' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 29° 58' 16.98" N, 96° 31' 10.98" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 979 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 18600 Cherry Ln, New Ulm TX 78950, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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