German immigration to Puerto Rico

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During the mid-19th century, hundreds of German families fled Europe and immigrated to the New World in search of a better life. Many of them (called Forty-Eighters in the U.S.) settled in Puerto Rico.

Situation 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.

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, Hessen, Rheinland and Württemberg.

Spanish 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. In 1870 the Spanish Courts passed a law granting the right of religious freedom to all those who wished to worship another religion other then the Catholic religion. The Anglican Church, the Iglesia Santísima Trinidad, was founded by German immigrants in Ponce in 1872. 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.

The First Settlers

The descendants of the first Spanish settlers owned most of the land in the coastal areas, therefore the Germans settled the central mountainous areas of the island in towns such as Ciales. They also settled in the coastal town of Aguadilla and the island of Vieques. Many made their livings in the agriculture sector and became owners of sugar cane plantations, while others dedicated themselves to the fishing industry. Amongst the first German settlers in Puerto Rico were Johann Kifenhover who in 1832 established a school in San Juan, Adolfo Rauschenplar, who founded a sugar cane export business and Walter Tischer who in 1915 married Carmen Vargas Alayon with whom he 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.

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 Miller, Herger and Hurst 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:

• Familias de Cabo Rojo, 1983 (con David E. 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

Surnames of the first German settlers in Puerto Rico

Baltmann, Behn, Duplace, Elvers, Fritze, Ganslandt, Haddock, Hau, Herger, Hoffman, Hurst, Hyuke, Kleibring, Kifenhover, Koppel, Koppisch, Korber, Kuster, Lundt, Megwinoff, Meyer, Miller, Müllenhoff, Muller, Nitsche, Oppenheimer, Raschke, Rauschenplar, Reichard, Rieckeoff, Riefhonl, Roehrs, Roller, Sanders, Schomburg, Schnabel, Schmidt, Schröder, Schultze, Stahl, Stubbe, Sunz, Tischer, Völckers, Wiechers, Willenk, Wolmart, Zaiter.

Famous Puerto Ricans with German surnames

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