The earliest Europeans to settle in the Spring Branch area were Jacob Schroeder and his wife Dorothea. They arrived in Houston from Germany in about 1838, bringing two children. In 1839, Jacob applied for a Republic of Texas land grant of 640 . . . — — Map (db m169592) HM
The German settlement of Texas began with Johann Friedrich Ernst, a native of Lower Saxony who arrived in 1831 and settled in Industry, Texas. Ernst encouraged many settlers to follow in his footsteps, including Jacob Schroeder, who settled in . . . — — Map (db m169602) HM
Jacob and Dorothea Schroeder built their log cabin a few hundred feet from this site, in about 1839. They brought two sons with them from Germany, Frederick (Fritz) and Heinrich. Theirs was a subsistence farm, and all the labor was provided by the . . . — — Map (db m169601) HM