Marker Number: 16588
Marker Text: (September 9, 1821 – April 8, 1870) Born in Prussia, Carl (Karl) Heinrich Guenther immigrated to Texas in 1845. He was a community leader, one of New Braunfels’ first public school teachers, and a director of the Germania, an early singing society. In 1854, he was elected president of Staats Saengerfest (state singers festival), a statewide meeting of German political groups. They adopted an anti-slavery platform, which represented an unpopular position in Texas. Guenther was among German-Texan leaders who allayed fears of disloyalty, and despite his leanings, he joined the Confederacy, becoming a captain. After his death, his wife, Margarethe (Schertz), with whom he had six children, continued their brewing business. (2010)
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