Haass, H. E.

Herman E. Haass (1866-1956) was born in Castroville, Texas. At the age of ten, he began working in the Castroville New Era printing shop. He later published his own paper, the Castroville Anvil, for ten years, and taught school. In 1889 he organized the Medina Abstract Company which he directed for nearly fifty years. From 1894 to 1914 he served as county judge of Medina County, and later as county attorney for eight years. He was a member of the Texas Bar and president of the Hondo School Board and of the Hondo Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Haass kept the Hondo precipitation records unofficially for twenty-one years and officially for more than fifty years.

On February 15, 1842, Henri Castro, an empresario of the Republic of Texas, received contracts for two grants of land on which he was to establish 600 families. One grant lay west of San Antonio; the other was along the Rio Grande between Camargo and La Sal del Rey. Castro recruited his colonists in France, particularly in Alsace. On September 1, 1844, he left San Antonio for his land grant beyond the Medina River with his first thirty-five colonists. On September 3 the group reached its destination and began building homes. On September 12 an election was held for two justices of the peace and a constable, and the name Castroville was adopted for the settlement.

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