Dittmar Family

Part of the wave of German immigration to Texas in the mid-nineteenth century, Albert Dittmar came to south-central Texas with his parents in the 1850s. He began the study of law after coming to Texas and practiced in New Braunfels before moving to San Antonio. After serving in the Confederate army during the Civil War, Dittmar returned to his hometown of Darmstadt, Germany, and married Emmy von Rehfues, a daughter of a German baron and relative of the Herff family, likewise prominent German-Texans. The couple moved to San Antonio, where their children Charles, Lily, Guido, Mathilde (Mattie), and John were born.

Prior to his death in 1887, Dittmar amassed a considerable amount of San Antonio-area real estate, which became the basis of the family business. Charles Dittmar practiced law after receiving his degree from the University of Texas, but also devoted much of his time to the family property holdings. John Dittmar had business interests in San Antonio, in particular the Southern Welding and Machine Co., and also was involved in management of family holdings. Guido Dittmar studied law at the University of Virginia and then worked in Washington, D. C. and New York before returning to Texas, where he pursued real estate interests. Lily Dittmar married Dr. Richard A. Goeth of San Antonio and had two children, Richard L. and Lily, before her death in 1907. None of the other Dittmar children married.

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