Huth, Ferdinand Louis

Ferdinand Louis Huth immigrated to Texas from Germany and assisted in the primarily French and German colonization of Castroville, Texas, in the 1840s. He was born January 3, 1813, in Baden. His father, Ludwig Huth, was a merchant and insurance agent in Neufreystadt, and his mother, Catherine (Leicht) Huth, was Alsatian. Louis had three brothers, August, Albert, and Cellirius, and one sister, Emilie.

In 1842 Louis Huth met Henri Castro in Paris. Castro held a contract with the Republic of Texas to establish a colony and believed that he could make a fortune by importing and exporting goods between Europe and Texas. In 1843 the Huths entered into a deal with Castro to assist in colonization of and trade with Texas. Castro provided expertise and ships for the movement of goods and people across the Atlantic, and Huth and Company in Neufreystadt provided capital for the initial investment in merchandise. Louis moved to Texas to assist with the settlement of colonists there and to trade Castro's European goods for hides and cotton, which he would ship back to Europe. According to the agreement, the Huths would obtain part of the land grant Castro expected to receive from the Texas government, and Huth & Company, Louis Huth, and Castro would share evenly the money earned from the import/export business.

On October 25, 1843, Louis Huth left Antwerp on the ship Jean Key to sail to Galveston. When he arrived in Galveston on January 2, 1844, he found the first group of Castro's immigrants waiting there, and no sign of the agents assigned to take care of them. Huth took responsibility for the immigrants and they continued on their way, arriving at Porta LaVaca on about January 11. From there they proceeded by oxcart to San Antonio, where they arrived by March. Castro joined the group in San Antonio in July, and up to this point no one in the party, including Castro, had seen the land they were planning to settle. On September 2 the group left to found Castroville. During their first election on September 12, 1844, the people of Castroville elected Huth as Justice of the Peace.

Just over two months later, on November 20, 1844, Castro left the colony and put Huth in charge in his absence. Though he planned to be back in less than a year, Castro did not return for 20 months. During this time, Huth arranged for people to get from Galveston or Porta LaVaca to Castroville and acted as director of the colony, organizing the planting of crops, lending money, and distributing supplies to new immigrants. In Europe, Louis's family found people interested in emigrating and helped them get to Antwerp, where they boarded Castro's ships to Texas.

Huth worked hard for the enterprise, which did not always run smoothly. Difficulties in getting to Castroville caused many would-be colonists to remain in Galveston or San Antonio. Immigrants colonizing Castroville spoke French, German, and English, so it is fortunate that Huth spoke these languages. In March 1845, Huth led a group of settlers to found a town called Quihi, but tragedy struck a week later when several Quihi settlers were attacked and killed. Money was tight, and Castro's credit was being stretched. Castro's financial troubles led him, while in Europe in 1845, to enter into business with G. Dhanis and Company, forming the Société de Colonisation au Texas, à Anvers (the Antwerp Society for Texas Colonization). This alliance put Huth in the awkward position of having to take orders from both Castro and the Société.

Castro returned to Castroville by September 1846, and in mid-October he fired Huth. For at least a time, relations between the two men were strained. Neither the Huths nor Castro ever became rich from their endeavor, and Castro owed Louis money for years after the end of their partnership.

After the end of his employment with Castro, Huth remained in Castroville, where he participated in business and government through the early 1860s. He ran a brewery and a gristmill, opened a store with partner George Louis Haass, and was a charter member of Zion Lutheran Church. During the years 1848 and 1849, Huth served as Tax-Assessor-Collector for the newly established Medina County, and in 1849 he became County Treasurer. From 1849 through 1858, Huth acted as County Clerk, and from 1860 to 1862 he served as Chief Justice.

On July 15, 1846, Huth married Rosalie Rhin, who gave birth to two sons, Joseph Louis and Albert. In 1849 Rosalie and Albert died in a cholera epidemic. On February 15, 1851, Huth married Sophie Louise Köhnen, and they had four children: Emelia, Lena, August, and William.

In 1863 Huth moved to San Antonio and opened a store at 226, 228, and 230 Market Street called L. Huth and Son that sold hardware, implements, and seeds. Huth belonged to several organizations, including the Turner Verein, a gymnastic society; the Kranken Kasse Verein (Krankenkassenverein) a hospitalization insurance association; the Arbeiter Verein, a workers association; the Order of the Sons of Hermann, a fraternal insurance benefit society; and the Alamo Masonic Lodge No. 44. Huth died at home on Market Street on December 24, 1892, and was buried at the Alamo Masonic Cemetery.

From the guide to the Ferdinand Louis Huth Papers, 1778-1937, 1843-1892, (Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)