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SHERMAN, TEXAS--Ruth I. Cape, Austin College associate professor of German, has edited a bilingual and annotated edition of a collection of letters, New World View: Letters from a German Immigrant Family in Texas, 1854 – 1885. The book is published by Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., and available through Peter Lang Publishing or Amazon.
The book spans three decades, describing the three-month sea voyage of Christian Friedrich Bergmann and his family; their settling in Boerne, Texas, as farmers and ranchers; and the challenges faced in adapting to American culture. The family belonged to the large wave of German immigrants that came to Texas in the 1850s.
The Bergmann letter collection begins with a detailed description of the sea journey and the many exciting and disheartening moments experienced while at sea. Bergmann then gives insight into many facets of immigrant life on the Texas frontier while narrating how he and his family built a life for themselves in Texas.
The book, which includes a historical and biographical introduction, is a valuable source for scholars and students in various disciplines, but also addresses readers with a general interest in the social history of German immigration to the United States and, specifically, to Texas.
The letter collection was provided to Cape by Gene Steele, a north Texas man who had been involved with Cape’s Austin College classes and who is a great-grandson of Christian Friedrich Bergmann. Several advanced German students were involved in the book project. “I am grateful to Gene Steele for his dedicated support during the preparation of the book manuscript.” Cape said. “I am also quite pleased that in the process leading up to publication, numerous students studying German at Austin College gained valuable insight into the letter collection by working on them in two different course projects as part of two advanced German courses. Being able to acknowledge their contributions in the book was particularly exciting.”
Cape served Austin College in visiting and adjunct roles before joining the faculty in 2010 and becoming a tenured faculty member in 2014. She has published several bilingual and annotated editions, including The Jews’ Mirror [Der Juden Spiegel] by Johannes Pfefferkorn in 2011, published by the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in the series Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies Volume 390. In 2010, another bilingual and annotated edition entitled Youth at War: Feldpost Letters of a German Boy to his Parents, 1943 to 1945, was released by Peter Lang Publishing. She and a colleague from St. John’s University of Minnesota also translated into English the German book Der letzte Mönch von Tibhirine by Freddy Derwahl, originally published in Germany in 2012.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.
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