Wends of Change

We’re accustomed to not knowing much about people’s childhoods or where they grew up. I also never thought to ask. When I was little, I was more interested in learning about the migration of Monarch butterflies than that of my own family. I questioned a lot, but just not ancestry. I remember doing projects in school, but it would usually go no farther than constructing a family tree, or drawing a crest. Now I’m in awe of and appreciate my rich Wendish heritage.

I always knew my ancestors had come from Germany, but I didn’t know exactly why. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned about some of my ancestors—the Kieschnicks on my grandmother’s side and the Mickans on my grandfather’s side—who came from Germany on an English ship called the Ben Nevis. In the 1800s, the Wends were facing persecution from the ruler of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm III, who wanted to combine two Protestants religions, Calvinists and Lutherans. They wanted to find a place that offered the freedom to worship as they please and keep their native tongue. Over 600 Wends migrated under the leadership of Pastor John Kilian. Many died from a cholera epidemic. When they got to Galveston, a bout of yellow fever forced them to move quickly to Houston. A good many of them walked to central Texas, carrying all their belongings with them and settling in shacks. They slowly built their own unique culture in Texas and helped fuel the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. They constructed the first Lutheran church in Texas. The first church was a simple frame church, followed by a stone one. As they assimilated into other churches, they slowly lost their language and traditions. In Serbin, they continued to have services in Wendish until 1921. Now few people still speak the Wendish language. My grandpa owns a Wendish Bible that belonged to my great-grandmother Hannah Dunk.

The Texas Wendish Society mentions that, “The great irony of the Wendish emigration was that in the effort to establish a pure Wendish colony where the language and culture could be preserved, these very things were lost due to the economic and social realities of the frontier.” A lot of traditions have been phased out. However, the Lutheran faith has been instilled in each of my family members. My grandpa and grandma built a household around faith and family, and have steadily encouraged me to learn more about my ancestry. I witness the strong, stubborn spirit in the Wendish descendants today, and that is certainly something that will not be easily lost.