The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 26, July 1922 - April, 1923 Page: 213
324 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Memoirs of Major George Bernard Erath
young, friend and foe. I found myself considerably richer, too,
when I had gone the rounds; for each of the older ones gave me
a crown thaler according to the time-honored custom, which re-
quired a present to be made to any young member of the family
marrying or leaving on a long journey. A hundred florins had
been made up for me, but at the last moment when I was depart-
ing down the steps from my uncle Jacob's house, having said
good-by to my aunt-in-law, that kindest of relatives followed me
with her basket of coin and begged me to take more, as she feared
I was not sufficiently provided for such a long journey. I did
not take more, but assured her that I had enough.
2. THE JOURNEY TO AMERICA, 1832
We set off in fine style on the morning of the 5th of April,
1832. I was under the protection of a sprig of the nobility, and
his liveried servants rode outside on horseback, I inside with him.
Our conversation of that day is fresh in my memory. Colonel
De Wind thought I was doing a very worng-headed thing in going
to France, "a country," he repeated, "of revolutionary changes
and liberal ideas." I told him I wanted only to get through
France and on to America. He said, "Well, if that is the case, you
hurry on; there may be a counter revolution in Paris at any
moment." Louis Philippe was then on the throne of France, and
remained there sixteen years longer before the revolution came.
Colonel De Wind had a favorable opinion of the Americans, whom
he considered a settled people like the English. The French, he
informed me, were more likely to demand whether I had means
to support myself than a passport. I told him that I not only
had the money to carry me through France but also a certificate
to prove that I had an interest in the estate of my grandmother,
and also of my uncle. We crossed the line between Wiirtemberg
and Baden on a mountain after dark, and the next morning about
five o'clock reached Offenburg. I remember the beautiful town
of Offenburg distinctly, and also a little experience I got there.
The Colonel stopped to remain the day and night with friends,
and told me to go on in the coach with the horses and servants
to an inn. Being the only occupant of the carriage when it
reached the inn, I was received with many flourishes and all the213
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 26, July 1922 - April, 1923, periodical, 1923; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101084/m1/219/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.