Nine Alsatians in South Texas: 1843-1900: The Times of the Family of a Self-Styled Colonizer: Peter Bluntzer, Paperback

The book is the historical account of an Alsatian family that forged what lives they could in the Republic and the State of Texas. They would fight in the Mexican-American and Civil Wars and endure the trials of Reconstruction Texas. The beginning chapters speak of their immigration to Texas, the building of a homestead, and Peter's efforts to bring fellow Alsatians to the area. Following chapters focus on each child and his or her life offerings: a daughter living with the Indians and a son dying in the Mexican-American War. Three sons would fight for the Confederacy. Two sons would patrol the country as an Indian scout or a Texas Ranger. Another would become a farmer-stockman in a community plagued by the Taylor-Sutton feud. The daughters would support their husbands in their work as a freighter and business owner, a blacksmith, and a farmer-stockman. The final chapter shares the historical legacy of the communities they once lived in.

Nine Alsatians in South Texas began in my imagination listening to conversations between my parents and neighbors, all of whom were either first or second generation descendants of immigrants. Growing up, I took for granted that everyone had a heritage like mine, as most of my childhood acquaintances did. It was only later that I realized the uniqueness of my South Texas culture. The book began in earnest when I retired from teaching and had the time to research the lives of those in my family line who helped settle the inland coastline of Texas's Gulf of Mexico.