Ferdinand Ludwig Herff
| Ferdinand Ludwig Herff | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Ferdinand Ludwig von Herff November 29, 1820 Darmstadt, Germany |
| Died | May 18, 1912 (aged 91) San Antonio, United States |
| Resting place | San Antonio City Cemetery #1 |
| Residence | San Antonio |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater |
University of Berlin University of Bonn University of Giessen |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Spouse(s) | Mathilde Klingelhoeffer |
| Children | Dr. Adolph Herff Dr. John B. Herff Bank VP William Herff Bank pres. Ferdinand Herff Boerne rancher Charles Herff Architect August Herff |
| Parent(s) | Christian von Herff Eleanora von Meusebach |
| Relatives | John O. Meusebach |
Ferdinand Ludwig Herff (1820–1912) was a 19th-century German-born physician who emigrated to Texas and became a medical pioneer in San Antonio. He was one of the co-founders of the Bettina commune. In 1982, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark 1268 was placed on Malakopf Mountain in Boerne, to honor Herff. Herff's homesite in San Antonio was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in the year 2000, Marker number 12345.
Ferdinand Ludwig von Herff was born November 29, 1820, in Darmstadt, Germany to Christian von Herff, Privy Councillor or Judge of the Supreme Court of Hesse-Darmstadt, and his wife Eleanora von Meusebach, a cousin of John O. Meusebach.
Herff attended the University of Berlin and the University of Bonn, where his uncle Doctor von Rehfuss was the president of the university. Both universities were the alma maters of Karl Marx. A fellow student was Frederick III, future King of Prussia at the Bonn university. The family social circle included naturalist Alexander von Humboldt and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Herff completed his medical education at the University of Giessen in 1843. Upon graduation, he served a surgical internship with the army of Hesse, and learned techniques in plastic surgery and the treatment of tuberculosis.
Herff, Gustav Schleicher and Hermann Spiess founded the Socialistic Colony and Society, or Die Vierziger (the Society of Forty), which originally had plans to establish socialistic communes in Wisconsin. Spiess and Herff were approached in Wiesbaden by Adelsverein Vice President and Executive Secretary-Business Director Count Carl Frederick Christian of Castell-Castell, who made a deal with them to colonize two hundred families on the Fisher-Miller Land Grant territory in Texas. In return, they were to receive $12,000 in money, livestock, equipment and provisions for a year. After the first year, the colony was expected to support itself. In 1846, Herff and Spiess emigrated together to the United States via New York City. From there, they traveled by railroad to Wheeling, West Virginia, and by stage coach to New Orleans. They then boarded a ship to Galveston. Spiess went to New Braunfels, and Herff went to Indianola at the end of April 1847 to await the arrival of the other colony members.John O. Meusebach and Spiess chose the location for Bettina in 1847 on the banks of the Llano River. The commune was named in honor of Bettina von Arnim, an early feminist activist and a personal friend of the Meusebach family. The majority of the Bettina settlers arrived in August 1847. Beneath an oak tree, Herff removed a cataract from the eye of a local Indian chief.Jacob Kuechler was one of the notables at the commune. Bettina failed after the Adelsverein funding expired, and due to conflict of structure and authorities. Some members moved to other Adelsverein settlements in Texas. Others moved elsewhere, or returned to Germany.
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