The Texas German Society (TGS) is an organization that works to preserve and create awareness about the German culture, heritage and language of German-Texans.
It was founded in Harris County in September 6, 1983, and has been acting as a channel of communication among German people in America and in other places around the world. The organization has no political affiliation and is a non-profit.
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Understanding TGS
You can describe TGS as a grassroots organization for German-Texans with chapters all over the state of Texas. Each chapter conducts its own activities at the county, city, or area level and has its own officers. They have a variety of programs which include:
- Museum exhibits
- Library drives
- Scholarship programs
- Dancing and singing groups
- Festivals
- Genealogy workshops
- Cultural and historical field trips
- Plays and poetry readings
TGS Officers, Directors and Presidents
Apart from these programs, there are also guest speakers who are brought to various functions to share their expertise with the groups. Chapters from various are grouped together under a local president who represents them at the state executive meetings. During the annual state conventions in late March or early April, state officers and directors are elected by the whole body attending the convention.
Convention Activities
The convention program consists of entertainment, local history and fellowship. Winners of the state-sponsored essay contest are announced in the convention. You may also get to see all the three Texas German Society newsletters for February, June and October. The Newsletters contain news about activities happening all over the state, and articles on various topics. These articles and reports talk about language, anecdotes, reunions, general history, and genealogy.
German Texans
German Texans have been the largest ethnic group in Texas since the 19th Century. According to recent census, there are more than 2 million German-Texans. A number of them migrated to the United States from 1830 to 1900. They did not come from a unified Germany but from land of provinces and Duchies. They ones that came to America consisted of peasants, academicians, and professionals.
German noblemen were also drawn to Texas because of investment opportunities that were available there. The continuous migration of Germans to Texas created a “German belt” that stretched from Texas coastal plains to the Hill Country. This also includes the large towns of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg.
German-Texan Dialect
About 100,000 Texans spoke German on the eve of the First World War, and there were about 90 German-language magazines and Newspapers. But the two world wars led to the suppression of the German language and culture. In the present, only around 10,000 people speak the language fluently in Texas. Fortunately, projects like the German Dialect Project are trying to preserve the language and make it popular again.
TGDP recorded hours of conversations with Texas Germans from 2001 to 2019, to help in analyzing how Texas German dialect compares with German spoken in Germany in the present-day. The project discovered that the German-Texan dialect is a mix of different German dialects from various areas in Germany. The project intends to keep the language alive for as long as possible.