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German immigration to Puerto Rico |
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| Notable Puerto Ricans with German surnames | |||||||
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German immigration to Puerto Rico began when German businessmen immigrated to Puerto Rico during the early part of the 18th century. However, it was the economic and political situation in Europe during the early 19th century plus, the fact that the Spanish Crown issued the Royal Decree of Graces (Real Cédula de Gracias) which allowed the immigration of people of non-Hispanic origin to immigrate to the island, that contributed the most to the immigration of hundreds of German families to Puerto Rico in search of a better life. Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain to the United States under the terms of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish–American War and the U.S. established military bases there. Many soldiers of German-American descent stationed in the island intermarried with the locals and established their homes there. With the passage of the Jones Act of 1917 Puerto Ricans were required to service in the Armed Forces of the United States. Puerto Ricans fought in Germany during World War II and have served in U.S. military installations in said country since then. Many of these soldiers married German girls who eventually moved to the island with their husbands. Puerto Ricans of German descent have distinguished themselves in differents fields among them the fields of science, business and military.
According to Professor Ursula Acosta, the first German immigrants arrived in Puerto Rico from Curaçao and Austria during the early 19th century. Many of these early German immigrants established warehouses and businesses in the coastal towns of Fajardo, Arroyo, Ponce, Mayagüez, Cabo Rojo and Aguadilla. One of the reasons that these businessman established themselves in the island was that Germany depended mostly on Great Britain for such products as coffee, sugar and tobacco. By establishing businesses dedicated to the exportation and importation of these and other goods, Germany no longer had to pay the high tariffs which the English charged them. Not all of the immigrants were businessmen, some were teachers, farmers and skilled laborers.[1]
Many economic and political changes occurred in Europe during the latter part of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century which affected the lives of millions of people. One of those changes came about with the advent of the Second Industrial Revolution. Many people who worked the farmlands abandoned their homes and moved to the larger industrialized cities with the hope of finding better paying jobs. Those who continued to work in the agricultural sector suffered the consequences of the widespread crop failure which came about as the result of long periods of drought and diseases, the cholera epidemic and a general deterioration of economic conditions. Starvation and unemployment were on the rise.[2]
Europe also faced a series of revolutionary movements known as the European Revolutions of 1848 which erupted in Sicily and then were further triggered by the French Revolution of 1848. Soon, the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states erupted, leading to the Frankfurt Parliament. Ultimately, the rather non-violent "revolution" failed. Disappointed, many Germans immigrated to the Americas and Puerto Rico, dubbed as the Forty-Eighters. The majority of these came from Alsace-Lorraine, Baden, Hesse, Rheinland and Württemberg.[3]
The Spanish Crown had lost most of its possessions in the Americas. Two of its remaining possessions were Puerto Rico and Cuba, who were demanding more autonomy and had pro-independence movements. The Spanish Crown issued the Royal Decree of Graces (Real Cédula de Gracias) which was originated August 10, 1815, with the intention of attracting European settlers to the islands. The Spanish government, believing that the independence movements would lose their popularity, granted land and initially gave German, Corsican, Irish, and French settlers who swore loyalty to the Spanish Crown and allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church "Letters of Domicile". After a period of five years, settlers were granted a "Letter of Naturalization" that made them Spanish subjects.[4]
In the early 1800s German immigrants introduced the "Christmas Tree" to the Americas.[5] The custom of adorning Christmas trees in Puerto Rico began in the city of Bayamón in 1866 when Dr. Agustin Stahl adorned a Christmas tree in his back yard. The people of Bayamón baptized his tree "El Arbol de Navidad del Doctor Stahl" (Dr. Stahl's Christmas tree).[6]
In 1870, the Spanish Courts passed the "Acta de Culto Condicionado" (Conditional Cult Act), a law granting the right of religious freedom to all those who wished to worship another religion other than the Catholic religion. The Anglican Church, the Iglesia Santísima Trinidad, was founded by German and English immigrants in Ponce in 1872. Among the original founders was G. V. Wiecher, who wrote to the Anglican Bishop of Antigua, W. W. Jackson, requesting a Spanish speaking priest for their church.[7] The church, which is located in "La Calle Marina" (Marina Street) was the first non-Roman Catholic Church established in the Spanish Colonies and is currently a tourist attraction. Albert and Betty Ostrom, began training Puerto Ricans for pastoral service in the Lutheran Church of Puerto Rico from 1905 to 1931.[8]
The Mennonite Church, which began with the Anabaptists in the German and Dutch-speaking parts of central Europe in the 16th century, also established congregations in Puerto Rico. The first Mennonite congregation, in Puerto Rico, named Bethany (Betania) Mennonite Church, was founded in 1946 in Coamo, Puerto Rico. The first meetinghouse was a tabernacle type church, built in 1946 and pastored by Paul Lauver. It was replaced in 1949 and by 1958 had 111 members.[9] In 1957, a church was built in Cayey, Puerto Rico called the Guavate Mennonite Church, replacing a smaller structure of the Guavate Mennonite Church, which was founded in 1954 and destroyed in 1956.
There is a Mennonite School in Summit Hill and a Mennonite Church in San Juan. In the town of Aibonito, the Puerto Rican Mennonites established their first hospital and conference center.[10] As of 1986 the conference had 893 members in 16 congregations with churches in Ponce and Bayamon.[9]
The descendants of the first Spanish settlers owned most of the land in the coastal areas, however some of the well-to-do German immigrants were able to settle in these areas and establish their businesses in coastal towns such as Fajardo, Arroyo, Ponce, Mayagüez, Cabo Rojo and Aguadilla. Those who expected free land under the terms of the Spanish Royal Decree, settled in the central mountainous areas of the island in towns such as Adjuntas, Aibonito and Ciales among others. They made their living in the agricultural sector and in some cases became owners of sugar cane plantations. Others dedicated themselves to the fishing industry. Amongst the first German settlers in Puerto Rico were Johann Kifenhover, who in 1832 established a school in San Juan and Adolfo Rauschenplatt, who founded a sugar cane export business.[11] In 1915, Walter Tischer married Carmen Vargas Alayon and opened a ballet school in San Juan which still exists today. Some of the businesses founded in Puerto Rico were Mullenhoff & Korber, Frite, Lundt & Co., Max Meyer & Co. and Feddersen Willenk & Co.
Unlike their counterparts who settled in the United States in close knit communities, the immigrants in Puerto Rico intermarried with Puerto Ricans and adopted the language and customs of the island thereby completely integrating themselves into the society of their new homeland.[11]
By the beginning of the 20th century, many of the descendants of the first German settlers had become successful businessmen, educators, and scientists and were among the pioneers of Puerto Rico's television industry. On December 10, 1898, Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain to the United States under the terms of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish–American War. The former Spanish military bases were transferred to the United States and many of the soldiers of German-American descent stationed in the island intermarried with the locals and established their homes there. With the passage of the Jones Act of 1917 Puerto Ricans were required to service in the Armed Forces of the United States. Puerto Ricans fought in Germany during World War II as members of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry Regiment and continued to serve in said country as members of the regular Army after the war. Many of these soldiers married German girls who, as in the case of Dr. Ursula Acosta, eventually moved to the island with their Puerto Rican husbands. Dr. Ursula Acosta, who was born in Germany, is a psychologist and retired professor of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. As member of the Puerto Rican Genealogy Society, she has studied and written many works on genealogy and the German influence in Puerto Rico. Among her works are the following:[12]
The German element of Puerto Rico is very much in evidence and German surnames such as Herger and Rieckehoff are common in the island. The following are the surnames of the first German families to settle in Puerto Rico[11]:
| Surnames of the first German families in Puerto Rico | ||||
| Baltmann, Behn, Bey, Bose, Brau, Bultmann, Christiansen, Degener, Elvers, Fritze, Fromm, Ganslandt, Hartmann, Hau, Herger, Hoffman, Hohl, Kleibring, Kifenhover, Koppel, Koppisch, Korber, Krammer, Küchler, Kupferschein (later changed to Cofresi), Kuster, Lange, Lameyer, Lassen, Lundt, Meyer, Miller, Müllenhoff, Müller, Nitsche, Oppenheimer, Overmann, Piterson, Pottharst, Raschke, Rauschenplar, Reichard, Rieckehoff, Riefkohl, Roehrs, Roller, Sanders, Schimk, Schink, Schmidt, Schnabel, Schomburg, Schröder, Schultze, Spieker, Stahl, Stege, Steffens, Steinacher, Stubbe, Tischer, Voigt, Völckers, Wedstein, Wiechers, Willenk, Wirshing, Wolff, Wolmart, Zaiter. | ||||
The following is a list of notable Puerto Ricans or people of Puerto Rican descent with German surnames. This list also includes people of Puerto Rican and German descent born in the United States and Germans who adopted Puerto Rico as their homeland as well.
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   | German Genealogy: Germans in the United States of America - German Genealogy: Germans in the USA |
| | Archivo General de Puerto Rico: Documentos - Archivo General de Puerto Rico |
| | German Surnames - Meanings & Origins - German Surname Meanings & Origins - Last Names From Germany - Top 50 German Surnames |
| | Dr. Ursula Acosta: Genealogy: My Passion and Hobby - Dr. Ursula Acosta: Genealogy: My Passion and Hobby |
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