Charles Henry Nimitz
Encyclopedia
Charles Henry Nimitz was a German merchant seaman, as was his father before him. He was the grandfather of, and role model for, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz
. In 1852, he built the Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas
, United States
. The hotel he built now houses the National Museum of the Pacific War
. The Nimitz Hotel was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
in 1989, Marker number 10089. Nimitz was elected to the Twenty-second Texas Legislature in 1890, representing Gillespie
, Comal
and Blanco
counties, which constituted District 89.
Germany
on November 9, 1826, to merchant seaman Karl Heinrich Nimitz Sr. and his wife Dorothea Magdalena Dressel.
The Nimitz roots can be traced to membership in Knights of the Sword in the 13th Century. In 1644, Major Ernst von Nimitz served under Carl Gustav Wrangel of Sweden
. Major Nimitz relocated in 1648 to an area near Hanover
, Germany. Later generations became cloth merchants and dropped the "von" from the family name. Karl Heinrich Nimitz Sr. left the mercantile business and became a merchant seaman. Karl Jr. followed in his footsteps at age 14.
, beginning with the three oldest children in 1840, Karl Sr. and Dorothea in 1843, and Karl Jr. in 1844. Karl Jr. became fascinated by stories about Texas, and in 1846 joined the Adelsverein
colonists who settled in Fredericksburg with John O. Meusebach
. In Fredericksburg, Karl Jr. changed his name to Charles Henry Nimitz. On December 15, 1847, Nimitz became one of the petitioners for creation of Gillespie County. He briefly worked as a bookkeeper for a cypress lumber company, and in 1851 joined the Texas Rangers.
, Johnny Ringo
, President Rutherford B. Hayes
, James Longstreet
, Phil Sheridan, William Sydney Porter and Ulysses S. Grant
. Robert E. Lee
, who was stationed at nearby Fort Mason
prior to the Civil War, visited so often that Nimitz gave Lee his own room and exhibited it to guests when Lee was not in residence. After the war, the hotel became a stage stop. Nimitz would entertain the guests with practical jokes on the customers, and humorous stories. Nimitz deeded the hotel over to his son Charles H Nimitz Jr. in 1906.
, Comal
and Blanco
counties, in the Twenty-second Texas Legislature.
. The senior Chester died before his son was born on February 24, 1885. Grandfather Charles Henry Nimitz served as a father figure and role model the first five years of little Chester's life. In 1890, the widow Nimitz married her husband's brother William Nimitz and moved with him to Kerrville
where he managed the St. Charles Hotel. While still a teenager, Chester was accepted for enrollment in the United States Naval Academy
, where he graduated seventh out of a class of 114. Chester Nimitz rose to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Forces in World War II
.
, Charles Henry Nimitz made the half-day's ride to the Mason County
community to spend the day with Meusebach at his residence. They reminisced about their years of friendship, and Meusebach gave Nimitz a tour of his orchards and gardens. Nimitz later gave an interview about the visit to the Fredericksburg newspaper Das Wochenblatt, detailing Meusebach's horticultural achievements.
Sophia died in 1877, and is buried at Der Stadt Friedhof
in Fredericksburg.Charles Henry Nimitz died on April 28, 1911, in the hotel he built. He is buried next to Sophia.
Chester Nimitz
Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, GCB, USN was a five-star admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet , for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas , for U.S...
. In 1852, he built the Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The hotel he built now houses the National Museum of the Pacific War
National Museum of the Pacific War
The National Museum of the Pacific War is located in Fredericksburg, Texas, the boyhood home of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Fleet Admiral Nimitz served as CinCPAC, Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet during World War II...
. The Nimitz Hotel was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
in 1989, Marker number 10089. Nimitz was elected to the Twenty-second Texas Legislature in 1890, representing Gillespie
Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...
, Comal
Comal County, Texas
Comal County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 108,472. Its seat is New Braunfels.Comal County is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History Timeline:...
and Blanco
Blanco County, Texas
Blanco County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2010, the population is 10,497. Its county seat is Johnson City. Blanco is named for the Blanco River which traverses the county. The State of Texas formed Blanco County in 1858 from portions of Burnet,...
counties, which constituted District 89.
Early life
Karl Heinrich Nimitz Jr. was born in BremenBremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on November 9, 1826, to merchant seaman Karl Heinrich Nimitz Sr. and his wife Dorothea Magdalena Dressel.
The Nimitz roots can be traced to membership in Knights of the Sword in the 13th Century. In 1644, Major Ernst von Nimitz served under Carl Gustav Wrangel of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Major Nimitz relocated in 1648 to an area near Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Germany. Later generations became cloth merchants and dropped the "von" from the family name. Karl Heinrich Nimitz Sr. left the mercantile business and became a merchant seaman. Karl Jr. followed in his footsteps at age 14.
Texas
The family originally emigrated to Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, beginning with the three oldest children in 1840, Karl Sr. and Dorothea in 1843, and Karl Jr. in 1844. Karl Jr. became fascinated by stories about Texas, and in 1846 joined the Adelsverein
Adelsverein
Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, better known as Adelsverein , organized on April 20, 1842, was a colonial attempt to establish a new Germany within the borders of Texas.-History:...
colonists who settled in Fredericksburg with John O. Meusebach
John O. Meusebach
John O. Meusebach , born Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach, was at first a Prussian bureaucrat, later an American farmer and politician who served in the Texas Senate, District 22.-Early years:John O...
. In Fredericksburg, Karl Jr. changed his name to Charles Henry Nimitz. On December 15, 1847, Nimitz became one of the petitioners for creation of Gillespie County. He briefly worked as a bookkeeper for a cypress lumber company, and in 1851 joined the Texas Rangers.
Nimitz Hotel
In 1852, Nimitz built what locals referred to as the Steamboat Hotel because of the ship's bow front. The adobe Nimitz Hotel had its own saloon and brewery, a ballroom that doubled as a theatre, a smokehouse, and a bath-house. In its heyday, the hotel hosted such guests as Horace GreeleyHorace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
, Johnny Ringo
Johnny Ringo
John Peters "Johnny" Ringo was an outlaw Cowboy of the American Old West who was affiliated with Ike Clanton and Frank Stilwell in Cochise County, Arizona Territory during 1881-1882.-Early life:...
, President Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
, James Longstreet
James Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
, Phil Sheridan, William Sydney Porter and Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
. Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
, who was stationed at nearby Fort Mason
Fort Mason (Texas)
Fort Mason was established July 6, 1851 in what later became Mason County. It was named in honor of Lieut. George Thomson Mason, United States Army Second Lieutenant killed in the Thornton Affair during the Mexican–American War near Brownsville, April 25, 1846. At various times from 1856 to 1861...
prior to the Civil War, visited so often that Nimitz gave Lee his own room and exhibited it to guests when Lee was not in residence. After the war, the hotel became a stage stop. Nimitz would entertain the guests with practical jokes on the customers, and humorous stories. Nimitz deeded the hotel over to his son Charles H Nimitz Jr. in 1906.
Military duty
During the War Between the States, Nimitz organized the Gillespie Rifles and was commissioned captain of that group by the Confederacy.State legislature
In 1890, Nimitz represented District 89, GillespieGillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...
, Comal
Comal County, Texas
Comal County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 108,472. Its seat is New Braunfels.Comal County is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History Timeline:...
and Blanco
Blanco County, Texas
Blanco County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2010, the population is 10,497. Its county seat is Johnson City. Blanco is named for the Blanco River which traverses the county. The State of Texas formed Blanco County in 1858 from portions of Burnet,...
counties, in the Twenty-second Texas Legislature.
Grandson Chester Nimitz
Anna Henke Nimitz, the wife of his son Chester Bernard Nimitz became pregnant with their only child Chester William NimitzChester Nimitz
Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, GCB, USN was a five-star admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet , for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas , for U.S...
. The senior Chester died before his son was born on February 24, 1885. Grandfather Charles Henry Nimitz served as a father figure and role model the first five years of little Chester's life. In 1890, the widow Nimitz married her husband's brother William Nimitz and moved with him to Kerrville
Kerrville, Texas
Kerrville is a city in Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population was 20,425 at the 2000 census. In 2009, the population was 22,826...
where he managed the St. Charles Hotel. While still a teenager, Chester was accepted for enrollment in the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, where he graduated seventh out of a class of 114. Chester Nimitz rose to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Forces in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Later years
After John O. Meusebach retired to Loyal Valley, TexasLoyal Valley, Texas
Loyal Valley is an unincorporated farming and ranching community, established in 1858, and is north of Cherry Spring in the southeastern corner of Mason County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The community is located near Cold Spring Creek, which runs east for to its mouth on Marschall Creek in...
, Charles Henry Nimitz made the half-day's ride to the Mason County
Mason County, Texas
Mason County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 4, 012. Its county seat is Mason...
community to spend the day with Meusebach at his residence. They reminisced about their years of friendship, and Meusebach gave Nimitz a tour of his orchards and gardens. Nimitz later gave an interview about the visit to the Fredericksburg newspaper Das Wochenblatt, detailing Meusebach's horticultural achievements.
Personal life and death
In 1848, Nimitz married Sophie Dorothea Mueller. The couple had twelve children, nine of whom lived to adulthood.Sophia died in 1877, and is buried at Der Stadt Friedhof
Der Stadt Friedhof
Der Stadt Friedhof is a pioneer cemetery established in 1846 along Barons Creek on the corner of East Schubert Street and Lee Street, in Fredericksburg, Texas. It is the oldest known cemetery within Fredericksburg and is the final resting place for many of the original German colonists who arrived...
in Fredericksburg.Charles Henry Nimitz died on April 28, 1911, in the hotel he built. He is buried next to Sophia.