Hermann Spiess

Hermann Spiess

Hermann Spiess was co-founder of the Bettina, Texas commune in 1847. He became Commissioner-General of the Adelsverein after the resignation of John O. Meusebach.-Early life:...

, Ferdinand Ludwig Herff

Ferdinand Ludwig Herff

Ferdinand Ludwig Herff 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...

 and Gustav Schleicher

Gustav Schleicher

Gustav Schleicher was a German-born Democratic United States Representative from Texas. He was an engineer who served briefly in the Texas legislature, and was a veteran of the Confederate Army.-Early life:Schleicher was born in Darmstadt in the German principality of Hesse in 1823...

  founded Darmstadt Die Vierziger (the Society of Forty), sometimes referred to as the Socialistic Colony and Society. The founders, as well as many of the members, were from Darmstadt

Darmstadt

Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...

. They originally planned to establish socialistic communes in Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

.

Spiess and Herff were approached in Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...

 by 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:...

 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

Fisher-Miller Land Grant

The Fisher-Miller Land Grant was part of an early colonization effort of the Republic of Texas. Its 3,878,000 acres covered between the Llano River and Colorado River. Originally granted to Henry Francis Fisher and Burchard Miller, the grant was sold to the German colonization company of Adelsverein...

 territory in Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. In return, they were to receive $12,000 in money, livestock, equipment and provisions for a year. After the first year, the colonies were expected to support themselves. The colonies attempted were Castell

Castell, Texas

Castell is a small unincorporated riverside town in Llano County, Texas, United States. Located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, its northern border is formed by the Llano River. Designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1964, Marker number 9440....

, Leiningen, Bettina, Schoenburg and Meerholz in Llano County

Llano County, Texas

Llano County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 19, 301. Its county seat is Llano, and the county is named for the Llano River....

; Darmstädler Farm in Comal County

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 Tusculum in Kendall County

Kendall County, Texas

Kendall County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2008 census, its population was 32,886. Its seat is Boerne....

. Of these, only Castell survives. The colonies failed after the Adelsverein funding expired, and also due to conflict of structure and authorities. Some members moved to other Adelsverein settlements in Texas. Others moved elsewhere, or returned to Germany.

The Forty

| Darmstadt Society of Forty

Name	Ship	Notes
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Lawyer
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Maker of musical instruments
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Maker of musical instruments
		Blacksmith
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Mechanic
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Lawyer
		Lawyer
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Lieutenant of the military
		Carpenter
	1846	Physiclan
		Forester
		Lawyer
		Ship carpenter
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Forester
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Architect
	1834	Naturalist
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Forester
		Minister
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Brewer
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Agriculturalist
		Carpenter
		Butcher
		Miller
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Botanist
		American who joined in Victoria, Texas Victoria, Texas Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Forester
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Engineer
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Physician
		Maker of musical instruments
	1846
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Mechanic
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Forester
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Lawyer
		Lawyer
	St. Pauli, July 4, 1847	Architect