George’s Journal

In Zilker Park, Austin, Texas stands the Philosopher’s Rock honoring three legends in the accumulation of Texas folklore, J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb and Roy Bedichek. The Wendish Research Exchange of the Texas Wendish Heritage Society submits their own legend to the trio, George Nielsen.

View Dr. Nielsen’s notes regarding the Wends in Canada, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas

Rev. Johann Pallmer by George Nielsen

This article first appeared in the January 2016 edition of the Newsletter of the Texas Wendish Heritage Society. Johann Pallmer’s path into the ministry was uncertain and indirect. Johann Kilian’s, on the other hand, had been a smooth one. Kilian progressed directly from the elementary grades on to secondary school (Gymnasium), and through the university.

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St. Peter Church at Serbin by George Nielsen

This article first appeared in the October 2015 Newsletter of the Texas Wendish Heritage Society of Serbin, Texas.  (www.texaswendish.org) In an earlier article titled “Prussian or Saxon” I attempted to show how the religious environments of Prussia and Saxony contributed to the creation of first St. Peter church in Serbin. While this first separatist group remained small,

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Serbin During Reconstruction by Ken Kesselus with an Introduction by George Nielsen

Intro by George Nielsen Serbin’s official beginning took place in 1860 when the government honored the community’s request and gave the little village a post office. From 1860 on Serbin experienced a modest growth until 1890 when the railroad builders bypassed Serbin and then began its decline and lost its status symbol—the post office—in 1909.

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Folklore of the German Wends of Texas by George Nielsen

Singers and Storytellers (Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1961), 244-259, and later an abridged version was printed in Francis Edward Abernethy (ed.) The Folklore of Texan Cultures (Austin: The Encino Press, 1974), 290-300. For more information on Wendish folklore read Mato Kosyk’s letter found in the Johann August Urban entry in WENDS WHO BROKE THE

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