DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, you want to talk about a man who could not be put in a box — not by a war, not by a colony that never got off the ground, not even by a name he never liked. Pull up a chair, because Dr.
Ferdinand Ludwig von Herff is one of those stories Texas doesn't tell nearly enough. He came into the world on November 29, 1820, in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. His full name at birth was Ferdinand Charles von Herff — but here's the thing.
He never used the name Charles. Not once. Apparently some folks just know from the start which parts of themselves they're keeping and which they're not.
By 1847, young Ferdinand had joined a group of idealistic Germans who called themselves die vierziger — the forty. They came to Texas with high hopes and a plan: establish the Bettina Socialistic Colony. That plan failed.
Flat out failed. Most men might've gone home quietly and pretended the whole thing never happened. Ferdinand went home, yes — but he came back swinging.
Back in Germany, he married Mathilde Klingelhoffer in 1849. The very next year, he and Mathilde immigrated to New Braunfels and settled in San Antonio. He was done with failed experiments; now came the real work.
In the 1850s, a handful of courageous, well-trained European doctors stepped up to meet the health needs of San Antonio's citizens. Ferdinand von Herff was among them — and he wasn't just showing up. For more than fifty years, he worked tirelessly to provide leadership, medical knowledge, and to improve medical practices across the state of Texas.
When he became a United States citizen, he dropped the von entirely. Just Dr. Herff.
Simple. Earned. He also kept a second home — a ranch out in Boerne that served as a family retreat.
But even retreating, the man couldn't stop doctoring. He practiced medicine there too, and he was instrumental in bringing two things to Boerne that mattered: the railroad, and Saint Mary's Sanitarium. You don't accidentally make those things happen.
That takes a man who believes in a place. Then came the Civil War, and here is where the story gets genuinely complicated. Dr.
Herff served briefly as a Brigade Surgeon for General Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy. And yet — and yet — he was known as a Union sympathizer.
Known well enough that Confederate Rangers occupied his ranch. Let that settle for a moment. The man served one side, his property was seized by that same side, and through all of it he treated all in need, including Native Americans.
He drew his circle wide when others were drawing theirs tight. Medically, Dr. Herff achieved breakthroughs in surgery and introduced new procedures to the medical community.
He held distinguished positions in local and state organizations and received honors for his many contributions. As one of the great pioneer doctors of Texas, his diligent efforts for the profession and for the patients he loved helped set standards for medicine, for facilities, and for the continuing advances that came after him. Mathilde, for her part, lived until 1910.
The marker holds those years quietly, and they deserve to be held. A man who shed a name he didn't want, survived a colony that didn't survive, crossed an ocean twice, doctored across a war that occupied his own home, and still spent more than fifty years making medicine better in Texas. Dr.
Ferdinand Ludwig von Herff didn't fit in a box. Texas was bigger for it.
What the marker says
In the 1850s, a few courageous and well-trained European doctors responded to the health needs of the citizens of San Antonio. For more than fifty years, Dr. Ferdinand Ludwig von Herff worked tirelessly to provide leadership and medical knowledge and to improve medical practices in Texas. He was born Ferdinand Charles von Herff in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany on November 29, 1820, but he never used the name Charles. When he later became a United States citizen, he dropped the von from his name and was called Dr. Herff. In 1847, with a group of idealistic young Germans, die vierziger (the forty), Dr. Herff failed in an attempt to establish the Bettina Socialistic Colony in Texas. He returned to Germany and married Mathilde Klingelhoffer (1823-1910) in 1849. The next year, they immigrated to New Braunfels and settled in San Antonio. Herffs second home here on a ranch in Boerne was a family retreat. Dr. Herff practiced medicine here and was instrumental in bringing to Boerne the railroad and Saint Marys Sanitarium. During the Civil War, he served briefly as a Brigade Surgeon for Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy. However, the Herff ranch was occupied by Confederate Rangers as Herff was known as a Union sympathizer. He treated all in need, including Native Americans. Dr. Herff achieved many medical breakthroughs in surgery, as well as introducing new procedures to the medical community. As one of the great pioneer doctors, he held many distinguished positions in local and state organizations, and received honors for his many contributions. His diligent efforts for the profession and patients whom he loved helped set standards for the medical profession, facilities and continuing advances. (2013)