DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the one passing it along — this is the story of John Friedrich Ernst, Junior. Now here's a life that stretched across nearly every chapter Texas had to offer in its wildest years. Ernst was born in Oldenburg, Germany, in 1820, and by the time he was nine years old, his family had packed up and made the crossing to the United States.
They came through New York City — and then, in 1831, they pointed themselves toward Texas. That was not a casual decision. Texas in 1831 was raw territory, and the Ernsts were among the first families to put down roots in what would become the town of Industry.
That place grew into a genuine center of German culture in Texas, and the Ernsts were there at the beginning of it. But settling wasn't the same as being settled. Not in Texas.
Not then. Because 1836 came around, and with it came Santa Anna's army, marching across Texas like a slow-moving storm. The Ernst family joined the tide of folks fleeing their homes in what history remembers as the Runaway Scrape.
They left everything behind with their neighbors and ran. And then — San Jacinto happened. Shortly after the Texian victory there, John Friedrich Ernst joined the Texas Rangers.
For his service, he was given land in Comal County. He didn't stop there either. He participated in local militia organizations during the days of the Republic, and he served as a Justice of the Peace in Round Top, about fifteen miles to the northwest.
He married Maria Ann Krumm Brey in 1845. Life had found a kind of rhythm. But Texas had one more chapter waiting.
In 1861, Ernst joined the Confederate Light Artillery company recruited for Civil War duty out of Fayette County. He served twice as that company's commanding officer — twice. And then, two years after he joined, John Friedrich Ernst died in Waco.
From a nine-year-old crossing the Atlantic to a commanding officer of a Civil War artillery company — from the Runaway Scrape to the halls of a courthouse in Round Top — this man walked almost every road Texas laid down in its hardest years. The marker that remembers him was placed in 1985, but the story is a whole lot older than that.
What the marker says
A native of Oldenburg, Germany, John Friedrich Ernst (1820-1863) emigrated to the United States with his family at the age of nine. In 1831, they traveled from New York City to Texas, finally arriving in what is now the town of Industry. The Ernsts were one of the first families to settle in what became a center of German culture in Texas. Ernst's life spanned the period of Texas history from the days of Mexican occupation to the Civil War. His family fled their home with others during the Runaway Scrape, as Santa Anna's army began its march across Texas in 1836. Shortly after the Texian victory at San Jacinto, Ernst joined the Texas Rangers and was given land in Comal County for his service. He participated in other local militia organizations during the days of the Republic and served as a Justice of the Peace in Round Top (15 mi. NW). Ernst was married to Maria Ann (Krumm) Brey in 1845. In 1861, John Friedrich Ernst joined the Confederate Light Artillery company recruited for Civil War duty from Fayette County. He died two years later in Waco, after serving twice as the company's commanding officer. (1985)