A great deal of research has already been done to accomplish the Guten Tag Yawl Project.  Much of it is available at the hyperlinks provided below.  The following activities are envisioned:

Video News Releases

Four short video news releases (VNRs) would be produced and distributed on the following topics:

• Camp Cooley Ranch - in a bucolic Texas setting, a German-owned ranch is helping Texans breed the best cows in a better way;
• New Baden - the vestiges of a once vibrant Deutsch speaking immigrant community founded by German John George Meyer in 1881 are falling prey to time and nature;
• WWII Revisited - former foes become friends as an aging church archivist and former Third Reich soldier in Elmshorn, Germany helps a Robertson County World War II veteran and his son find their family roots in the German village of Heisterende; &
• Camp Hearne - echoes of a German prisoner-of-war camp are being heard in central Texas as the former camp site is commemorated with a Texas Historic Marker and a Texas A&M Professor publishes a book on his camp research.

All VNRs will be produced in both English and German.  They would be broadcast to the general public on television stations throughout Texas and Germany.  After airing, these VNRs and their b-rolls (unused film footage) would be recorded on DVD and used as described below.

Oral Histories

Principals involved in all four of the above stories would be formally videotaped and recorded using the Texas Historical Commission's Oral History Project guidelines.  These videos would be transferred to DVD and their contents would be transcribed into written form and placed online and in local central Texas libraries.

Naturalization Records

An index to Robertson County's naturalization records is online at Naturalizations Index.  The actual naturalization records (not just the index) are available at the Robertson County Clerk's office (Book A) and on microfilm at the Texas A&M University Library.  These records need to be photocopied, digitized, and placed online at this site.

Maps, Plats, & Photographs

The following maps and plats would be photocopied, digitized, and placed online:

• 1889 Robertson County map in the U.S. Library of Congress Map Collection produced by the Texas General Land Office showing land ownership;

• 1922 blueline map in the U.S. Library of Congress Map Collection produced by Love Abstract Company, Franklin, Texas, showing landownership in Robertson County;

• 1941 blueline map in the U.S. Library of Congress Map Collection produced by Love Abstract Company, Franklin, Texas, showing landownership of Easterly Dome; &

• 1962 blueline map in the U.S. Library of Congress Map Collection produced by Love Abstract Company, Franklin, Texas, showing lands of F. W. Bert Wheeler centered around Camp Cooley Ranch.

The following new interactive, clickable plats and maps would be developed:

• Plat of downtown New Baden as it existed shortly after the turn of the century showing streets, Colony House, train depot, commercial buildings, & dwellings. An example of the type of map that would be created is at http://nautarch.tamu.edu/anth/waters/hearneth.htm;

• Map of the area surrounding New Baden showing locations of railroad, original settler-built water tower, local cemeteries, early European settler homes, farm buildings, & geographic landmarks; &

• Map identifying historical information on and locations of the following communities:  Acorn, Easterly, Lake, Lake Station, & Kirkpatrickville (all are various incarnations of the current community of Easterly).

An online photographic exhibit would also be created.  It would showcase old and new photographs of historic commercial buildings, residential dwellings, farm buildings, and geographic features in and around Easterly and New Baden using a "then and now" approach.

Dog-Trot House Sketch

Many of the early settler homes in New Baden & Robertson County were of "dog-trot" style with a central, open hallway that separated two distinct portions of a house.  No intact examples of these homes remain.  Information on and pictures of one remaining partial dog-trot structure is at Dieckmanns In America.  An artist sketch of a dog-trot house will be created using available photos and what little remains of these structures.

Church Records

Historic church records dating back to the early 20th century for the Easterly Baptist Church and the New Baden Baptist Church have recently been obtained from a private collection. In fragile condition, these records need to be transcribed, placed online, preserved, and donated to an appropriate local university repository.

Further Distribution Of Above Work Products

DVDs for all of the above work products would be distributed to relevant U.S. & Texas libraries[1] as well as to relevant libraries in Germany.  Information on these DVDs would also be placed online at the Robertson County TXGenWeb site at www.robertsoncounty.info and at the TXGenWeb Archives site at www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/tx/robertson/robertsntoc.htm.

Special Need For Individual Contributions

The Guten Tag Yawl Project needs financial contributions from public-spirited county businesses, residents, and friends.  Help make this project a reality.  Please contribute today!
 

Send checks or money orders to:   Cathy Lazarus, Chair Robertson County Historical Commission 118 West 4th Street Hearne, TX 77859 979.279.2173 (voice), 979.279.2983 (fax) clazhome@msn.com (Make payable to Robertson County Historical Commission; write "Guten Tag Yawl Project" on the memo line.)

Individual & community contribution levels are: 

All contributions are greatly appreciated and will be posted on the Robertson County Historical Commission's List Of Website Contributors (unless you make an anonymous contribution).

Your contribution will enable the Robertson County TXGenWeb site to continue to grow.

[1] U.S. & Texas libraries would include: (a) U.S. Library of Congress, Washington, DC; (b) Texas State Library & Archives Commission, Austin, TX; (c) Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX; (d) Center For American History, University of Texas, Austin, TX; (e) Texas Collection, Baylor University, Waco, TX; (f) Cushing Library Special Collections, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; (g) Clayton Library, Houston, TX; (h) Carnegie Center For Brazos Valley History, Bryan, TX; (i) Robertson County Library, Franklin, TX; (j) Smith-Welch Memorial Library, Hearne, TX; & Church Of Jesus Christ Of Later-Day Saints Libraries in Salt Lake City, UT, Bryan, TX, & Rockdale, TX.  Many of the major libraries above are currently involved in efforts to digitize and place their collections online.  This, however, is very expensive and quite time-consuming.  Given Robertson County's rural nature & location in central Texas, digitizing its records is not a high priority for any of these libraries.  This proposal envisions providing digitized materials to these libraries to assure that information on Robertson County is readily available in their collections.