Draft:Johann Peter Wunderlich

Johann Peter Wunderlich was a German immigrant who came to the United States in 1852. He bought approximately 120 acres of farmland in Texas. He was a founder of the Klein community, which is just outside of Houston.1

Family and Childhood

Johann Peter Wunderlich had two siblings, a brother, Jost, and a sister named Marie Katherine, who would also end up immigrating to the United States with their families.A Not much is known about the rest of the Wunderlich family because they remained in Germany. While working land in Texas, Johann Peter Wunderlich met and married Marie Katherina Hofius. Together they had six children, the youngest being named Peter.

Legacy

Johann Peter Wunderlich and his family were one of the original German families that helped settle the Houston area, and helped set up a community that is still around today, and he left his farm to be a historical site now known as Wunderlich Farms.2B Johann Peter Wunderlich also was known to remain impartial during the civil war because of his belief that he had seen enough war in Germany.C


Death

Johann Peter Wunderlich died in 1864, due to an explosion in a gunpowder mill he was helping and operating.B After his death Marie Katherina Hofius kept the land in order until the land would be taken over by Johann Peter Wunderlich’s two sons, Peter and William.


1Klein is a small community approximately 38 miles from central Houston. This town was originally founded by a few large families that immigrated to the United States from Germany. 2Wunderlich Farms is a museum and historical site that can visited today in Klein, Texas.


Bibliography “Wunderlich Farm Historical Marker.” Historical Marker, 1 Feb. 2023, www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=136066.

“About - the Klein, TX Historical Foundation: Wunderlich Farm.” The Klein, TX Historical Foundation | Wunderlich Farm, www.kleinhistorical.org/about/. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.

“Wunderlich Family.” The Klein, TX Historical Foundation | Wunderlich Farm, 24 Aug. 2015, www.kleinhistorical.org/peterwunderlich/.