Charles F. H. von Blucher Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: Coll.-4

Staff Only

This collection stretches from the 1700s to the dawn of the new millennium. It contains a wealth of primary surveying maps of South Texas, many of which are the first detailed maps of the area. The following South Texas counties were surveyed by the Bluchers: Nueces, San Patricio, Kleberg, Jim Wells, Brooks, Duval, Willacy, Kenedy and Starr.

In addition to the maps, the papers contain an abundance of correspondence from Texas pioneer times, the Civil War, and both World Wars, along with the letters of Maria von Blucher. There are a broad range of items including family trees and genealogy of the Blucher family, personal and business correspondence, diaries, financial and legal documents, publications, newspapers, personal drawings, and photographs. The thousands of photographs in this collection document Corpus Christi's transformation from a small settlement into a major city, and chronicle both the triumphs of civic projects and the devastation caused by multiple hurricanes.

Dates

1720-2006

Creator

Blucher family (Family)

Language of Materials

English, German, Spanish

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research

Conditions Governing Use

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@tamucc.edu

Extent

149 Linear Feet

Abstract

This collection contains over a century of material from one of the first Prussian families to permanently settle in Corpus Christi. The family arrived in Corpus Christi in 1849, and Felix Hans Hellmuth von Blucher became the first Nueces County Surveyor. Three generations of the Blucher family served Nueces County as surveyors across a span of a hundred years.

Biographical / Historical

The Charles F. H. von Blucher Family Papers includes information on three generations of land surveyors and their families. Felix and Maria von Blucher emigrated from Prussia to the unceded South Texas coast, a region that had been previously inhabited by Native American tribes such as the Karankawa and Coahuiltecans. Upon arrival, Felix purchased an eight acre tract of land from Col. Kinney on the bluff overlooking the bay. This tract of land came to be known as "Blucherville", as houses for various Blucher offspring were constructed. The von Blucher family was influential in the development of Corpus Christi through both surveying and active civic service.

Maria and Felix Von Blucher arrived in Corpus Christi in 1849, less than a decade after the town was formed. In 1852 Felix became the first County Surveyor of burgeoning Nueces County and held the office until his death in 1879. Felix’s business was passed down through two subsequent generations. Felix’s son Charles von Blucher became County Surveyor after his father’s death and held the title until 1934. Charles' son Conrad Meuly Blucher graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas in 1905, and took over the office upon Charles' retirement in 1934. Conrad retired in 1954 and brought over a hundred years of Blucher surveying to a close. In 1975 Conrad and his wife Zula transferred their estate to Corpus Christi State University (Now Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi). Their donation led to the establishment of the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science in 1987.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in seven manuscript groups: 1. Blucher Genealogy 2. Blucher Collective Family History 3. Texas Family History 4. Personal Papers of Family Members – Felix and Maria von Blucher’s Marriage and Children 5. Collected Material Types 6. Conrad Blucher Surveying Papers 7. Junior League of Corpus Christi von Blucher Copies of Letters and Related Materials

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The papers were donated in three installments: In 1980 Mrs. Conrad (Zula) Blucher donated personal and professional correspondence dated from 1910, field books and 12 maps dated to 1871. The 2nd installment of 26 feet of letters, legal records, notes, and drawings were delivered in 1991. The 3rd installment consisted of thousands of surveying maps, field books, and ledgers, were donated in 1994. Additional materials have been donated by family members over the years.

Related Materials

Asa M. French Survey Field Notebooks

William S. (Bill) and Patricia Green surveying Records

Meuly-Daimwood Family Papers

Processing Information

This collection was processed with funding from two successive U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and Texas State Library and Archives Commission Grants (Grant #TXT21011 and Grant TXT22002). 2021 and 2022. Appraisal and arrangement were largely finished by Graduate Assistant Andrew Karnes, with Eric Christensen finishing and uploading about half the collection to ArchivesSpace. Lori Atkins also uploaded a large portion to ArchivesSpace, with the entire Special Collections Department uploading the images and metadata into DSpace.