Not quite. While French is today the most commonly spoken language in the two Eastern-most French provinces, the majority of people living there learn German in school. And in America, the spread of privately supported Samstagsschulen at the elementary school level, and the continued existence of many German-American organizations tell us that people refuse to buckle under such pressure.

It is, indeed, encouraging to read about groups such as the Texas German Society (TGS) and their activities in promoting the German culture, language and traditions. Why shouldn’t they? The contributions made by German immigrants to building this country are unparalleled – a fact President Reagan acknowledged in 1983 at the dedication of the German-American Friendship Garden in Washington, D.C. Our own Don Heinrich Tolzmann, President of the German-American Citizens League of Greater Cincinnati and author of many books, was there to introduce the President (photo).

At their recent convention in Brenham, Texas, the TGS focused on the life of the early German immigrants in the surrounding areas. The society has 21 chapters throughout Texas. The program focused on the contributions and organizations of the early German immigrants to the Washington County and surrounding areas. Twenty-one members of the Bluebonnet Chapter attended the convention. Bluebonnet is one of the 21 chapters in Texas.

Robert Herridge of Bellville has been active in promoting German heritage for some time, according to the summer edition of the TGS’s newsletter, The Reporter. He was recently named state president. A former professional musician, he and his wife Marie are co-owners of the Herridge & Herridge Insurance in Belleville. As Herridge tells it in his first message, his grandfather Gerstenberger thought the family’s German heritage was long lost when being German was nicht so gut.

Well, Herridge certainly proves Opa wrong. “Here we are, my wife, Marie, is editor of newsletter; my mother, Betty, is Secretary of the Bluebonnet Chapter; both sing with the recently reorganized Concordia Gesang Verein; I speak German as much as possible with our grandchildren, Hayden Kistler, Payton Lindsay, Jillian Herridge, and make it fun for them!,” Herridge says in his message. “Ja, Großvater und Großmutter Gerstenberger, wir haben nicht vergessen - Unser Erbe und Unser Leben.”

Numerous other German-American groups, including the Chicago-based German-American National Congress, or DANK; the German Society of Maryland and the New York Steuben Parade, all work to keep up the tradition.

In the Lone Star State, dozens of German-American clubs and singing societies continue to function, and Texas German has been spoken in the Texas Hill Country region since German immigrants began settling there in the mid-19th century.

These immigrants founded the towns of New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, Boerne, Schulenburg, Weimar, and Comfort, according to Wikipedia. But due in part to the cultural bias during the two world wars, few Texas German speakers passed the language to their descendants.

Today the dialect is near extinction. But that doesn't discourage Robert Herridge from keeping it alive in his neck of woods. “I like commenting on people’s last name whenever I remotely suspect they may be of German descent,” he says.

“Then, I encourage them to look into their family history and I tell them about our organization. It is a fun way to strike up a conversation and make a new friend! Remember this tip; always first smile big, then shake hands and say ― Wie geht’s, ya’ll!”