Dominic & Elizabeth  Hechler
about 1890

Tonight, I finished my book on the Hechlers titled I Will Go With You, The Hechlers: Germany to Russia to Texas. It is officially being reviewed by Amazon's Create Space publishers, so hopefully it will get the all clear and be available soon.

The book begins with Matthias Hechler in Germany and details his move to Speier, Russia in 1809.  He, along with other Germans, took advantage of Catherine the Great's generous terms encouraging colonists to emigrate to the Volga Region of Russia. His son and grandson stayed in Speier, but his great-grandson and my great-grandfather, Dominic Hechler, left in 1891 after having to serve a term of military duty in the Russian army. One of the privileges of Dominic's great-grandfather and the other German colonists was the exemption from military service. When it was repealed, many of the Germans began to leave Russia for the United States.

About 1888 Dominic married Elizabeth Dietz, from the nearby village of Katherinental. In December of 1890 they left Russia and came to America with their two children - Vincent, 2 years old, and Pete, about 6 months old. They traveled with the families of Wagner, Rhombs and Dietz. Dominic and Elizabeth's other children were born in Texas - August, Frances, Magdalena, John, D.J. and Katie.

We have a Hechler family reunion every other year in Crosby, as Dominic and Elizabeth had eight children, dozens of grandchildren, and we've lost count of the greats. The book grew out of several published circulars I wrote for the family reunion over the past few years.

You can order it at Amazon.

Hechler Family in Fort Bend County abt 1912

From left to right John, August, Pete, Frances, Maggie, Angelina (Martin - wife of Vincent), Mary (on Angelina's lap), Elizabeth (on her father's lap), Vincent, Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Dietz) Hechler, Katie (in front of Lizzie), Dominic, D.J. (on his father's lap)