Buffalo and its German Community - Title, Copyright & Preface

Buffalo and Its German Community
Illustrated
German-American Historical and Biographical Society
1911-12

Copyright 1912
by
Jacob E. Mueller

Preface

Speak the German Language,
Preserve the German Word;
The Spirit of our Fathers
Resides in what we've heard

"Buffalo and its German Community" examines how Buffalo originated and developed into a great city. It discusses the role of the German population in Buffalo's past and its contributions today. There is justification in asserting that the incredible physical and spiritual accomplishments of the German immigrants and their descendents have been underestimated. Even in the American history books describing the complete and glorious development of the United States, the German-American community is treated like a neglected stepchild whose spiritual life and material wellbeing were of no consequence. This misconception must be corrected. The German-American Historical and Biographical Society has undertaken the difficult task of stepping into the breach and taking up the slack. This society's publications attempt to demonstrate the German spirit and German industry which contributed to this country. So it is with this newest work, Buffalo and its German Community.

In Buffalo the German element played a significant roll. Five mayors came from this population and many more held important positions at various times. In trade and business, in industry, in the religious, educational, medical, and pharmacological professions, amid the intellectuals and musically gifted, in just about every walk of life the German-American population of Buffalo was represented. Germans made up more than one third of the total population of Buffalo. It surprised many when the Census Bureau announced that 40,000 Buffalo residents were born in Germany. The following pages will draw a picture of the drive and ambition of Buffalo's Germans since the establishment of the city to today and show their great influence over the history of the city and its community.

This work is made up of two sections. It should contribute to an understanding of the various German elements of Buffalo. We use the German Language, the language of our ancestors and our greatest treasure. May the wonderful words of the German-American poet Castelhun, with which we began this preface, not fall upon deaf ears.

At one time it was a proud motto, "Germans to the front!" These words should be a wakeup call for all in whom a drop of German blood flows. German-Americans have no cause to hide their heritage. To the contrary, they should be proud. When they attain money and property, office and honor, let them remember the motto "Germans to the front".

--The Publisher


Go to pages 3 - 8 (Index)


Susan Kriegbaum-Hanks
Revised June 11, 2005