Tigard’s Early German Community

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The Fisher family (l to r) front row Genevieve, Clara (mother), Muriel, Frank (father) and Agnes; second row Ella, Edward, and Malinda, Circa 1895. Courtesy/Valri Darling
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Many of early Tigard’s pioneers had come across the Oregon Trail to settle in East Butte, Tigard’s original name dating from the 1850s, and had come from Germany. Many were following dreams to find a better, more prosperous life on Oregon donation land claims, and many were fleeing the turmoil created by the Franco-Prussian War on the European continent. 

German immigrants to America were the largest group after the British, and today, over 40 million Americans claim German ancestry. In 1790, the federal government required two years of residency in the U.S. for naturalization, and in 1819, Congress began reporting on immigration. In 1862, the Homestead Act allowed for individuals over the age of 21, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or country of origin, to claim 160 acres of free land if they lived on the land for 5 years and made required improvements. This was the big pull of America for immigrants—the dream of free land and new opportunities combined with religious freedom. 

One of the earliest settlements of Germans in America had been in Pennsylvania where William Penn had offered religious tolerance and German immigrants founded Germantown, near Philadelphia. These were the Pennsylvania Dutch (from Deutsch or German) who lived amicably beside Quakers, Amish and Mennonites.

After settling on their land claims in East Butte, Oregon, one of the early pioneers’ first activities was establishing a church with services and Sunday school in German. The earliest East Butte church was the Emanuel Evangelical Church, built at the base of Little Bull Mountain in 1886. Some of its founders were Reverend A. Schlenk, who had given sermons in the East Butte schoolhouse, coming out from his Evangelical Church in Portland, who became the first pastor, and parishioners Mathias Koerner, Albert Marske, Emil Heilman, and Albert Elsner.  The church cemetery was laid out behind the church up the slope of the mountain and today remains there as the Sunset Pioneer Cemetery maintained by Tigard Rotary. 

Many of the earliest church members became the leaders of the community, like Friedrick Johann and Maria Grabor Brandt, and Frederich and Gottliebin Sturm, whose families helped establish the Evangelical Church. The Sturms are buried in Sunset Pioneer Cemetery, and their headstones are written in German. Friedrick Brandt originated from Grabow, Mechlenburg-Schwerin, Germany. Frederich Sturm was born in Wurttemberg Germany and Gottliebin Sturm was born in Gutenberg, Germany. Another pioneering family, Frank and Clara Fisher (originally Fischer), were German immigrants who farmed in East Butte and are also buried in the old Sunset Pioneer Cemetery. Their descendant, Valri Darling, is today president of the Tigard Historical Association.  All early prominent German pioneers buried in Sunset Pioneer Cemetery are listed in Darling’s August 4, 2021, article in Tigard Life (tigardlife.com/go/tspc-tl) and indicate early influential leaders of Tigard.

Germans had been attracted to America to escape poverty, prosecution, land seizures, conscription, and the results of the failed German Revolution of 1848, and were encouraged by the ease of travel with new steamships and the availability of transcontinental train travel across America after the Civil War. More than 5 million German immigrants settled in America in the 19th Century, many coming to the future Tigard. The USA offered hope and a radiant future. Most came as farmers and made their homes on the outskirts of established urban areas where land was affordable and where they became part of Oregon’s backbone of agriculture. 

German immigrants supported liberal causes such as unionization and women’s suffrage and voted against prohibition. They spread German culture, such as the cultivation of hops for making beer, advocated for free universal public education, and encouraged the adoption of free kindergarten in America. They encouraged gymnasiums and recreation in schools and were devoted to Sunday outings, especially in public parks. 

With the shadow of World War I, many German-Americans changed their name, such as General John J. Pershing’s family, which altered their family name from the original Pfoerschin. Bells rang from Tigard’s German Evangelical Church to celebrate the Armistice of November 11, 1918. With the shadow of World War II, many German-speaking scientists had come to America, such as Albert Einstein. The U.S. war effort after 1941 was led by leaders of German-American heritage, such as Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander), Nimitz (U.S. Navy) and Spaatz (Army Air Corps).

Dr. Barbara Bennett Peterson’s book can be found locally at Costco, Rite Aid, and the Tigard History Association’s John Tigard House Museum. You can also find it online at Amazon.com: tinyurl.com/4eym9zmt.

In 1919, the Evangelical Church building had been torn down when Pacific Highway was expanded in what had become Tigardville. A new church was built a mile north of the old church and remained well attended, with the services now in English. In 1946, the Evangelical denomination merged with the United Brethren denomination and formed the Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB). In 1968, a new denomination called the Evangelical Church of North America was formed. This organization built a new church on 121st Avenue in Tigard called the Trinity Evangelical Church, which still owns Sunset Pioneer Cemetery.

Today, German Americans number about 49 million or 17% of the U.S. population. German Americans or Deutschamerikaners contributed to many American traditions such as gift-giving at Christmas, the celebration of Oktoberfest, the story of the Easter Bunny, and perhaps above all, the enjoyment of the American hamburger.

Visit www.tigardhistorical.org to become a member, volunteer, or for more information about the Tigard Historical Association.

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