On the occasion of their trip to Germany in September 1991, Nelda and George Vogel planned a detour to Niederelbert in the Westerwald. They wanted to meet relatives of their ancestors there, as the emigrated Vogel family came from Niederelbert. Nelda and George Vogel were accompanied by their friends, Joanne and Alton Klier and Shirley and Fred Crook.

They met Gerhard and Inge Wick from Niederelbert by chance at the Cross Festival of the Diocese of Limburg, and a meeting with the mayor Willi Bode in Niederelbert was arranged for the next morning. They immediately hit it off and this was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

There was great interest in genealogical research and also in a town twinning, as more than 300 people from the Westerwald emigrated to Texas between 1845 and 1850 through the Mainzer Adelsverein.

In 1994, the German-Texan Society Montabaur-Fredericksburg e. V. was founded, and in 1996, the town twinning between the municipality of Montabaur and Fredericksburg, Texas was completed.

Visits were organized in both directions, with the respective guests staying in home stays, which led to closer, almost family-like relationships.

The members here and also in Texas have all grown older; traveling is difficult and the exchange with dear friends usually only takes place by telephone.

As we were unable to fill the board of our association with younger people despite an intensive search, we decided at our general meeting on Nov. 22, 2024, to dissolve the registered association in accordance with German tax and association law on Dec. 31, 2024.

At the same time, the members proposed a Circle of Friends Montabaur-Fredericksburg, Texas. The circle of friends intends to hold irregular meetings under the name “Kaffeeklatsch.” There are also plans to continue celebrating Thanksgiving.

At this meeting, Mayor Dr. Richter-Hopprich explained that the administration of the municipality of Montabaur would assign an employee to maintain contact between the city partners of Montabaur and Fredericksburg.

All the existing close personal friendships will of course remain intact and active and will continue to be maintained through visits, emails and telephone calls. We will continue to welcome visitors from Fredericksburg and provide information for their stay in Germany.

In any case, we have made a small contribution to international understanding with our partnership.

We wish you all the best for the year 2025.

Your friends of the German-Texan Society in Montabaur, Susanne Kotschwar, Chairwoman, and Inge Wick, Vice-Chairwoman