ADVERSITY - KEEPING THE FAITH

BOOK 2

FAITH CHRONICLES

Galatians 2:20 - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the FAITH of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

One would be hard-pressed to fully explain the impact that the Strauss Family descendants had in the State of Texas, as well as thousands upon thousands of other immigrants from Germany, between the years 1836-1846. They came in substantial numbers and had such an impact on politics, economics, and the social life of Texas that much of the things that were, began a dramatic change by the mid-1850s.

This novel, although historical fiction, was based on a true story. In a sense, one might lean as far as to call it creative nonfiction. It follows a typical German family through the painful decision-making process to leave Germany and pull up roots from generations of farming on the River Hunte near Rastede and Oldenburg Germany. They fought delays from unfavorable winds traveling through the North Sea, storms that took many lives on board their vessel, the Johann Dethardt, contracting yellow fever and other terrible sicknesses, and Indian attacks.

It is amazing how, as adults, we struggle during our childhood through the date-pocketed courses of history…bored, disenchanted, waiting only for the end of that cobwebbed test of endurance. What we find, in later years, is that history is the most fascinating and stimulating of all areas of knowledge. We can ask ourselves, why this unfortunate paradox? Has history really changed? The answer is… No!

However essential dates, names, and places may be to an expert understanding of history, they are not history, but only the checkpoints and framework of history. This novel is about people…real people, with blood and bones, loves and hates, strengths, passions, weaknesses, and their belief in Jesus Christ, our Lord. History is joys and sorrows, failures and successes, heartbreaks and ecstasies. What is history? History is power, the exercise of power, and the vacuum of power. A relatively new genre too, one that this author has found intriguing in following the Johann Strauss family from Germany to Texas in the mid-1800s, creative fiction, and creative nonfiction takes the writing of history to a whole new level.

From over thirty years of family research and the production of numerous history books, creative writing explores the history of people, real people in this novel, ADVERSITY - Keeping the Faith!

Sidney St. James is a professional genealogist.