Eda and Ilse

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Grieving the sudden death of her beloved husband a few years after they lost their first child, Eda Kampmann Herff picks up an abandoned ledger and starts writing a diary on the first day of 1884. A century later, her granddaughter, Ilse Herff Frost yields to a grandson's pleading and writes her reminiscence. She recounts growing up in South Texas - Boerne and San Antonio - in the early 20th century. These two women were descendents of J[ohann] H[ermann] K[ampmann], one of the 19th century German settlers who brought their enterprise, culture and utopian ideals to the vivid Mexican city of San Antonio. JHK was a dynamic civic leader. He built several of the classic German houses in the city's King William District, along with [the] now historic business buildings downtown like the Menger Hotel. He also founded two breweries and a bank that later became a significant cornerstone in the Frost Bank organisation. -- Amazon.com