Theis (Theiss) Family

Among the first German settlers in northwest Harris County was Johann Heinrich Theis (b. 1800), who arrived in 1846 with his wife Katherina (Benner) (b. 1804) and their four children. The following year, Johann acquired 200 acres of land in the Rosehill community, where the Theis family joined other German settlers in organizing the Salem Lutheran Church. In 1854 Johann and Katherina's oldest son Jacob purchased 557 acres nearby, and settled among other German immigrants in what later was known as the Klein community. In the 1890s some confusion developed in mail delivery to the Theis families in the Rosehill and Klein communities. As a result, Theis family members in Rosehill came to spell their name with a single "S," and those at Klein with a double "S." Buried in this cemetery at the edge of Jacob Theis' original acreage are Johann Heinrich and Katherina Theis and their son Christian. Although the graveyard is small and the tombstones are missing, the site is a memorial to these early German immigrants. In the family tradition of community involvement and leadership, several descendants have served as trustees of the Klein Independent School District.