Kleberg, Robert Justus I Portrait, n.d.

Kleberg’s father, Robert Justus Kleberg I, was born on September 10, 1803, in the village of Herstelle, then part of the prince-bishopric of Paderborn (now part of modern Westphalia). He studied law at the University of Göttingen and earned a doctor juris degree. On September 31, 1834, the day of his marriage to Rosalie von Roeder, he set sail for Texas, where he and his wife established a new life. The following year, Robert Justus Kleberg I distinguished himself as a fighter in the 1835 war between the Republic of Mexico and Texas colonists. His bravery was recognized by General Sam Houston, who expressed his gratitude by appointing Kleberg Associate Commissioner of the Board of Land Commissioners. Robert Justus Kleberg I is remembered today as the patriarch of a large and well regarded family whose members helped shape the history of South Texas over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From John Henry Brown, Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas. Austin, TX: L.E. Daniell, [189-?], no page (between 288 and 289).