Learn why Chris boasts about being a 6th-generation Texan and his passion for the “Come and Take It” cannon history.
Chris is a 6th-generation Texan and the direct descendant of Johann Conrad Kappmeyer, the patriarch of one of the 202 Founding Families of New Braunfels, Texas. Johann was one of several young men who joined the German Immigration Movement to claim land in Comal County, Texas. After a perilous journey across the Atlantic Ocean to claim a home in the New World, Johann built a home in New Braunfels and fell deeply in love with a fellow German immigrant, Wilhelmine Meyer. They were married the same year that Texas joined the Union and the Kappmeyer (and Marbach) descendants have been proud Texans ever since.
Chris keeps a memento rock on his desk from the original homestead’s fence carefully erected by his great-great-great grandfather, Johann, to withstand the test of weather and time. It helps remind him of his heritage and family character. “I like to think that if I’m at a crossroads, I can look at the rock and it keeps me grounded in my decisions,” he says with a smile.
An avid and self-proclaimed ‘amateur’ historian, Chris is a member of the exclusive Sons of the Republic of Texas, and his two daughters, Christina and Roxana, are in the process of signing up to be Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
Chris takes the reins every other year, leading the Kappmeyer and Marbach Family Reunion, and consistently educating the younger generations on their strong Texas roots. Stationed out of New Braunfels, the reunion draws nearly 100 members of the family (as well as those curious for a good party!) to celebrate the family’s pilgrimage to Texas and their lives several generations later.
With his formative years spent in Gonzales, Chris is a homegrown storyteller, born and bred on the finest yarns Texas has to offer. Friends say “Talk to Chris for just a few minutes and he’ll start telling you the legendary story of the Texas Revolution and the ‘Come and Take It’ canon (s).”
Although Chris keeps his primary residence in West Lake Hills, Travis County, he continues to preserve his family’s legacy in the region. Several years ago, he co-purchased the
Gonzales Mansion which has successfully functioned as a short-term rental and event venue (reunions, weddings, business corporate functions, and more) into the present day. Chris knows that the 100+ year home, situated right beside the Path of the Runaway Scrape will be a historic and local gem for generations to come.
Chris also served as a key figure in several Texas preservation committees, notably the group that uncovered the famous secret of the cannon that fired the “First Shot of the Texas Revolution.” Chris loves to take clients and friends on a private tour of the Bob Bullock Museum, where he has been a member for many years. One of his most special memories involves La Belle, the Spanish exploration ship now on permanent display in the museum. It was this ship that Chris and his (now) wife, Roxana were privileged to view long before the public ever saw it when they went on a special date to the ship’s excavation site on the ocean bottom of Matagorda Bay.
Chris is a proud family man and Texan patriot who, with 29+ battle-honed years of fighting in the real estate trenches through over 1,000 transactions and multiple millions of dollars worth of properties, gives You the competitive edge of having a First Class Texas Broker go over and beyond for your real estate needs.
