San Jacinto Day Ceremony 2009

The official San Jacinto Day Ceremony commemorating the 173rd anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at the base of the San Jacinto Monument at the San Jacinto Battleground. The principal speaker will be Archie P. McDonald, Regent's Professor, Stephen F. Austin State University.

Ron Stone, Jr. will be the Master of Ceremonies. The musical prelude will be performed by the Deer Park High School Orchestra. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Sons of the Republic of Texas will present their scholarship winners.

USS San Jacinto & USS Texas Sailor Awards will be presented by the Sam Houston Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas and the San Jacinto Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas.

The ceremony will conclude with a reading of Sam Houston's report of the Battle of San Jacinto and a laying of the wreath. The Texas Army will be present to fire a salute.

Come out and honor the memory of those brave men who fought and changed the history of Texas and the United States forever. All are welcome.

George Palmer Macias "Firefly" CD Release Party - April 18, 2009 - Ringtail

The CD release party for George Palmer Macias' CD, Firefly, will be this Saturday, April 18, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. at The Saxon Pub in Austin, Texas. George Palmer Macias is a very talented singer and songwriter in Austin, Texas.

The CD, Firefly, features ten original songs written and performed by Macias. One of these songs is titled, Ringtail. It is about Texas founding father, Martin Parmer. Martin Parmer was born in Virginia. He was an Indian agent for William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame). Parmer made a name for himself as an Indian fighter in Missouri and was elected as a State Representative to the first Missouri General Assembly. He was later elected a Senator to the third Missouri General Assembly.

In 1825, Martin Parmer came to Texas. In 1826, he was the leader of a group of men that instigated the Fredonian Rebellion of 1826-1827. This was an early attempt to declare Texas independent of Mexico. The Fredonian Rebellion failed and Martin Parmer became a wanted man in Mexican Texas for almost ten years.

In 1835, Martin Parmer was elected a delegate to the Consultation of San Felipe where he placed Henry Smith's name in nomination for Governor of Texas. Smith was elected the first American born Governor of Texas. Parmer was then elected to the General Council of the Provisional Government of Texas.

In 1836, the people of the San Augustine Municipality elected Martin Parmer a delegate to the Convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos. On March 2, 1836, Parmer voted for Texas independence from Mexico. In addition to signing the Declaration of Independence, Parmer was also chairman of the committee that drafted the Constitution of the Republic of Texas.

In 1839, Republic of Texas President, Mirabeau B. Lamar, appointed Martin Parmer Chief Justice of Jasper County, Texas. Parmer died on Texas Independence Day, March 2, 1850.

George Palmer Macias takes credit for all the songs and lyrics on his CD, Firefly, except one. On Ringtail, Macias credits Martin Parmer with writing the chorus. Martin Parmer called himself the Ring Tailed Panther and was known as such in Missouri, Arkansas, Mexico and Texas. About 1820, Martin Parmer who was the quentiscential frontiersman uttered the words that make up the chorus of Ringtail, "I am the Ring-tailed Panther, wild wooly, hard to curry. When I’m mad I fight, and when I fight I whoop!"

Our hats are off to George Palmer Macias for his fine song about Texas founding father, Martin Parmer. George Palmer Macias has a wonderful free Internet jukebox called Texiss Cafe spotlighting Texas singers and songwriters. You can also hear Ringtail there.

2009 Battle of San Jacinto Symposium

The 2009 Battle of San Jacinto Symposium will be held Saturday, April 18, 2009, 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Center at the University of Houston. This year's theme is New Light on Old Stories - What Can the Battleground Tell Us Through the Eyes of Archaeologists? Social Historians? Financiers? Anthropologists? Tickets are $50.00 and include lunch and parking.

Since 2003, more than 1000 newly discovered battle artifacts have extended the area of the San Jacinto conflict beyond the current park boundary. A panel of speakers will discuss these findings - as well as items recently found in the Texan camp.

This year's speakers are H. W. Brands, Sam W. Haynes, James P. Bevill and James Crisp. This year's panelists are Roger Moore, Gregg Dimmick, Douglas D. Scott, Douglas Mangum and Manuel Hinojosa.

The Battle of Sam Jacinto Symposium is sponsored by the Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground as a forum for promoting public awareness of the events of the Texas Revolution. For additional information, call 9281) 496-1488 or email sjba@usa.net .

You can also visit http://www.friendsofsanjacinto.org/ .

Photograph: San Jacinto Monument; Courtesy of David Melasky.

Texas Toasts

"Texas, - May her foes turn pale at her name, and may she flourish until time is no more."

"Soldiers of Texas; - May their "breast works" be honor, and fear always a days "march" behind them."

The following article appeared in the May 9, 1837 edition of the Telegraph and Texas Register newspaper published in Houston, Texas. On April 21, 1837, one year after the Battle of San Jacinto, a celebration was held in Liberty, Texas. I just thought I would share these wonderful patriotic Texian toasts. If you are ever looking for a proper toast to Texas, feel free to use one of these. It is also interesting to see how early Texans celebrated Texas Independence Day.

"At a meeting held at the town of Liberty on the 20th ult., to make arrangements to celebrate the 21st of April, in commemoration of the glorious victory at San Jacinto; Messrs. Luke Bryan, John Booth, Hon. E. T. Branch, Doctor Wm. G. Lewis, K. Bryan, and F. Harden, were appointed managers, and waited upon J. B. Woods, Esq. to request him to deliver an oration on the morning of that day; to which he consented and was appointed orator of the day.

At dawn of the 21st, the citizens and soldiers of the place assembled and fired salutes which were heard for many miles in extent. At an early hour the town was full of life and gaiety, and the presence of many ladies greatly added to the scene. The place of celebration was soon crowded and an appropriate address was delivered by the orator, J. B. Woods, Esq. Immediately after the oration the ladies were conducted to a sumptuous dinner, and then retired to the house to prepare to "trip the light fantastic toe." Many of the victors of San Jacinto and other citizens, to the number of two hundred took possession of a second repast, and after the cloth was removed, William Hardin, Esq. was conducted to the chair as president of the day, and Judge Coit as vice, and the following are the regular toasts drank:-

Regular Toasts

1. The president of the republic of Texas. 3 cheers.

2. The vice president of the republic. 3 cheers.

3. The day we celebrate. 6 cheers.

4. Texas, - May her foes turn pale at her name, and may she flourish until time is no more.
Tune "Hail Columbia."

5. The heroes of San Jacinto; - champions in the struggle for liberty, they justly merit the gratitude of their countrymen.
Tune "When wild war's deadly blast was blown."

6. To the memory of Travis, - drank silent.

7. Army of Mexico, - "What a dust we flees kick up."
Tune "Spider and the fly."

8. Texas Navy; - May she unfurl the banners of victory and ride triumphant o'er the ocean.
Tune "Lashed to the helm."

9. Star of Texas; - A beacon light to the port of liberty.
Tune "Yankee Doodle."

10. Soldiers of Texas; - May their "breast works" be honor, and fear always a days "march" behind them.
Tune "Soldiers bride."

11. Mexican Prisoners; - May they on their return home recollect the "first lesson of Cyrus." "To tell the truth."
Tune, "Dear native home."

12. Our host and hostess.

13. The Fair; - The highest incentive to honor.

Texas History - A Specialty Worth Looking Into

If you walk through the streets of any town in Texas, you will no doubt feel the pride of the citizens electrifying the air. Texans are some of the proudest people you will ever meet, especially when it comes to their home state.

There are so many things that make Texas an interesting place, especially from an historical standpoint; more and more history students looking into graduate school and beyond are eyeing Texas history as an area of specialization. Here are a few reasons why the next generation of historians is looking to Texas for more information.

Settlement

The story of the settlement of Texas reads almost like the Pilgrims coming to the US to colonize. Learn more about Stephen F. Austin and his “Old 300,” among other things when you dig deeper into the primary source material.

Wars

Texas has seen its fair share of warfare on a variety of different fronts. The Spanish fought with the Indians to take over Texas and claim it as part of their territory. Later, the Texans fought against the Mexican Army for independence at the Alamo, Goliad, and finally San Jacinto. There is a slew of information out there on these different wars and fronts where the Texans fought—and died—for their independence.

Cultures

Texas is one of the most culturally diverse states in the US. Just take a visit to the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures Museum in San Antonio, and you’ll see just how different and unique the settled areas of Texas were throughout its brief, but rich history. Once a slave state, African Americans were some of the first people brought in from the southern United States.

Of course, indigenous peoples lived in Texas; several Native American tribes still migrated through Texas due to weather throughout the year. Along the southeast coast of Texas, Cajuns, Germans, and Dutch people created settlements. Especially in central Texas, German was still spoken in some public schools into the twentieth century, when US federal funding required that classes be conducted in English.

Of course, there are many people throughout Texas of Hispanic origin, mainly from Spanish and Mexican mestizo descent. These different cultures have all helped make Texas the great state that it is today and are all great avenues of study for prospective Texas historians.

This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of a History PhD. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24@gmail.com

A Truly Honest Biography –

Rare Texana and Americana Indeed!

Review of Unbridled Cowboy

by K.K. Searle

I enjoy an “honest autobiography” more than just about any other type of literature and of course I enjoy real Texana. Joseph B.Fussell gives us just such an autobiography in his memoirs entitled Unbridled Cowboy.

In his forward, Fussell describes most other autobiographies with exceptional accuracy, " In reading memoirs, I find, almost invariably, the writer seems to think he has accomplished something really worthwhile in his life and wants the reading public to know about it." Joseph Fussell does not become the owner of a great ranching syndicate or the president of a railroad company. But, He gives us an incredibly honest history of his life and some amazingly vivid snapshots of Texan and American cultures that existed at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century that no longer exist.

He writes his memoir from the perspective of a young man working as a cowboy on the Texas and Mexico border. Later we find him working undercover for the Texas Rangers (in the era of the mythic Texas Rangers). Still later we find him working as a railroader switching cars and finally as a yardmaster in a railroad career spanning the southwestern and western United States in the heyday of steam. That someone at his level in our society in that day would commit to paper such accurate observations is very unique.

Along the way, he provides detailed descriptions that Mark Twain would have been proud of. In one example he describes a particular honky-tonk this way, "The orchestra was composed of a white man, a white woman, a Mexican, and a Negro. Usually, about two hours after the dancing began, some members of the orchestra would be drunker than a billed owl, but the dance went on even if all four were drunk, for someone was found who played a harmonica."

In another he describes the meals cooked for him by a Mrs. James, "Of all the meals I have ever eaten in any hotel dining room, restaurant, boardinghouse, or private home, I never had anything better than she put before her boarders. I think that lady had an insatiable desire to kill and cook all the chickens in the world. She could think of more ways to cook a chicken than a farmer can to whip a mule."

How honest is honest? A friend of Fussell's is brutally murdered by nine assailants in Mexico and Fussell barely escapes himself. Fussell then gives us the cold, calculated and graphic details of his revenge killings of the nine. Real eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth stuff.

With a Twain like wit, Unbridled Cowboy provides rare glimpses of a Texas and an America that we can now only see through the eyes of Joseph B. Fussell. Whether he thought so or not, Joseph B. Fussell "has accomplished something really worthwhile." Get it. Read it. Enjoy it for all its worth!

E.R. Fussell, Joseph's grandson, deserves some credit here as well. He has shared with us a great memoir that previously was only known to his family. Unbridled Cowboy is published by Truman State University Press, copyright 2008, and is available from Amazon.com.

Ahoy, Texian Navy Day!

Saturday, September 20, 2008, 10:00 AM, Texian Navy Day will be celebrated at the Founders Memorial Cemetery in Houston, Texas. Texian Navy Day will honor the Republic of Texas Navy and Commodore Henry Livingston Thompson who is buried at the Founders Memorial Cemetery. Founders Memorial Cemetery is located at 1217 West Dallas at Valentine Street about a mile from downtown Houston.

This year's Keynote Speaker will be the Honorable Ed Emmett, Harris County Judge.

The event is sponsored by The Sons of the Republic of Texas - Texas Navy Committee. For more information contact Chairman, David Hanover, at dhanover@suddenlink.net or 903-509-2206. Or, contact The Sons of the Republic of Texas at www.srttexas.org