Save Texas History Symposium

Mark your calenders for the inaugural Save Texas History Symposium in Austin, Texas on Saturday, November 6, 2010. The topic of the symposium will be "Discovering Spanish and Mexican Texas." The Save Texas History Symposium will be hosted by Commissioner Jerry Patterson and the Texas General Land Office. The symposium will be held at 1700 North Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Save Texas History Symposium is only $25 per person. To register, call 1-800-998-4GLO or email: archives@glo.state.tx.us .

There will be plenty to do at the symposium:

• Survey downtown Austin with a real-life survey team
• Learn tips to research your family tree
• Visit the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
• Tour the Texas General Land Office Archives - See original signatures of Stephen F. Austin and other Texas heroes
• Make handcrafted paper from old fashioned materials
• Print your own map on an antique iron hand printing press

Guest speakers will include Texas State Historian Dr. Light Cummins, former Texas State Historian Dr. Frank de la Teja, and Dr. Felix D. Almaraz. Click here to read more about the Save Texas History Symposium.

The Texas General Land Office Archives was created after the Texas Revolution when Sam Houston directed the first land commissioner, John P. Borden, to collect all available land records defining the new Republic. These valuable documents, now housed in temperature- and access-controlled vaults, are used daily by genealogists, historians, archeologists, surveyors and anyone interested in Texas history. For more information about the Texas General Land Office Archives go to http://www.glo.state.tx.us/archives/archives.html . For more information about what you can do to help save Texas history, go to http://www.glo.state.tx.us/OC/savetxhist/index.html .

Memorial to General Carroll A. "Curly" Lewis, Jr. of the Texas Army

The following is from the memorial service brochure for General Carroll A. “Curly” Lewis, Jr. held on January 20, 2010 at the San Jacinto Monument at 2:00 p.m.

GENERAL CARROLL "Curly" LEWIS, JR. left this world January 7, 2010. Born February 3, 1924 in Houston, Texas, he was known at an early age as the Poet Laureate of Poe Elementary School. This was not the end of his literary career for he late wrote numerous magazine and newspaper articles, a definitive history of Fort Anahuac (The Birthplace of the Texas Revolution), enjoyed the fifth printing of his popular book The Treasures of Galveston Bay and is included in the American Diaries of WWII

Also excelling in art, when attending Lanier Junior High School, he won a four year art scholarship at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. At Lamar Senior High School he formed his own twelve-piece dance band and was the founding president of the MAC (Make Action Count) Club – a quasi fraternity. While studying chemical engineering at Rice Institute, he continued his musical activities with the Rice Band and the Knight Owls dance orchestra.

When World War II interrupted, he flew twenty five missions as a B-17 bomber pilot in the Eighth Air force; being shot down twice over Nazi Germany

Returning to Rice he was founding president of the Rice Veteran’s Association, Student Council chairman, re-organized and led the Knight Owls dance orchestra, ansd was of the Rice Owl band where his outrageous innovations created a spirit that was thereafter adopted by the MOB (Marching Owl Band). There is a legend at Rice University, that one Friday afternoon, before a Rice / A & M football game, Lewis secretly flew an airplane from Houston to College Station and dropped a large stink bomb and one hundred pounds of rice on an Aggie pep rally. The 1947 Rice yearbook shows photos of the mission.

Before graduating from college he began investing in land; eventually developing the following subdivisions in the Houston Area of Memorial Estates, Shady Oaks, Karankawa Pines, Richmond Road Farms, Shamrock Estates, Battleground Vista, Belknap Acres, Braeburn Gardens, Pinegrove Valley, Lomax Gardens, Greendale, Richmond Road Estates, Skyview Farms, Captains Retreat, Pirate’s Grove and Battleground Estates.

A former Eagle Scout, he served as scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop l1 Airscouts and Girl Scout Troop 116 and as a council director of Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America. He was a Sunday School teacher, officer and choir member of First Presbyterian Church of Galveston, and the United Church of Idaho Springs, Colorado, and chairman of the Greater Houston Presbyterian Extension committee of the Brazos Presbytery. A 32^nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, he played in the Arabia Temple Shrine Drum and Bugle Corps. Band. Early in his life, he served on the Board of Directors of the YMCA camps.

A business degree from the University of Houston guided him to other interests such as building and operating the Post Oak Twin Drive-in Theater, a Giant Slide, and Movie land Golf – a 36-hole miniature golf course where each hole represented a famous movie. He was president of the Southwestern Historical Exploration Society and in 1968 directed its recovery of many Civil War artifacts out of the Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston. Leading another exploration in 1968, he discovered Puritan Pilgrim fortifications on the Caribbean Islands of Santa Catalina that had been lost from history for over 300 years. He wrote many articles for True West, Treasure World, and Treasure magazines, and had a weekly shooting sports column for Citizen newspapers.

In1969, he convinced Governor Preston Smith to reactivate the Texas Army, which had been inactive since 1845, and was appointed Commanding General in which capacity he served for 40 years. He was well known for his impersonation of General Sam Houston on television, the news media and at public events. Curly was dedicated to perpetuating the memory of early Texas heroes; as one journalist put it, “The General keeps Texas’ past alive!” A consummate hunter, fisherman and sailor, his large Texas flag mainsail was frequently seen on Galveston Bay – Curly loved all things Texan. Since retirement, he enjoyed monthly meetings with his Lamar ’41 classmates and singing and playing drums every Wednesday night with the jazz group known as the Over The Hill Gang.

He is survived by his wife Candace Frazier, daughter Marsha Blake, grandchildren Jordan and Sawyer Ross.

The service will be at 2:00 p.m. on January 20, 2010 at the San Jacinto Monument (Auditorium) the General Staff of the Texas Army will conduct a public ceremony of remembrances and celebration of the General's life. Dressed in 1836 attire, the Texas Army will perform full military honors; firing a 21-gun salute using cannon and flintlock rifles. The United States Air Force Funeral Detail will also fire a salute and execute its flag presentation ceremony. Officiating will be Rev. Joe Hause and Rev. John W. Lancaster will close with the benediction. The family has requested donations to the Texas Army War Chest in lieu of flowers. For Information, please email Col. John Martin at Coljwm@gmail.com .

Photo of of Governor Preston Smith reactivating the Texas Army in 1969 (l. to r. unknown Texas Army soldier, Governor Preston Smith and General "Curly" Lewis). This photo is from the collection of K. K. Searle.

Houston: 1860 - 1900 (Images of America)

Review of Houston: 1860 - 1900 by Ann Dunphy Becker

Review by K. K. Searle

Another wonderful pictorial history from Arcadia Publishing and their Images of America Series. This history takes the City of Houston from the period just before the Civil War to the beginning of the 20th century. The book's author, Ann Dunphy Becker, has illustrated Houston: 1860-1900 with hundreds of rare old photographs taken during this unique period in Houston's history. Many of these photographs are from private collections.

Between 1860 and 1900, Houston developed into a major railway center and an international port of call that would allow Houston to eventually become the fourth largest city in the United States of America. With every photograph, author Ann Dunphy Becker has included many fascinating anecdotes and historical details. Houston: 1860 - 1900 is a wonderful visual feast that will transport you back in time to when the City of Houston was young.

2010 San Jacinto Day Ceremony

You are invited to the official San Jacinto Day Ceremony commemorating the 174th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. This ceremony is celebrated on April 21st every year. This year's ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at the San Jacinto Monument on the San Jacinto Battleground beginning at 11:00 a.m.

This year's Principal Speaker will be James L. Haley author of the acclaimed biography, Sam Houston. Ron Stone, Jr. will be the Master of Ceremonies. There will be a prelude by the Deer Park High School Orchestra. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Sons of the Republic of Texas will be presenting the winners of DRT and SRT Scholarships.

The San Jancinto Chapter and the Sam Houston Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas will be presenting their Sailor of the Year Awards. Sam Houston's report of the Battle of San Jacinto will be read. The Texas Army will will fire ceremonial black powder rifle salutes and there will be a wreath laying at the foot of the San Jacinto Monument to honor the memory of those Texian soldiers who fought and died to win Texas' independence from Mexico.

Please R.S.V.P. to help them plan at 713-516-3429.

The Paper Republic - The Struggle for Money, Credit and Independence in the Republic of Texas

Review of The Paper Republic - The Struggle for Money, Credit and Independence in the Republic of Texas by James P. Bevill
Review by K. K. Searle

James P. Bevill had let it be known several years ago that he was working on a book about the money and finances of the Republic of Texas; and frankly, I was not sure what to expect. Having seen a number of catalogues geared towards paper money collectors, I was not prepared for the groundbreaking scope of Bevill's finished book, The Paper Republic - The Struggle for Money, Credit and Independence in the Republic of Texas.

Almost everyone who has read The Paper Republic has been completely awestruck by what James Bevill has accomplished. What he has done is nothing short of extraordinary. In an era of endless hashing and rehashing of secondary sources by revisionist historians, Bevill went out and dug into a mountain of private Texana collections locked up in dozens of safe deposit boxes across the state - primary sources of new information. Working with other collectors to tell the previously untold story of Texas money, he discovered documents that no one had ever looked at before by looking where no one had thought to look before. What makes this tour de force all the more amazing is that Bevill is not a historian by vocation.

Bevill is a wealth management advisor at UBS in Houston. He is also a numismatist who got interested in collecting Republic of Texas currency as a hobby. Later, he decided to learn everything he could about the Republic of Texas currency that he was collecting but initially found only a vacuum of information on the subject. While trying to learn more about the money of the Republic of Texas, he meticulously researched the Texas Treasury Papers - transcripts of original correspondence from the treasury of the Republic, and compared these letters to the original monetary instruments which were imaged from numerous private collections. While doing so, he began to discover things about the history of the Republic of Texas from primary sources that simply could not be found in any of the previously published histories of Texas.

By researching the money and economy of the Republic of Texas and sharing these findings in his book, Bevill has added a whole new dimension to our understanding of the overall history of the Republic of Texas. The last person to do something like this was another avocational historian, Gregg Dimmick. As you will recall, Dr. Gregg Dimmick is a pediatrician who relied on several overlooked primary sources (diaries and books written by Mexican Army officers who participated in the Texas Revolution). Based on these primary sources, Dimmick began an archeological dig in pasture near Wharton, Texas. His research and discovories presented in his book, Sea of Mud - The Retreat of the Mexican Army after San Jacinto, An Archeological Investigation, added a whole new dimension to everyone's understanding of the Texas Revolution.

Just as Gregg Dimmick's research, his discoveries and his book forced everyone to rethink what they thought they knew about the Texas Revolution; Bevill's book, The Paper Republic, is forcing everyone to rethink what they thought they knew about the social and economic history of the Republic of Texas. Many Texas historians knew the "what" and the "when" concerning many of the events surrounding the Texas Revolution and the history of the Republic of Texas. Now, The Paper Republic explains the "why" of many of these events for the first time.

At 352 pages, The Paper Republic is huge. In addition to the whole new economic dimension he adds to the history of the Republic of Texas, Bevill keeps the reader interested and entertained with many interesting anecdotes and details about early Texas history that are simply found nowhere else.

Richly illustrated with hundreds of high quality digital photographs and scans, James Bevill's book is also one of the most beautiful Texas history books we have ever seen. The Paper Republic is destined to become a classic on the history of the Republic of Texas and is already being widely recognized as such. As an example, the Sons of the Republic of Texas just announced that The Paper Republic is the winner of the 2009 Summerfield G. Roberts Award for Texas historical literature.

I am a huge fan of this book. If you only read one Texas history book this year, get The Paper Republic and read it cover to cover. I promise that you will learn things about the history of Texas that you have never read before. I know I did!

The Paper Republic - The Struggle for Money, Credit and Independence in the Republic of Texas is published by Bright Sky Press, copyright 2009, and is available from Amazon.com.

Battle of San Jacinto Symposium - April 17, 2010

The 2010 Battle of San Jacinto Symposium will be held Saturday, April 17, 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 Skulls, Slaves, and Sex: Secrets of Early Texas Tickets are $50.00 and include lunch and parking.

This year's symposium will feature the discovery of six skulls of Mexican soldiers slain in the Battle of San Jacinto. In 1837, American naturalist, John James Audubon, visited the San Jacinto battleground. He picked up four skulls of Mexican soldiers and sent them to his friend, Dr. Samuel Morton, in Philadelphia. These, plus other skulls from two other collectors, became part of Morton's world-wide collection of 1500 crania. In 2009, the six Mexican skulls were discovered at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, virtually unknown to Texas historians for 170 years. Last January, internationally renowned anthropologist Doug Owsley conducted a forensic examination of the Mexican skulls on behalf of the Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground. His findings will be presented publicly for the first time at the 2010 Battle of San Jacinto Symposium.

This year's speakers are: Dr. Ron Tyler will be speaking about Audubon's visit to Galveston, Houston and the San Jacinto Battleground; Dr. Douglas Owsley will discuss Crania Injuries in Mexican Soldiers at San Jacinto; Dr. Andrew J. Torget will discuss slavery and its impact on revolutionary Texas; Professor James W. Paulsen will discuss Sam Houston's legal problems following the break up of his marriage to Eliza Allen in Tennessee and subsequent romance with Anna Raguet of Nacogdoches during the Texas Revolution; and Lael Morgan will discuss Revolutionary Sex: Texas' Philandering Founders.

This year's moderator will be Dr. James E. Crisp, Associate Professor of History at North Carolina Sate University. There will also be a special luncheon presentations by the Hon. William P. Hobby, Jr., Lt. Governor of Texas, 1973-1991; and Dr. Frank de la Teja will comment on his new book, Tejano Leadership in Mexican and Revolutionary Texas.

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 (713) 237-8997 or email sjbafriends@earthlink.net .

You can visit the Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground web site: http://www.friendsofsanjacinto.org/
You can also register online for The Battle of San Jacinto Symposium by clicking here.

Photograph: San Jacinto Monument; Courtesy of David Melasky

Are You a Descendant of a Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence?

At the celebration of Texas Independence on March 2, 2010 at Washington-on-the-Brazos, it was announced that the Star of the Republic Museum is searching for the descendants of the 59 signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

The announcement reads: "The Star of the Republic Museum is launching a long-term genealogical project to identify living descendants of the 59 men who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence here at Washington on the Brazos in 1836. Descendants will be recognized in March 2011 in commemoration of the 175th Anniversary of the signing of the Texas Declaration. If you are a descendant, please fill out a descendant card at the Museum's information desk or the Park Visitors Center."

The Star of the Republic Museum needs your ancestor's name, your name, mailing address, telephone number and email address. For more information contact:

Shawn B. Carlson, Ph. D.
Curator of Collections and Exhibits
Star of the Republic of Texas Museum
P.O. Box 317
Washington, Texas 77880

Office: 936-878-2461, ext. 241
Fax: 936-878-2462

email: scarlson@blinn.edu

http://www.starmuseum.org

Below is a complete list of the names of the 59 delegates who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence:

Richard Ellis, President of the Convention

Charles B. Stewart

Thos. Barnett

John S. D. Byrom

Francis Ruis

J. Antonio Navarro

Jesse B. Badgett

Wm D. Lacy

William Menifee

Jn. Fisher

Matthew Caldwell

William Motley

Lorenzo de Zavala

Stephen H. Everett

George W. Smyth

Elijah Stapp

Clairborne West

Wm. B. Scates

M. B. Menard

A. B. Hardin

J. W. Burton

Thos. J. Gazley

R. M. Coleman

Sterling C. Robertson

James Collinsworth

Edwin Waller

Asa Brigham

Geo. C. Childress

Bailey Hardeman

Rob. Potter

Thomas Jefferson Rusk

Chas. S. Taylor

John S. Roberts

Robert Hamilton

Collin McKinney

Albert H. Latimer

James Power

Sam Houston

David Thomas

Edwd. Conrad

Martin Parmer

Edwin O. Legrand

Stephen W. Blount

Jms. Gaines

Wm. Clark, Jr.

Sydney O. Pennington

Wm. Carrol Crawford

Jno. Turner

Benj. Briggs Goodrich

G. W. Barnett

James G. Swisher

Jesse Grimes

S. Rhoads Fisher

John W. Moore

John W. Bower

Saml. A. Maverick

Sam P. Carson

A. Briscoe

J. B. Woods

Follow-up:

Are you a Descendant of a Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence? Fill out a Lineage Worksheet for Descendants of Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence.  Mail completed lineage worksheets to Shawn Carlson, Star of the Republic of Museum, P.O. Box 317, Washington, Texas 77880. If you have question, Ms. Carlson's can be reached by email at scarlson@blinn.edu .  Fill out the lineage worksheet and get your name added to the list of the Descendants of Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence on file at the Star of the Republic Museum.  You will then receive notification of upcoming events involving the descendants of the signers.  Events are already being planned for the 180th anniversary of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence in 2016. 

Albert Sidney Johnston Camp #67 - SCV Meeting March 17, 2010

The Albert Sidney Johnston Camp #67, Houston, Texas, will be holding their monthly meeting Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Charles Duke will be making a presentation about "Civil War Boatworks and Confederate Naval property on Galveston Bay."

The Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans meets at The Briar Club located at Westheimer and Timmons Lane in Houston, Texas. There will be an Executive Board meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. (all camp members in good standing are invited to attend the Executive Board meeting). A happy hour-cash bar will follow at 6:30 p.m. The dinner and Camp Meeting will follow at 7:00 p.m. Please R.S.V.P. to Ev Gardner at 281-980-9054 or Dodd Eastham at dodd@bayoudog.org

Image of "The Johnston Journal" masthead courtesy of Albert Sidney Johnston Camp #67. All rights reserved.

Masonic Oak Picnic - May 16, 2010

The annual Masonic Oak Picnic will be held May 16, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. Masonic Oak Park is located at 100 Pleasant Street, Brazoria, Texas. See map here. The cost of the meal is $9.00. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

In March of 1835, several Master Masons met under an oak tree (that would later become known as the "Masonic Oak") to undertake the establishment of the first regularly formed Masonic lodge in Texas. An application was made to the Grand Lodge of Louisiana for a dispensation to form and open a Masonic lodge. Under a special dispensation, Holland Lodge No. 36 was opened on December 27, 1835 in Brazoria, Texas with Dr. Anson Jones presiding as Worshipful Master. The formal charter granted to Holland Lodge #36 by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana was delivered to Anson Jones just before the Battle of San Jacinto. The charter was in Jones' saddlebags in the Texas camp while Jones fought as a private in the infantry during the Battle of San Jacinto.

For more information about the Masonic Oak picnic, contact Vernon or Fay Burke at 979-297-8986 or fbvb1976@swbell.net

Texas Independence Day Celebration and Chili Cook-off at Pioneer Memorial Log House Museum - February 28, 2010

Join the San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the Children of the Republic of Texas, the Sons of the Republic of Texas and the Texian Army for a Texas Independence Day Celebration and Chili Cook-off on February 28, 2010 at the Pioneer Memorial Log House Museum. The celebration and cook-off will be held 2:00 p.m. - 5 p.m.

The Pioneer Memorial Log House Museum is located at 1510 Cambridge Street, Hermann Park (formerly North MacGregor Drive) in Houston, Texas. Admission is $5.00 per person, $2.00 under 12 and includes chili, drink and dessert. All proceeds benefit the Pioneer Memorial Log House Museum.

If you wish to compete in the chili cook-off, be sure to bring a crock pot full of your best chili. In addition to the chili cook-off competition, there will also be a children's coloring contest. Children are asked to bring a picture of the Republic of Texas (cowboys and Indians, horses, log houses, etc.). Coloring pages will also be available at the Celebration and the Log House Museum will be decorated with all of the art the children create.

There will also be a period costume contest. Though it is not necessary, all children and adults are encourged to wear period costumes. There will be a children's period costume contest and ribbons will be awarded to all participants. For more information, contact Eron Brimberry Tynes at sjcdrtpres@gmail.com

Texas Independence Day Celebration to be Held on the Steps of Houston City Hall

On Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 11:00 a.m., the San Jacinto Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas and the San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas are co-sponsoring a ceremony on the steps of the Houston City Hall (901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas) with the City of Houston, to commemorate the 174th anniversary of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

The Mayor of Houston, Annise Parker, will welcoming everyone and present a proclamation regarding Texas Independence Day. Officials of the Sons and Daughters of The Republic of Texas will be speaking about the impact, the approval, and signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence had in shaping modern day Texas. First Vice President General Sam Clark will read the famous letter from the Alamo by Col. William Barret Travis calling for reinforcements. We will conclude the ceremony by leading everyone in a toast to all those brave men who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. The toast will be with good old Texas water.

Recognized by state statute as an official state holiday, Texas Independence Day originally began with the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the 56 delegates to the Convention that met at Washington-on-the-Brazos beginning on March 1, 1836. On the first day, Convention President, Richard Ellis, appointed a committee composed of George C. Childress, James Gaines, Edward Conrad, Collin McKinney, and Bailey Hardeman to draft a declaration of independence.

George Childress, the committee chairman, is generally accepted as the author of the Republic of Texas Declaration of Independence, with little help from the other committee members. Since the six-page document was submitted for a vote of the whole convention on the following day, Childress probably already had a draft version of the document with him when he arrived. As the delegates worked, they received regular reports on the ongoing siege on the Alamo by the forces of General Santa Anna's troops.

A free and independent Republic of Texas was officially declared March 2, 1836, when the 56 delegates present—each representing one of the settlements in Texas--- unanimously approving the declaration. The 56 delegated who were present signed the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 3, 1836, and 3 others signed later. After the 59 delegates signed the original declaration, 5 copies were made and dispatched to the designated Texas towns of Bexar, Goliad, Nacogdoches, Brazoria, and San Felipe, and 1,000 copies were ordered printed in handbill form. All but one original copy has been lost over the years.

The Sons of the Republic of Texas and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas are 501(c)(3) organizations whose missions are to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the people who achieved and maintained the independence of Texas and to encourage historical research into the earliest records of Texas, especially those relating to the revolutionary and republic periods. The SRT and DRT encourage the preservation of documents and relics, the publication of historical records and narratives, and the celebration of important days in the state’s history. They also encourage the teaching of Texas history in schools and sponsor numerous scholarships. The public is invited to join us at 11:00a.m. on the front steps (Bagby St. side) of the Houston City Hall to honor those brave men who took that first important step toward making Texas what it is today! For additional details about the celebration, please contact Event Chairman, Tom Green, KSJ at 281-922-1118.

Contact: Sons of The Republic of Texas
Contact Person: Tom Green, KSJ
Telephone Number: (281) 922-1118
Cell Number: (823) 687-3474
Email Address: TBGreen3@prodigy.net
Web Site Address: http://www.srttexas.org

2010 Annual Historic Preservation Conference: Houston April 22-24,

Mark your calender for April 22-24, 2010 when the Texas Historical Commission in association with Preservation Texas presents the 2010 Annual Historic Preservation Conference. The Annual Historic Preservation Conference will be held at the Westin Oaks Houston Hotel in the Galleria in Houston, Texas. For more information on the Westin Oaks Houston, call 713-960-8100.

The Texas Historical Commission invites you to learn something new, share your experience, network with other professionals and sharpen your skills. The brochure and online registration are now available.

For more information, please contact the Texas Historical Commission at 512-463-6255 or visit
http://www.thc.state.tx.us/annualconference/cof2010.shtml

To read the annual conference brochure click here, http://www.thc.state.tx.us/annualconference/cofpdfs/ac_bro_10.pdf

David Crockett in Congress - The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend

Review of David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend by James R. Boylston and Allen J. Wiener
Review by K. K. Searle

An excerpt from the April 9, 1836 edition of the Niles Weekly Register (Baltimore, Maryland) provides the now famous account of Davy Crockett's arrival in Texas:

"A gentleman from Nacogdoches, in Texas, informs us, that, whilst there, he dined in public with col. Crockett, who had just arrived from Tennessee. The old bear-hunter, on being toasted, made a speech to the Texians, replete with his usual dry humor. He began nearly in this style: "I am told, gentlemen, that, when a stranger, like myself, arrives among you, the first inquiry is - what brought you here? To satisfy your curiosity at once to myself, I will tell you all about it. I was, for some years, a member of congress. In my last canvass, I told the people of my district, that, if they saw fit to re-elect me, I would serve them as faithfully as I had done; but, if not, they might go to h__, and I would go to Texas. I was beaten, gentlemen, and here I am." The roar of applause was like a thunder-burst. [Louisville Journal.

David Crockett died at the Alamo on March 6, 1836, a month and three days before this article finally appeared in the Niles Weekly Register. If you are like me and have always wondered why Crockett would have told the people of his Congressional district back in Tennessee that they might go to hell and he would go to Texas, then you need to read David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend.

David Crockett in Congress covers David Crockett's entire political career in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress in great detail. The book is a wonderful sampler of Jacksonian politics of the 1820's and 1830's from the perspective of an Andrew Jackson supporter (Crockett) who becomes disillusioned with Jackson and party politics.

The authors of this book did not just sit in a library and rehash secondary sources about David Crockett once again. They drew their conclusions almost exclusively from primary sources. In fact, Boylston and Wiener not only drew their conclusions from primary sources, such as correspondence, speeches and political circulars; but more than half the content of their book is transcriptions of those primary sources. The inclusion of these transcriptions allows readers to look at each of these documents for themselves to verify the accuracy of Boylston and Weiner's conclusions. I wish more historians were as courageous in this regard. Because of the transcriptions of so many key documents regarding the life of Crockett are now contained in one handy volume, this book is destined to be a valuable resource for researchers studying David Crockett for many years to come.

The book also gives a detailed account of David Crockett's meteoric rise to national celebrity status, something Crockett himself did not seem to understand. In the end, Crockett's fame was no help to him in his final campaign for re-election to Congress.

With Texas Independence Day (March 2) approaching rapidly, those wishing to know who David Crockett actually was before he became a hero of the Texas Revolution and later the "King of the Wild Frontier" can't go wrong reading David Crockett: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend.

David Crockett: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend is published by Bright Sky Press, copyright 2009, and is available from Amazon.com.


Newspaper article is from the April 9, 1836 edition of the Niles Weekly Register, (Baltimore Maryland), page 99. Collection of K. K. Searle.

Registration for 2010 SRT Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the Sons of the Republic of Texas will be held April 9-11, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Select in Tyler , Texas. The Holiday Inn Select is located at 5071 South Broadway Ave., Tyler, Texas. The telephone number to make reservations at the hotel is (903) 561-5800.

Sam Clark, Annual and Quarterly Chairman of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, advises that on line registration for the 2010 SRT Annual Meeting is now available at:

www.srttexas.org/annual2010.html

At this link you can find the Annual Meeting registration information, weekend agenda, and reservation form.

The Albert Sidney Johnston Camp #67, Houston, Texas, will be holding their monthly meeting Wednesday, February 17, 2010. Prize winning historian and author, Ed Cotham will make a presentation, " The Failure of Federal Naval Strategy in Texas."

Edward T. Cotham has written a number of excellent books about the history of Texas and the Civil War. His books include: The Seventh Star of the Confederacy, Texas During the Civil War (2009, The University of North Texas Press), Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae (2004, University or Texas Press), and Battle on the Bay: The Civil War Struggle for Galveston (1998, University of Texas Press).

The Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans meets at The Briar Club located at Westheimer and Timmons Lane in Houston, Texas. There will be an Executive Board meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. (all camp members in good standing are invited to attend the Executive Board meeting). A happy hour-cash bar will follow at 6:30 p.m. The dinner and Camp Meeting will follow at 7:00 p.m. Please R.S.V.P. to Ev Gardner at 281-980-9054 or Dodd Eastham at dodd@bayoudog.org

Image of "The Johnston Journal" masthead courtesy of Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter #67. All rights reserved.

Lone Star Chapter of SRT 2010 Installation and Mier Expedition

The Lone Star Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas will hold their monthly dinner meeting at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, January 9, 2010 at Alamo Joe's Restaurant located at 4747 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands, Texas. This will be the annual officer installation dinner and it will be presided over by Randall Collard, the District Representative of the Sons of the Republic of Texas.

In addition to the installation of officers, there will be an historical presentation about the Mier Expedition and Associated Texas-Mexico Border Conflicts 1837-1843. Current Lone Star Chapter President, David Martin has recently returned from the battle site in Mier, Mexico. Many will remember that the Battle of Mier preceded the famous "Black Bean" affair at the Rancho Salado. Captured Texas soldiers were compelled to draw beans. If they drew a white bean, they were not shot. If they drew a black bean, they were shot.

For more information about the Sons of the Republic of Texas or the monthly meetings of the Lone Star Chapter in The Woodlands, Texas, call 281-467-8146 or go to the SRT's website at: http://www.lonestarsrt.org/

Photograph of the site of the Battle of Mier is courtesy of David Martin.

Dick Eastman - All-Day Genealogy Seminar - March 27, 2010

Spend the day with Dick Eastman founder and publisher of "Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter" in an all-day seminar sponsored by Clayton Library Friends: "What's Hot and What's Not - Technology and Techniques in the New Decade!" The seminar will be March 27, 2010 at St. Lukes United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer, Houston, Texas. The seminar will begin at 9:30 a.m. on March 27, 2010.

The cost of the seminar until March 17, 2010: Members $30 and Non-members $35. There is also an optional box lunch for $10 which includes Salad or Sandwich with sides and drink. The seminar will cost $35 at the door and no box lunch will be available.

A registration form is now available on the Clayton Library Friends web site and in their February 2010 newsletter.

Sam Houston IV Becomes General of Texas Army

Texas History page contributor, David Martin, advises that Sam Houston IV accepted the appointment to be the next General of the Texas Army yesterday. Sam Houston IV is the great grandson of General Sam Houston who bravely led the Texas army to victory during the Battle San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.

The Texas Army was established to honor its predecessor and to keep the memory alive of those gallant men. In 1969, the Texas Army was officially reactivated by Governor Preston Smith for ceremonial purposes. Each member of the Texas Army is a commissioned "Colonel" by the Governor of Texas. The Texas Army also participates as the special honor guard in the Governor's Inauguration Parade.

Sam Houston IV will be succeeding General Carroll A. "Curly" Lewis, Jr. of the Texas Army who died at 2:45 p.m. on January 7, 2010. The appointment of Sam Houston IV came at a dinner following a special memorial service for General Lewis conducted at the San Jacinto Monument on January 20, 2010 at 2:00 p.m.

Sam Houston IV is a member of the Sam Houston Chapter #38 of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. Houston has dedicated much of his adult life to preserving the history of Texas.

Texas Heritage Society - "Remember Goliad!" Tour of Texas History No. 4

Texas Heritage Society First Vice President, Hewitt Clark, has announced the intinerary for the Tour of Texas History #4. Mark your calenders and keep this date open.

Hotel rooms are available at the Antler's Inn in Goliad, Texas (1013 US Hwy 59 S.). Telephone 361-645-8215. Double rooms are $58. Here is the revised tour schedule.

Saturday Feb 6, 2010:

12:00 noon--Meet at the Hanging Tree Restaurant in Goliad, Texas (144 N. Courthouse Square) for lunch and to discuss plans.

1:00--Walking tour of the historic plaza area with guide Benny Martinez.

2:00--Travel to General Zaragoza's home for lecture about Cinco de Mayo.

3:00--Special lecture by the Director of the Presidio La Bahia about the 1813 McGee-Gutierrez Expediton including the "bloodiest day in Texas history," the bloody arm flag and Capt. Dimmit's Declaration of Independence in 1835, and the massacre of 400 Texas soldiers under the command of Col. Fannin in 1836. This lecture will be followed by a tour of the Presidio.

6:00--Dinner at Hanging Tree Restaurant and a talk about the Cart War and Violence in Goliad from 1850-1870 by Mr Starr, author and historian.

Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010:

8:00--Breakfast, to be announced.

9:00--Tour and lecture at the Mission.

10:00-- Mass at the Mission for those wishing to participate.

11:00--Travel ten miles to the Coleto Creek battle site for a lecture by Benny Martinez and relatives.

For reservations and further information please contact:

Hewitt Clarke
281-367-2709
Rebelwriter@pdq.net

Click here to vist the Texas Heritage Society's web site.

Photograph above of the Presidio La Bahia is courtesy of Joe and Lynn Keith. All rights reserved.

Sabine Crossing - A Story of Early Texas

Review of Sabine Crossing by Jacquelyn Thompson
Review by K. K. Searle

I have to admit I was surprised by this book. I enjoyed it very much! Sabine Crossing is excellent Texas historical fiction. Jacquelyn Thompson obviously knows her Texas history as well as her own family history.

Thompson took real family history and made a book out of it and though this is normally the recipe for REALLY bad fiction, Thompson pulls off a HUGE upset! It is really difficult to believe this is her first novel.

The book follows the Bradley family of Kentucky to Austin's Colony in Texas in the early 1820's. The book is told from the perspective of the family matriarch, Elizabeth Bradley and later from the point of view of her daughter, Letty Bradley.

In the early pages of the book, you will think there are just too many characters to keep track of. But, this, as you will see, is just Jacquelyn Thompson sneaking up on you for the "emotional" kill, or rather kills, later on.

Her characters are extremely well developed and really come to life. A big part of this is due to Thompson's dialogue for each of her characters which is some of the best I have seen in while.

Gentlemen, be warned, Sabine Crossing is to novels what a chick flick is to movies. The book is definitely designed to appeal to a female target audience. Very strong women standing up to the incredible hardships in colonial Texas and beyond. This book really tugs at the heart strings and yes, I will admit it, Jacquelyn Thompson's story did bring a tear to my eye on several different occasions and that has not happened in a long long time. And as a guy, that is as much as I am going to admit.

Too often good books are too short and you wish there was more. That is not the situation here. Sabine Crossing, at 667 pages, pulls you in and just keeps on entertaining for a nice long while. My only disappointment in the book was that Letty did not get to kill Warren. And if you want to know what that is all about, you will just have to read the book!

Sabine Crossing - A Story of Early Texas is available at Amazon.com.