Old Records Show San Antonio
Was A Lively Place Back In 1804.
San Antonio Express newspaper, Feb. 25, 1934, Sunday.By Dorothy Esther Wright.
Texas, whose history has long been the pride of her people, to at last to be supplied with those many and positively accurate details so long absent from her historical accounts.
With the translating of each additional page of the documents contained in the Bexar archives, which are deposited in the archives of the University of Texas, these details are rapidly being supplied. These records, which were accumulated at San Antonio de Bexar during the Spanish and Mexican regime, form one of the greatest historical treasures on the North American Continent. The documents are filled, not only with incidents of absorbing interest, but with accounts which are of international importance.
Translation of all the records for the year 1804 have been completed, and arrangements are almost complete for the sending of copies of the translations of these documents to San Antonio. Mrs. Mattie Austin Hatcher, archivist at the University of Texas, who is responsible for the greater part of the work done on these documents, will personally take this first consignment of translations, which consists of about 500 pages, to San Antonio. Previous to the translation, a complete survey of all manuscripts was necessary, and then the chronological arrangement was made. The making of calendar cards and cataloguing of the documents followed this preliminary preparation for the translation itself. the files of cards in themselves give a running story of the history of Texas contained in these old Bexar papers.
The Bexar archives itself consist of about 300,000 or 400,000 pages of records and documents as would be expected to be found in an ordinary government depository, such as laws, decrees, instructions to provincial officers, bulletins, census reports, petitions and remonstrances to the central government by colonists, military correspondence, civil and judicial correspondence, court reports, and a great many letters sent and received at Bexar.
The records are in French, Spanish and English, and are written in excellent penmanship. Some of the French and Spanish contains many archaic forms, and some of the Spanish are written by Frenchmen and Americans unaccustomed to the language, making translation exceedingly difficult. Some of the documents contain almost indecipherable abbreviations, and others are torn, or perforated, also hindering translation, but of the whole, the Bexar documents are extraordinarily well preserved.
Special ability is compulsive for those working of the documents. Among those aiding in the project is Miss Nan H. Harrison, writer and a former newspaper woman. A former secretary of Harold Bell Wright, the writer, Miss Maude Edna Moody, is also assisting in the work. E. M. Caldwell of Cuba, who aids chiefly in the translation of the Spanish manuscripts, Eva Garcia, Irving Cantor, W. C. Hughes, Clay Moore, Mildred McDonald, Laura Pecht, and Norman Forsyth are others assisting in the translation of the Bexar documents.
When translation is completed, copies will be sent to San Antonio. Tentative plans also include placing of copies in the library of Congress. The University of Texas will bind its copies, and arrange them convenient for use.
The Bexar archives lay for a long period neglected in the courthouse at San Antonio, Then, in about 1898, by vote of the commissioners' court of Bexar County, they were given to the University of Texas, which promised to classify them and arrange for convenient use as soon as possible. The documents are popularly known as the Spanish archives, but the official title while Texas was a part of the Republic of Mexico, was the archives of Bexar.
In 1727, Texas was a separate province. San Antonio was made its capital and, and except for several brief intervals, remained so until Texas became a republic. All the official business was carried on by the Governor of the province, who was also military commandant. Thus began the accumulation of papers now called the Bexar archives. The province of Texas later became the department of Bexar, and included nearly all of the present State of Texas. It was at that time one of administrative units of the State of Coahuila and Texas. It is therefore almost true to conclude that all the business of the government relative to Texas from 1727 to 1835 was carried on in San Antonio and recorded in these papers.
The capital of Texas, when a part of Mexico, was never permanently removed from San Antonio, and the capital of the American Texas was never a permanently located there, so the collection became the property of the county of Bexar, instead of the Republic.
It is strange to note that, as a rule, historians have ignored the Bexar documents. These documents contain first hand information and while, when translation is completed, may not necessitate the complete revision of the history of Texas many puzzling items will be clarified, and innumerable details will be added to enrich the present accepted accounts of the historical periods covered in the Bexar records. An example of this enlightenment is on the colonization of Texas, Mexico and France alone did not constitute the forces who struggled for the possession of Texas. It was a contest of civilizations, engaged in by Germans, Swedes, Swiss, French, Dutch, Irish and in fact, people from all parts of the world.
Apart from manuscripts, printed circulars, bulletins and decrees from general government are found in the Bexar collection. The documents begin in about 1730 with the arrival of a number of families from the Canary Islands, sent by the king to form at San Antonio de Bexar, a Spanish settlement to serve as model to the Indians. These families together with a few bold adventurers who had pushed over into Texas and settled about San Pedro Springs, formed a municipal settlement, and the record of events in the colony began to be presented. A few documents are dated before 1730, but are a miscellaneous series, while the consecutive order begins with 1730. The documents cover a period of about 106 years, and end with the battle of San Jacinto, which marked the close of the Spanish and Mexican occupation of the country. Henceforth the history of Texas is that under the American Commonwealth.
Of the documents which have been translated, one may easily bring up the question of why the 1804 records were chosen to be translated first. The reason is easily supplied. In 1803, Louisiana was turned over to the United States by the Spaniards, (French?) who had governed it for about a half century. This made Texas a buffer province of Spanish dominion in America. Texas now became the strategic point and the whole force, consisting of the viceroy of Mexico, the commanding general at Chihuahua, the governor at Bexar and minor officials on the frontier, was thrown into the task of defending the country against foreign invasion, particularly of the Anglo-American, the United States.
An examination of the documents of 1804 reveal that the Spaniards were facing final defeat. They had pitifully few soldiers to protect the long frontier line. The Indians were uncontrollable. These factors, together with the factor of the American settlers pressing along the frontier, made a break inevitable. From these documents of 1804, the whole story of the struggle for the rich province, may be inferred.
The first document for 1804 is a census report for the Pueblo of Nacogdoches. It is a list of foreigners, its entire jurisdiction, with a statement of names, nationalities, conditions, age, time of residence, and occupation. There are fifty men on this list, which included Americans, Irishmen, English and Frenchmen. The ten deserters listed include Scotchmen, Irishmen and Americans. There is next a list of families at Nacogdoches. There are 195 families on this list, with a total population of 791. A characteristic item follows.
"Don Jose Luis de la Bega, notary of this place, and postmaster, Spanish, 44 years of age, married to Dona Maria de Aro, Spanish, 42 years od age, has a negro woman slave, 42 years of age, her husband absent; has 2 negro boys, slaves, 10 and 8 years of age; 2 negro girls, 12 and 4 years of age."In the diary of events report of December, 1803, of the presidial company of San Antonio de Bexar, the exact conditions of the company are shown. There are 91 soldiers, 4 officials, a chaplain, a gunsmith, a drummer, 3 sergeants, and 8 corporals, making a total of 109. In the diary of events for January 4, 1804, an interesting insertion is found."An Englishman arrived on private business and gave information that the American General Quilquinson (Wilkinson) with 500 militia was on thee way to New Orleans to take possession of the province of Louisiana."One record which contains information little known before is found in the royal order circulated by the governor of Texas for aiding Russian vessels forced into Spanish ports in the Indies. The proclamation as it stated, "is issued as a result of the decision of the superior 'junta' of the royal treasurer in regard to the development and welfare of New Mexico."A report that the company of Bexar and that of Bahia, which included 17 and 15 men respectively, was to be increased by 18 men from the company of Narra, making the total of 50 men. The futility of their struggle is very obvious, with the reports of their actual strength now available.
A proclamation prohibiting entry of any person from Louisiana is also found among the documents.
A letter and map of New Mexico, as Texas was called, sent to the governor by Father Fray Jose Maria Puelles is found among the translated 1804 documents. The Puelles letter and map accompany this article. Diplomacy and flattery, found in so many of the letters, is easily discernible in the translation of the letter which follows:
"His Excellency, the Governor Don Juan Baptista Elguezabal.Another curious letter to the commandant general on Nov. l, 1804, includes the following excerpt.:"My dear sir:
"Even before you indicated your desire for the attached map, I had wanted to contribute this slight token of my regards. However, this has been delayed until the day of your holy patron saint (Sri Juan Bautista Day). Upon this occasion, I pay my best regards to you and wish you many achieve the great happiness and promotion to which your eminent merit and remarkable gifts entitle you.
"This I likewise speak for her Ladyship, your wife, and for your beloved family, to whom I extend my best wishes for health and long life. I hope the map will please you and I trust that you will please you and I trust that you will call upon me without hesitation in matters pertaining to the service. I will perform these tasks with my best wishes for health and long life. I hope the map will please you and I trust that you will call upon me without hesitation in matters pertaining to the service. I will perform these tasks with heartiest good will. God guard you most valuable life.
"Nacogdoches, June 4, 1804.
"Your most sincere servant and chaplain.
"Fr. Joseph Maria de Puelles, (rubric)""Tried to see if there are in this pueblo, copies of the impious writings with the title 'Contrato Social' by Jean Jaques Rosseau and 'La Bororquia, Victima de la Inquisision,' and have found none."Another letter of Ugarte says that he has "had reliable information that New Orleans was delivered by the Spaniards to France on last Nov. 30, and was turned over to the Anglo-Americans on Dec. 25. They will probably begin taking possession of all towns belonging to Louisiana, and it will not be long before they will do the same in the case of Natchitoches." That the interest and fears connected with the Louisiana question has reached the point of maximum intensity is easily gathered from these documents.There is a letter among the records in which the governor of Texas calls for information for the construction of a stockade at Nacogdoches, and is persuaded that the inhabitants of these three settlements are ready to resist any hostile invasion. On Feb. 29, 1804, a decree was issued by the governor declaring that any special mail or important news should be forwarded to the superior officials, and only in case of necessity should he communicate with the governors of adjacent States. Then there is the original letter in which the commandant of Nacogdoches reports the delivery of Louisiana to the Americans.
In the March documents of 1804, there is an order providing for advancement of pupils in primary schools. Texas did not neglect the education of her children even in such trying times. There is too a letter in which the governor of Texas reports that he has circulated and carried out provisions of royal regulations for management of custom house cutters. The following report of the reasons for the delay of a trip to Nacogdoches with supplies and ammunition brings a smile to the lips of readers "as soon as the river and roads between here and Nacogdoches become passable and Alferez don Jose Maria Quardiana recovers from the two boils he is suffering from"
That the prediction that the same as was done to the Louisiana states would be done in Nachitoches is deducted the letter enclosed in a letter from the governor of Texas in which the commandant of Nacogdoches reports that he is going to assist in the delivery of Natchitoches to the Americans. In a similar manner from these letters and reports, the rich history of the Texas of this period may be drawn.
In April of 1804, a report showed that the army had increased in number to 100, and that the company possessed 85 mules and 635 horses. Conditions for defending their country were gradually improving. In the April documents is also found a confidential letter from Nemesio Salcedo which states that "under the present circumstances, when the entire army of Louisiana already belongs to the United States of America, we should try to see that it does not influence peaceable relations with the Indians hitherto maintained."
And thus the rise and fall of the Spanish in Texas, the ceaseless struggle against hostile Indians, the Spanish side of the long struggle with the French, the unselfish toiling of the patient missionaries, the Spanish version of the Spanish Anglo-Americans, relations, the Mexican revolution, the neutral ground of Nacogdoches, the coming of the Anglo-Americans, the building of settlements, in which the mission, the civil settlement and the presidio were employed and the revolution are set forth in these Bexar documents in original and accurate detail, which is to enrich and enlarge the present historical accounts of Texas history between the years 1730-1836.
THE SECOND FLYING COMPANY OF ALAMO DE PARRAS©1996,1997, Randell Tarin. All Rights Reserved.