San Antonio Light newspaper, April 17, 1898, Sunday.
GALVESTON, TEX. APRIL 16, (SPECIAL.) The preparations for next week's celebration of the anniversary of the battle of San Jacinto are more elaborate than during any other year for the day is to be made memorable by the formal transfer to the Daughters of the Republic of the old structure in which the first Congress of the Republic of Texas met. It will be gratefully accepted by them. John Adriance an old resident of Columbia, who fought in the long struggle for Texas independence has been asked to make the presentation and Governor Culberson in behalf of the Daughters of the Republic will respond. These services are to take place on San Jacinto Day, April 21st.
The few remaining heroes of San Jacinto, who form the bright nucleus around which the Texas Veteran association is organized will all attend with others who though not actively participating in the battle that gave Texas its independence, were contemporaneous and active participants in the stirring events that marked the transition of Texas first to an independent republic, then to a sisterhood of the galaxy of states.
The old veterans, to whom all honor is due form a very small representation
of the convention or rather, reunion, that assembles annually at San Jacinto,
and were it not that the rules of the organization are sufficiently elastic
to admit of the wives of the veterans becoming members, embracing a period
of service considerably subsequent to the battle of San Jacinto, the members
would now be so decimated that there would be a little left of the association
to perpetuate its records. As it is its ranks are being thinned year by
year until now the roster has decreased as it will continue to do until
the association, unless provision is made for an accession of membership
by taking in descendants of actual veterans, will soon become a thing of
the past.
