Download or read book Texas Land Grants 1750 1900 written by John Martin Davis, Jr. and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2016-08-19 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Texas land grants were one of the largest public land distributions in American history. Induced by titles and estates, Spanish adventurers ventured into the frontier, followed by traders and artisans. West Texas was described as "Great Space of Land Unknown" and Spanish sovereigns wanted to fill that void. Gaining independence from Spain, Mexico launched a land grant program with contractors who recruited emigrants. After the Texas Revolution in 1835, a system of Castilian edicts and English common law came into use. Lacking hard currency, land became the coin of the realm and the Republic gave generous grants to loyal first families and veterans. Through multiple homestead programs, more than 200 million acres had been deeded by the end of the 19th century. The author has relied on close examination of special acts, charters and litigation, including many previously overlooked documents.
Download or read book The Franco Texan Land Company written by Virginia H. Taylor and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2011-05-18 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Franco-Texan Land Company was formed, ostensibly, by the French bondholders of the Memphis, El Paso, and Pacific Railroad in an attempt to salvage their investments through sale of lands in the railroad's Texas land grant. Most of the land company's wealth, however, went into the pockets of unscrupulous local managers and directors, and another railroad eventually built a road across Texas along the Memphis, El Paso, and Pacific right of way. Despite their unsavory histories, the land company and its railroad parent played an important part in the development of Northwest Texas. Virginia Taylor's account of their activities furthers the study of the role of land companies in the settlement of the United States and adds interesting sidelights on one of the immigrant groups that left the imprint of Europe on frontier Texas.
Download or read book Bosque County Land and People written by and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Peters Colony of Texas written by Seymour V. Connor and published by Texas State Historical Assn. This book was released on 2005 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Texas State Historical Association is pleased to partner with the Collin County Historical Society to make Seymour V. Connor's The Peters Colony of Texas available once again. This classic work of Texas history, long out of print, was praised by John H. Jenkins in Basic Texas Books as "the best study of one of the largest land grants in Texas history." The TSHA first published The Peters Colony of Texas in 1959. The Peters Colony, totaling 16,000 square miles of North Texas, now includes twenty-six counties. Jenkins called it "a masterpiece of weaving together the threads of an extremely difficult historical puzzle with only the meagerest of source materials." For many years the book, with its documentation of early migration to Texas, was available to the public only in noncirculating library collections and an occasional appearance on the rare book market. The TSHA and the Collin County Historical Society are pleased to offer a paperback edition of The Peters Colony of Texas to bring this significant work of Texas history back to public attention.
Download or read book Character Certificates in the General Land Office of Texas written by Gifford E. White and published by Genealogical Publishing Com. This book was released on 2009-06 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Assembled from local land office records after Texas gained its independence from Mexico, the Character Certificate files in the General Land Office in Austin establish the identities of early immigrants to Texas, fix their date and place of settlement, and shed light on their origins and their families. In using this book, then, the researcher has at his fingertips the unique genealogical records of around 5,000 early Texas settlers!
Download or read book A Thirsty Land written by Seamus McGraw and published by Univ of TX + ORM. This book was released on 2020-08-11 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An important story not just about [Texas’s] water history, but also about its social, economic, and political identity” (Western Historical Quarterly). As a changing climate threatens the whole country with deeper droughts and more furious floods that put ever more people and property at risk, Texas has become a bellwether state for water debates. Will there be enough water for everyone? Is there the will to take the steps necessary to defend ourselves against the sea? Is it in the nature of Americans to adapt to nature in flux? The most comprehensive—and comprehensible—book on contemporary water issues, A Thirsty Land delves deep into the challenges faced not just by Texas but also by the nation, as we struggle to find a way to balance the changing forces of nature with our own ever-expanding needs. Part history, part science, part adventure story, and part travelogue, this book puts a human face on the struggle to master that most precious and capricious of resources, water. Seamus McGraw goes to the taproots, talking to farmers, ranchers, businesspeople, and citizen activists, as well as to politicians and government employees. Their stories provide chilling evidence that Texas—and indeed the nation—is not ready for the next devastating drought, the next catastrophic flood. Ultimately, however, A Thirsty Land delivers hope. This deep dive into one of the most vexing challenges facing Texas and the nation offers glimpses of the way forward in the untapped opportunities that water also presents. “A hard look at a hard problem: finding sufficient water to live in a place without much of it. . . . McGraw’s fine book serves as a useful guide. Observers of Western waterways will want to have this on their shelves alongside the likes of Marc Reisner and Charles Bowden.” —Kirkus Reviews “In stark prose that often gleams like a bone pile bleached in the sun, McGraw travels back and forth across Texas to give a free-ranging but deadeye view of the crisis on the horizon.” —Texas Monthly “It’s hard to write about the slow creep of environmental crises like drought without resorting to shock tactics or getting lost in the weeds . . . [McGraw] draws out the conflicts in compelling ways by drilling into the plight of individual water users. Even if you feel no connection to Texas, these stories are relevant to every part of the country.” —Outside “Interviewing both scientific experts and everyday water users, [McGraw] clearly delineates the competing interests, describes political and geological reality, and makes a compelling argument for statewide water policy that utilizes modern technology and fairly weighs parochial needs against the good of the whole.” —Arizona Daily Star, Southwest Books of the Year
Download or read book The Handbook of Texas written by Walter Prescott Webb and published by . This book was released on 1952 with total page 1176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vol. 3: A supplement, edited by Eldon Stephen Branda. Includes bibliographical references.
Download or read book Passionate Nation written by James L. Haley and published by University of North Texas Press. This book was released on 2022-05-15 with total page 673 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Utilizing many sources new to publication, James L. Haley delivers a most readable and enjoyable narrative history of Texas, told through stories—the words and recollections of Texans who actually lived the state’s spectacular history. From Jim Bowie’s and Davy Crockett’s myth-enshrouded stand at the Alamo, to the Mexican-American War, and to Sam Houston’s heroic failed effort to keep Texas in the Union during the Civil War, the transitions in Texas history have often been as painful and tense as the “normal” periods in between. Here, in all of its epic grandeur, is the story of Texas as its own passionate nation. “Texas native Haley does an outstanding job of narrating the outsized and dramatic history of the Lone Star State. John Steinbeck observed, ‘Like most passionate nations, Texas has its own private history based on, but not limited by, facts.’ Cognizant of this, Haley takes pains to separate folklore from fact. He's a good storyteller, but then it's hard to go wrong with the colorful characters he has to work with: pioneer nationalists Sam Houston and Davy Crockett, Quaker abolitionist Benjamin Lundy, a wagonload of liquored-up turn-of-the-century oilmen and such latter-day heroes as Lyndon Johnson, John Connally and Janis Joplin.”—Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Download or read book Natural Resources Code written by Texas and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 588 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Land written by Graham Davis and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The only successful European impresarios in mid-nineteenth century Mexican Texas--men authorized to bring immigrants to settle the vast spaces of Mexico's northern territories--were Irish. On their land grants, Irish settlers founded Refugio and San Patricio and went on to take active roles in the economic and political development of Texas. It required a hardy spirit and strong ambition to weather the perils that accompanied these opportunities--the long journey, shipwrecks, hostile Indians, injury and disease--and Irish pioneers proved fit for the task. They were not seeking relief from famine or English oppression in their own country. These were vigorous, strong-willed people who possessed the monetary means to remove themselves from their insular surroundings. What they were seeking, and what they obtained, was land. Graham Davis tells this Irish-Texan story of the search for land by recounting the experiences of the original empresarios John McMullen, James McGloin, James Power, and James Hewetson, and he finishes the book with an impressive description of the ranching empire of Power's nephew, Thomas O'Connor. In between, he examines the marriages, commercial contacts, political alliances, and language ties that "Mexicanized" these successful entrepreneurs. Living in the heart of the war zone, some of the Irish settlers fought for independence while others remained loyal to the Mexican government that had made them citizens and given them land. Davis offers a vivid picture of the hardships of pioneer life and the building of communities, churches, and schools. He describes how Irish ranchers had the opportunity to thrive after the annexation of Texas and emphasizes their willing acceptance of Mexican ranching methods. He makes a convincing case that the Irish came to Texas not as victims but as entrepreneurs and opportunists in search of land.
Download or read book New Orleans and the Texas Revolution written by Edward L. Miller and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Author Edward L. Miller has delved into previously unused or overlooked papers housed in New Orleans to reconstruct a chain of events that set the Crescent City, in many ways, at the center of the Texian fight for independence. Not only did Now Orleans business interests send money and men to Texas in exchange for promises of land, but they also provided newspaper coverage that set the scene for later American annexation of the young republic."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Tejano Legacy written by Armando C. Alonzo and published by UNM Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revisionist account of the Tejano experience in south Texas from its Spanish colonial roots to 1900.
Download or read book Philip of Texas written by James Otis and published by . This book was released on 1918 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Cult of Glory written by Doug J. Swanson and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Swanson has done a crucial public service by exposing the barbarous side of the Rangers.” —The New York Times Book Review A twenty-first century reckoning with the legendary Texas Rangers that does justice to their heroic moments while also documenting atrocities, brutality, oppression, and corruption The Texas Rangers came to life in 1823, when Texas was still part of Mexico. Nearly 200 years later, the Rangers are still going--one of the most famous of all law enforcement agencies. In Cult of Glory, Doug J. Swanson has written a sweeping account of the Rangers that chronicles their epic, daring escapades while showing how the white and propertied power structures of Texas used them as enforcers, protectors and officially sanctioned killers. Cult of Glory begins with the Rangers' emergence as conquerors of the wild and violent Texas frontier. They fought the fierce Comanches, chased outlaws, and served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War. As Texas developed, the Rangers were called upon to catch rustlers, tame oil boomtowns, and patrol the perilous Texas-Mexico border. In the 1930s they began their transformation into a professionally trained police force. Countless movies, television shows, and pulp novels have celebrated the Rangers as Wild West supermen. In many cases, they deserve their plaudits. But often the truth has been obliterated. Swanson demonstrates how the Rangers and their supporters have operated a propaganda machine that turned agency disasters and misdeeds into fables of triumph, transformed murderous rampages--including the killing of scores of Mexican civilians--into valorous feats, and elevated scoundrels to sainthood. Cult of Glory sets the record straight. Beginning with the Texas Indian wars, Cult of Glory embraces the great, majestic arc of Lone Star history. It tells of border battles, range disputes, gunslingers, massacres, slavery, political intrigue, race riots, labor strife, and the dangerous lure of celebrity. And it reveals how legends of the American West--the real and the false--are truly made.
Download or read book Research Like a Pro written by Diana Elder and published by Family Locket Books. This book was released on 2018-05-19 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you stuck in your genealogical research? Wondering how to make progress on your brick wall problems? Discover the process that a professional genealogist uses to solve difficult cases. Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide shares a step-by-step method using real world examples, easily understood by any level of genealogist; written for the researcher ready to take their skills to the next level.Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide will give you the tools to:- Form an objective focusing your research for an entire project.- Review your research with new eyes by creating your own timeline analysis.- Construct a locality guide to direct your research.- Create a plan to keep your research on track.- Style source citations, giving your work credibility.- Set up a research log to organize and track your searches.- Write a report detailing your findings and ideas for future research.Links to templates give you the tools you need to get started and work samples illustrate each step. You'll learn to execute a research project from start to finish, then start again with the new information discovered. Whether you are a newbie or experienced researcher, Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide will move the search for your ancestors forward. Start now to learn to Research Like a Pro.
Download or read book Texas Last Frontier written by Clayton W. Williams and published by . This book was released on 2000-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For almost three hundred miles, the Pecos River cuts across far West Texas. It is an arid land, a land that in the last century offered danger and hardship to those who crossed it and those who settled it. Yet they came--army posts like Fort Stockton to challenge the Apaches' claim to the rugged land, settlers to supply the posts, cattlemen to eke out a living from the vast but sparse grazing ranges. They came and they stayed because the land held one overriding appeal: it was Texas' last frontier. The newcomers--cattlemen and sheepmen, individuals and corporations--included sturdy, law-abiding, industrious citizens, such as O.W. Williams, a renowned surveyor, jurist, and historian with a law degree from Harvard; Mexicans, both poor laborers and well-to-do entrepreneurs; kindly German merchants; fighting Irishmen; and fearless Anglo cowboys. There were also the gunslingers, including Sheriff A.J. Royal, who terrorized the citizenry, even after Texas Rangers had arrived, until he was mysteriously shot to death one afternoon, possibly by one of the town's leading men. The most detailed and thorough account available of the history of far West Texas, this tale is colored with human interest and drama. It will prove invaluable to scholars and richly rewarding to all those interested in the history of Texas and of the West.
Download or read book Dolph Briscoe written by Dolph Briscoe and published by . This book was released on 2008-09 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: And as a governor who assumed office following one of the most far-reaching corruption scandals in Texas history, Briscoe played a crucial role in restoring public confidence in the integrity of state government."--BOOK JACKET.
