Saving
Texas History
The Texas General Land Office
Archives and Records Newsletter
Jerry Patterson, Commissioner
Vol. 6 Number 3 t Spring 2010
Tejano Signers of the
Texas Declaration
of Independence
and Framers
of the Constitution
T
by James Harkins
he Texas Revolution was a complex war that divided families and caused great confusion among the local Tejano
population. Tejanos—natives to Texas—found themselves in the crossfire of a military and political struggle between
two diametrically opposing cultures. It was not immediately apparent that the Texans would succeed in their revolt. For many
Tejanos, the possible reward of making common cause with the
Texans did not justify the risk. But for some, like Jose Antonio
Navarro and Jose Francisco Ruiz, liberty was too great a cause to
be ignored as this epic conflict persisted.
Jose Antonio Navarro.
Courtesy of the Texas State Library
and Archives Commission.
Families split according to the personal convictions of individuals. For instance, Jose Antonio Navarro signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and helped write the Constitution; his
Continued inside....
4
The Inaugural
Save Texas History
Symposium:
Discovering Spanish
and Mexican Texas
5
A New Map of Texas,
with the Contiguous
American & Mexican
States, 1835
6
7
Classroom Resources
for Teachers
This Week in Texas
History
The Archives and Records Program
Texas General Land Office
1700 North Congress, Ste. 131
Austin, Texas 78701-1495
Mark Lambert, Deputy Commissioner
512-463-5260
Susan Smith Dorsey, Director
512-463-5274
Continued from page 1
younger brother fought in General Cos’ army that was attacking Bexar. Jose Francisco
Ruiz, Navarro’s uncle, also signed the Declaration of Independence; his son maintained
a dangerous neutrality as alcalde of San Antonio de Bexar. All possessed a sense of duty
and responsibility that carried them through different paths in the history of the Texas
Revolution and all were forced into an uneasy situation by outside forces. In 1836, Navarro and Ruiz made history when they joined 57 others at Washington-on-the-Brazos to
declare independence for themselves, their families, and Texas.
Just a few years prior to the revolution, Navarro and Ruiz were members of the Mexican
government in Texas. Navarro held the position of Land Commissioner of the Bexar land
district. In 1830, Ruiz held the office of Military Commandant of Tenoxtitlan, serving in
Texas. According to General Land Office records (SC 126:29 pg. 292), Ruiz was tasked
with removing Sterling C. Robertson, an Anglo, from Texas because of the suspension of
the law of April 6, 1830. Almost six years later, on March 2, 1836, Ruiz signed the Declaration of Independence. Ironically, just 19 lines down from Ruiz is the signature of the
man he forced out of Texas in 1830, Sterling C. Robertson. Ruiz went from administering
the law against an Anglo who came to Texas illegally, to joining that Anglo in declaring
independence from the government that he once served.
Of the 59 signers of the Declaration of Independence, Navarro and Ruiz were the only
ones born in Texas. More so than anyone else, these men symbolized the alliance between Tejanos and Anglo-Texans. According to Navarro, just prior to the revolution, their
names were considered to have “the mark of ignominy,” and were the “alarm of treason” against Mexico, despite excellent service to the Mexican government. Their peers
in the Mexican government referred to them as “Americanized Mexicans,” and cursed
their names. This was certainly not something others at the Constitutional Convention
dealt with or had on their consciences. Surviving Anglos could simply go back to the
United States if the war was lost. For Ruiz, Navarro, and Tejanos joining the fight, there
was nowhere to go; they certainly would not have been welcomed in Mexico or Mexican
Texas, and most likely would not have been welcomed in the United States.
D’Anne Stites, Save Texas History
512-463-6740
Saving Texas History is a publication of the Archives and
Records Program of the Texas
General Land Office. It is published quarterly and is available
by request or online at www.savetexashistory.org
The Texas General Land Office does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in employment or the provision of services.
To request special accommodations, call the
Director of Human Resources/ADA Coordinator at 512-475-1390. To contact us by TDD
call 512-463-5330 or through RELAY Texas at
1-800-735-2988, or mail your request to P.O.
Box 12873, Austin, Texas 78711-2873.
The first draft of the Republic of Texas Constitution. This document is held at the
General Land Office and certainly would have been handled by Jose Antonio
Navarro at Washington-on-the-Brazos.
Continued on Page 3
page 2
Continued from page 2
Navarro and Ruiz represented the Bexar district at the convention
because of their strong political standing, their knowledge of the
Tejano community, and years of dedication to Texas liberty. They
represented the Spanish-speaking population of Bexar. With this
strong connection to the Tejano population, there was a clear divide
between themselves and the 57 other members of the Consultation.
Other than Navarro and Ruiz, most of the delegates had only brief
experience with Texas affairs. Almost a fourth had emigrated during
the last year; 42 percent had been in Texas for two years or less,
and only a few spoke Spanish. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that
Navarro and Ruiz did not play an active role in writing the Declaration. Naomi Fritz, in her 1941 master’s thesis, suggests there was
apprehension at first for these two men because they were, in fact,
Mexican citizens born in Texas and this action would forever separate them from their homeland and the Mexican people. Ruiz and
Navarro, however, considered themselves defenders of liberty above
all, and knew, “… only God could possibly return the territory of
Jose Francisco Ruiz.
Texas to the Mexican Government,” because Texas had the arms
Courtesy of The Daughters of The Republic
and money for defense and would remain forever free, according to
of Texas Library. The Alamo Collection.
a letter written from Ruiz to his friend Blas Herrera. It is reported
that when George C. Childress first announced the resolution to declare independence, Ruiz and Navarro applauded
and were the eighth and ninth delegates to sign the document, respectively.
Knowing that signing the
declaration was tantamount
to
signing
their
death
Knowing that signing the declaration was tantamount to signing their
death warrants, Ruiz, Navarro and the other 57 signatories turned
their efforts to crafting a constitution for the newly formed Republic.
Ruiz and Navarro did this with the knowledge that the Mexican army
was pillaging their hometown.
Navarro was one of the 21 commissioners to draft the constitution, the
first draft of which is housed at the Texas General Land Office. There
is no doubt that while cannonballs were crashing into the walls of
and the other 57 signatories
the Alamo and blood stained the streets of San Antonio, Navarro was
in Washington-on-the-Brazos working on this first draft of the conturned their efforts to
stitution. Certainly, Navarro must have handled this document while
debate among the 21 men led to a framework for a Texan governcrafting a constitution for
ment. The actual document is not drastically different from the United
States Constitution. Despite the momentous task ahead of these men,
the newly formed Republic.
the Texas Constitution reflected very little experimentation; instead, it
reproduced the basic features of the U.S. system, modified slightly by
some of the democratic innovations incorporated by many U.S. states during the first third of the 19th century and by
the Spanish-Mexican legal tradition.
warrants,
Ruiz,
Navarro
Over the next several days, work continued at the convention for Navarro, Ruiz and the other men. On March 15, nine
days after the fall of the Alamo, Ruiz and Navarro received a letter from Juan Seguin describing the events at the Alamo.
The shocking news prompted Navarro, Ruiz and the others to leave Washington-on-the-Brazos, joining other colonists
fleeing the Mexican Army. Five days later, they arrived at Groce’s Plantation. On March 21, Navarro and Ruiz left the
other delegates and departed for San Felipe.
Continued on Page 4
page 3
Continued from page 3
During the revolution, Navarro and Ruiz made a lasting mark on Texas as statesmen dedicated to a free society. According to Dr. Joseph Martin Dawson, with the establishment of the Lone Star Republic, Jose Antonio Navarro and Jose
Francisco Ruiz went down in history, not as defeated rebels but as victorious revolutionists, not to be sneered at as
“Americanized Mexicans,” but saluted with honors befitting co-creators of Texas. t
The Inaugural Save Texas History Symposium:
Discovering Spanish and Mexican Texas
T
he Save Texas History program is hosting a one-day educational event designed for Texas history enthusiasts and
the education community. The inaugural Save Texas History Symposium will be held on November 6, 2010, at
the Texas General Land Office in Austin.
The Symposium, entitled “Discovering Spanish and Mexican Texas,” will feature guest speakers focusing on the settlement of Texas prior to 1836 and will be hosted by Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson.
Moderated by award-winning author Galen Greaser, the Spanish translator for the Land Office, this event will include
guest speakers: Dr. Frank de la Teja, Dr. Light Cummins, and Dr. Felix D. Almaraz, Jr. Lecturers will discuss the settlement of Spanish and Mexican Texas, the empresario system in Texas, and the legacy of Spanish and Mexican Texas.
Afternoon sessions will focus on the historical and educational resources of the General Land Office, including guided
tours of the Land Office archival and map vaults, home to more than 35 million historic documents and 80,000 maps.
There will also be breakout sessions focusing on genealogy in Texas, with an emphasis on the many resources available
at the Land Office, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and the Catholic Archives. Attendees will have the
opportunity to learn about early land surveying in Texas by surveying the State Capitol grounds with Land Office staffers
using 19th century equipment. Attendees will be able to create unique maps of Texas by first making paper by hand
and then using a hand-operated iron printing press. In addition, special guided tours will be available through the Bob
Bullock Texas State History Museum.
Registration is
$25 for the full
day of activities. For registration
information, please
contact James
Harkins (james.
harkins@glo.
state.tx.us) at
512-463-3289
or D’Anne Stites
(danne.stites@
glo.state.tx.us)
at
512-4636740. Registration is limited to
170 people, so
please sign up
quickly! t
Stephenf.AustinBuilding|1700N.Congressavenue|Austin,texas78701
FeaturingDr.FelixALmaraz,Dr.LightCumminsandDr.FrankdelaTeja
H
H
H
H
Survey downtown Austin with a real-life survey team.
Learn tips to research your family tree.
Tour the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and the Land Office Archives
Make paper from old-fashioned materials and learn to use an antique printing press.
$25perperson
[email protected]
page 4
Map Spotlight
A New Map of Texas, with the Contiguous
American & Mexican States, 1835
Map #76185
by Mark Lambert
T
his small but colorful map was engraved by James
Hamilton Young and issued in pocket format by
S. Augustus Mitchell of Philadelphia. Mitchell was
one of the premiere mapmakers of the 19th century, and
Young’s engraving work for Mitchell is considered some
of the finest of the period.
The first four editions of this map were sold by Mitchell’s firm, “Mitchell & Hinman, No. 6 North Fifth Street,”
which was engraved on the bottom middle of the map.
The last four editions are identified as having been sold
by another Philadelphia firm, “Thomas, Cowperthwait &
Co., No. 253 Market Street.”
A New Map of Texas, with the Contiguous
The Young/Mitchell map was one of the most influential
American & Mexican States, 1835. Map #76185
maps of the Republic era, and was published in eight editions starting in 1835, with subsequent editions in 1836, 1837, 1838, 1839, 1842, 1843, and 1845. All eight editions
bear the same copyright statement: “Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1835, by S. Augustus Mitchell
in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.” The same engraving plate was used
for producing all eight editions, according to Texas bibliographer Thomas W. Streeter.
This is a small map, with dimensions 15 ½ inches wide by 13 inches long that when folded into thirds inside the covers is reduced to 3 ¹/8 inches wide by 4 ¾ inches long. The cover is composed of black leather with the short title of
“Mitchell’s Map of Texas” embossed in gilt (gold) lettering on the cover, with an ornamental gilt border around the
title and the outer edge of the front cover as well.
The map is brightly colored with reds, greens, blues and yellows. The coloring identifies 18 empresario contracts in
the 1835 edition as well as three other areas: the San Antonio and Goliad region; deep East Texas, consisting of the
area between Tanaha (sic) and Millersburg; and northwest Texas near the Saline Lake.
Numerous roads and settlements are identified on the map, including the two most important travel routes through
Texas at the time, the upper road (Camino Arriba), also known as the Old San Antonio Road, and the lower road
(Camino Abajo). Both were also known as the Camino Real, or Royal Road or King’s Highway. In the map’s 1837
edition, the settlements shown included: Milam, Bevil, Teran, Nacogdoches, San Augustine, Anahuac, Columbia, San
Felipe de Austin, Washington, Goliad, San Antonio de Bexar, Refugio and several smaller settlements.
There are extensive remarks in three inset text boxes in the corners of the map that remained unchanged until 1842,
when the text was updated for the last three editions. The three paragraphs were “Remarks on Texas,” “Rivers of Texas,”
and “Land Grants.” The original text of the “Remarks on Texas,” in the upper right hand corner of the map, includes the
statement, “To the people of the United States, Texas is peculiarly interesting, from its immediate contiguity, and from
the circumstance of Anglo Americans, forming the principal portion of its rapidly increasing population. A soil of great
fertility & a geographical position highly favorable to commercial intercourse with the United States and the rest of the
Continued on Page 6
page 5
Continued from page 5
World, are advantages which doubtless will at no distant period,
render it an opulent and powerful State.”
In the bottom right hand corner of the map, under “Rivers of
Texas,” one learns that “The R. Brazos is considered the best
navigable stream in Texas; vessels drawing six feet water can navigate it to Brazoria, and steam boats of light draught to San Felipe
de Austin 90 miles higher. The tides ascend to Orazimba (sic), at
its mouth the R. Brazos is 200 yards wide and continues about the
same to San Felipe. The lands on this river and on all the streams
from hence to the Colorado inclusive, are the richest and deepest
in Texas, and are considered equal in fertility to any in the world.”
Austin’s Colony as it appears on the Young/
Mitchell Map of Texas. Map #76185.
The paragraph titled “Land Grants,” in the bottom left corner,
states “The divisions represented on the Map in Texas, and denominated Grants, are tracts of country granted by the Legislature of Cohahuila (sic) and Texas, to persons of influence
and respectability styled Empresarios or Undertakers, who engage to settle or locate on their Grants, within the time
specified thereby, the required number of settlers. The Empresario by this acquires no right to the soil but only the
powers of an agent of the government, to give titles to settlers on condition of occupancy and the payment of required
fees, with the privilege of having his remuneration five leagues of land for every hundred families under his direction,
without expense to the Government.”
Continued on Page 7
Attention Texas Teachers
Coming soon to Save Texas History!
Resources designed specially for classroom use
The General Land Office is a one-of-a-kind resource for educators to
incorporate primary source material into curriculum plans. Based on
the historical documents housed in the Land Office Archives, TEKS-coordinated lesson plans include:
•
•
•
Interactive activities suitable for instant use or for customizing to individual class needs.
Strategies for developing Texas history, geography, writing and
even math skills.
Links to primary source letters, documents and maps that can be used to create new and engaging lessons for your students.
Created by teachers!
Scheduled for debut this summer, check out the “For Teachers” link at
www.savetexashistory.org.
Contact Buck Cole at 512-936-9644 or e-mail [email protected]
for more information.
page 6
Continued from page 6
One copy of the 1836 edition of the Young/Mitchell map is currently on loan to the General Land Office from the children of Mary Norton. Mrs. Norton’s ancestor, Dr. William Norton, was the original owner of this map. The purchase
price as listed on the map was 75 cents. As to the accuracy of the map, we will let Dr. William Norton have the first
word. His written comment on the inside front cover states: “This map is not true by a good year, and I for one would
like to have the matter investigated.”
No doubt Dr. Norton was commenting on the fact that in spite of a publication date of 1836, the map still identified
Texas as part of Mexico, and not the Republic of Texas with its expanded borders claimed in 1836. Also, the area north
of the Red River that is now the Texas Panhandle is called “Santa Fe, Formerly New Mexico.” Texas, as shown in this
map, has been called “strawberry shaped.” The map also shows the empresario grants as the principal political subdivisions for its first five editions, before switching to show Texas counties simultaneously with the empresario grants
beginning in 1842, a full six years after the first counties were formed.
This map is one of the rarest Republic-era maps, with less than 10 copies of any edition known to exist. However, it
is a fairly recognizable map due to its beauty, uniqueness and the fact that it was reprinted at least three times in the
20th century, with the last two reprints at a size larger than the map’s original dimensions. The map was reprinted by
the San Antonio Light in the Texas centennial year of 1936; by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in
1991 for its Historic Transportation Corridors Conference, which included using the map as the cover illustration for
the project’s final report, A Texas Legacy, The Old San Antonio Road and the Caminos Reales: A Tricentennial History,
1691-1991; and finally, by the Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin, also in 1991. A reproduction of this historic map is now available through the Save Texas History program at the Texas General Land Office
for just $20. t
The Long Road of Texas Freedom
March 1836 and Texas Independence Begins a Long Journey
This week in Texas History, brought to you by this station
and the Save Texas History program of the General Land Office.
March 2, 1836. Washington-on-the-Brazos. In a cold, drafty building,
under threat of enemy attack, the Texas Declaration of Independence is
signed. Copies are made and sent across Texas.
Yet the original goes to Washington D.C. where William H. Wharton,
minister to the United States, gives it to the State Department.
There the Declaration rests for over 60 years, returning to Texas in
1896. In 1930, almost 100 years after it was written, it’s finally placed
on public display in the Capitol. It now rests in the State Library.
Texas declared independence 170 years ago,
This Week in Texas History.
Happy Birthday Texas!
Hear this at www.thisweekintexashistory.org
page 7