Thesis AS 36 .T46 N43 the OLD TOD of SAIBT JIARY's OB Copalfo BAY ARD SO.Lle Ijiterestllg PEOPIB WHO Ollce LIVED THERE
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Thesis AS 36 .T46 N43 THE OLD TOD OF SAIBT JIARY'S OB COPAlfO BAY ARD SO.llE IJITERESTllG PEOPIB WHO OllCE LIVED THERE Approved a .A.pprovedt .Ja'~t. COiACll THE OLD TOWN SAIHT KARY'S OH COP.ABO BAY ilD SOME INTERESTING PEOPLE WHO ONCE LIVED THERE THESIS Preaented to the Facult}' of the Graduate School ot Southwest Te.xaa State Teachers College In Partial Fult11J.m.ent or the Requirementa For the Degree ot MASTER OF ARTS Camille Yeauna lfe1ghbora. B.A. (San .Ant01'11o, Tezaa) San Marcos, Te.xaa August, 1942 Preface Probably few aap:lranta to the Kaater•a Degree have prepared their theaea under aa favorable and fortunate circum.stancea as has the writer. Firat of all• the preparation or the subject baa been a labor o£ love, tor the reaaon that the writer•a mother, Macy Ruaaell Yeem•na. •a born 1n Old St. Macy's• and the Russell family torma no 1naign1fioant part of &n:J' hiatOl"J' of that place. Secondly, it haa been a source of proud pleasure that a major part of the hiator,. ot the town has been preaerved by members or the writer's own .fam1l7. pr1nc1pall7 her uncle, the late Judge LJman Brightman Ruasell, of Comanche, Texas. and her aunt,, Jira. Sallie J. (Ruaaell) Burmeister, of Pleasanton, Texaa, now eighty 7eara old, but of remarkable mental vitality. It 1a not often that a historian baa at his or her hand a living pr1Jlar7 source of -terial, but dear Aunt S&llie has been juat that, and haa been with the writer throughout the final .formation of the thea1a. It is a pleasurable and profitable coincidence that Judge LJman B. Ruaaell gave Colonel Hobart Huson a maaa of original documents,, including hundreds of pagea of hia own recollectiona, all of which have been preserved b7 Colonel Hu.son at "Dawgwood". The writer haa been extended the privilege. not only ot uaing theae document•• but of unreatricted access to the treasure trove of manuacr1pt material and f'ine reaearch l1brar7 at "Dawgwood•• for all ~ which the writer expreasea her thlinka. Ban Antonio, Texaa Camille Yeamans Kelgb.bora August. 1942 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. EARLY LAND GRANTS Location of town of St. Mary's • Indiana - Joseph Smith. land pirate • Colonel James Power's grants attacked - Milford P. Norton. Willard Richardson - Ettorts to establish town at Black Point. 1840 - Border troubles. Smith 1n Mier expedition; 1.mprisomnent and release - General T. T. Williamson's First Texian Loan land scrip - Contract to found port town - Persecution of Irish colonists - Power's titles invalidated. Captain Marcy and Major Neighbors survey coast. Army in fluence tor town project sought - "Saint Mary's of Aransas" laid off - General William. son takes active interest in project - ~~ll- 1amson and Vineyard install firat wharf ••••• 1-15 II• Eli.RLY SETTLERS OF BLACK POINT The Welder family - Major Cyrus w. Egery - Peter Doran - Major John Howland Wood - "Bonnie View Ranch" founded - the Aldretes and de Leona - Spanish grande raneheros - Captain Philip D1rmn1.tt - the O'Driscolls and Doughtys - Clark brothers - Elisha Maxey - lddnaping of Jacob Kring - st. Mary's farm tracts platted and sold - Colonisation of •rcadian !armers - Later farm families - Settlement grows up at Black Point - Linneya and Curbelos - Given political recognition•••• 16-22 III. THE PORT AND FIRST TOWNSPEOPLE Manner of platting town - the channel tnrough Cops.no bay - SolUl~ s by Sm1 th and Captain Augustine - the Willett Wharf and warehouses st. Mary's Wharf Company organized - the first settlers in the towns1te - the Striblings - Joseph Smith's fine hGllle - the Hobby family, Colonel A. M. Hobby ani Judge E. E. Hobby - the Cott1nghams - the Vineyards - Dr. R. A. Nott - Captain John Low - the Ellis family- v Chapter Page Early business enterprises - post of flee established - list of families mo were at st. Mary's at time of Civil War •••• • • 22-32 IV. THE CIVIL WAR Colonel Pryor Lea and The Aransas Road Ccmpany - Slaveholders at St. Mary's - Colonel Hobby delegate to Secession Con vention - Castle of K.G.C.- Colonel L. B. Camp, unionist, comes to st. Mary's - or ganization of Home Guard Companies - Col onel Hobby organizes the 8th Texas Inf'an try Battalion - Activities of 8th Batta lion - raised to regiment - defends Corpus Christi - subsequent campaigns - refugees from islands at St. Mary's - a Karankawa Indian girl - Federal fleet raids St. Mary's - Mrs. Dugat's account of raid - st. Mary's men who returned to home states far military service - John c. Campbell - Hardships of civilian population - Phil ip Power's account o;f the times - Cornelius K. Stribling qui ts Masonic lecturing to go to war. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33-44 v. RECONSTRUCTION Colonel Camp emerges as powerf'ul leader - Unionists take charge of Refuglo co\Ulty - election at st. Mary's in 1866 - st. Mary's holds mock presidential election 1868 - Old families aeek new ham.es - the Hobbys lsave St. Mary's - Joseph F. Smith and Younga ColemCill expatriate selves to Mexico. General Williamson's family move to St. Jf£ry's• as does family of Dr. R. A. Nott - "'l'bree Legged Willie" - George Vineyard - Major Ratchrord and Colonel Ratchford - Emile A. Perrenot - Captain hum Luter - the Ezell family - Isaac Newton Mitchell - the Hev. William Baxter, who tried three denomina tions am finally "stuck" - Dr. Junius llott. doctcr and saint. arrives - the Beeman fam ily - Colonel John Howard Allen rounds the "~'iestern rrexas Institute". • • • • • • • • • • 45-56 v1 Chapter page VI. THE RUSSELLS, '.i:YPICAL PION:CER FA1ULY Charles Arden Russell comes to Texas with Taylor's army - discharee at Corpus Chris- ti - Courtship and marriage - elected to public of'fice - surveys the town of Helena, old seat of Karnes County, - activities with Kn12'):lts of the Golden Circle - dele gate to Secession Convention - military service - elected to legislature - Taylor Sut ton feud - Russells move to St. Mary's - Lym.en B. Russell's account - leading lawyer at st. Mary's - represents Dr. James Hewet son and General W1111mnson - wir...s suit against Joseph F'. Smith whereby latter loses his fine home at st. Mary's - originates photographic evidence - death at st. Mary's - his family - Biography of J'udge Ll'Jllan B. Russell - his account of his courtship - acmitted to the bar - subsequent career and death • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 57•70 VII. THE FIRS'l' R.1:!;,tt'UGIO GOUN'IY l~E\iSPAPIB "The Vaquero" established at st. Mary's - proprietors establish "Transe-::>ipt" at Rockport - Geraldo A. Beeman•s account of removal to st. Mary's and founding of "Va- quero" - Emile A. Perrenot6 mentioned. • • • 71-75 VIII• THE PH/:JiITO.M COUlfi'Y SEAT Smith envisions county seat for st. Mary's - dilapidated condition of town of Refugio in 1869 - the .rounding of Rockport - st. Mary's men help promote st. Mary's rival - Constitutional Convention changes eollllty seat to st. Ma.ry 1 f! - petitions to Twelfth Legislature favorinc St. Mary's, Rockport and Cope.no - County seat removed to Rock par t - di vision of Re.fugio cotm.ty and erea t1on of Aransas - st. Mary's loses county seat - Loses many citizens to Rockport •••• 76•84 v11 Chapter page IX. THE GOLDEN AGE L-yman B. Russell describes period 1868- 18'/5 as Golden Age of st. Mary's - des cription of town during that period - !;Iajor ~·iood 's new mansion built - Viggo Kohler - :.r.rs. BUI'meister 's desc:.·iption of st. r:!ary 's - Linneys, \'{elders, Dri scolla, birthplace of Clar2 Driscoll - Dixon's "Dutch" windmill - Ratchfords - McCamp bells - "Squire" rti:apes - Ellis and Neel hotels - the gambling house and notorious habitues - description of wharves and ware houses - the telegraph office - old ves sels and sea-captains - the schooner "Fran ces" - the wagon masters and cattle drivers - principal mercb.~nta, business and profes sional men - school-teachers - religious denominations - Ir.ail service and postmas- ters - mail carriers overland • • • • • • • • 85-99 X. TlIL END OI· S'I. MARY'S Reasons for decline of St. Mary ta - the st(l['m of 1869 - Mrs. Burmeister's account. New business men - storm of 1875, at st. Mary's and Indianola - Mrs. Burmeister' s account - losses e.nd gains in conn:nerce - the annual tournament - Judge Rea•s visit 1n 1876 - horse racing - moonli[;ht dances on decks of schooners - oyster bakes - the gambling house - Rockport's railroad pro jects - the building of S.A. & A.P. R.H. to Beeville - extension to hockport - Projected branch to St. Mary's - Refugio County's first railroad - th.e storm of 1886, wb1 ch destroyed Indianola and st. Mary's. Mrs. Burme1ster 1 s account - Exodus of population - last fami lies to remlin - St. Mary's 1n 1890 - 'lhe tov.n in 1901 - Ihe remains in 1942 - '11he Brit;htman "boys" last survivors • • • • • • • 99-112 BIBLIOGHAPHY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 113 APPENDIX • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 118 THE OLD TOV1'H OF SAINT MARY'S ON COPANO BAY AND SOME INTERES'l'ING PLOPLE WHO ONCE LIVED '11HERE CHAPTJIB I EARLY LAND GRANTS Introduction The town of St. Macy's• - once the metropolis and one time titular cauntJ" seat of Re!'ugio County - is now but a mem ory. Of the many families which populated it in the heyday of its glory, only one remains, - the Br1ghtmans, who live 1n what was once the proud Neel Hotel, am is now one of the last rema1n.1ng buildings of' the old tom. The old to'l4l was situa ted on the northwestern shore or Copano Bay, which was from colonial times considered to be part of Aransas Bay, hence the name st. Kary's of Aransas.