Texas A&M University-San Antonio Digital Commons @ Texas A&M University-San Antonio Finding Aids: Guides to the Collection Archives & Special Collections 2020 Cassiano-Pérez Family Papers DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/findingaids Recommended Citation DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, "Cassiano-Pérez Family Papers" (2020). Finding Aids: Guides to the Collection. 156. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/findingaids/156 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Archives & Special Collections at Digital Commons @ Texas A&M University-San Antonio. It has been accepted for inclusion in Finding Aids: Guides to the Collection by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Texas A&M University-San Antonio. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cassiano-Pérez Family Papers, 1741-1976 Descriptive Summary Creator: Cassiano and Pérez Families Title: Cassiano-Pérez Family Papers Dates: 1741-1976 Creator José Cassiano (1791-1862), born Giuseppe Cassini, was born in San Abstract: Reno, Italy and came to America as a young merchant in New Orleans. Cassiano moved to San Antonio where he operated a store providing supplies to Texan forces during the Texas Revolution and was active in local government and business. Content Business and personal papers generated and acquired by members of Abstract: the Cassiano and Pérez families provide a record of activity in San Antonio that stretches over several generations. Identification: Col 880 Extent: 15 document boxes, 9 oversize boxes, 2 oversize items Language: Materials are in English. Repository: DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio Biographical Note Weaving together several of the strands of San Antonio society, members of the Cassiano and Pérez families included descendants of the founding families of the community and immigrants to Texas from a variety of backgrounds. The progenitor of the Cassiano name was born Giuseppe Cassini in San Remo, Italy about 1791. Reputedly a trained seaman, he came to America as a young man, establishing himself as a merchant in New Orleans. He relocated to San Antonio in the 1820s, where he operated a store and traded extensively in land. In the move, his name was Hispanicized to José Cassiano, though he and his family occasionally used the Cassini name, particularly in business dealings outside of Texas. The Cassiano store provided supplies to Texan forces during the Texas Revolution, and Cassiano was active in San Antonio government after independence, serving as a city alderman in the 1830s and 1840s. Cassiano married four times after moving to Texas, each time to a member of an established local family. After the death of his first wife, Josefa Menchaca, he married the widow of the governor of Texas, Gertrudis Pérez de Cordero, with whom he had one son, José Ygnacio Cassiano. After his second wife’s death in 1832, Cassiano married Margarita Valdez, and had two more children, José Fermin Cassiano and Isabel Cassiano. Widowed again in 1841, Cassiano married Trinidad Soto, from whom he separated shortly after their union. José Cassiano’s business success and his ties to local families helped him amass a sizeable estate at the time of his death in 1862, and he left a considerable amount of land and personal property to his children. One of his largest holdings was the San Bartolo Ranch, between the San Antonio River and Cibolo Creek, originally granted to the Hernández and Menchaca families. Family connections probably aided in his control of this large tract, as Cassiano’s second wife, Gertrudis Pérez de Cordero was a Hernández descendant, while his daughter-in-law, Tomasa Flores de Cassiano, was also related to the original property owners. Cassiano’s sons, in particular José Fermin Cassiano, were involved in their father’s business, and continued to buy and sell real estate in the San Antonio area. Married to Tomasa Flores in 1857, José Fermin was likewise active in civic life. They had three daughters and a son; the youngest daughter, Teresa Cassiano, married Antonio R. Péres, a veteran of Confederate service. They became the parents of ten children, most of them remaining part of a tight-knit family circle in San Antonio. Among the children were Esther Pérez Carvajal, an educator and clubwoman, and Marguerite Pérez, also a teacher in San Antonio schools. Scope and Content Note Business and personal papers generated and acquired by members of the Cassiano and Pérez families provide a record of activity in San Antonio that stretches over several generations. The papers are organized into five subgroups, based on the family or individual associated with their creation. These are: Cassiano family papers, which gathers the earliest papers, and is primarily associated with José Cassiano, José Fermin Cassiano and other members of the immediate family; Paschal Leo Buquor papers, a small amount of business, military and personal items of the San Antonio and Floresville resident, probably a business associate of the Cassiano family; Pérez family papers, material related to Antonio R. and Teresa Cassiano Pérez, their children and grandchildren; General family papers, primarily later genealogical material, literary works, and printed material that are not identifiable as related to a specific individual, along with all family photographs; Palfrey family papers, a small group of financial records associated with an unrelated San Antonio family. Some of the series/subseries organization and content within these subgroups is detailed in the following outline: Restrictions Access Restrictions No restrictions. The collection is open for research. Usage Restrictions Please be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel. Administrative Information Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Cassiano-Pérez Family Papers, 1741-1976, Col 880, DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Acquisition Information Gift of Roberta A. Pérez and the Pérez family Processing Information Processed by Bernice Strong, 1981-1982. Revised by Warren Stricker, 2002. Edited by Rebeka Delgado, 2020 June. Detailed Description of the Collection Cassiano-Pérez Family Papers, 1741-1976 Series I: Cassiano family papers CORRESPONDENCE Organized into subseries by recipient/sender, items are arranged chronologically. “Other correspondence” consists of letters dating from the time period represented but not sent or received by family members. Primarily business related, found here are letters from notables like Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston on military matters, and Samuel A. Maverick. Box Folder José Cassiano correspondence, 1832-1861 1 1 Stephen F. Austin, San Felipe de Austin, to José Cassiano, 1832 March 5. Alfred Kelso, Gonzales, to José Cassiano, San Antonio, 1842 September 2. _______, Castroville, to José Cassiano, San Antonio , 1846 May 7. L. Dobbin, New Orleans, to José Cassiano, San Antonio, 1846 August 5. Juan José Rodríguez, San Fernando, to José Cassiano, San Antonio, 1846 October 18. José Cassiano, San Antonio, to Robert Gria, 1855 February 8. James Saliba, New Orleans, to José Cassiano, 1857 February 21. Joseph Saliba, New Orleans, to José Cassiano, San Antonio, 1858 August 7. José Cassiano, San Antonio, to Rafael _______, 1861 May 24. Oliver Jones to José Cassiano, undated, fragment. Box Folder José Fermin Cassiano-Tomasa Flores de Cassiano correspondence, 1857-1911 1 2 José Fermin Cassiano, San Antonio, to Tomasa Flores, 1857 January 10. José M. Flores, El Paso, to José Fermin Cassiano, San Antonio, 1857 August 4. F. Guilbeau, San Antonio, to José Fermin Cassiano, El Paso, 1858 June 18. José Cassiano, San Antonio, to José Fermin Cassiano, El Paso, 1858 September 9. José Cassiano, San Antonio, to [José Fermin Cassiano?], 1858 September 23. José Cassiano, San Antonio, to José Fermin Cassiano, 1858 November 23. Samuel A. Maverick, San Antonio, to José Fermin Cassiano, 1859 January 20. Samuel A. Maverick, San Antonio, to [José Fermin Cassiano?], 1859 April 22. José Cassiano and José Ygnacio Cassiano, San Antonio , to José Fermin Cassiano, 1859 May 20. G. Valdez, Rio Seco, to José Fermin Cassiano, 1859 May 25. Luisa F. Mateu, San Antonio, to Tomasa Cassiano, 1860? July. J.M. Flores, El Paso, to José Fermin Cassiano, 1861 March 6. José Cassiano to José Fermin Cassiano, 1861 July 8. José Cassiano to José Fermin Cassiano, 1861 July. Box Folder 1 3 Antonio Mateu, Monterey, to José Fermin Cassiano, 1865 August 29. N. Cavazos García, San Antonio, to Cassiano and García, 1866 March 27. Langley, Satterlee, Blackwell and Co., New York, to J.F. Cassiano and Co., 1868 May 22 (attached receipt and copies of replies, 1868 June 16). José Fermin Cassiano, San Antonio, to Julius Saliba, 1869 June 6. Carmen Menchaca and Luz Calderon, Villa Ojinga, to José Fermin and Tomasa Cassiano, 1870 March 8. W.J. Locke, Austin, to José Fermin Cassiano, 1870 June 4. José Ygnacio Cassiano, San Antonio, to José Fermin Cassiano, 1871 February 18. H.B. Amity, Austin, to José Fermin Cassiano, San Antonio, 1874 August 30. J.A. Ferier, Coarraze, to José Fermin Cassiano, 1879 June 14. Santiago Martin, Eagle Pass, to José Fermin Cassiano, San Antonio, 1880 September 5. Will Lambert, Austin, to José Fermin Cassiano, San Antonio , 1882 November 23. José Cassiano, San Antonio, to H. Hamilton, Bandera, Texas, 1885 January 15. _______ to José Fermin Cassiano, undated. Box Folder 1 4 José E. García, San Antonio, to Tomasa Flores de Cassiano, San Antonio, 1887 January 30. Societa Italiana di Mutuo Soccorso, San Antonio , to José Fermin Cassiano family, 1887 February 6. Mrs. O. Petitpain, Nogales, Arizona, to Tomasita Cassiano, San Antonio, 1903 March 9.