The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 14, July 1910 - April, 1911 Page: 164
348 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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164
Texas Historical Association Quarterly.
NOTES AND FRAGMENTS.
RECORDS OF TJIE MISSION OF NUESTRA SENORA DEL REFUGIO.-
It has been supposed by writers that the mission of Nuestra Sefiora
del Refugio, more commonly called the mission of Refugio, situated
near Copano Bay, Texas, ceased to exist as an active mission
as early as 1812. But the discovery of two original record books
of this mission in the archives of the parish church of Matamoros,
Tamaulipas, shows that this supposition is incorrect, and that, on
the contrary, the mission continued in operation till 1828.
One of the books referred to is a record of baptisms from 1807
to 1828, while the other is a record of burials from 1807 to 1825.
They are bound in leather and are in a good state of preservation.
The tradition is that they were taken to Matamoros during the
Texas revolution, which is an altogether plausible explanation
when we know from positive evidence that important secular rec-
ords were taken there from Goliad at that time. It is not im-
probable that the reason why they have remained at Matamoros
till the present is that it has been erroneously supposed, through
a confusion of names, that they related to the parish church where
they are preserved, whose early name was Nuestra Sefiora del
Refugio de los Esteros, or, more commonly, Nuestra Sefiora del
Refugio.
The cover-title of the book of baptisms is "Libro No. 2. 1807.
Bautismos. Confirmaciones del Afio 1868." The inside, and
correct, title is "Libro II de Bautism[o] s Hechos en la Mision de
Ntra. Sra. del Refugio de la Bahia Desde el afio de 1807." The
record shows 214 baptisms, the earliest being April 21, 1807, and
the latest February 21, 1828. A number of the persons bap-
tised were Spaniards. A note on folio 35 states that "all of the
baptisms made after the ninth of July, 1824, were performed at
the Parochial Church (la Parroquia) of la Bahia, because the
Minister could not remain in the Mission, on account of the hos-
tilities of the Comanches." The implication is plain that up to
July 9, 1824, the mission activities were conducted at Refugio,
and that thereafter until February, 1828, the mission continued
to exist, but that its functions were performed at Bahia (Goliad).
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 14, July 1910 - April, 1911, periodical, 1911; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101054/m1/178/?rotate=270: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.