The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 14, July 1910 - April, 1911 Page: 26
348 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Texas Historical Association Quarterly.
Texas both for and against: very little however was known of the
country at that time for but few had yet visited it, and but few pub-
lications had been circulated respecting the country or the induce-
ments held out to emmigrants. Being however, dissatisfied and de-
siring a more mild and healthful climate and having a Geographi-
cal knowledge of the localities of the country I determined to iden-
tify my fortunes with it, be it for better or for worse. And having
met with some misfortunes and reverses in Missouri, was determin-
ed to leave it, believing I had everything to hope for,-that I could
neither be worsted in climate, health or society, and as such de-
termined in the spring of the year 1826 that I would in the fall of
that year set out for Texas; which I accordingly did early in the
month of November. I put my family and effects on board of a
flat-boat, and descended the Missouri and continued on to New
Orleans. The waters at that season of the year were very low
which rendered the trip both tedious and hazardous. I met on
the way and particularly at N Orleans many discouragements,
every person who pretended to know any thing of Texas, either
from personal observation or hearsay, depicted it in the most
shocking and horrid point of view-cannibals, savage wild beasts
of every hue and form were innumerable and in waiting to destroy
the deluded emmigrant, and if even they should be eluded-the
sword of civil war, then raging, famine or pestilence would surely
close the scene. This portraiture, combining so many great evil
unmixed with any seeming good, or even any probable means of es-
cape, was certainly calculated to damp the spirits of any but a true
back woodsman. Indian stories and Indian depredations were not
new to me, for much had happened within my own recollection.
My Mother had been captured by them in her youth in Augusta
County Virginia, if my recollection serves me, and my Father
was 18 months a prisoner with them since my own recollection, so
that it may be fairly presumed that so far as Indian tales were con-
cerned they would be fairly appreciated. And as it respected the
innumerable beasts of prey and destruction, however inconvenient
and troublesome they might prove to be, I felt an assurance that
they would at least preclude the idea of starvation. It will be
recollected that about that time the Freedonian party, about
eighteen in number, raised the flag for Independence at Nacogdo-
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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/m1/34/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.