The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959 Page: 11

The Texan of 186o 11
degrees in 1854, one in 1855, seven in 1856, three in 1857, two in
1858, eight in 1859, and seven in 1860.24 No degrees were granted
in 1861; most of the members of the senior classes were in the
army. New Braunfels Academy was the only free public institu-
tion. Interestingly enough, it ordered one thousand copies of the
catalogue of its library printed in 1860, but the catalogue does
not seem to be extant.
Except for those supported by the Masonic Order, the Texas
schools were chiefly denominational institutions. In 185o Texas
reported a total of 341 churches with seating accommodations for
63,575 and property valued at $20o4,930. The Methodists had 176
churches, Baptists 82, and the Presbyterians 45. In that year there
were only thirteen Roman Catholic churches represented, but
their property valuation of approximately $80,ooo was the largest.
By 186o the churches had increased to 1,034 in number with
accommodations for 271,000 members and property valued at over
a million dollars. Only 758 clergymen were reported, indicating
that many rode a circuit to serve a number of charges. Instead of
two union churches there were ninety-six. The Roman Catholic
churches had increased to thirty-three, but their property valua-
tion at $180,goo was surpassed by both Methodists and Baptists
and almost equaled by the Protestant Episcopal group with only
nineteen churches.25
The Methodists might have the greater number of churches,
but the Winkler Check List of Texas Imprints indicates that the
Baptists led in number of publications probably because of the
democratic and decentralized organization of the denomination.
For the Methodists there were Minutes of the Texas Conference
or of the East Texas Conference, and the Baptists published
Minutes of the Little River, Mount Zion, Sister Grove, and vari-
ous other associations. The Methodists began publication of their
Christian Advocate in 1847. The paper changed both name and
place of publication and was being printed in Galveston when the
war started in 1861. Proceedings of the assembly to organize an
Episcopal diocese in Texas were published in 1849, and the Jour-
nal of the first convention of the diocese was printed in 1850. The
241bid., 116.
25U. S. Census, i86o, IV, 474-