The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 49, July 1945 - April, 1946 Page: 83
717 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The House of Barr and Davenport
In this item, he left his mother his share of his father's estate,
one-fourth of La Nana and one-fourth of Las Ormigas land
grants, jointly with his two living sisters, Elizabeth and Agnes.68
In Item XI, Barr gave freedom to Silvey, a negro woman who
had served him faithfully for many years, and her two children,
Lewis and James. In Item XII, Barr made Davenport sole and
absolute heir of all his property, except the one-fourth of his
real estate which he had given his mother and two sisters. He
gave as his reason for thus honoring and enriching Davenport
that, "I have in him the utmost confidence and satisfaction."
Further to prove his trust in Davenport, Barr provided that,
in case of Davenport's death, his children should inherit every-
thing that should fall to Davenport. Furthermore, Barr, in
Item XIII, appointed Davenport executor of his will.67
The lack of available records make it difficult to ascertain the
cause of Barr's unfilial treatment of his mother. It is known
that Barr was born in Londonderry, Ulster County, Ireland,
about 1762,68 and that, when he was twelve years of age, his
parents brought him to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A few
years later his parents moved to Pittsburgh and took him with
them. While living there, he states, "I served about three years
in the United States Army with the rank of captain." As
military life did not agree with him, and with the consent of
his parents, he moved to the Spanish province of Louisiana about
the year 1786. He took the oath of allegiance to Spain in 1787
before Governor Don Esteban Mir6,6" and, about 1793, he moved
to Nacogdoches. A year or two after the trading firm was
organized, the Spanish government first gave him a commission
to supply the Indians with certain presents and to trade with
them for peltries, furs, and livestock.70 He was never married.
<OAt the time of his death, Barr had only these two sisters. He had had
three brothers, John, David, and Samuel. Prior to 1810, David and Samuel
died somewhere on the Mississippi River, and John died in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. His sister Agnes was married to John Huston and, as late
as 1818, was living in Mingo Creek, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
His sister Elizabeth was married to David Kennedy and, in 1818, was living
in St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. - Ibid., 11, 15, 17.
67Ibid., 40-45.
68The 1805 census of Nacogdoches gives the following entry: "Don
Guillermo Barr, Irishman, his business, Purveyor General to the Friendly
Tribes of this Province. He is unmarried and 42 years of age." - Census,
January 1, 1805, MS., Bexar Archives.
69Guillermo Barr, February 8, 1810, in Expediente, February 8, 1810, p.
1-1v, MS., Bexar Archives.
70oWm. Barr to Commandant, June 16, 1809, MS., Bexar Archives.83
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 49, July 1945 - April, 1946, periodical, 1946; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146056/m1/94/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.