The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 49, July 1945 - April, 1946 Page: 84
717 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
In 1810, he declared that he owned two houses and lots in
Nacogdoches, two ranches with one house and one farm, seven
hundred eighty head of cattle, over one hundred hogs, about
one hundred and fifty horses and mules, six droves of breeding
mares with stallions, and two breeding burros. In addition to
the La Nana and Las Ormigas tracts, one of the ranches was
located near the Trinity River.71
Most of the recorded activities of Peter Samuel Davenport
deal with business connected with the House of Barr and
Davenport. A few incidents in his life, however, may be
segregated from his business transactions, which generally
concerned other members of the firm and especially William
Barr. Davenport set out for Louisiana from Carlisle, Cumber-
land County, Pennsylvania, at the age of sixteen, upon the
death of his parents. While he was traveling with other men
through Indian country, before reaching Spanish territory, the
Indians attacked the party and killed three of its number. In
making his escape Davenport lost his equipment and identifica-
tion papers. The loss of his papers makes it difficult to know
much about his early life.
It is known that Davenport was born in Carlisle, Cumberland
County, Pennsylvania, about 1764, and that he was the son of
William Davenport and Ana Davidson. In 1802 he married a
French girl named Marie Louise Gagnior. To this union were
born a son in 1803, named Benigno Bernardino, and a daughter,
Theresa Eliza. Davenport also recognized John Durst as his
adopted son.72
Davenport exhibited great solicitude for the welfare of his
family. In 1812, shortly before the death of his wife, Davenport
wrote a letter to Captain Don Bernardino Montero, commandant
of Nacogdoches, reporting the serious condition of his wife,
who was suffering a "disease of the chest," and requesting
71Guillermo Barr, February 8, 1810, in Expediente, February 8, 1810,
1-lv, MS., Bexar Archives.
72S. Davenport to Commandant, June 16, 1809, MS., Bexar Archives.
For further genealogical data relative to Benigno Bernardino and Marie
Theresa Eliza, see, Abstract, 18.
"Don Samuel Davimport [sic], American, partner of the Purveyor Gen-
eral. He is 40 years did and is married to Dofia Maria Luisa Cation, age
19, a French woman; she has a son about 2 years old, a brother, Pedro
Caion, age 16 years, and an Italian servant named Francisco Darma, three
negro slaves, a man, age 19, a woman, age 22, a girl, age 11, and the
woman's mulatto son, age 7."- Census, January 1, 1805, MS., Bexar
Archives.84
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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/m1/95/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.