History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 775
[7], iv-vii, [2], 10-826, [2] p., [56] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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HL9TORY OF TEXAS. 775
place. and rent about one-half of the farm.
The old homestead is farmed in the same
way. Mr. Goodman and his brother have
never married, and reside with their mother.
1k W\AYMAN F. WELLS, deceased.-In
portraying the lives of the pioneers
ol' Texas, the heroes of San Jacinto
and the first settlers of Bastrop and Travis
counties, no name is more worthy of mention
than that of the subject of this sketch. In
looking over the now thickly populated and
finely cultivated country it is difficult for one
to imagine what great changes have taken
place during the active lifetime of as early a
resident as Mr. Wells.
In 1826 Mr. Wells, then a lad of eleven
years, accompanied his father's family from
their home in Alabama to this new and wild
country, at that time belonging to Mexico.
There were then but few small civilized settlements
in what is now the great State of
Texas, one ot which was situated in what is
now Fayette county. With this last settlement
the Wells family cast their lot during
the first year. The next year, however, they
pushed their way forward to the frontier,
until they came to what is now Bastrop
county, which locality was then principally
inhabited by Indians and wild animals, the
Wells family being among the first settlers,
the mother and sisters of Mr. Wells being
the first white women that had ever ventured
as far north on Texas soil. Amidst these
surroundings the youth of Mr. Wells was
passed, his time being occupied in assisting
his father in opening up the frontier farm
and in caring for the stock. The farm was
situated on what. has since been known as
r- Wells' Pyramid, fifteen miles from where
49the city of Bastrop now stands. For some
years Mr. Wells' life was spent much like
that of other boys of his age, but in those
days boys matured to man's estate early, and,
being the oldest son, many of the cares of the
farm and stock devolved on him, thus materially
strengthening his independence and
natural firmness of character.
This sort of life continued without interruption
until the year 1835, when the oppression
and tyranny of the Mexican government
became so strongly felt that the settlers
resolved to bear their burdens no longer, and
war was declared. Mr. Wells was among the
first to join the army, which was composed
of as brave men as could be found on the
globe. On account of his familiarity with
the country Mr. Wells was selected by his
commander as a spy, and through his efforts
the army was enabled to secure much important
information of the movements and
number of the enemy. He participated in
the celebrated battles and defeats at San
Antonio and Goliad, and followed the fortunes
of the Texas army until its reorganization
under General Sam Houston, when it
was resolved to make a last resistance. Apcordingly,
on April 21, 1836, the battle of
San Jacinto was fought, when a little army
of 783 brave men, poorly equipped, scantily
clothed and half starved, marched up, and in
less than half an hour (eighteen minutes,
says Houston in his report), crushed to atoms
an army of 1.500 nmen, splendidly accoutered,
well fed and ably generated .by Santa Ana.
This is little short of marvelous, but these
men were each a Hercules; .their war cry was,
" Remember the Alamo," and ten thousand
men could not have daunted their courage.
They were fighting for their lives and those
of their loved ones, as well as avenging the
death of those who had been murdered by theH18P TOR 0F EXS
775
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History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. (Book)
Book containing a brief overview of the state of Texas and more specific focus on six specific counties, with extensive biographical sketches about persons related to the history of those places. An alphabetical index of persons who are included follows the table of contents at the front of the book.
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Lewis Publishing Company. History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties., book, 1893; Chicago, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth29785/m1/829/?q=edwin%20antony: accessed April 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.