Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas Page: 44 of 894
762 p., [172] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 30 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.
87
daughter of Dr. James Dodson, married him in
Missouri, in 1831, where their first child was born.
From 1833 till the close of 1838, they lived in Santa
Fe, where the second daughter, born in 1835, and
their first son, born in 1837 (now Mr. J. B. Donoho,
of Clarksville, the only survivor of six children),
were the two first American children born
in Santa Fe. Mr. Donoho permanently settled at
Clarksville, Texas, late in 1839 and died there in
1845.
In verification of the facts not stated by Mrs.
Horn, because, when writing, they were unknown
to her, I have the statements of Dr. William Dodson
and Mrs. Lucy Estes, of Camden County, Missouri,
brother and sister of Mrs. Donoho, who were
with all the parties for nearly a year after they
reached Missouri.
A copy of Mrs. Horn's memoir came into my
possession in 1839, when it had just been issued
and so remained till accidentally lost many years
later, believed to have been the only copy ever in
Texas. The events described by her were never
otherwise known in Texas and have never been before
published in the State. This is not strange.
Beales' Colony was neither in Texas at that date,
nor in anywise connected with the American colonies
or settlements in Texas. It was in Coahuila,
though now in the limits of Texas. When its short
life terminated in dispersion and the butchery of
the retreating party on the Nueces, the Mexican
army covered every roadway leading to the inhabited
part of Texas, before whom the entire
population had fled east. None were left to recount
the closing tragedy excepting the two
unfortunate and (as attested by all who subsequently
knew them), refined Christian ladies whose
travails and sorrows have been chronicled, both of
whom, as shown, died soon after liberation, and
neither of whom ever after saw Texas.
Fortunately, through the efforts of Mr. James
B. Donoho, of Clarksville, and his uncle, Dr. Dodson,
and aunt, Mrs. Estes, of Missouri, I have
been placed in possession of a manuscript copy ofMrs. Horn's narrative, made by a little school girl
in Missouri in 1839
afterwards Mrs. D. B. Dodson,
and now long deceased. Accompanying its
transmission, on the 5th of February, 1887, Mr.
James B. Donoho says:"As
it had always been a desire with me to
some time visit the place of my birth, in the summer
of 1885, with my wife and children, I visited Santa
Fe, finding no little pleasure in identifying landmarks
of which I had heard my mother so often
speak, being myself an infant when we left there.
I had no trouble in identifying the house in which
my second sister and self were born, as it cornered
on the plaza and is now known as the Exchange
Hotel. While there it was settled that my sister,
born in 1835, and myself, born in 1837, were the
first Americans born in Santa Fe, a distinction (if
such it can be called) previously claimed for one
born there in 1838."
The novelty of this history, unknown to the people
of Texas at the time of its occurrence, has
moved me to extra diligence in search of the TRUTH
and the WHOLE TRUTH in its elucidation. As a delicate
and patriotic duty it has been faithfully performed
in justice to the memory of the strangely
united daughters of England and America, and
of those lion-hearted yet noble-breasted American
gentlemen, Messrs. Donoho, Workman, Rowland
and Smith, by no means omitting Mrs. Donoho,
Mrs. Dodson and children, nor yet the poor old
Comanche woman--a pearl among swine
who
looked in pity upon the stricken widow, mother and
captive.
Lamenting my inability to state the fate of little
John and Joseph, and trusting that those to
come after us may realize the cost in blood through
which Texas was won to civilization, to enlightened
freedom and to a knowledge of that religion by
which it is taught that -" Charity suffereth long
and is kind
* * * beareth all things, believeth
all things, hopeth all things, and endureth all
things," I do not regret the labor it has cost me to
collect the materials for this sketch.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Related Items
Other items on this site that are directly related to the current book.
Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas (Book)
A history of pioneers in Texas and their confrontations with local American Indians.
Relationship to this item: (Has Format)
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Brown, John Henry. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, book, 1880~; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6725/m1/44/?rotate=90: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .