The archive
All stories
Events · History
The Goliad Massacre – Texas HistoryAs part of the Mexican invasion of Texas in early 1836, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his main force of at least 5000 men followed an inland route toward San Antonio. At the same time, Mexican General Jose…
Events · History
The Battle of Galveston – Texas HistoryIn the fall of 1862, Union Commodore William B. Renshaw sailed into Galveston harbor and demanded the surrender of the island city by its occupants. With virtually no defense force, the Confederate commander on…
Books · History
The Last of the TroubadoursO. Henry is known for writing short stories with unexpected twists at the end. “The Last of the Troubadours” is no exception. Set in southwest Texas in the late nineteenth century, it may well have taken place…
Books · History
THE TRAIL DRIVERS OF TEXASThe Trail Drivers of Texas is a collection of narrative sketches of early cowboys and their experiences in driving herds of cattle through the unfenced Texas prairies to northern markets. They are true…
Books · History
Guide to Life and Literature of the SouthwestJ. Frank Dobie (1888-1964) was already widely known as a Texas author and folklorist when he first published his Guide to Life and Literature of the Southwest in 1943. The Guide evolved from notes Dobie had…
Events · History
Texas Secession Convention of 1861For many southerners, the election of Abraham Lincoln in the fall of 1860 was equivalent to a declaration of war on the South. A few, including Texas’ aging Governor Sam Houston, argued against secession. They…
Events · History
The Convention of 1836 – Texas HistoryFifty-four delegates of the Convention of 1836 began meeting on March 1st at the village of Washington-on-the-Brazos. Each of the settlements of Texas was represented by delegates elected one month earlier.…
Events · History
The Convention of 1833 – Texas HistoryAlmost before the Mexican authorities had a chance to reject the resolutions adopted by the Convention of 1832, a new convention was planned to meet again in San Felipe on April 1, 1833.
History · People
The Yellow Rose of Texas – The Legend, The Rose and the SongTexas history is full of legend and lore. One such tale is the “Yellow Rose of Texas” – a legend commemorated in song. But is there such a rose? And if there is, which rose is it?
History
Texas Historial Voter RecordsRecords that contain names and information on individual voters were never recorded during the period that Texas was under Spanish or Mexican rule. Likewise, although numerous elections were held during the…
Facts
US Postal State AbbreviationsThe following two-digit state designations are standard codes used by the U. S. Postal Service. They are used in The Texians Database, as well as in the Texas History Forum and Texas Genealogy Register sections…
History · People
Population Growth from Early Texas SettlersTo provide a better understanding of the frontier environment experienced by early Texans, it is useful to compare the number of settlers then to the population today. As shown in Chart A, the number of people…