Soy de Duval

Judge John McKinney’s argument in the election contest against the vote at Agua Poquita was a repeat of the affidavits submitted to Gov. Sam Houston. Most of these affidavits attacked Precinct 9 voters individually as being illegal, living in Mexico or on the Río Grande, being too young, already dead, not being present at the polls on the day of the election, having similar names to others, etc.  O’Connor’s witnesses countered that there was no way those men could know every Mexican man in the county and their legal status. Although not part of the court case, the Ranchero had earlier offered similar facts. In an October 6 piece advocating the adoption of a voter registration law, the newspaper wrote, “there are many Mexicans who are entitled to vote, and understand the principles and wordings of our government, as well as any Americans.” Before the election, continued the newspaper, everyone makes a pitch for the Mexican vote; “those who get it are satisfied but those who do...

Gov. Sam Houston’s action in invalidating Duval County’s first election votes did not meet with universal approval. The State Gazette in Austin lambasted him, writing: He preferred charges of illegal precincts and w ent behind the vote of the returning officer . The law provides that the proper tribunal for this type of case is the district court in the adjoining district. We learn, however, that Gov. Houston constituted himself a court to try the case and that the Governor and Ex Officio Judge heard with imperturbable gravity the counsel and then, with the severe impartiality for which he is noted, decided in favor of his old political friend Col. [John] McKinney. We shall not enter upon the merits of the case, but the fact is clear that the only tribunal the case is the adjoining district Court, as pointed out by the law. We believe Gov. Houston exercised an arbitrary and unwarrantable power . (Emphasis mine.) The Ranchero pointed out while it was asking citizens to respect ...

After the votes were cast in the 1860 election, John McKinney’s supporters attacked the legitimacy of the election from many fronts. They alleged, among other things: that the new precinct in Duval County had been established in secrecy for the purpose of voting ineligible Mexicans;  that the announcement of the election did not meet the letter of the law;  that Charles Lovenskiold had issued rifles from the militia storehouse to the Mexicans;  that at the urging of Lovenskiold the Legislature had passed unwanted legislation that threatened the status quo, and  that land speculators – led by William G. Hale, Lovenskiold, Felix Blucher, and others – were responsible for the turnout to advance their schemes. Meetings were held throughout the Fourteenth Judicial District and petitions and sworn affidavits were mailed to Governor Sam Houston asking him to invalidate the election results of Precinct 9 and certify McKinney as the winner. Lovenskiold wrote to Hale tha...

In February 1860, the Texas Legislature enacted a law giving landowners yet another opportunity to ratify ownership to Spanish and Mexican grants south of the Nueces River. Mexican American landowners in Duval County began the process to legitimize their longstanding claims. These landowners needed help navigating the American legal system. They turned to two men who through the years had earned their trust. Prussian-born Felix Blucher began surveying land grants in Duval County as early as 1854. Attorney Charles Lovenskiold, a multi-lingual Dane, represented a number of landowners, as well. These men did not look at the Mexican Americans with the contempt of those seeking to get their lands. Perhaps because they felt an affinity to their foreign upbringing, the Mexican American landowners looked at these two men for advice.  As the land cases made their way to the courts, Judge Milton P. Norton of the Fourteenth Judicial District died unexpectedly in San Antonio in June 1860. Gove...

In 1860, 315 men voted in the first election in what would become Duval County. The poll list offers a gold mine for genealogists to search for ancestors. Below is the list of voters with this caveats: 1) while the handwriting of the election judge is fairly readable compared to the 1860 census taker, there are still some names that are not clearly decipherable and 2) the spelling of names were sometimes changed to comply with the more common spelling of that name. I have done my best to transcribe this list but offer no guarantees as to its complete accuracy. Keep in mind also, that many of these individuals were challenged in court. Some of the challenges indicated that the men did not live in the San Diego or Agua Poquita but were from Mexico. Other challenges claimed that some individuals did not exist at all. Clearly many names are verifiable in the historic record and many others are recognizable in the area today so the likelihood is that they were real voters. Perhaps so...