Soy de Duval

The creation of Duval County and its separation from Nueces County, under whose administration Duval County had been, was not without controversy. Within weeks of the election to organize Duval County differences arose. In January 1877, the Duval County Commissioners Court submitted a claim to Nueces County which they anticipated would be rejected. In an effort to “amicably” settle this claim the Duval County Commissioners Court proposed to their Nueces County counterparts that each county appoint two referees to compose a committee of four to arbitrate the matter. If the committee needed clarification on any law, they would ask for an attorney general’s opinion. If they would tie on any matter, that issue would be submitted to 25th District Court Judge Edward Dougherty to decide. The committee’s initial meeting would be held in Corpus Christi and if a second meeting was needed it would be conducted in San Diego. The differences between the counties, as seen by the Duval County Com...

Self-portrait by  Charles Marion Russell.  Christmas greeting  reads  “Best wishes for your Christmas Is all you get from me ‘Cause I ain’t no Santa Claus Don’t own no Christmas tree. But if wishes was health and money I’d fill your buck-skin poke Your doctor would go hungry An’ you never would be broke.”

Altar at St. Francis de Paula was dedicated in September 1942. It was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Adolfo B. Cuellar. Emilio Cadena donated the statute of Jesus. In September 1942 parishioners at St. Francis de Paula in San Diego celebrated the church’s 75 th anniversary in style. The three–day celebration included the unveiling of a marble statute of San Francisco de Paula, the parish’s patron saint, over the main door outside of the building, donated by the Duval Council of the Knights of Columbus. Mr. and Mrs. Adolfo B. Cuellar donated a new main altar made by Bernardo Reyes of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Emilio Cadena, father of the late Eliseo A. Cadena, donated the central statue of Jesus. On either side of Jesus were smaller statutes of St. Dominic and St. Francis de Paula bought with donations from parishioners. The first day was dedicated to the Altar Society, the Rosary Society and the Catholic Mothers Club. The resident Dominican priests celebrated a solemn Mass, followed by...

The Duval County Commissioners Court, meeting in regular session on Nov. 3, 1879, approved a resolution introduced by P. W. Toklas to appoint a committee to draft a resolution for the court to consider on the untimely death of ex county commissioner Rafael Salinas who was found murdered near Concepcion the previous month of October 1879. Named to the committee were Judge James O. Luby, Commissioner Pct. 1 Charles K. Gravis and County Clerk A. R. Vales. The court later deferred consideration of the resolution until its next regular term. No record appears that the matter was ever brought back before the court. Salinas was a longtime public servant, first being selected for an office in 1861 when he was elected Justice of the Peace Pct. 9 in Nueces County. He served as the first postmaster at Concepcion when a Post Office opened at that place on February 6, 1873. Salinas was elected the first county commissioner of Pct. 3 in the county’s organizational election held in 1876. He serve...

Small pox was raging in San Diego in August 1879 and the Duval County Commissioners Court appointed a Sanitary Commission to address the problem. Named to the commission were County Judge James O. Luby, Sheriff E. A. Glover and County Physician T. S. Kupfer. The Commissioners Court granted the group authority to bring the epidemic under control. The commission would place a flag at a home where the disease was present. Once the small pox was over at a home, the commission would order the home disinfected. Property owners were required to keep their premises in clean condition and if they refused, the commission was to report the violators to the county attorney for prosecution under state law. If the Sanitary Commission believed it necessary, they had the authority to establish a hospital and to take all steps necessary to prevent spread of the disease such as hiring any help they needed including guards and nurses. Finally, the commission could isolate an infected house from the re...

Courthouse approved by commissioners court on June 25, 1879. It burned down very suspiciously in 1914. Duval County Commissioners voted on June 25, 1879 to build a courthouse for the recently organized county. Organizational matters continued to occupy county commissioners during their June regular session. The commissioners, who had been renting from Manuel Ancira since the 1876 organization of the county, appropriated $3,700 for a new courthouse. The court referred the matter to its building committee, composed County Judge James Luby, P. A. Mattasson and William Hubbard. H. Heldenfels had developed plans and specifications and the building committee was authorized to enter into a contract with Heldenfels after reviewing the plans. The matter of county roads was also on the court’s agenda. Commissioners appointed road juries to review the various roads in the county. On the jury for the San Diego to Concepcion road were John Dix, F. C. Gravis, Francisco Bazan, Rafael Salinas and ...