Soy de Duval

TOPICS: Duval County George Parr Oakville Texas Politics First Live Oak County Courthouse at Oakville where the first George B. Parr served as county clerk. POSTED BY:  CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM   NOVEMBER 28, 2015 Any follower of Duval County or Texas politics is familiar with the name of George B. Parr, the patron and political kingmaker. Not so well known is the Duke of Duval’s grandfather and the first George Berham Parr. The progenitor of Texas’s most notorious machine politicians, the elder George Parr, was born in 1829 in Virginia. In December 1846, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the United States Army at Petersburg, Virginia, in the 1st Virginia Volunteers. Capt. Larkin Smith of Company E mustered the young private into service in Richmond, Virginia, on December 15, 1846. Parr left for the Mexican War from Fortress Monroe, Virginia, in January 1847 and reached Mexico about February 21. He served until the end of the war and was with his company at the battles of Camargo, Montere

TOPICS: Duval County Parr Politics POSTED BY:  CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM   NOVEMBER 22, 2015 To most residents of Duval County today, the name John Givens means nothing. But, Givens played an important role in the historical development of Duval Country. For you see, Givens was the uncle of Archie Parr; he helped raise Parr after his father’s death, and he was responsible for Parr coming to Duval County. John S. Givens was Archie Parr’s uncle and a great influence in his life. Givens earned a law degree from Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky, and moved to Live Oak County in 1858 where he first served as deputy (interim) County Clerk. In 1859, he joined a party organized by Live Oak County stockman John Donaldson to help the Second Texas Cavalry Company K of the Texas Rangers fight Juan Cortina near Brownsville. Two years later, Live Oak County voters elected Givens district attorney for the 14th Judicial District. He was quickly becoming a leading citizen of Live Oak County, hav

POSTED BY:  CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM   NOVEMBER 14, 2015 (Tamalada painting by C armen Lomas Garza) One of my favorite recollections of childhood is waiting for my mother to finish her delicious pan de polvo . Being from San Diego, there was no other pan de polvo but that made in the shape of rings. I guess that’s why they are called “wedding cookies.” And of course my mother’s anillos were made with cinnamon, no white powdered sugar for my mom. With Christmas approaching the thought of pan de polvo is on my mind and I’m sure in many of your minds. So are tamales. Fortunately, for the younger generations there is a cookbook that has preserved many of the recipes from Duval County kitchens: ¡ CON GUSTO! Duval Cookery. This is one of my wife’s and daughters’ favorite cookbook. Their copies show extensive wear and tear, as do ̶ I’m sure ̶ those in your kitchens. Up to now you could only get ¡ CON GUSTO! at the Duval County Museum, which unfortunately is only open sparingly. Fortunately,

POSTED BY:  CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM   NOVEMBER 9, 2015 The start of 1887 in Realitos saw the continuation of a building boom. The town was seen as growing into an important rail station. Among the businesses in town were three stores, three hotels and restaurants; two meat markets; and two barber shops, where one could get hair powdered “ala mode Americano.” F. Cadena and company of Concepcion was also mulling over moving their general merchandise store to Realitos and would do so by year’s end. Ed Corkill, who the newspaper referred to as “the Hidalgo of the Mexicans,” directed the establishment of a public well. Many Realitos residents gave money and volunteered labor for the project. Water was found at 60 feet. The volunteers also cut and cleared all stumps and brush out of city limits. Also, completed was a dancing pavilion. In 1888, Company D of the Texas Rangers was stationed in Realitos. Not all was going well, however; the public school had to be closed due to a lack of funds. Th