Soy de Duval, The Nineteenth Century History of Duval County Texas is to blame for my absence from blogging

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POSTED BY: CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM MARCH 23, 2020


This blogger owes its many loyal readers an apology for not having published a blog since the first week of this year. In my defense, I have a good excuse. And that excuse is that…

I have finally buckled down and begun writing my long promised history of Duval County, whose working title is…

Soy de Duval, the Nineteenth Century History of Duval County, Texas.

The first six chapters got me off to a fast start. These chapters deal with the county’s Prehistory, Los Indios, Los Mexicanos, Los Españoles, Medio Mexico, and Los Americanos. But then I hit a brick wall with a chapter called El Terreno having to do with land titles. The problem is not that there is not enough information, but that there is too much information and most of it is hard to read. I’ve had to read old reports, such as the Bourland-Miller Commission Report of 1852, that were entirely written by hand. Try reading this, for example:

The Texas General Land Office has files on each land grant, also written by hand and many of them in Spanish. Have a read on this:

There was no Microsoft Word back then. Thankfully, the Texas laws having to do with land rights were in printed format.

Some of the reports are incomplete so I have had to chase rabbit holes to find missing information. Finally, I discovered that besides the ancient Spanish and Mexican land grants, the Republic and later the State of Texas had made a number of headrights and scrip land grants in the Nueces Strip, some of which directly trespassed on the grants that already existed in the area, including Duval County. How many of you knew, for example, that smack in the middle of San Diego were four overlapping grants issued to McKinney-Williams in 1848, 40 years after Spain had granted the land to Julian and Ventura Flores.

These smaller or “junior” grants, as the Land Office calls them, presented problems for Mexican landowners in getting a patent authorized by the state. The Land Office informed me that it “is likely: they haven’t been resolved or are only partially resolved or are currently being resolved through litigation. Until the courts or the legislature makes a ruling that changes the identity of the original grantee, though, the GLO’s records and county maps will continue to carry the name of original grantee—in this case, those from the Mexican period, which as you can see from the solid outlines, are the ones being honored as the senior surveys. In some cases…you’ll see notations on the county map indicating decrees or lawsuits.”

Really, more than 150 years after the Bourland-Miller Commission was created to clear up land titles, we still haven’t completed the job! Please don’t get me wrong, this has nothing to do with the Land Office, they are great folks and extremely helpful. It’s just the way this matter has evolved through inaction, I presume, of the landowners who apparently didn’t see a need to litigate. After all, many of the Texas grantees were speculators that hoped to make a quick buck on selling the grants and never really had an idea where the land was. Some, bought the land or loaned the state money against the land out of patriotic fervor and never intended to actually claim or settle the land. So it’s simply a weird situation all around.

According to the Land Office, records in one grant went missing in 1954. The records now in the file are old Spanish documents from 1835 through 1848 which were recorded in Nueces County. Most likely the state retrieved copies to try to rebuild their file. The file indicates the grant was patented n 1869 but fails to inform under which one of various state laws it was certified. At the suggestion of the Land Office I launched a search of court cases on the Portal of Texas History. To my surprise, the search took me to myself! That is, it took me to a legal notice that appeared in a 1988 issue of the Duval County Picture, which I owned and published. I also found one Supreme Court case. Both the legal notice and the Supreme Court case confirmed that the grant was patented in 1869, but they had little by way determining anything else about who made the decision to issue a patent and how it was made.

I then went to search on Google for the grant and behold it took me back to me again! This time to this blog, where I found a comment to one of my blog posts by an individual who said he had “a title abstract with the history” of the grant. I kept digging, and just before I started writing this blog I found another court case, this time from the Court of Appeals, again confirming the grant was patented in 1869. I have concluded that the patent was issued subsequent to a case being heard in Nueces County in the 1860s. Since supposition is not quite the way of scholarly research, especially when I have not fully explored my sources. I fear I may have to make a trip to the Nueces County Courthouse to nail this question down. Not that I wouldn’t love to go to Corpus Christi but I think I need to get some other research done to make a trip worthwhile. Alas, it will have to wait until our current problems having to do with a world pandemic abate.

So, I pray my excuse is worthy of your acceptance. I promise to stay in touch more often but can’t promise it will be weekly. Much writing awaits me and as much as I hate to say it, more research is most likely in store as well.

Stay tuned!

41 COMMENTSON "SOY DE DUVAL, THE NINETEENTH CENTURY HISTORY OF DUVAL COUNTY TEXAS IS TO BLAME FOR MY ABSENCE FROM BLOGGING"

  1. carlos larralde | April 3, 2020 at 2:27 pm | Reply
    Please send me hard copies of this issue so that I may give them to the Huntington Library here in Southern California.
    Carlos Larralde PhD
    35080 Chandler
    Calimesa, CA 92320 909 372-1349

    • cardenas.ae@gmail.com | April 3, 2020 at 7:21 pm | Reply
      Thank you, Dr. Larralde. I am unclear as to exactly what you want copies of; this blog or my book when it is published? I will be glad to either or both, just want to make sure I get you what you want. Thanks again for your interest and support.

  2. Carlos S. Trevino | March 30, 2020 at 11:21 am | Reply
    If you could find it in your heart to make a research for me it would be great. In 1926 my grand uncle Sabas Sanchez was murdered and in February of 1929 my grandfather Ventura Sanchez was also murdered. I have searched old newspapers and have never been able to find anything. What I have heard in the past is that Ventura was the constable in precinct 1 and he was investigating his brother’s death when he was shot at the corner of Collins St. and Dr. Dunlap Dr. next to the Oil Belt Chevrolet. If you could find any information, who killed them, and were they ever brought to trial. Please do it on your spare time. Thank you

    • cardenas.ae@gmail.com | March 30, 2020 at 8:21 pm | Reply
      Thank you, Chale. I am in Austin and most of the information that may exist is in San Diego. Let me suggest that you go to the District Clerk’s Office at the Courthouse and ask to see files from those years. If there was a case it would have been heard in the district court and the district clerk would have the files. If I remember correctly, their files go back even older than that time, so there is a good chance they would have them from that time period. Also, I would suggest you go to the library in Alice. They have the Alice Echo on microfilm and if there was a trial they would likely have accounts of the shootings and the trial. Also, La Retama Library in Corpus Christi will have microfilm of the Caller from that period and likely they would have covered the trial. Good luck. If I have a chance I will look here at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, they carry microfilm of a lot of newspapers. I will check with them to see if they have the Echo and Caller. Keep me posted if you find anything and I will do the same. Good luck, my friend.

      • Carlos S. Trevino | March 30, 2020 at 11:38 pm | Reply
        Thanks Alfredo. As of right now I will probably have to wait because of the coronavirus. I pray that it will be over soon . Then I will research at the district clerk’s office and the Alice echo. Thanks again.

  3. amancio j chapa jr | March 28, 2020 at 12:23 am | Reply
    Suerte y arriba y adelante con este nuevo esfuerzo. Estaremos en espera de esta importantisima contribution a la historia de Tejas.

  4. Galen Greaser | March 27, 2020 at 11:33 pm | Reply
    On the Jose Antonio Gonzales “La Huerta” grant see State v. Palacios.

  5. Alicia Garza | March 27, 2020 at 8:28 am | Reply
    SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK..ENJOY READING YOUR ARTICLES..GOOD LUCK IN YOUR RESEARCH!

  6. Tommy Molina | March 26, 2020 at 3:51 pm | Reply
    I can’t believe I missed your BS (blog session) so much! Come to San Diego and I’ll treat you to DQ’s BS (banana split)! Best regards Compadre!

  7. Lisa Montague | March 24, 2020 at 2:23 pm | Reply
    Hi Alfredo,
    While we are in this pandemic, I wanted to share this bit of 19th century history with you. I found an obituary online for the Laredo newspaper in the late 19th century about Frederika Henry, Paul Henry’s widow having gone there to help care for the sick children of a Mr. Wormser. She succumbed to the illness and died there, leaving her own children orphaned. They were Herbert, Leo and Lily Henry. I suspect those kids got scattered through adoption. Herbert did not live to be very old. He was in the Spanish American War as a soldier in Cuba. He remained devoted to his Aunt Mary Henry. Frederika was buried in Laredo and eventually moved to the Jewish Cemetery in Corpus Christi to be buried with her husband Paul Henry, across from the graves of Julius Henry and his family members. Also, Nathan Henry, second husband of Mary Henry, made a trip to NYC and died there from hepatitis. My guess is that many people died from various epidemics in that time. My great Grandmother Lena was a practical nurse. My father recalls when there was an outbreak of some illness, she would nail heavy blankets over the windows.
    Be well.

  8. geneva sanchez | March 24, 2020 at 2:13 pm | Reply
    The best of luck to you. It is so encouraging to hear of the work you are doing.
    I am planning on going to San Diego to do some research on land. My great-grandfather, Monico Moya owned land there and I would like to see if I can find some info about him due to the brick wall I have hit with him.
    MY best to you.
    Geneva Moya Sanchez

  9. Jerald Wayne Ellington | March 24, 2020 at 1:47 pm | Reply
    I have a ton of abstracts on properties in Willacy county. I have saved them, but I don’t know if they are useful for anything but history.

  10. Rudy Garcis | March 24, 2020 at 1:31 pm | Reply
    Thanks for sharing your hard work. I remember my father talking about el Terreno that my family had in. Rio Grand City. Supposedly it was a land grant from the king of Spain to one of my. Relatives for serving in the kings army. From what i have been told we lost it to some of my long lost relatives. Story has it they honestead the land and eventually. The land became theirs. Many, many stories

  11. Domingo Rodriguez | March 24, 2020 at 12:58 pm | Reply
    Welcome back Alfredo appreciate the time, energy and effort you are doing great work. God bless you

  12. Carlos Trevino | March 24, 2020 at 10:54 am | Reply
    Alfredo, we miss you in SD. I was always excited to read the Duval Picture. Especially when you told it like it is. I never did have a chance to congratulate you on your outstanding job as our Mayor. My wife (Ruth) and I talk about when it comes to politics cause you were truthful and a hard worker.

    • cardenas.ae@gmail.com | March 24, 2020 at 11:41 am | Reply
      Thank you, Chale. It’s not often that I am recognized for my time in San Diego, as editor or Mayor. Good to know someone was pleased with my work. It was a labor of love for me. Thanks again.

  13. Helen Wallace | March 24, 2020 at 10:50 am | Reply
    Julian & Ventura Flores were my 3rd & 4th Great Grandfathers & I was not aware of the overlapping grants issued to MxcKinney-Williams. Thank you for the interesting information!

  14. Debra DePena | March 24, 2020 at 10:12 am | Reply
    I, too, have missed your weekly postings. Good luck on your book and I look forward to purchasing it in the future.

  15. Nancy Grimes Hogg | March 24, 2020 at 8:57 am | Reply
    Sign me up for a copy from the first printing, please.

  16. Juan P. Castro | March 24, 2020 at 8:32 am | Reply
    Great to hear from you Alfredo, be well, Adente.

  17. Robert Garcia | March 24, 2020 at 6:35 am | Reply
    It is a “giant puzzle” that we elect to try and complete! I want to thank you for your diligent efforts and look forward to hearing from you again.

  18. Martha Fleitas | March 23, 2020 at 10:46 pm | Reply
    Thank you- had wondered if you’d thrown your hands up in the air and run away. Best of luck with your research! Stay healthy!

  19. Bob Tamplet | March 23, 2020 at 7:41 pm | Reply
    Absolutely amazing! Keep digging into those old records and thank you for making our lives easier!

  20. Jose M Ibanez | March 23, 2020 at 12:29 pm | Reply
    I had wondered where you’d scampered off to, Alfredo. I totally understand now and wish you the best of luck in securing what documentation you need. I truly enjoy reading your blog and fully appreciate your efforts, my friend.

cardenas.ae@gmail.com | March 23, 2020 at 1:34 pm | Reply
Thank you, Jose. Appreciate your support.

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