Manuel Lorenzo Justiniano de Zavala y Sáenz was the first vice president of the Republic of Texas, serving under interim President David G. Burnet. He was born October 3, 1788 in the Yucatán area of Mexico and died November 15, 1836 at the age of 48 in Channelview, Texas. His family heritage was Spanish and he was in the third generation of his family to be born on the American continent.
Continue reading Lorenzo de ZavalaCategory: county names
Presidents, Republic of Texas, Part 3 (1842-1845)
The first three Presidents of the Republic of Texas reflected the various swings of political sentiment among Texas voters. Sam Houston was followed by Mirabeau B. Lamar. Following the Lamar term, Sam Houston was again elected President of the Republic and took office on December 13, 1841.
Continue reading Presidents, Republic of Texas, Part 3 (1842-1845)John Coffee Hays, Texas Ranger
Ranger John Coffee “Jack” Hays was born in Little Cedar Lick, Wilson County, Tennessee, January 28, 1817. In “Texas Rising,” he seems to be a somewhat less important character, likely because most of his service as a Texas Ranger occurred after the Texas Revolution. Hays was related to Andrew Jackson’s family in that Mrs. Jackson was his great aunt. His father fought with Andrew Jackson and gave Jack his middle name Coffee in honor of Gen. John Coffee who had also served under Jackson.
When Hays was still a young man, he left Tennessee and moved to Mississippi where he learned surveying. Some accounts have him coming to Texas in 1836, early enough to serve under Erastus “Deaf” Smith and Henry W. Karnes while others maintain that he arrived in late 1837 or early 1838. Regardless, he had settled in San Antonio by February, 1840 and apparently “rangered” while he also served as a surveyor. He fought in the Battle of Plumb Creek and in 1840 he became Captain of a company of Rangers under Mirabeau B. Lamar, during the interim years after the Texas Revolution but before the Mexican-American War. In addition to Plum Creek, he was also involved in action at Cañon de Ugalde, Bandera Pass and Painted Rock.
Continue reading John Coffee Hays, Texas RangerErastus “Deaf” Smith
Erastus “Deaf” (pronounced “Deef”) Smith was an admirable person in “Texas Rising” and one in which the character of the individual may closely match the one portrayed in the miniseries. His hearing loss was not complete, but was significant after suffering an illness some years prior to the Texas Revolution. In some accounts, it was referred to as “consumption” (most likely, tuberculosis) which may have contributed to his death, though contemporary accounts were not specific as to the actual cause of death. One newspaper account simply read, “His iron frame has sunk under the severe fatigues and exposures to which he has too willingly subjected himself.”
Taylor County, Texas
Taylor County is considered to be in West Texas and many feel that it is where West Texas begins. It is located northwest of the geographic center of the State. Its county seat from 1878 to 1883 was Buffalo Gap, but since then has been Abilene.
Texas History Notebook 