biography – Page 31 – Texas History Notebook

Z. N. Morrell

Zacharius Nehemiah Morrell is generally given to be his full name, though his exact name and spelling may vary in accounts. Often only his initials Z. N. are used. He was born on January 17, 1803 in South Carolina to John and Darcus Morrell. In his early years, he lived in Tennessee before coming to Texas. He became a Christian as a youth and though he was not formally educated, was an effective minister and a good writer. He was able to chronicle his own life and experiences on the Texas frontier. Though he was a minister, his experiences were similar to those of any other early settler.

Moseley Baker

The name Moseley Baker might not be too familiar to many people but he was soldier during the Texas Revolution. Baker was born on September 20, 1802, the third of four children in Norfolk, Virginia to Hance Baker (1760-1831) and Rebecca Moseley Baker (1771-1812). Rebecca died in Virginia in 1812. Some time later, Hance and the rest of the family moved to Montgomery, Alabama. Hance passed away there in 1831.

Elizabet Ney

Elizabet Ney McDonald was a prolific sculptor who lived in Texas for much of her career. She was born in Münster, Westphalia, Germany in 1833 and when she was sixteen, she was enrolled in Berlin Academy where she studied under a famous sculptor named Rauch. Her family ancestry was Polish and she was said to be the grand niece of Marshal Michel Ney, the favorite field marshal of Napoleon Bonaparte. Marshal Ney was captured in Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo after which he was sentenced to be executed. Accounts refer to her ancestry as having initially been a detriment to her initial acceptance. However, she became the first (and at least for many years, the only) female to complete studies at the Art Academy of Munich.

Martín Perfecto de Cos (1800–1854)

Martiín Perfecto de Cos was a key individual in Santa Anna’s leadership. Born in Veracruz in 1800, he is usually described as being a career military soldier and accounts have him entering the military at around the age of twenty.

The Family of Stephen F. Austin

Stephen Fuller Austin was born in 1793 in Virginia to Moses Austin (1761-1821) and Maria “May” Brown (1768-1824). Stephen was one of five children, three of whom lived to adulthood. The two oldest siblings died as infants: Anna Maria (1787-1787) and Eliza Fuller (1790-1790). Next to be born was Stephen, then Emily (1795-1851) followed by James (1803-1829).