History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families, Part 60

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895
Number of Pages: 1532

USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 60
USA > Texas > Galveston County > Galveston > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 60

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I should leave the country by the first boat going out, and as there were five or six others in Vera Cruz who had escaped like myself, we were formed into a party, and, all got aboard the same vessel. General Thomas J. Green was one of our number, and I understood that he made the arrange- ments about the ship passage, paying that of each. But without knowing this I had scraped up an acquaintance with Captain Loyd, the commander of the vessel on which we were to sail, having known him when he was a inate on Captain Wright's steamship, running out of Galveston, and I had engaged to work my passage by firing in the hold. I did pay my own way in this manner, and General Green had returned to him the amount he had paid for ine

" We were eleven days going from Vera Cruz to Velasco. We were landed at this place, and I here was furnished by a Mr. Two- hig with a letter of introduction to Colonel Love, a lawyer of Galveston, and went from Velasco to that place. After a pleasant inter- view with Colonel Love I came on to Hous- ton, hoping to find something to do here; but I reached this place in December and there was but little going on.

"I was back among my countrymen once more, but I was confronted with a condition of things that was calculated to try my pa- tience and courage quite as much as any- thing I had encountered during my previous twelve months' imprisonment. I was almost naked. To tell the plain truth, I hadn't clothes enough to keep me warm, and I was entirely barefooted. It may sound strange for one to speak of walking the streets of Houston barefooted in mid-winter, hungry and unable to procure either food or cloth- ing; but I have done that very thing, and it is one of the most painful of all the very

painful recollections of that trying period of my life. Becoming acquainted with a num- ber of people, mostly what you would call helpers around restaurants, who had pre- viously lived in New Orleans, I was induced by them to go to that city in search of em- ployment. From there I went up through Illinois and Wisconson, working in the mines in those States, but in something like eight- een months I returned to Texas, and settling at Houston I have since inade this place my home. I saved a little 'money from my earnings in the mining districts, and when I took up my residence here in Houston I en- gaged in a small way in the restaurant busi- ness. I made some money and afterward ac- quired an interest in a grocery, and from that time on gradually laid up some money. I have since purchased and traded a good deal in lands, and now own some farm and timber land in this county, and some business and residence property in Houston. What [ own I have made by iny own efforts, though I do not pretend to say that I am a man of means. I have never asked for a public of- fice in my life, and have never been asked to accept one. I have tried to discharge my duties as a citizen; have never sought notoriety, and have, perhaps, received as little from the State of Texas as any man who has served her as I have. Yet I have no word of com- plaint to make. I like Texas and Texas people, and had I the strength, and my ser- vices were again in demand, I would cheer- fully take up arıns in her behalf."

November 30, 1854, Mr. Forester mar- ried Miss Gertrude L. Digler, in Houston, Mrs. Forester being a daughter of Adrian Digler, who came to Texas in 1836, after the battle of San Jacinto, and died in Burle- son county in 1849, her inother dying in Houston in 1839. The offspring of this un-

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ion has been five daugliters, all of whom are living, namely : Emma J., now Mrs. Robert Hanna, of Harrisburg; Josephine Ellen, wife of T. F. Coffey, of San Antonio; Mary E., unmarried; Gertrude E., wife of Ira T. Keeney, of Houston, and Texana M., wife of J. H. Stahl, of Houston. Mr. Forester was made a Mason forty-odd years ago, in Hol- land Lodge, No. 1, of Houston, and he has since been a member of this lodge.

R OBERT WILSON, the subject of this sketch, a prominent figure in the early history of Texas, and for many years a resident of Houston; was a native of Talbot county, Maryland, where he was born in December, 1793. His parents, James Wilson and Elizabeth, nee Hardcastle, were natives of the same county, and in that general vicinity his an- cestors had lived for several generations, having settled there probably in the latter part of the seventeenth century. The stock were Quakers, and came originally from England, and, it is probable, were an off- spring of the Quaker colony planted by William Penn.

Robert Wilson was reared in his native place, and enjoyed what might be consid- ered reasonably good educational advan- tages. He was also taught the trade of car- penter and joiner, learning this in the city of Baltimore. In 1819 he married Mar- garet Pendergrast, of Baltimore, and the same year emigrated West, and settled in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was engaged for about two years at his trade. He then moved to Natchez, Mississippi, where he be- came a contractor and builder on a large scale, and accumulated considerable money,

erecting buildings for the wealthy planters of the lower Mississippi country. About 1825, he engaged in steamboating, on the Mississippi and Red rivers, at which he also prospered. In 1828 he came to Texas, be- ing attracted hither by the favorable re- ports he had heard of the country, and the opportunities which he believed it offered to one with some means for investment in industrial pursuits. His attention was probably directed to the Buffalo bayou country, because it lay most contiguous to Austin's colony, and the bayou afforded ac- cess by water to the settlements. He brought a schooner, loaded with machinery for a sawinill and gristmill; tools for shops, and provisions of one kind and another suitable for the founding of an industrial enterprise, such as he had in contemplation. He ac- quired an interest in the ownership of the league of land which had been granted to John R. Harris, lying on the bayou, some five or six miles south of the present site of Houston, on which he located his estab- lishment, and in a few months his place had become the scene of busy activity. His vessels plied along Galveston bay and its estuaries, and up and down the Brazos and Trinity rivers, and visited the gulf ports also as far south as Tampico, Mexico, car- rying the products of his mills, which found a ready sale in the several localities indi- cated, and affording also the means of traffic and transportation in other lines. In re- sponse to the demands of the expanding commerce of the colonists, he built, during those years, two custom-houses for the Mexican authorities, one at Galveston and the other at Velasco, and in other ways in- creased the facilities and strengthened the commercial prosperity of the country.

Mr. Wilson showed an equal interest and

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zeal in the political welfare of the inhabitants of the country, lending his sympathy and support to them in their early struggles with the Mexican authorities. In 1832, on the seizure and imprisonment of several Amer- icans-among thein the afterward distin- guished W. B. Travis and P. C. Jack-by the Mexican commander, Bradburn, at Ana- huac, he was one of the company of volun- teers who rescued thiem and broke up tlie garrison at that place. In addition to this he also furnished two vessels, the sloop Mexicana, and the schooner Nelson, which conveyed the Mexican troops out of the country. One of tliese vessels, the Mexi- cana, was wrecked during its absence, while yet another, the Josefa, was seized at Ve- lasco by the Mexicans about the same time, neither of which he ever recovered, and for neither of which he ever received any in- demnity.

Mr. Wilson volunteered in the Texan army, in 1835, and was present at and took part in the storming of San Antonio, where the gallant Burleson received the surrender of General Cos and his army. For inerit- orious conduct on this occasion Mr. Wilson was tendered the appointment of Captain of Cavalry as shown by the following order, the original of which is still among his papers in the hands of his son, James T. D. Wilson, of Houston:

HEADQUARTERS, SAN FELIPE, December 28, 1835.

TO ROBERT WILSON, SIR :- You are here- by notified that you have been appointed a Captain of the First Regiment of Cavalry in the Regular Army of Texas, by the Gen- eral Council. You are requested forthwith to report your acceptance or non-acceptance of said appointment. Should you accept, you will report yourself by letter to head-

quarters, and in person to the officer in command at the recruiting rendezvous. By order of SAM. HOUSTON, Commander-in-Chief.

W. B. TRAVIS, Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding.

This appointment Mr. Wilson declined, but went at once on a mission for the gov- ernment to .New Orleans, where he spent the winter and early spring of 1836 raising men, arms and provisions for the colonists. He met with good success in his efforts in this direction, and in May, 1836, having purchased a Mississippi river steamer, the Ocean, under authority of the provisional government of Texas, he brought what men and supplies he had raised, to Texas, having personal charge of the boats, which he ran into Galveston bay without a pilot. Through all of Texas' struggle for independence he was its steadfast friend and gave freely of his time and resources to further its cause. His de- votion to his adopted country was intense, and he testified to it by sacrifices which but few others were called on to make. In ad- dition to his personal services, the expendi- ture of his means and the loss of his vessels above mentioned, his entire property at Har- risburg, extensive and valuable for that date, was swept away by the fires of Santa Anna's army in its march of devastation just pre- ceding the battle of San Jacinto. On ac- count of this loss, Mr. Wilson, years after- ward, when the government had become firmly established and was reimbursing some of its citizens for losses sustained during that period, preferred a claim for indemnity, but he never realized anything ont of it, notwith- standing it was endorsed by almost every public man in the State who had been cog- nizant of the facts, and was fully investi- gated by the finance committee of the Legis-

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lature, which recommended the passage of a bill for his relief. During the time that Mr. Wilson was seeking action on his claim, he received many letters, certificates and testimonials, setting forth the value of his services, the sacrifices he had made, the losses he had sustained and the zeal and de- votion he had at all times displayed in the interest of Texas. Many of these commu- nications were the spontaneous offerings of friendship, and now possess a value inde- pendently of their connection with his claim. A few extracts from them are given below, as having a bearing upon Mr. Wilson's char- acter and public services.

Colonel F. W. Johnson, who was for many years a resident of Houston and Aus- tin, a man in whoin every one had confi- dence, and, who knew whereof he spoke, wrote as follows:

HOUSTON, Feb. 10, '55.

To HON. R. WILSON:

My Dear Sir :- I take great pleas- ure in adding my humble testimony to the many proofs given of your patriotism and devotion to Texas and her cause, both as a Mexican colony and an independent State. Your advent at Harrisburg, Buffalo bayou, in the year 1828, marks and era in the his- tory of Texas. At that time Austin's colony numbered by far the largest population in Texas, - some 500, all told, - and they scat- tered over a territory of several hundreds of miles, with scanty means and unpromising prospects for the future. Einigration had almost ceased for many causes: that of want of transportation may be fairly classed as one of the greatest, both as relates to emi- grants and those already in the country. At this period, when there was scarcely a hook upon which to hang a hope, you ar- rived at Harrisburg with the schooner Rights of Man, heavily and well freighted, with both emigrants and stores so necessary for early settlers. This, together with your subse- quent supplies, gave an impetus to both the

energies and settlements of the infant colony. Your constructing of a fine steam saw and grist mill at Harrisburg, gave employment to a considerable number of mechanics and laborers, as well as cansing a large outlay of money and goods in prosecuting the enter- prise to completion. Harrisburg became a sort of store house to the colony, and from the number of mechanics and laborers. constantly employed formed a nucleus for the whole country. From the steamers you had on the Mississippi, as well as the vessels in the Texas trade, you formed an acquain- tance exceeding that of any man in the country, and exercised an influence that contributed more to the settlement and pros- perity of the country, than that of any other individual. While you contributed thus largely to the growth and prosperity of the infant colony, you, like a true patriot, staked your all, in defense of the country.

In the year 1832 Colonel Bradburn, military commandant at Anahuac, had ar- rested and imprisoned in the garrison at that place several citizens of the colony and re- fused to give them up for trial to the civil authorities of the country. An appeal was made by the friends of the prisoners to com- pel Colonel Bradburn to release the prison- ers held by 'him. In answer to this call I rode from San Felipe on the Brazos, by the way of Spring creek to Harrisburg, a dis- tance of some seventy or eighty iniles, with- out being able to rally a single man. You, sir, responded to the call and used your in- fluence with those in your employ as well as others in your town, and took an active part in releasing the prisoners, not only by giving your personal services, but by offering your purse. I well recollect, and state it with pleasure, that you offered the cargo of provisions on board the schooner Pomona. You also furnished two vessels to carry the Mexican officers and soldiers out of the country, one of which vessels was wrecked and became a total loss. In the political storm which soon burst upon the country, and culminated in the glorious battle of San Jacinto you were · no laggard, but were one

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among the first to peril life and fortune in the cause of your country. You took a part in the battles of Concepcion and San Ant- onio, and acquitted yourself with honor and credit.

The spring of 1836 marks another epoch in our history. Santa Anna was advancing into Texas with a well appointed army, threatening us with destruction or slavery. We had scarcely the nucleus of an army in Texas.' Men and the means of prosecuting the war were wanting. You, sir, with some others, went abroad to provide such aids as were necessary to our defense and safety. Ever ready to go when duty called, you ex- erted yourself in procuring and forwarding men, provisions, munitions, and money,- the sinews of war, -and that, too, at the darkest period in our history. It was dur- ing your absence that your property at Har- risburg, then the seat of government, was destroyed by the enemy. The battle of San Jacinto, together with the untiring exertions of our agents, gave promise of a brighter day. Unfortunately for you, but fortu- nately for the country and the cause we were engaged in, you possessed much more perishable property than any of your com- peers, and of much greater value; hence you have been a greater sufferer.

I regret that it is not in my power to enter more into detail relative to the part you took in the war of independence. But I am proud to say, and say without fear of contradiction, that from the day you entered the country to the present, you took a part-and a prominent part, too-in the great transactions of the times.

Yours truly,

F. W. JOHNSON.

The following communication, from General Tom Green and Hon. J. Pinckney Henderson, have a special bearing on Mr. Wilson's services in procuring aid for the struggling colonists during his absence in New Orleans, in the winter of 1835-6:

March 3, 1854.

This is to certify that by and under au- thority of President David G. Burnet, in

the year 1836, I had authority to appoint the officers connected with my brigade (First), and that, in sailing out from New Orleans, in May of that year, with said brigade, myself and two companies came out in the steamer Ocean, which had been purchased by the Texas agent for the Re- public of Texas; that Robert Wilson was appointed to the command of said steamer, and brought her into the ports of Texas, first landing in Galveston, which he did without a pilot; that his care and responsi- bility as such were great and embarrassing, and that he is entitled, in my opinion, to full pay as Captain in the service therefor for six months, which all of the other Cap- tains received.

Given under my hand and seal, the day and date first above mentioned.

THOMAS J. GREEN, Late Brigadier - General First Brigade, Texas Army.

GALVESTON, March 4, 1854.

I hereby certify that I came to Texas on board the steamer Ocean, at the time re- ferred to by General Green in the within statement, and that the said steamer brought out troops as stated by General Green; that Robert Wilson was by General Green ap- pointed Captain of said boat, and that he, as such, took command, and brought her from New Orleans to Galveston, and from there to Velasco, in the spring of the year 1836; and that he, Captain Wilson, in all things, during that time, conducted himself in a manner to secure the esteem and con- fidence of all who were on board. And I further certify that the voyage from New Orleans to Galveston, at the time above specified, was perilous on said steamer, she being unfit for such; that she, on said voy- age, encountered a severe blow at sea, dur- ing which Captain Wilson conducted him- self in a manner creditable to the position he occupied, and satisfactory to those who were on board.

J. PINCKNEY HENDERSON.

Similar communications from General Houston, Dr. Anson Jones, Albert Sydney

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Johnston and many others, all testifying to the patriotic zeal and unselfish devotion of Mr. Wilson to the cause of the infant colony, as well as to the high character of the man, might be given; but the foregoing will prob- ably be sufficient.

One of the objections raised to the al- lowance of Mr. Wilson's claim, was that the act of the government in consequence of which the loss was sustained, was not of that pronounced kind that brought his case within the purview of the law observed by nations in dealing with its citizens in times of war. But this objection never seemed to be well founded, since the act of the government in establishing the seat of gov- erninent at Harrisburg, and thus directing the attention of Santa Anna, to that place, was decisive on this point. The following extract from a letter written by President David G. Burnet to F. C. Gray, and dated at Harrisburg, March 25, 1836, lias a bear- ing on this subject. He says: "The gov- ernment is temporarily located at this place, and will, in all probability, remain here until a permanent establishment is made by Con- gress." He goes on to say that the govern- ment will need printing done, and urges Gray, who was a printer, to move his press to Harrisburg, President Burnet pledging the credit of the government to defray the expenses of the removal and promising him all the public printing.

In 1836, after the battle of San Jacinto, Mr. Wilson turned his attention to the task of straightening out his business and repair- ing his wasted fortune. He had a large and favorable acquaintance with Texas people, particularly with the members of Austin's colony, and when the Allen brothers, Au- gustus C. and John K., made their advent on Buffalo bayou, with their plans for a 29

capital for the new Republic, he was sought out by them and interested in their scherne. He conducted the negotiations by which they acquired title to the land, then in the possession of Mrs. T. F. L. Parrot, on which they laid out the town of Houston. For his services in the negotiation of this deal he secured a one-tenth interest in the town site, but disposed of most of this be- fore it became valuable.

In 1836 Mr. Wilson was elected to the Senate of the Congress of the Republic, which held its first session at Columbia, on the Brazos river, representing the munici- pality of Harrisburg. While a member of this body, in the spring of 1837, after the seat of government had been removed to Houston, overtures were made to it by representatives of a bank in Mississippi to lend the new government a million dollars. It came to the knowledge of Mr. Wilson, through prominent men whom he had form- erly known in Mississippi, that the bank was a "wild-cat" concern and that the movement was simply a scheme to defraud the government, and he accordingly opposed it with all the vehemence of his nature. During a secret session of the Senate (from which the obligation of secrecy was subse- quently removed), he used language in ex- pressing his feelings on the measure, for which he was reprimanded by the presiding officer, David G. Burnet, and voted ex- pulsion by the house. The affair created great excitement in Houston and in Harris- burg municipality, and Mr. Wilson, feeling that liis lionor was in a measure at stake, offered himself for re-election at the special election ordered to fill the vacancy. His opponent was Thomas William Ward, an able and popular gentleman, but such was the confidence of Mr. Wilson's constituents

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in the correctness of his position and in the honesty of his purposes in opposing the Mississippi bank scheme, that he was re- turned by an overwhelming vote. Popular enthusiasm over his conduct ran high and it is said by old citizens now living in the city of Houston, which had, in the meantime, become the seat of government, that the scene of a popular demonstration on the occasion of his return to the State house, such as had never before, and has never since, been witnessed in this place. His most enthusiastic followers procured a car- riage, from which the horses were taken, and, a long rope being tied to the end of the pole, inen and boys to the number of a hundred or more, with several hundred following, pulled it around to where he was staying and, placing him inside hauled him through the streets, knee deep in mud, to the capitol, carried him into the Senate chamber on their shoulders and, placing lim in his seat, left him, with the admonition to "stay there." He was subsequently quite gener- ally known as "Honest Bob."

Mr. Wilson was identified with the inter- ests of the city of Houston from its found- ing until his death, and, although not al- ways here, he always considered it his home. He watched the growth of the city and the rise of the Republic with great pride, and contemplated the future of the country, for which he had made such heavy sacrifices, with mnuch satisfaction. He was a warm personal friend of Colonel Stephen F. Austin, and as long as that gentleman lived enjoyed his confidence, holding at times close business and official relations with him. He also knew General Houston well, and numbered this distinguished Texan among his most intimate friends. The following letter, written by General

Houston while in the United States Senate, is similar in tone to a number of others from the same gentleman still to be found among Mr. Wilson's papers.

WASHINGTON, 8th Feb., 1851.

My Dear Wilson :- I thank you for your favors and will give all the attention to the subject on which you write that is in my power. Gen. Rusk will do likewise. I

£ have but a moment to write. I hope to shake your hand on the 24th inst. in New York. I am Truly Thy Friend, SAM HOUSTON.

Col. R. Wilson.

On the 25th day of May, 1856, Mr. Wilson, then in the sixty-third year of his age, died. His remains were buried in his private family burying-ground in Houston, and afterward removed to Glenwood, this city. His wife had preceded him many years, having died in 1823, soon after their removal to Natchez, Mississippi. Two sons were born to them: James Theodore Dudley, still a resident of Houston, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work, and John R., who died in Harris county, in January, 1855. Robert Wilson is described by those who remember him, as attractive in person and pleasing in address. He had a hearty, winning way about him, and could probably at one time take as many men by the hand and call them by name as any other man west of the Mississippi river. He was a clear thinker, and strong and forci- ble talker, and wherever he happened to be he was the center of an admiring group of friends, who listened eagerly to his opinions, and running comments on matters of current interest. In closing a long and friendly let- ter to him under date of November 12, 1836, General Houston says : "Bob, you talk so well that it is wrong for you to write. I would rather hear your voice than read your letters."

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Author: Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895 Number of Pages: 1532

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895
Number of Pages: 1532