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Post by Rich Curilla on Jan 30, 2014 22:31:47 GMT -5
View AttachmentOn my conjectural model of the Presidio structures, I have placed Goodman's property, as on the Corner plat, at the eastern end of the block -- and given him the lowliest, dingiest shed in the area. Actually, reading the Corner key more closely, he does not say that "b" is Goodman's property, just that it was one of the last cleared. His reference to Goodman is separate. So you're could be accurate -- particularly if clear on deed records.
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Post by estebans on Jan 31, 2014 14:33:29 GMT -5
I'd still like to string Goodman up for the way he treated Juan Seguin. Great info Edward. I knew Goodman had a place there, because he is noted on the Corner plat as one of the last structures cleared from the plaza when it upgraded. Thanks, Edward--that certainly is suggestive for that hobbyhorse of mine that Rich is familiar with--I found independent confirmation of Seguin's claim that Goodman's mob beat San Jacinto veteran Matias Curbier because they mistook him for Seguin, apparently at a house owned by Seguin and probably at night. I think the word "propinquity" is the term for Goodman squatting right next door to a town house that Seguin owned, and it suggests a likely sequence for the assault: Goodman knew that Seguin and his escort were at the town house, went and collected a lynch mob, but Seguin and most of his party pulled out while that was happening, probably leaving Curbier in charge of the house, where the mob found him on arrival and mistook him for Seguin somehow. I find it pretty outrageous that this brutal attack on a San Jacinto vet was not reported in the contemporary newspapers, but then news of the crimes being committed by the volunteers was suppressed or spun or denied, so I take some satisfaction in the city ultimately booting Goodman out of there. Sure he deserved compensation for his work for the Republic, but what to give him should have been the government's decision, not his. I think it was awkward all around to deal with the aftermath of the runaway scrapes of 1836 and 1842, to determine who really had left for good, but it was important for the process of the disposition of abandoned properties to go through proper channels and be fair, as part of creating civil order in the city and the Republic, and Seguin clearly did create enemies by defending the need for properties to just sit there until a final disposition was made. I can't really believe that General Burleson would have taken the politically unpopular step of conducting the inquiry about colluding with Vasquez that JNS requested; Seguin spins Burleson's response that no inquiry was necessary into an exculpation, but that's a stretch--in fact, Burleson may have seemed to do JNS a favor by ordering him to go forage for the army at the lower ranchos along the San Antonio River, getting him out of immediate danger in the city, but it may also have been a handy way to get him out of town where he might be killed without unfriendly witnesses, given that a substantial party of volunteers came looking for JNS down there. I don't think anyone has ever pointed that out. The absence of civil order in Bexar meant that Seguin had to keep dozens of friends, employees and neighbors in a continual state of military readiness to protect him, meaning that they simply couldn't get their daily work done. And the odds of surviving a trip over to Austin to seek sanctuary with Sam Houston were not that good, given the combination of rumors and roving groups of disbanded volunteers. This had to be a large factor in Seguin's decision to go into exile: surviving the immediate future in Bexar was asking too much of his Bexareno supporters. I doubt his father Erasmo agreed with that decision, having somehow managed to escape execution in the aftermath of the Battle of Medina, and I suspect that the later claim by his enemies that JNS was a proud man stemmed from Juan saying, "The hell with it, I'm through with Texas if Texas won't back me up on the rule of law." It's probably relevant that General Arista had proclaimed a general amnesty for Tejanos at the start of 1842, though with a grey area, a discretionary zone about taking up arms against Mexico, and Seguin apparently found out the hard way that he couldn't receive any amnesty without serving Mexico first. All of which is a long way of saying that it certainly helps to see Goodman and Seguin cheek by jowl there in the virtual model. Even in a community long accustomed to random attacks by Indians, the ongoing threat of being overwhelmed by a flash mob of Anglos is easier to understand when we can look around the virtual Bexar, and the uncomfortable propinquity of Goodman and Seguin was bound to start something. Stephen Schneider
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Post by Rich Curilla on Jan 31, 2014 16:28:57 GMT -5
Terrific observations, Edward. I knew a bit of this, but only a little bit.
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Post by edward on Jan 31, 2014 23:15:13 GMT -5
On my conjectural model of the Presidio structures, I have placed Goodman's property, as on the Corner plat, at the eastern end of the block -- and given him the lowliest, dingiest shed in the area. Actually, reading the Corner key more closely, he does not say that "b" is Goodman's property, just that it was one of the last cleared. His reference to Goodman is separate. So you're could be accurate -- particularly if clear on deed records. This my layout taken from the San Antonio Civil Engineer Book(SACE) and 'San Antonio and it's Beginnings'-Chabot (SAB).
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Post by edward on Jan 31, 2014 23:36:21 GMT -5
Also, Edward, one of the very few things I can feel quite confident about nailing is the location of the flagpole in the Plaza de Armas, since we have it depicted in several seemingly reliable drawings, and even a photo or two. Unnervingly, it was not in the center of the plaza or even near it, but way south of center. Thanks Rich. I had not verified the location for the flagpole. This certainly helps.
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Post by Rich Curilla on Feb 1, 2014 22:52:25 GMT -5
Here is another flagpole comparison: The model with a lithograph, both from the N.E. corner of Main Plaza.
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Post by Rich Curilla on Feb 1, 2014 23:07:56 GMT -5
Here is the later period litho of Military Plaza.... ...and the same approximate angle on my model, both with the flagpole -- which I'm guessing was an old ship's mast. What's wonderful about our models is that we can find those time-honored camera angles and then expand them to see what else was around. Here are my interpretation of the main presidio buildings on the right and the S.W. corner of the plaza (the houses that surrounded the original lines of the presidio).
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Post by Rich Curilla on Feb 2, 2014 0:35:46 GMT -5
Plaza de Armas and main presidio buildings along the north side. I'll be anxious now to lay down a new basic structure based on the plat you posted. I'll do it in a separate SketchUp file and see how close my original measurements are to that. Another view of the Presidio buildings from the roof of a building on the west side of the plaza. Notice the elbow (lower left edge) in the front line of these buildings. This slight change in bearing is clearly shown on the Sanborn maps from 1877 and 1885. An aerial view shows the basic footprint as gleaned from supposed remnants and measurements from the Sanborn maps as well as suggested layout in the Corner 1890 plat.
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Post by edward on Feb 2, 2014 23:46:35 GMT -5
I'd still like to string Goodman up for the way he treated Juan Seguin. Great info Edward. I knew Goodman had a place there, because he is noted on the Corner plat as one of the last structures cleared from the plaza when it upgraded. Thanks, Edward--that certainly is suggestive for that hobbyhorse of mine that Rich is familiar with--I found independent confirmation of Seguin's claim that Goodman's mob beat San Jacinto veteran Matias Curbier because they mistook him for Seguin, apparently at a house owned by Seguin and probably at night. I think the word "propinquity" is the term for Goodman squatting right next door to a town house that Seguin owned, and it suggests a likely sequence for the assault: Goodman knew that Seguin and his escort were at the town house, went and collected a lynch mob, but Seguin and most of his party pulled out while that was happening, probably leaving Curbier in charge of the house, where the mob found him on arrival and mistook him for Seguin somehow. I find it pretty outrageous that this brutal attack on a San Jacinto vet was not reported in the contemporary newspapers, but then news of the crimes being committed by the volunteers was suppressed or spun or denied, so I take some satisfaction in the city ultimately booting Goodman out of there. Sure he deserved compensation for his work for the Republic, but what to give him should have been the government's decision, not his. I think it was awkward all around to deal with the aftermath of the runaway scrapes of 1836 and 1842, to determine who really had left for good, but it was important for the process of the disposition of abandoned properties to go through proper channels and be fair, as part of creating civil order in the city and the Republic, and Seguin clearly did create enemies by defending the need for properties to just sit there until a final disposition was made. I can't really believe that General Burleson would have taken the politically unpopular step of conducting the inquiry about colluding with Vasquez that JNS requested; Seguin spins Burleson's response that no inquiry was necessary into an exculpation, but that's a stretch--in fact, Burleson may have seemed to do JNS a favor by ordering him to go forage for the army at the lower ranchos along the San Antonio River, getting him out of immediate danger in the city, but it may also have been a handy way to get him out of town where he might be killed without unfriendly witnesses, given that a substantial party of volunteers came looking for JNS down there. I don't think anyone has ever pointed that out. The absence of civil order in Bexar meant that Seguin had to keep dozens of friends, employees and neighbors in a continual state of military readiness to protect him, meaning that they simply couldn't get their daily work done. And the odds of surviving a trip over to Austin to seek sanctuary with Sam Houston were not that good, given the combination of rumors and roving groups of disbanded volunteers. This had to be a large factor in Seguin's decision to go into exile: surviving the immediate future in Bexar was asking too much of his Bexareno supporters. I doubt his father Erasmo agreed with that decision, having somehow managed to escape execution in the aftermath of the Battle of Medina, and I suspect that the later claim by his enemies that JNS was a proud man stemmed from Juan saying, "The hell with it, I'm through with Texas if Texas won't back me up on the rule of law." It's probably relevant that General Arista had proclaimed a general amnesty for Tejanos at the start of 1842, though with a grey area, a discretionary zone about taking up arms against Mexico, and Seguin apparently found out the hard way that he couldn't receive any amnesty without serving Mexico first. All of which is a long way of saying that it certainly helps to see Goodman and Seguin cheek by jowl there in the virtual model. Even in a community long accustomed to random attacks by Indians, the ongoing threat of being overwhelmed by a flash mob of Anglos is easier to understand when we can look around the virtual Bexar, and the uncomfortable propinquity of Goodman and Seguin was bound to start something. Stephen Schneider Stephen, Great observation on Juan Seguin. Seguin mortgaged his properties to Duncan Ogden and George Howard for cash probably to help pay for his volunteers in the Rio Grande Rebellion around 1841. In 1844, Juan Seguin’s property begins the foreclosure process and is being auctioned off by Sheriff George Howard. Samuel A. Maverick is the highest bidder.
Another interesting story:
In 1838 James Tinsley, a San Jacinto Veteran, soon after his arrival in San Antonio some malicious person shaved the tail of his horse (as one story goes). I guess this is equivalent to having your car keyed. Anyway, he accuses Eugenio Navarro of the deed and Eugenio unequivocally denies he had anything to do with it. Eugenio Navarro and Luciano are Jose Antonio Navarro’s younger brothers. They run the family store located on the north end of the property of Jose Antonio Navarro fronting Flores Street. Tinsley attacks Eugenio at the store shooting him with his pistol but Eugenio managed to plunge a knife into Tinsley and both die from this confrontation. Eugenio is buried in San Fernando Church on May 7, 1838. In 1844, Luciano’s daughter (Eugenio’s niece) Angela Navarro marries William G. Cooke. --------------------------- COOKE, WILLIAM GORDON (1808–1847). William Gordon Cooke, soldier and statesman, son of Adam and Martha (Riddell) Cooke, was born at Fredericksburg, Virginia, on March 26, 1808. He was trained in the family drug business. He moved to New Orleans to continue his career and on October 13, 1835, volunteered for the New Orleans Greys. He arrived with the second company at Velasco, Texas, on October 25, 1835, and was elected first lieutenant the next day at Quintana. After arrival at Bexar on November 8, 1835, Cooke was elected captain of his company and raised volunteers to storm the town. Cooke led the party that captured the priest's house on the main plaza, thus forcing the Mexican capitulation, and received the flag of surrender, which he sent to Col. Francis W. Johnson, commanding officer (see BEXAR, SIEGE OF) For rest of Cooke bio see: www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcobv
Bio of Luciano Navarro: www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fna15
Bio of Eugenio: www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fna18
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Post by rayjr on Feb 5, 2014 9:45:12 GMT -5
Edward, I located a letter from Samuel Maverick to Waddy Thompson, US Minister to Mexico, written by him when he was a prisoner on his way to Perote prison. The letter is written from Saltillo. I transcribed it, including misspellings - and have attached it below. Here is a quote from him in one of the opening paragraphs: "Fifty eight of us Texian Prisoners are here in prison. We left San Antonio on the 15th Ulto where on the 11th we surrendered to thirty times our number, fighting them at dawn, and in a fog we mistook Wools Army for Seguin, Perez and their renegade Mexican robbers, that have long been threatening our undefended Western frontier with robbery and murder. Wools entry was at least Singular." Clearly, Maverick did not have a high regard for Juan or Antonio (former Texas Ranger) at this time. (Maverick was the Treasurer when Juan was the mayor for San Antonio). An interesting note, years later when Juan returned to Texas - he became one of the founders of the Democratic party in Texas, being nominated co-chair in 1855. The local Party President is ----Samuel Maverick, and names Juan to the platform Writing Committee. Hmmm - the party president names a "renegade, robber, & murderer"? And as you probably know - Juan's grandfather Santiago Seguin married Guadalupe de las Fuentes Y Fernandez, the youngest sister of the parish priest Pedro & Ramon de las Fuentes Y Fernandez, daughter of Toribio. Regards, Ray Samuel Maverick Saltillo 1842 Ltr.docx (97.52 KB)
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Post by estebans on Feb 5, 2014 15:03:53 GMT -5
Ray,
Yeah, well, you know, that Samuel Maverick, he done pretty good at the siege of Bexar, some say, but he scampered out of the Alamo while he still had a chance, and then he ran all the way home to Alabama when the news came through about the Alamo and Goliad, didn't come back until after San Jacinto . . . .
You see how easy it is?
Of course, one explanation for the paradox you point out about Maverick appointing Seguin to the Democratic Party position would be political pragmatism: the Dems needed the Tejano vote, and Seguin remained a Bexareno community leader. But another explanation would be that what Maverick says in that letter to Thompson (which I have seen quoted elsewhere) was not strictly true, and that Maverick knew it.
I guarantee you that the part about robbers and murderers is not true: it is a self-serving distortion and misrepresentation of what was going on in those borderlands--though to be fair, I don't think any historian has ever published an accurate, evenhanded account of that situation (which was ugly enough that I wouldn't expect people living then to be evenhanded about it). And the way Maverick phrases the sentence, the audience gets a mistaken impression that Seguin and Perez had long been colluding with those Mexican forces, when in fact they had nothing whatsoever to do with them before going into exile a few months before Maverick wrote that. Quite the opposite in Perez's case, actually--I'm sure you're familiar with the way that Joseph Milton Nance and others have gone so far as to split him into two different people--Antonio Parez, the good-guy Indian fighter who mysteriously disappears from the historical record, and his evil twin Antonio Perez, longtime enemy of Texas--to avoid confronting the unwelcome possibility that Antonio Perez changed sides because he got very badly screwed over by the people he had been fighting to protect, not unlike someone whose initials are JNS, which is something else historians didn't want to confront for a long time.
Seguin may have gotten too much of a free pass in the last couple decades due to political correctness, but that's just a pendulum swing in what remains fundamentally a "he said, she said" situation: people are going mostly by what is only, in the end, hearsay evidence--Seguin's enemies get to write the history books and control the narrative till about 1950, then he eventually gets his say when his memoirs are reprinted and widely circulated for the first time. I don't trust either side without further interrogation of what they said than they have gotten so far.
One corroborative thing we can do is follow the money, as they say--and as Edward says, Maverick winds up with Seguin's mortgaged properties in 1844. I have not yet looked at the foreclosure proceedings yet so the following is unconfirmed, but Jack Jackson's investigation of them convinced Jackson that George Howard, who was one of the creditors and yet ran the foreclosure auction (talk about a conflict of interest), colluded with Maverick and others to keep the sale prices way below current market value so that the creditors would be entitled to seize other Seguin properties to make up the balance of the judgment in dollars. Given how depressed the land market was in 1844, I can see how Jackson might have been wrong in that assessment, so I am suspending judgment till I have looked into it for myself. But given how much of San Antonio Samuel Maverick ended up with, how do you suppose he felt about anyone who stood in his way? And to be fair, I think Seguin made mistakes that played into that; he sure lost control of the narrative when he fled San Antonio.
Still, it was a shock to realize after a couple years of research that the Mavericks are very possibly the zero point for some of the worst untruths spread about Juan Seguin. I had figured it was just that Mary Maverick was old San Antonio's queen of snark and Samuel Maverick wanted to blame somebody else for winding up in Perote Prison when they'd had a bundle of warning that the Woll raid was coming (it's even in the newspaper the previous week, and John W. Smith said that Antonio Perez snuck in and warned him personally a couple days in advance). But I fear it may well be a lot worse than that.
Which is all too long to post here. I am currently finishing up a sample chapter to see what publishers think of it. Till something comes of that, in the meantime I'll talk anybody's ear off about it in person, so consider that fair warning if you run into me at HHD or wherever.
Stephen Schneider
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Post by rayjr on Feb 5, 2014 17:26:16 GMT -5
Estebans,
Indeed, I do see how easy it is!
I agree with virtually every thought you have conveyed.
I have been trying to get to the bottom of several insinuations regarding Juan. I have read, that Vasquez entered San Antonio - not to merely idly occupy the town - but rather as an agent to abscond with records that Juan desired to be absconded with - of course, no one has ever indicated which such records supposedly Vasquez removed. This would be worth finding if he took any at all...for example - are any missing - if I look at the Minute Books of Bexar - it does not seem so...land records, not sure...and by the way - are we saying that this guy Vasquez went through all this effort to just march in and march out? What the heck is going on?
Secondly, Juan is accused of killing (I think Lancelot Smithers) at Sutherland springs during the Woll invasion. I would love to dig into the timing of this episode to understand if it is true. I am not convinced Maverick would have been aware of this event, depending on where he was when it occurred. There must be circumstantial events that could be telling - A guy like Thomas Ricks Lindley would have been able to find - God rest his soul.
I do understand the political expedient route Maverick took - Juan being a member of the "Mexican Texans of Bexar County". I had already considered it before you mentioned it - validation to hear it from you.
I had not noticed the schizophrenia regarding Antonio, in Nance, but I am going back through it now...my ancestor Luis Castanon was a member of his ranger company. He also was in Seguin's company during the siege.
One interesting idea - it has been said that the company under Chauncey, taken to Perote, originally thought the armed forces of Woll were bandits - I have thought this flimsy defense - but nonetheless - these bandits were what Hays and Perez were actually scouting for over a number of years. Maverick says Seguin and Perez - but does he really mean Agaton Quinones?
Following the money and the property is an extremely prudent approach. I would like to construct a timeline of property transfers just to show how things evolved.
I think Jesus de la Teja, along with Jack Jackson have down extraordinary work to clarify these dynamics.
Are you writing a chapter on these circumstances - if so - I can't wait to see what you have!
regards, Ray
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Post by estebans on Feb 6, 2014 16:02:27 GMT -5
Ray,
I can answer your three points, but I should switch to private message mode for them since this is pulling the thread away from the streets of old Bexar, so check your PMs--Stephen
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Post by edward on Feb 6, 2014 16:27:34 GMT -5
Ray, ------------------x------------- One corroborative thing we can do is follow the money, as they say--and as Edward says, Maverick winds up with Seguin's mortgaged properties in 1844. I have not yet looked at the foreclosure proceedings yet so the following is unconfirmed, but Jack Jackson's investigation of them convinced Jackson that George Howard, who was one of the creditors and yet ran the foreclosure auction (talk about a conflict of interest), colluded with Maverick and others to keep the sale prices way below current market value so that the creditors would be entitled to seize other Seguin properties to make up the balance of the judgment in dollars. Given how depressed the land market was in 1844, I can see how Jackson might have been wrong in that assessment, so I am suspending judgment till I have looked into it for myself. But given how much of San Antonio Samuel Maverick ended up with, how do you suppose he felt about anyone who stood in his way? And to be fair, I think Seguin made mistakes that played into that; he sure lost control of the narrative when he fled San Antonio. ------------------x------------- Stephen Schneider Stephen, I should have said Howard started the foreclosure process and James Dunn did the actual auction on JNS property. This was only for one house and lot. There are other properties listed for the $3000 borrowed.
Rough time line. Jun 1841 Mirabeau B. Lamar visits San Antonio in preparation of the Santa Fe Expedition.
President Lamar with a very considerable suite visited San Antonio in June. A grand ball was given him in Mrs. Yturri's long room—(all considerable houses had a long room for receptions). The room was decorated with flags and evergreens; flowers were not much cultivated then. At the ball, General Lamar wore very wide white pants which at the same time were short enough to show the tops of his shoes. General Lamar and Mrs. Juan N. Seguin, wife of the Mayor, opened the ball with a waltz. Mrs. Seguin was so fat that the General had great difficulty in getting a firm hold on her waist, and they cut such a figure that we were forced to smile. The General was a poet, a polite and brave gentleman and first rate conversationalist—but he did not dance well.
John D. Morris*, the Adonis of the company, escorted Miss Arciniega who on that warm evening wore a maroon cashmere with black plumes in her hair, and her haughty airs did not gain her any friends. Mrs. Yturri had a new silk, fitting her so tightly that she had to wear corsets for the first time in her life. She was very pretty, waltzed beautifully and was much sought as a partner. She was several times compelled to escape to her bedroom to take off the corset and "catch her breath" as she said to me who happened to be there with my baby.
…...Mary A. Maverick
-- *John D. Morris District Attorney 4th Judicial District (Republic of Texas) also known as Col Morris. Miss Arciniega is the daughter of Miguel Arciniega (Maria Petra de Refugio).
19 Jun 1841 Santa Fe Expedition sets off to New Mexico. The entire group of men was arrested, including Bexar Sheriff George Howard, and sent to Perote Prison in Mexico. Sheriff Howard eventually escapes and returns to San Antonio to reclaim his Sheriff position in 1843. -- Bexar Sheriff George Howard was second in command of the military companies who were accompanying the delegates
5 March 1842 – 7 Mar 1842 A Mexican force under Rafael Vasquez invaded Texas for the first time since the revolution. "Runaway of '42", The Mexican force plundered the city then quickly headed back to the Rio Grande. Possible retaliation for the Santa Fe Expedition.
11 Sep 1842 San Antonio was again captured, this time by Mexican troops under Gen Adrian Woll.
Our Store was robbed of all our goods and a claim against Mexico for the damage done us, is still unsettled. Fifty three good citizens were taken and put in chains by Woll, and marched all the weary way to the City of Mexico. I knew most of them well. My husband was chained to Wm. E Jones, his brother to John Twohig, the banker. Sam A. Maverick had a companion Major Colquhoun, I believe-then there were John Bradley the father of Mrs. Waelder, James Truehart, Judge Hutcheson, Dr. Hatch, Dr. Booker, Dr. Mackay, Duncan B. Ogden and many others. …Elizabeth Riddle Canterbury (1890)
George Howard and his business partner, Duncan Campbell Ogden provided money and goods to the Republic of Texas for this expedition. The capture of San Antonio by General Woll made Duncan Campbell Ogden a prisoner so both individuals wound up in Perote Prison. Duncan Campbell Ogden was released after 18 months.
30 Mar 1843 Samuel A. Maverick is released from Perote Prison with the help from The United States government.
9 Mar 1844 Seguin’s property- Sheriff George Howard and Duncan Ogden start the foreclosure process on Sequin's property. The house and lot is auctioned by James Dunn. Samuel A. Maverick is the highest bidder at $533.33 for a house and lot at the corner of Commerce and Asequia St. across the street from the Yturri property.
Partial of transcription from Bexar Archive deed (book B #2, page 243) Know all men present that whereas under a certain mortgage debt, George T. Howard and Duncan C. Ogden, (firm of Howard and Ogden) on this ninth day of March Amino Domino, Eighteen hundred and forty four, moved against John N. Seguin and Maria Gertrudes Flores y Seguin, his wife in the district court of said county, Judgment for three thousand dollars, debt with interest and costs, as therein stated….
…Interest of said J. N. Seguin and wife in and to that certain house and lot, above mentioned situated by the main asequia at the north west corner of the principal plaza of the city of San Antonio fronting eleven yards south-ward on Commerce (or the main) Street of said city, and extending along the street of the asequia fifty two yards, bounded west by the property of Paula Dias south by Commerce or the main Street, East by the street of the asequia, being between this and the property of the late Manuel Yturri & Castillo, and north by property of the late Dna Macaria Zambrano…
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Post by estebans on Feb 8, 2014 7:09:12 GMT -5
Edward,
I probably am getting ahead of myself in attributing a definite origin to the Seguin/Maverick enmity before I look into it more thoroughly, but I think the matter of how much of old San Antonio was acquired by Samuel Maverick speaks for itself. I don't believe that Mary Maverick's diary can be trusted very far in establishing chronology, because it's a combination of actual diary entries, material written much later, items cribbed from newspaper files (sometimes altered to resemble real diary entries), etc. made even more complex by the fact that Mary apparently wrote some uncredited newspaper items about events as they happened, so that the borrowed newspaper pieces may be things she wrote in the first place as an anonymous source in Bexar. The representation of Juan Seguin as a traitor there appears to be mainly if not entirely retroactively added material, IMO. I'm not sure Samuel's beef with JNS really shows up in his papers before that letter's mention of "Seguin and Periza" after the Woll raid.
I was trying to figure out whether we can call it tragic in the classical sense--was there an element of hubris in Seguin that led to his downfall? I think that's why there may be something in the accusation of pride by Mary Maverick and George Kendall: Seguin just could not gut out the loss of the properties to foreclosure. What surprised me was that it looks to me like his personal ranch, the "Juan Seguin" ranch south of the town of Seguin on the Francisco Carvajal headright grant, was not lost in the foreclosure--the major losses there were a house from his wife's family and a big chunk of his father's ranch. His relatives let him use those as security, and he lost them, and that was too much humiliation. He decided not to try to outlast his attackers in Bexar and strive to clear his name.
It looks to me like he must have sold his personal ranch upon his impoverished return in 1848, as well as his San Jacinto grant, because that's when he gets around to patenting the ranch grant. I'd always assumed he'd lost his ranch in the foreclosure itself. To me it seems like a major point that he was not wholly financially ruined when he left in 1842; rather, he was facing a default on a loan that meant a serious loss, but not bankruptcy. Did he have too much pride to ride that out? I'm leaving out the other factors that influenced his decision, like the physical danger to his family as well as himself, in order to highlight something that the property records may be telling us about him. Add his pride to the two blows from fate in that smuggling trip, and you get a tragic downfall.
As far as following the money itself, what about Jaxon showing the auction coming up $1926 short of the mortgage + interest + costs judgment against Seguin, with Howard, Ogden and Maverick seizing other property to satisfy the difference? Had property values declined that badly since the time the loan was made, or was there really chicanery in the process? That's more what I was getting at. (Pages 100-101 of Los Tejanos)
It amazes me that people want to pin the Lancelot Smithers killing on JNS, while ignoring the fact that Seguin would seem to have had a great deal of opportunity to kill Howard and Ogden in Mexico as well or hire it done, while the Texians were in Mexican captivity. Why get rid of only one of his major creditors? Why not wipe them all out? There are things about the accusations that do not make sense.
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