Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1886-01-14
"Reminiscences.

"reminiscences.
Fifty-fve years ago to-day frs
put foot on Texas soil at thu
mouth of the Brazos River attel
humping over the Brazos bar OF
the schooner Marian. commanded
by Captain Hutton. OF the TWEEN
ty-eight passengers, only two re
main. Mr.. Robert Hills. of Gal
weston, now is about Scventy-nint
Years of age, and myself in my
SiXty-ninth year. l think it woulC
be in every way appropriate thai
there should be 4 meeting OF the
citizens of old Washington county
at Brennan on the second Of
March next-also the adjoining
counties-to celebrate the fifticth
(semi-centenniaD anniversary Of
the declaration of Texan indie
I pendencc Second of March, 1856.
/ in the old town of Washington,
OF the tifty-crght delegates who
made the Declaration OF Indcpcnd,
encc, only two are now living, Rev
DR.. Crawford. of Alvarado. John.
son county. and Col. S. W. Blount,
of San Augustine, San Augustine
county.
Washington county was one OF
| twenty-thrcc counties created by
the first congress of the Republic
of Texas which met at West Co,
lumbia in old Brazoria county, tine
second of October, 1886.
When l first came to Texas, in
1881, what is now Washington
county, was roamed over by buff
falo, mustangs. wild horses deer
by thousands, leopard cats, wolves,
Mexican hogs and wild cattle. As
created in 1886, this county en-
braced what are now known az
Grimes and Burleson counties.
was private secretary 10 Gov.
James W. Robinson when the pro-
visional government removed from
San Felipe de Austin, the fifteenth
of February, to the town of Wash
ington to meet the convention on
the first of March, and hand over
the records of the provisional gov
ernment of Texas to the conven-
ton; S. NJ. Pease, who died in SO,
was then secretary to the council
of the provisional government.
So far as | know, l am the only
one now living who was connected
with the Provisional Government
of Texas, and, so far as l know, l
am the only one, except the two
delegates left of those who were
present at the passage of the reso-
luton introduced by Geo. c. Chill
dress, rs chairman of the commit
tee, on the second of March 1886,
which passed almost unanimously.
| well remember seeing GenI. Sam
Houston and Col. Geo. w. Hook
ley when they mounted their
horses, OF the 9th of March, and
started for Gonzales where the
people were collecting; that day
being the anniversary of the tall of
the Alamo where Travis and his
heroes perlshed, and where, with
the storming of San Antonio in
December, '35, by Milan and John
son, the independence of Texas
was won-and we San Jacinto men
less than one hundred now living.
sealed the Independence on the
memorable field of San Jacinto,
twenty first of April, lS36.-Of all
the grown people l knew at San
Felipe de Austin in the year 1881.
Mrs. Eliza J. Lewis (wIdow of Col.
Ira K. Lewis and mother of my
wIfe) who was 81 last November
and Aunt Mary Marks who was
the head servant at Uncle jimmy
Whiteside's Tavern in San Felipe
and is now about so years old, are
the only two now living.
Moses AUSTIN BRYAN.
INDEPENDENCE, Texas, Jan. ?, 1886.
Memphis has established a
woman's exchange.
Norway has over fifty public fish
hatcherIes.
Minister Phelps has leased Gle
giant new offices.
Swlnburno is engaged upon a
volume on Hugo.
There are 200 dividend paying
mines IN Idaho.
The Cleveland PIalndealer favors
fewer elections.
A bill to prohibit prizo.fghting
is pending before the Oregon leg
islature.
The King of Siam has contracted
with parties at Wilmington, Del,
for a light draught, knock-down
steamer. The motive power will
consist of an independent circulat-
ing engine with feed attachment
so that water can be pumped |
direct from the condenser to the
boiler. The boiler will be pro-
portioned for a pressure of 100
pounds to the square inch, and the /
l.. / ! l