San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-03-28
Letter 10 the RnrlesOn Family.

Letter 10 the BGrlesOn fahlity.
With pleasure we comply with
a request to publish the following, 1t
is part of a circular lettor from
Rev. Rufus Burleson, president Of
Baylor University, Waco, Texas, ad-
dressed to the Burleson family and
others in the interest Of said institu-
ton.
/ have boen impelled by the.dying
charge of our noble and heroic but
uneducated cousin, Gen, Ed. Burie-
son. When lying on his death bed
Mt Austin, December 1851, he took
nv hand and said, "Cotsin Rufus, l
am unedrcated; / have spent my
whole life on the frontier and have
led O rude, rough life, full of danger
and toll
/ have been fighting Indians and
Mexicans-since i WAS II years old.
But God, in whose presence l will
soon stand, will witness l never shed
human blood for revenge, for money
or fame, but for the glory of Texas and
the protection of women and children.
But there is O grander battle to be
fourht for Texas-a battle against
sin and ignorance and corruption
In this grand battle I want our fam
ily to fight in the front rank, Now,
as have fought Indiana and MeNi-
cans Il quarter of a centuary, for the
elory of Texas, want you to fight
sin and ignorance rs years, and we
will make good family fight OF half Il
hundred years for the glory OF Texas.
/ then and there pledged the dying
hero Of more than thirty battles that
my life should DO one continual bat
tie for the good Of Texas and the
glory of God.
Thirty-soven years have fed away
since I made that solemn promise to
Cousin Ed. | am now in my 66th
wear and will soon be called to lay
nv armor down to join Cousin Ed.
and Gen. Houston and all the army
ofpious heroes dead, in that land that
is fairer than day. Hence l have an
ever increasing desire to awaken a
burning desire in the soul OF every
Texan, and especially of every Bar
Lesson, to girdle on the armor and tight
heroically in this great battle against
sin and ignorance and corruption. The
Burleson family is the largest and
one of the Oldest in Texas Includ-
ing all in whose veins Burleson
blood hows--the Hardemans, the
Cages, the Jones, the Tavlors, the
Rodgers, the Crawfords, the Blacks,
the AIcFaddens, the Kuykehdalls,
the Samfords-there are not less than
Il,2OO voters in Texas. They ore
scattered from the Red river to the
Rio Granda Our family blood has
MANFRED evory great battle field In
Texas;lnd on to the balls of the Mon
te2umas. Burlesons have acted an
important part in every great era IN
Texas for 80 years Texas, with her
274.OO0 square miles, is the Empire
State of the Union, and in 30 years
will eclipse Virginia or New York
and be the grandest State between
the oceans. I earnestly desire and
pray that our faulty in all its branches
may act las in the last so years. IN
important part, for the glory of Tex,
as and the redemption of the world
[ will, therefore, send to press in &
few days, brief history Of the Bur
Lesson Family in America, from the
landing of Col. Edward Burlesou IL
Connecticut in 1916 and the landing
of his brother, Aaron Burleson, il
North Carolina in 1925. The lead
ing fact were gotten from the letters
addresses and conversations ut three
Reunions of the Burleson family
held in New Orleans. in Waco and II
Austin. This brief history will show
that the Burleson family has been tn;
Indian fighters and pioneers OF civil
zation in twenty-five states and ter
ritorics, and is probably not only th'
, largest family in Texas. but IN th'
. United States. and it should be thu
burning desire Of every Burloson il
Texas and between the oceans, no
merely to be Indian fighters and
pioneers of civilization, but to b
B. leaders in that grsDder battle agains
sin and ignorance and ANARCHY. i
the brief family history to be Issue,
soon II Will he seen that seven son
Z Of our graf southern ancestor. Aaron
BrrlesCn, went into tie Revolution
7ry AMY N 1876 and only three SIR
y.vel. a. ! that Esrll-rE bod has TO
tCn.v na1grei every gre. rL--.- -e-l
iu Texas. Int wst-roi freely tle t-c'
ID. .-E.-4-a o.. .a-s ra 10 Wet