Norris, Jones, Crockett, Payne, Blanchard


Book Description

This genealogy includes the paternal and maternal ancestors of Willie Marie Norris Wise (1921- ) comprising some 431 individuals in 148 family lines. The Norris ancestors emigrated from England to America in the 15th century.




Tales of the Sabine Borderlands


Book Description

"Le Lazo" is one of the first pieces of Texas or Western literature. It is an enigmatic blend of reportage and imagination reflecting the effects of the Fredonian Rebellion of 1827, the Spanish invasion of Mexico in 1829, and the passage of the Law of 6 April 1830, which triggered the next phase of Anglo rebellion against Mexican authorities in Texas. The Mexican protagonist Antonio enters into conflict with the Creole commander of the presidio at Nacogdoches, Col. Jose de las Piedras. Both men pursue rosary-clutching Clara, who represents the vessel of the new era to come. "El Cachupin" tells of the full-blooded Spaniard, Pepo, and his Creole wife, Jacinta, who had been successfully established in Texas, only to be chased across the Sabine by increasing political hostilities in Mexico. East of the river, a lonely planter (probably a remnant of the pirate Lafitte's band) and his concubine take them in and alter their fate.




Pavie in the Borderlands


Book Description

Pavie in the Borderlands describes the cultural forces that shaped the trans-Mississippi West between 1765 and 1838 by focusing on the extraordinary Pavie family. From their settlement on the Louisiana frontier, three generations of Pavies witnessed the creation of the U.S. and its territorial expansion through the Louisiana Purchase. Betje Black Klier relates the experiences of the Pavies through the adventures of their kinsman Thèodore, an enterprising eighteen-year-old who left provincial France to visit Louisiana and Texas in 1829 and 1830. Thèodore kept a journal and published his exploits in a volume entitled Souvenirs atlantiques. In the first of its two parts, Pavie in the Borderlands provides the story of the family's early experiences in North America; a biographical study of Thèodore; translations of some of his colorful letters from the borderlands; and an analysis of how his travels transformed him. The second part of the volume presents the first English translation of a substantial portion of Thèodore's journal, including reproductions of his sketches of Louisiana and Texas environs. Klier unveils the young scholar and artist as the most significant nineteenth-century travel writer to journey west of the Mississippi. By intertwining Louisiana and Texas history with French history, Pavie in the Borderlands provides important new insights on the region's environmental, social, economic, cultural, and intellectual history.




The French in Texas


Book Description

A surprising history of explorers, pirates, priests, artists, and more: “The best overall study of the French experience in Texas ever assembled.” —Jack Jackson, editor of Texas by Terán The flag of France is one of the six flags that have flown over Texas, but all that many people know about the French presence in Texas is the ill-fated explorer Cavelier de La Salle, fabled pirate Jean Lafitte, or Cajun music and food. Yet the French have made lasting contributions to Texas history and culture that deserve to be widely known and appreciated. In this book, François Lagarde and thirteen other experts present original articles that explore the French presence and influence on Texas history, arts, education, religion, and business from the arrival of La Salle in 1685 to the dawn of the twenty-first century. Each article covers an important figure or event in the France-Texas story. The historical articles thoroughly investigate early French colonists and explorers; the French pirates and privateers; the Bonapartists of Champ-d’Asile; the French at the Alamo; Dubois de Saligny and French recognition of the Republic of Texas; the nineteenth-century utopists of Icaria and Reunion; and the French Catholic missions. Other articles deal with French immigration in Texas, including the founding of Castroville; Cajuns in Texas; and the French economic presence in Texas today—the first such study ever published. The remaining articles look at painters Théodore and Marie Gentilz; sculptor Raoul Josset; French architecture in Texas; French travelers from Théodore Pavie to Simone de Beauvoir who have written on Texas; and the French heritage in Texas education. Includes more than seventy photos and illustrations




The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 42


Book Description

Confessing that he may be acting "with more boldness than wisdom," Jefferson in November 1803 drafts a bill to create Orleans Territory, which he entrusts to John Breckinridge for introduction in the Senate. The administration sends stock certificates to France in payment for Louisiana. Relieved that affairs in the Mediterranean have improved with the evaporation of a threat of war with Morocco, the president does not know yet that Tripoli has captured the frigate Philadelphia with its officers and crew. He deals with never-ending issues of appointment to office and quarreling in his own party, while hearing that some Federalists are "as Bitter as wormwood." He shares seeds of the Venus flytrap with Elizabeth Leathes Merry, the British minister's wife. She and her husband, however, create a diplomatic storm over seating arrangements at dinner parties. Having reached St. Louis, Meriwether Lewis reports on the progress of the western expedition. Congress passes the Twelfth Amendment, which will provide for the separate election of president and vice president. In detailed notes made after Aaron Burr calls on him in January, Jefferson records his long-standing distrust of the New Yorker. Less than a month later, a congressional caucus nominates Jefferson for a second term, with George Clinton to replace Burr as vice president. Jefferson makes his first trials of the "double penned writing box" called the polygraph.




Norris Nexus


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Jones Journeys


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Abstract of North Carolina Wills


Book Description

Published in 1910, this volume contains an abstract of North Carolina wills. Compiled from original and recorded wills in the office of The Secretary of State.