The Joshua D. Brown Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas joins the national organization in celebrating two of the fifteen Texas Honor Days in November.
On November 3, we celebrate the birthday of Stephen F. Austin, “The Father of Texas.”
Remembering his birthday provides a time to reflect on the life of our founder and the importance of his contributions to Texas history, and ultimately U.S. history.
Austin was born on November 3, 1793, in Virginia to Moses and Mary (Brown) Austin.
His family moved to the territory of Texas after the Panic of 1819, where his father was a colonization agent, obtaining a grant to settle three hundred families.
Moses Austin died in 1821, and his dying wish was that Austin complete the land venture.
Stephen obtained permission from Spanish authorities to carry out the colonization venture on a site between the San Antonio and Brazos Rivers for his colony, and began recruiting colonists.
That same year, Mexico declared its independence from Spain, and Austin made many perilous trips to Mexico City on behalf of the settlers.
He was finally able to obtain a new immigration contract to settle the 300 families, known in Texas history as “The Old Three Hundred.” This group constituted the first legal Anglo-American settlement in Texas.
As friction grew between the central government of Mexico and the Anglo settlers, Austin again traveled to Mexico City to request reforms, but he was arrested for treason in 1834 and jailed for almost two years, even though he had been among those who advocated a peaceful solution to the disagreements between the settlers and the Mexican government.
Upon his release and return to Texas in 1835, he joined the Texas Revolution, and served as Sam Houston’s first Secretary of State until his untimely death from pneumonia on December 27, 1836. He was only 43 years old.
We also celebrate D.R.T. Founders Day on November 6, commemorating the vision of 16 women who met in 1891, determined to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved and maintained the independence of Texas.
During their 134 year history, the Daughters have inspired Texas patriotism, encouraged and participated in the preservation of Texas history, promoted statewide celebrations of important dates in Texas history, and placed memorial markers at historic sites. Today the organization has more than 7,000 members in 94 chapters.
The DRT promotes the teaching of Texas history and awards scholarships. The organization honors both students and teachers through Art Contests, Essay Contests, Children’s Camps at museums, and K-12 Resources at the DRT Library in San Antonio.
Most notable among the preservation efforts of the DRT are The Alamo in San Antonio and The French Legation in Austin.
When the Alamo was destined for destruction in 1901, women of the organization raised awareness of the plight of the shrine, as well as the money to purchase the property. In 1905 the title was transferred to the State, and for 106 years, the DRT served as custodians of the Alamo, which today receives more visitors than any other museum in Texas.
The French Legation, the only foreign embassy ever built in the U.S. outside of Washington DC, was restored and opened as a museum by the DRT in 1956. The structure, which dates to 1841, is now operated under the auspices of the Texas Historical Commission, which took over operations in 2017.
The November meeting of the Joshua D. Brown Chapter of the DRT will be on Monday, November 24th, at 10:00AM at First United Methodist Church, 321 Thompson Drive in Kerrville. The speaker will be Kyna Stys, Director of Education and Museum Programs at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg. The topic will be “Texans in World War II.”
The program is free and the public is invited to attend. A “dutch treat” luncheon will follow the meeting at an area restaurant.
For more information about the DRT, please contact Registrar Sharon Acevedo at 214-773-3770, or email [email protected].
Betsy Drapela is the Publicity Chair for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
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