The Robertsons, the Sutherlands, and the Making of Texas

239 Pages·2006·6.294 MB·English

by  Anne H. Sutherland

the robertsons, the sutherlands,
and the making of texas
number twenty-five:
Elma Dill Russell Spencer
Series in the West and Southwest
Andrés Tijerina, General Editor
Advisory Board:
Alwyn Barr
James Crisp
Rebecca Sharpless
Eric Van Young
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the Robertsons,

the Sutherlands,

and the
making texas
of
A H S
by nne . utherland
texas a m university press
&
College Station
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Copyright © 2006 by Anne H. Sutherland
Manufactured in the United States of America
All rights reserved
First edition
The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of the
American National Standard for Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, z39.48-1984.
Binding materials have been chosen for durability.
(cid:2)(cid:2)
The publisher gratefully acknowledges support from the
Milam Country Historical Commission and other individuals and
organizations who helped make this book possible.
Illustrations from Texas History Movies © Texas State Historical Association.
Used by permission.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sutherland, Anne.
The Robertsons, the Sutherlands, and the making of Texas /
by Anne H. Sutherland.—1st ed.
p. cm. — (Elma Dill Russell Spencer series in the West and Southwest ; no. 25)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-13: 978-1-58544-520-2 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn-10: 1-58544-520-7 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Scots-Irish—Texas—History. 2. Scots-Irish—Texas—Biography.
3. Texas—History. 4. Texas—Biography. 5. Sutherland, Anne—Family.
6. Robertson family. 7. Sutherland family. i. Title. ii. Series.
f395.s4s87 2006
976.4—dc22
2006005037
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To the Memory of
Thomas Shelton Sutherland (1911–1991)
and
Lois Hartley Sutherland (1911–2005)
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C
ontents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface: A Family Tale xi
Acknowledgments xv
chapters
1 Discovering My Texas Identity 3
2 Writing as a Tradition 10
3 The Robertson Papers 17
4 Learning Texas History 21
5 Sterling Clack Robertson, Empresario 37
6 The Alabama Settlement 56
7 The Prayer on the Sabine 67
8 Making a Living 73
9 The Comanche, Karankawa, Lipan Apache, and Tonkawa 82
10 Political Rumblings in the Alabama Settlement 88
11 The Alabama Settlement at War 94
12 The Texas Revolution as Myth and Identity Ritual 105
13 Aftermath of the War: Tragedy and Humor 111
14 Getting Rid of Wildness 116
15 The Wild Woman of the Navidad 122
16 The Civilizing Elites: Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson 127
17 The End of Slavery 140
18 Remember Who You Are 148
19 The Macaroni Road Comes to Edna 155
20 The Migration to Uvalde 161
21 Getting an Education 172
22 Family Reunions 184
Notes 191 Bibliography 203 Index 211
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I
llustrations
Strips from Texas History Movies 26
Map of the Robertson, Austin, and DeWitt colonies 39
Genealogy of the Menefee and Sutherland marriages 59
Map of the fi rst and second migrations of the Alabama Settlement 62
Mary Elizabeth Robertson and Thomas Shelton Sutherland II 181
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