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“The Battle of Bandera Pass and the Making of Lone Star Legend”

Conflict in the Confederacy: William Williston Heartsill’s diary

By Josh Urich

William Williston Heartsill volunteered to fight for the South before the Civil War even began. For the first two years of his service, he and his comrades from Harrison County, Texas served as a cavalryman on Texas’s western frontier. His unit, the W.P. Lane Rangers, finally saw combat at the Battle of Arkansas Post on January 11, 1863. They were captured on the second day of combat. Heartsill spent several months in Camp Douglas in Illinois and then was exchanged for Union prisoners.

Print of the bombardment and capture of Fort Hindman, Arkansas Post, January 11th 1863. Via Wikipedia. — Bombardment and capture of Fort Hindman, Arkansas Post, January 11th 1863. Via Wikipedia.

Upon their release, the Lane Rangers were separated and Heartsill was mustered into General Braxton Bragg’s infantry. Heartsill resented serving as a conscripted infantryman and longed to rejoin the rest of his volunteer unit on horseback. After the battle Chickamauga, and mere days before the battle of Chattanooga, Heartsill and one of his fellow Rangers abandoned Bragg’s army and headed back to Texas to rejoin the W.P. Lane Rangers. They succeeded after a month of dangerous travel.

Print of the Battle of Chickamauga. Via Wikipedia. — Battle of Chickamauga. Via Wikipedia.

The Lane Rangers saw little combat before they were dissolved in mid-1865. Five years after the war concluded, Heartsill printed one thousand copies of his wartime diary––although not before editing it to defend his desertion and his company’s honor. Shortly after his diary was published, he was elected mayor of Marshall, Texas, Harrison’s county seat. In the ensuing decades, Heartsill was active in the leadership of the Marshall camp of the United Confederate Veterans and was involved in both regional politics and business.

The section of the diary below is taken from the June 1, 1864 entry of Heartsill’s diary. At this point in the war, Heartsill had already abandoned Bragg’s army and rejoined the Rangers in the same place they started, Harrison County, Texas. After a number of weeks back in Harrison, Heartsill and the men began to hear “denouncements” against them. There were several reasons the townspeople turned against the Rangers. During their service, they had lost about ten percent of their company. By contrast, other units from Harrison County lost an average of fifty percent each. Many people in the county lost children or siblings from these other units. It was natural for townspeople who had lost loved ones to feel resentful towards the Rangers, considering their high survival rate. The Rangers were also an independent company and their limited combat experience, especially compared to the county’s other units, would have reflected poorly on their honor, an important southern value.

Entry from Heartsill's diary dated June 1, 1864. — Entry from Heartsill’s diary dated June 1, 1864.

Finally, the townspeople provided both emotional and material support to the Texan units. The townspeople must have wondered why the W.P. Lane Rangers accepted all of the town’s support but were not out on the frontlines. For the woman mentioned in this entry in particular, though, the root of her frustration was clearly the death of her relative. How must she have felt, seeing the Rangers still in Marshall––the Rangers who rarely saw combat, and who never, even at Arkansas Post, experienced casualty rates as high as most companies?

This document points to the internal conflicts that ate at the Confederacy from the local level up. Not only was Heartsill himself a deserter (at least briefly), but so also was this woman’s husband––if Heartsill is to be believed. Moreover, the financial burdens that companies placed upon towns put stress on loyalty to the southern cause.

Portrait of Heartsill included on the first page of diary. Via Library of Congress.

William Williston Heartsill’s papers are held at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

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Latinas and Latinos: A Growing Presence in the Texas State Historical Association

By Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco

Historians, both veterans and newcomers, recently gathered at the 2015 Texas State Historical Association conference in Corpus Christi. UT Austin, past and present, was well represented. Veteran Tejano historians Roberto Villarreal, Andres Tijerina, and Emilio Zamora attended, all of whom were part of the 1973 UT Austin MA Program in History, the first significant cadre of Tejano graduate students, following Carlos Castaneda and Jovita Gonzalez from decades before.

Dr. Benjamin Johnson; Dr. Monica Munoz Martinez; Dr. John Moran Gonzales; Dr. Trinidad Gonzales; and Dr. Sonia Hernandez

Historical presentations

At breakfast, Villarreal spoke of obstacles various historians placed before him to prevent his success. Today, Dr. Tijerina and Dr. Zamora are co-editing the forthcoming Tejano Handbook of Texas. Dr. Arnoldo De Leon, previous advisor to the Tejano entries of the Handbook’s 1996 edition, was also present as was Jesus F. de la Teja (UT PhD, 1988) who talked about his past role as a Texas State Historian. Dr. Carlos Blanton celebrated the recent publication of his book on UT’s Dr. George I. Sanchez, and Dr. Gabriela Gonzalez celebrated the publication of her essay on Jovita Idar in Texas Women: Their Histories, Their Lives.

Most encouraging was that for the first time a significant number of Latinas employed in history departments in Texas and elsewhere presented or attended. Present was Dr. Maritza de la Trinidad (UT Pan American); Dr. Laura Munoz (Texas A & M Corpus Christi); Dr. Gabriela Gonzalez (UTSA); Dr. Monica Munoz Martinez (Brown University); Dr. Sonia Hernandez (Texas A & M College Station); Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco (ENMU Ruidoso); and Dr. Caroline Castillo Crimm (retired, Sam Houston State University, UT PhD, 1994). English professor, Dr. Patricia Portales and doctoral candidate, Cecilia Venerable (UTEP) also presented.

Dr. Patricia Portales; PhD candidate Cecilia Venerable; Attorney Sharyll Teneyuca; Dr. Laura Munoz; Dr. Gabriela Gonzalez; Dr. Maritza de la Trinidad; Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco; Dr. Sonia Hernandez; and Dr. Carmen Tafolla

Other Tejanas conducting historical research also attended. Writer Dr. Carmen Tafolla and lawyer Sharyll Teneyuca spoke about labor activist and intellectual Emma Tenayuca. Archaeologist Dr. Mary Jo Galindo spoke about her grandmother, Mexicanist activist of San Antonio and Lytle, Texas, Maria L. Hernandez.

Several sessions were outstanding, including Grassroots Tejano History in Austin, San Antonio, and Laredo; Border Violence, 1915-1919; Tejana leaders; Dr. Hector P. Garcia; and Corpus Christi archives.

Grassroots Public and Community History

Latinas involved in Public History — historical preservation, public programming, and archival collections — were there too. These included Dr. Nancy Vera (Corpus Christi); Graciela Sanchez (San Antonio); Gloria Espitia (Austin); and Margarita Araiza (Laredo). All are key to grassroots Latino historical preservation, public programming, research, and archival preservation in their respective cities.

Tejano Grassroots History: Margarita Azaia; Gloria Espitia; and Graciela Sanchez

The Hispanic Heritage Center of Texas, a grass-roots institution, organized a session on South Texas’ role in Tejano-Mexicano culture. Founded in 2008, it focuses on the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

Efforts by Laredo, Austin, and San Antonio community activists to preserve and promote Tejano and Tejana history were addressed. Margarita Araiza of the Webb County Heritage Foundation noted that historical fallacies are still being promulgated: Texas Monthly reported that Stephen F. Austin was the father of Texas and that the US cattle ranching industry was born in the 19th century, facts negating Spanish and Mexican presence.

The Webb County Heritage Foundation in Laredo works to preserve historic architecture and maintains the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum and the Republic of the Rio Grande Museum. It also sponsors a young archivist program along with a Cine de la Epoca de Oro (Mexican Golden Age movies), tours, and has succeeded in getting Laredo local history into the common core at public schools. Its publications include a Laredo Legacies booklet, a Haunted Heritage book, and pamphlets on Leonor Magnon de Villegas and Jovita Idar. The foundation presented its ten minute professional video on Magnon de Villegas.

Gloria Espitia, previously of the Austin History Center, reported that ordinary folks do not consider their materials “historical.” She spoke about exhibits she coordinated: Diez y seis; an Elderly Oral History Project (assisted by Professor Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez of UT); Quinceneras; Mexican American Firsts Trailblazers; Austin Brown Berets; and Latina Musicians. She also spearheaded an oral history project with Martin Middle school to document the thirty year effort to create the Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin.

Graciela Sanchez, of San Antonio’s Westside Preservation Alliance, spoke on efforts to save the La Gloria building and the KCOR Spanish-language radio station building, both unsuccessful efforts. The organization has published pamphlets about Mexican-descent women singers and has reproduced historic photos for outdoor public display.

Dr. Nancy Vera reported on her singular efforts to produce a Corpus Christi Mexican American virtual museum online. Interviews she conducted with local historical figures can be found there too.

Mexican Border Violence, 1910-1919

One of the most important sessions focused on a public history project by historians in collaboration with the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. In commemoration of the 1915-2015 anniversary of racial violence in South Texas by the Texas Rangers and others, a group of historians are working on a project to give attention to murders suffered by Mexican descent people. Dr. Monica Martinez informed the audience of their website “Refusing to Forget” which includes a map of Texas’ racial violence against Mexicans.

Dr. Trinidad Gonzales said his great grandfather was killed in the matanza. He discovered a report of his death in a 1929 edition of El Defensor, a Spanish language Edinburg newspaper published by Santiago Guzman.

The panel reported on attempts to obtain historical markers commemorating the conflict. County control has censored some Tejano markers. Edwards County denied a marker about Antonio Rodriguez’ lynching in Rocksprings in 1910. Likewise, the Presidio Historical Commission denied one about the Porvenir Massacre of 1918. County historical societies have had decision-making power and conservative European Americans would like to prevent historical discussion. In contrast, Cameron county approved the “Matanza, 1915” marker but changed it title to “Victims of an Undeclared War, 1915.” And markers approving Jovita Idar and the Primer Congresso of Laredo, the first major Mexicanist civil rights congress, were approved by Webb county.

They also informed the audience of the Texas Historical Commission’s Untold marker program which the state pays for and is not vetted by local county commissions

Twentieth Century Tejana Leaders

Another historical session focused on twentieth-century Tejana leaders. Carmen Tafolla and Sharyll Teneyuca reported on labor activist Emma Tenayuca. Intrigued by politics by age 15, she became active early. While her work with the pecan sheller strike of 1938 is well known, fewer know of her work as a teacher. She obtained her teaching certificate in 1952 and taught at Catholic schools and Harlendale in San Antonio. In 1974 she obtained a masters at Our Lady of the Lake but retired in 1982.

Mary Jo Galindo noted that her grandmother Maria L. Hernandez worked in conjunction with her husband all her life. In the mid-1920s she had a midwifery certificate and in 1936 helped form the Asociacion Protectora de Madres and the Clinica de la Beneficiencia Mexicana. In 1939 she was a goodwill ambassador to Mexico and, as a result, the Mexican government gave the clinic an x-ray machine. In the 70s she attended Raza Unida Mujeres events with her husband though men were not permitted.

Cynthia Orozco talked about Adela Sloss Vento, a LULAC ally (League of United Latin American Citizens) and one of the most significant Mexican American civil rights leaders and public intellectuals in the 20^th century. Based on Sloss Vento’s archives, Orozco and Dr. Arnoldo Carlos Vento are completing a book manuscript on her work from the 1920s through the 1980s. Sloss Vento wrote to US and Mexican presidents, Congressmen, and state legislators to seek racial desegregation and improved lives for immigrant workers.

Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco (UT BA, 1980) chairs the History, Humanities, and Social Sciences Department at Eastern New Mexico University, Ruidoso. She is the author of No Mexicans, Women or Dogs Allowed: The Rise of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (University of Texas Press, 2009) and a TSHA Fellow.

All photos courtesy of the author.

Carrie Marcus Neiman: A Pioneer in Ready to Wear

By Lynn Mally

Neiman Marcus building from a postcard circa 1920

The Neiman Marcus store, which opened in Dallas Texas in 1907, was founded on a revolutionary idea—that ready-to-wear clothing for women could be as well made as couture garments. At the start of the twentieth century, women who had the means to do so bought custom made clothing. The three founders—Herbert Marcus, Albert Neiman, and Carrie Marcus Neiman (wife of Albert, sister of Herbert) sought to change those patterns of consumption.

It was Carrie and her colleague Moira Cullen who did the most to make the Neiman Marcus experiment a success. They were the buyers for the store; when they didn’t find merchandise that met their high standards, they had it made. As Stanley Marcus wrote in his memoir, Minding the Store, “They were creators of a style, a Neiman-Marcus style, which they accomplished by fabric substitution, ‘always for the better’; by the replacement of garish buttons, pins, and belt buckles with simpler ornamentation; by insisting on handsewn linings, deeper hems, and subtle colors.”(62)

Carrie Marcus Neiman, from Stanley Marcus Minding the Store

At work Carrie Neiman wore a kind of uniform, a black outfit with pearls and two gold bracelets on one wrist. You can see the basics here in this 1948 photo, taken when she was around sixty-five. Her clothes outside of work must have sometimes been more colorful. After she died her family donated 200 items from her closet, which became the basis of the some 200 became the basis for the Texas Fashion Collection at the University of North Texas. You can browse the collection on line. It has many a dark dress, but also a burnt orange Chanel suit and a metallic green dress and coat combination by Bonnie Cashin. How fitting that she bought not only from Parisian designers, but also from Americans known for their outstanding ready to wear clothes. She had paved the way for them.

Original post on American Age Fashion.

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Western State Pen Questionnaire

Reforming Prisons in Early Twentieth-century Texas

By Nakia Parker

Elizabeth L. Ring was a prominent public servant and social reformer in early twentieth-century Texas. During her marriage to Henry Franklin Ring, an attorney, Elizabeth became involved in campaigning for state funding for libraries, advocating for more educational and political opportunities for women, and spearheading efforts to enact laws that protected the rights of working women and children (such as minimum wage legislation). Yet, Ring left her most indelible mark on the prison reform movement in her home state. She tirelessly worked to better conditions in Texas prisons during the Progressive Era, and the Texas Committee on Prisons and Prison Labor formed under her watch. A document found among her papers at the Briscoe Center for American History shows us something about how a progressive activists thought about prison reform at that time. This is a questionnaire from the Psychology Department of Western State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania for the wives of incoming prisoners that was related to her research on prison conditions.

The questionnaire probes every crevice of a prisoner’s marital and familial relationships, posing questions on the state of the marriage before the husband’s incarceration, his work, personal and religious habits, his family history (including reputation in the community and the past criminal acts of siblings), as well as determining the extent of the wife’s personal knowledge of her husband’s crime. Even the wife’s activities are put under a microscopic lens, as evidenced by the questions “How are the children supported now? If you support them, how do you do it?” Indeed, to call the application intrusive seems a gross understatement. Yet, by examining the document in the context of American prison reform in the Progressive Era, the purpose of the questioning can be understood. In particular, prisons in the northern part of the United States, such as Western Penitentiary, experimented with programs that focused on the “reforming” of criminals through the use of individualized educational, medical, and psychiatric treatment. Thus, it appears that the prison psychology department utilized this invasive line of questioning in an attempt to explain motivations or reasons behind criminal behavior by conducting a thorough investigation of the prisoner’s background.

Prisoners assemble for the visit of Governor Colquitt, July 4, 1911. — Prisoners assemble for the visit of Governor Colquitt at Huntsville Prison, July 4, 1911.

It is harder to ascertain how Elizabeth Ring used this particular questionnaire for her research. Was there something unique about the treatment programs of this prison that led Ring to believe this form could prove useful in pushing for penal reform in Texas? In addition, the reader has no way of knowing whether this paper served as the standard application for the wives of the incarcerated. Were there separate questionnaires for whites and non-whites? Or for native-born individuals and immigrants? More research would be necessary to answer these questions, but anyone interested in the Progressive Era, reform movements, prison history, or women’s history would doubtless find this an intriguing source.

View of the yard at the Texas State Prison in Huntsville, 1949

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All images courtesy of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s exhibit ‘Fear, Force, and Leather: The Texas Prison’s System’s First Hundred Years, 1848-1948’

The First Texans: An Exhibit in Jester Hall

By Nakia Parker

Tucked away in a corner on the second floor of Jester Residence Hall at UT Austin stands a thought provoking exhibit that pays tribute to Native Americans, the “First Texans.” Many times I have hurriedly passed by this area and only given it a casual look. In fact, the day I went to visit the exhibit,, students were standing directly across from it, laughing, doing dance routines, and hanging out with friends. No one even glanced in the corner. However, I strongly encourage taking the time to explore this well-constructed and respectful gallery honoring the first inhabitants of Texas.

Clovis point (replica) from Domebo mammoth kill site in Oklahoma.

Artist Rendition of Leander Indian Woman

The idea for the exhibit was hatched by Floyd Hoelting, Executive Director of the Division of Housing and Food Service. With the help of his staff members, student leaders, the Institute of Texan Cultures, and other experts in the field of archaeology, sociology, and anthropology, the commemoration became a reality. In six panels, the gallery traces the history of Native Americans in the region, commencing around 13,000 BCE, to the arrival of the Spanish in the early 16th century. But the displays do much more than simply chronicle the experiences of indigenous people who lived thousands of years ago. It also seeks to dispel common stereotypes surrounding these cultures and to demonstrate that Texas history does not begin and end with the Alamo. For example, the second plaque discusses the populating of the Texas region by the Clovis peoples. Archeologists and anthropologists had previously described the Clovis as a nomadic band of hunters, but they were actually were a sedentary people who participated in farming and created complex architectural structures to protect themselves from the elements. In addition, artifacts such as bowls, hunting instruments, and drinking utensils aid the visitor in reconstructing what life was like for indigenous people in centuries past. Visitors should also make sure to pay attention to what is under them as well as around them, because complementing the panels and artifacts nicely is the beautiful design found on the floor of the exhibit, which features a map of Native American archeological sites located in every section of the state.

Clovis Artifacts from Gault Site, Central TX.

The First Texans exhibit is a part of Jester Hall’s Gallery of Texas Cultures that showcases over thirty different ethnic groups of the state, highlighting the specific role each played in molding and influencing the politics, education, and culture of Texas. According to its website, “as a visual resource, the gallery is intended to increase the knowledge of the history and contributions of ethnic groups among students, faculty, staff and visitors while as a physical resource, the gallery is intended to provide the venue to inspire conversation, learning and a greater understanding of others.” Visitors who take the time to see The First Texans display will surely agree that it achieves its intended purpose.

Wall Paintings at Seminole Canyon State Park — Wall Paintings estimated to be 4,000 years old at Seminole Canyon State Park

You can see some of the exhibit at The Gallery of Texas Cultures website.

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Images courtesy of Nakia Parker

A Father’s Love: Francois LaBorde’s Letters

By Lizeth Elizondo

The French entrepreneur Francois LaBorde was born April 16, 1867 in Arudy, France. He arrived at Rio Grande City, Texas by steamboat up the Rio Grande in 1878. Soon after settling there, he met Eva Marks, the daughter of a French immigrant father and a mother who was born in Mexico but raised in Texas. The French connection must have been part of their initial attraction. They married on March 2, 1896 and their first daughter, Blanche, was born a year later. Francois fostered his love for French architecture in the LaBorde House, the opulent hotel he built and filled with exquisite European fixtures. His hotel still operates, and is one of the most elegant hotels in south Texas.

In the course of my research on the LaBorde House, I came across a hidden gem. Deep within the Chapa Family papers housed at The University of Texas at San Antonio, one box filled with an assortment of archival items, including legal documents, personal correspondence and photographs offer a glimpse into the LaBorde family. Among these items are four handwritten letters, exchanged between François LaBorde and his daughter Blanche. These letters reveal intimate details about their lavish lives and the unconditional love they had for each other.

Francois LaBorde died at the age of 50, of a possible suicide. Blanche was only twenty years old when tragedy struck their family, but she was fortunate to know how much her father loved her. These letters are a portal into their close father-daughter relationship as well as many social customs of the period. They reveal a warm-hearted man who is only remembered in history as the visionary of a grandiose hotel. Here’s a quick peek at the LaBordes’ exceptional life.

From: 118 W. Cypress St.

To: Miss Blanche LaBorde

Rio Grande City, Starr County Texas

July 10, 1912

My Dearest Blanche,

I received your postcard and I am glad that you all are doing well and in good health. I am still waiting for that letter you said you will send me. Greetings to your mom and little sister.

Dad who loves you, F.L.*

The letters were written in Spanish and are my own translation. All of the letters and images are from: Francisco A. Chapa Family Papers, MS 405, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Fifteen-year-old Blanche, the oldest daughter of Francois LaBorde received this post card from her father with a scribble on the front image that reads “Be Happy.” The letters were written in perfect Spanish by her dashing father, a French merchant who had immigrated to Rio Grande City, Starr County Texas, around thirty years earlier. The LaBordes were an atypical family in South Texas thanks to their wealth and social status, but were, like many other families, representative of the region’s common intermarriage and multiculturalism.

Young Eva Marks, no date, Corpus Christi, TX

LaBorde had a keen eye for business and he quickly integrated himself to the community. Around 1890, he opened a general merchandise store in Rio Grande City and also maintained a strong economic connection to his homeland. He knew the popularity of leather gloves in the European market and made a successful business of shipping primary materials (tanned goods) to French glove makers. His family also had a strong connection with San Antonio. In fact, his wife and their five children spent most of their time at 118 W. Cypress St., their San Antonio home, while LaBorde lived in a palatial Parisian style home he built for the family in 1899 in Starr County. LaBorde’s businesses kept him busy in Rio Grande City, but the family traveled back and forth between the two homes.

Young Blanche in her school uniform, n.d., n.p.

Blanche attended the College and Academy of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio run by the Sisters of Charity. “No pains are spared by the Sisters to mold the character of the young ladies,” explained the college’s handbook. Blanche and her classmates were instilled with “the great guiding principles of honor, rectitude, and piety.” In 1914, Blanche graduated, and from what the letters reveal, she moved to the family home in Rio Grande City soon after.

Blanche LaBorde, first one on left, middle row.

In December 1914, eighteen-year old Blanche was staying in their Rio Grande City home, while her father was in San Antonio. The letters exchanged between the two, reveal health problems as the likely reason why he was staying with his wife and other children away from Rio Grande City. His anguish over his business matters comes through as he makes requests to Blanche to deal with some urgent business. As usual, Francois wrote his letters entirely in Spanish.

From: F. LaBorde 118 W. Cypress St. San Antonio TX

To: Miss Blanche LaBorde, Rio Grande Starr County, TX

San Antonio, Dec. 10, 1914

My Dearest Daughter,

We have received all of your nice letters, and just now the last one, where you complain that I have not replied? But I am doing it now, letting you know that I am glad that you are doing well, but it upsets me to read that you are losing weight so fast, you tell me you weigh less and that is not right. Take care of yourself, so that upon your return, you are just as healthy as when you left.

I hope you have a nice, fun time there, and that when it is no longer convenient for you to be there, you come up. Tonight I will write you a long letter. You know that I have your Christmas present ready, and as soon as you arrive I will give it to you.

Would you do me a favor and tell Tina that I am doing well, that I no longer have health issues. Your father, who loves you, wishes you stay healthy.

LaBorde

P.S. I am sleeping really comfortable during my nap (siesta) there is no more telephone noise to bother me. L.

Another letter however, also includes her mother’s script, which reveals that as a Texan, she was much more comfortable communicating in a mix of both English and Spanish.

From: F. LaBorde 118 W. Cypress St. San Antonio TX

To; Miss Blanche LaBorde, Rio Grande Starr County, TX

San Antonio, Dec 16, 1914

Miss Blanche LaBorde,

Rio Grande Texas

[Scribbled in Spanglish on top margin]:

The baby went by to see the portraits of Chiffonier and said aunty is sure pretty here, her feelings are hurt because Caterina told her last night that her aunty had said that she didn’t love her. She did not come outside all day, poor baby. Last night we went to see the window displays. It is really cold, but we are all wrapped up, greetings to everyone. Mamma

My dearest daughter,

I received your sweet letter of last Friday and we were so glad to read that you are doing well healthwise and that you had fun at the last Saturday’s dance. Let me know how soon you will come back, since you can come back as soon as you wish.

Please find out how much I have to pay for the county taxes and when I have to pay them. Also, ask Mr. Monroe when Don Jose M. Longoria will pay me what he owes me.

Without further ado, lots of greetings to all of you, and “good luck,”

Your father who loves you,

LaBorde

[Scribbled postscript by Eva in Spanish:]:

And I did not write because I do not have enough room, but it is already 9, and I am just having breakfast, the boys are off to school, your dad is getting up and I think the express is coming. Kisses to everyone.

Things changed for the LaBorde family after Blanche’s graduation. Although there is a one-year gap in correspondence, it can be assumed that sometime in that year (or perhaps earlier) Blanche met her dashing soul mate. On Friday, July 2, 1915, nineteen-year-old Blanche eloped with Frank Chapa, a descendant of the Canary Islanders who settled San Antonio, where he was born and raised. They informed her parents via telegram and the news baffled them. The telegram written in broken English reads,

Blanche LaBorde

In care of Frank Chapa,

Your telegram received very sorry the way you do it. Mother and Father suffering from the shock but god help you be happy. Your loving mother and father.

LaBorde

It is likely that Eva wrote the telegram, since Francois typically communicated in Spanish. Or perhaps out of anger and shock, he managed to piece together this succinct message in English. The frustration over this rash decision could not have lasted long, since the LaBorde’s officially announced their daughter’s marriage soon after.

Blanche LaBorde Chapa & Col. Frank Chapa, n.d., n.p.

It is important to note that in this official wedding announcement, Francois refers to himself as Frank. He was a man who adapted his name to every occasion. In the 1910 census of Starr County, he is listed as Francisco, his business cards had the name Francois, his daughter’s wedding announcement, Frank, and people in the community of Rio Grande City knew him as “Don Pancho” (the typical Spanish nickname for Francisco). His social and business ties forced him to interact with the Spanish, English, and French speaking worlds so often, that he was comfortable transforming his personality as he saw fit. He wrote his letters to Blanche in Spanish but all of his children spoke French. In fact, Rio Grande City neighbors remembered hearing the family speak French often. In a 1982 interview, LaBorde’s youngest daughter Ernestine (only 7 years old when her father died), said she remembered her father as “a warm vital man of good spirits with a stylish mustache, a bon vivant who enjoyed luxury and travel. I always addressed him in French, the minute he walked in the house, I would say: ‘Je vous aime beaucoup’ and he loved it.” LaBorde was most comfortable communicating in either French or Spanish, his son-in-law, Frank Chapa, recalled that he spoke little English.

A letter written a year after their elopement reveals that whatever pain was caused by Blanche and Frank’s sudden marriage became a thing of the past for the family.

From: F. LaBorde Rio Grande Texas To: Mrs. F. L. Chapa 315 Pecos St San Antonio Texas Sep 21, 1916

My Dearest Daughter Blanche,

I have received your lovely letters, one with the date of the 17^th and the other last Sunday and I thank you for your affection, and I am glad that you are all in good health.

The business matters that brought me down here seem to be ok, but I will soon find out.

I am working on drafting plans and budgets for the hotel. Constantino was here studying them, but we have to see the architect for certifications. There is great possibility that it will be approved.

Take good care of your mother, give my best regards to her and your little siblings and Frank and all of the Chapa family in general.

Your dad who loves you, F. LaBorde

The hotel that Francois is referring to in this letter is actually the additions made to his family’s home to create the LaBorde House. He transformed the palatial home of the LaBorde family into an exquisite hotel that still stands today. The celebration of his accomplishment was unfortunately short lived. A few months after the official opening of the hotel, on the morning of August 11, 1917, Francois was found dead. The official death certificate reveals the cause of death was a gunshot wound in the head. It is still a mystery to this day, weather it was an accident, a business feud gone horribly wrong, or a suicide.

What is a fact is that these letters reveal the immense love LaBorde had for his daughter. One can only imagine the void left in Blanche’s life when her father died and the incredible loss and heartache over the sudden end to their correspondence.

Just as Francois was a visionary in his business endeavors, Blanche also proved to have had a keen eye for choosing a husband. They were married for 45 years and had two girls, Marie Ernestine and Beatrice. In 1960, Blanche died of pneumonia but Frank lived to be 90 years old, until his death in 1985. The name Blanche lived on in the LaBorde family. Blanche’s younger brother Leonard, named his daughter after her in 1927. The memory of Francois LaBorde also lives on in Rio Grande City. His majestic French-style hotel still draws visitors to the area thanks to his exquisite taste and French heritage, which reminds tourists and locals alike of the conglomeration of cultures that met along the Rio Grande.

*The letters were written in Spanish and are Lizeth Elizondo’s translation. All of the letters and images are from: Francisco A. Chapa Family Papers, MS 405, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

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