Be Sure to Visit my new 1900 Galveston Storm Website at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootseb.com/~barnette 

REMEMBER THE ANGEL OF GOLIAD

Remember Goliad. Remember the Alamo was one of the war cries that stirred the emotions and spurred Texians to win the War of Independence from Mexico. While both the Alamo and Goliad were dastardly events there was a heroic story told by several of the survivors of Goliad that deserves retelling.

At sunrise on Palm Sunday March 27, 1836 under orders from President and General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, over 400 unsuspecting prisoners of war at Goliad were marched away from the presidio and executed. The prisoners included, among others, men under Colonel James Fannin who surrendered by written agreement, the San Antonio Greys, the Mobile Greys, Captain John Shackelford's Red Rovers, Ira J. Westover's Regulars and the Georgia Battalion.

Of the several hundred men executed at Goliad forty eight were spared. They were physicians, orderlies, interpreters and mechanics. Many of the survivors credited their being saved from the execution to intervention of the Angel of Goliad who hid them or convinced Mexican officers not to execute them.

The Angel of Goliad has been identified through historical documents to be Maria Augustina de Pozo, the wife of Captain Telesforo Alavez, of Toluca, the paymaster in General Urrea's troops. She accompanied her husband at Compano Bay, Goliad, Victoria, Matamoros and Mexico City where he abandoned her. After her husband left her, she returned to Matamoros, penniless, where she was aided by Texians who knew of her humanitarian efforts. She later lived with her sons on the King Ranch and is reputedly buried there in an unmarked grave.

GENEALOGICAL CLASSES OFFERED

Houston Community College at 1681 Cartwright in Missouri City will feature Mic Barnette with a Surfing The Internet- For Genealogy class. The class will consist of a live tour of some of the best genealogical research websites on the Internet. The one time class will be held on Tuesday March 20 from 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. For more information and to enroll contact HCC at 281-835-5539.

One of the more popular reasons people study history or get involved with family history is due to an interest in military history. In fact, many lineage societies base their membership on ancestral military service. With this in mind, Mic Barnette will offer a class on researching military records. American Military Records for Historians and Genealogists will be held Tuesday March 20 from 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. at Leisure Learning's 2990 Richmond Avenue campus.

For more information and to register, contact Leisure Learning at 713-529-4414.

Paula Perkins Parke will teach a Genealogy on the Internet class at Grace Presbyterian Church, 10221 Ella Lee near the Sam Houston Tollway. The class will be held on Wednesday March 21 from 2 P.M. to 5 P.M.

To enroll or to learn more about this class, contact Michelle Schultz at the Grace Presbyterian Education office 713-267-5020.

The Cherokee Cultural Society will offer a unique course for Houston Cherokee Culture: History, Genealogy & Mythology will be offered by Cherokee Nation certified teachers Deborah Scott and Marjorie Lowe. The course will be held Saturday March 31 from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. Saturday March 31 at the Bellaire Parks and Recreation Center, 5125 Laurel in Bellaire. For more information and to register, contact B.J. Callihan, 713-771-2918 or trbjc@fondren.com.

NEWS FROM THE BOOKSHELF

Compiled by former Texas State Genealogical Society president Wanda Lamberth Donaldson and edited by Doris Galyean Cozart, the Texas State Genealogical Society has published Texas First Families: Lineages, Volume 1 (Applications 1 through 2400). It is available for $41, postpaid, from TSGS, 3219 Meadow Oaks Drive, Temple, TX 76502-1752.

Plans for the book began in 1995 when the TSGS under Donaldson's administration began offering Texas First Family certificates. To qualify for a First Family Certificate one had to document their family back to an ancestor or sibling of an ancestor who resided in Texas prior to February 19, 1846, the date Texas became a state within the United States.

Initially, applications for First Families of Texas were to be accepted until December 1996, the end of the 150th anniversary year of Texas statehood. However, due to the magnitude and success of the program, applications are still being accepted.

The Texas First Families book contains over 430 pages. As the title implies genealogical information from each application is listed chronologically from application 1 through application 2400. Subsequent applications will be published in future volumes. Included in each listing is the name and address of the applicant plus the names, dates and places of birth death and marriage for each ancestor back to the qualifying ancestor. Concluding the book is an alphabetical index with the name of the ancestor, the name of the applicant and the certificate number.