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![]() A Guide to the Samuel Augustus Maverick Family Papers, 1836-1909
Biographical NoteSamuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870) was born in Pendleton, South Carolina, and spent most of his early years there. After obtaining a degree from Yale University, he worked with his father and studied law, opening a law office in Pendleton in 1829. The availability of land led Maverick to Texas in 1835, where he soon became involved in the events of the Texas Revolution. Participating in the siege and battle of Bexar in 1835 December, he then remained with the garrison in the Alamo. Maverick left the besieged fort in 1836 March to attend the convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos, where he signed the just-adopted Declaration of Independence. Traveling to Alabama after the convention, he married Mary Ann Adams (1818-1898) in 1836 August. Maverick returned to Texas with his family in 1838 and settled in San Antonio, establishing himself as a businessman involved in real estate and ranching. He was active in public life, serving as mayor of San Antonio, a representative in the Congress of the Republic of Texas and the state legislature, and chief justice of Bexar County. One of several prominent citizens taken prisoner by the Mexican Army following its incursion under General Adrian Woll in 1842, Maverick was marched to Perote Prison near Mexico City, where he was held until 1843 March. Following his release, the Maverick family lived for a few years on Matagorda Bay before returning to San Antonio. Maverick continually added to his land holdings over his lifetime, eventually amassing over 300,000 acres, primarily in West Texas. Though an anti-secessionist, he supported the Confederate government during the Civil War. Samuel Augustus and Mary Ann Adams Maverick were the parents of ten children: Samuel (1837-1936), Lewis Antonio (1839-1866), Agatha (1841-1848), Augusta (1843-1849), George Madison (1845-1913), William Harvey (1847-1923), John Hays (1850-1850), Mary Brown (1851-1891), Albert (1854-1947), and Elizabeth (1857-1859). Son William Maverick was also involved in business in San Antonio, particularly the management of the family land holdings. References Marks, Paula Mitchell. "Mary Ann Adams Maverick." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fma82. Marks, Paula Mitchell. "Samuel Augustus Maverick." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fma84. Marks, Paula Mitchell. Turn Your Eyes Toward Texas: Pioneers Sam and Mary Maverick. Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University, no. 30. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1989. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Content NoteThe collection contains printed material, correspondence, financial records, and land records that document some of the significant events in the lives of Samuel Augustus Maverick and his family. Items include a printed broadside of the Texas Declaration of Independence, annotated by Maverick to include his and other names not included in the printed version; a letter from United States envoy Waddy Thompson written during Maverick’s imprisonment in Mexico in 1843; a pass issued to Maverick upon his release from prison, upon which he copied maps showing the route from Mexico City to Veracruz; certificates of election to city and county offices; and a certificate signed by participants in the Texas Revolution, attesting to Maverick’s service. Three bound volumes are also part of the papers: a volume containing notes on land transactions, dating to Maverick’s early residence in Texas; an account book containing miscellaneous financial information related to William H. Maverick; and a letterpress book of William H. Maverick’s outgoing correspondence during a family trip to Europe in the 1890s. The latter item includes correspondence with business associates and family members, particularly Maverick’s younger brother Albert. A few letters in the volume date from the death of William Maverick’s estranged wife in 1909. Loose papers from the bound volumes have been removed and housed separately. Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsAccess RestrictionsNo restrictions. The collection is open for research. Usage RestrictionsPlease be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel. Return to the Table of Contents
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Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationPreferred Citation[Identification of item], Samuel Augustus Maverick Family Papers, 1836-1909, Col 12545, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas. Acquisition InformationGift of Laura Maverick Meadows Partain, 2004 July. Processing InformationProcessed by Warren Stricker, 2005 April. Finding aid edited and encoded by Tom D'Amore, 2011 September. Return to the Table of Contents Detailed Description of the Collection
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