A Guide to the James Morgan Papers, 1833-1850

Biographical Note

James Morgan (1787-1866) was a Texas pioneer, merchant, land speculator and Commander at Galveston during the Texas Revolution (1835-1836). He first came to Texas in 1830. An empire builder and visionary, Morgan recognized the vast potential of Texas and cast his lot with speculators in New York City and Mexico City, who made it their business to wrest Texas from Mexico and annex it to the United States, while simultaneously hoping to realize large profits from the sale of land. In 1834, during the feverish era of speculation just prior to the Texas Revolution, Morgan organized an ambitious land venture called the New Washington Association. Other members of the venture included New Yorkers Samuel Swartwout, James Treat, James Watson Webb, Thomas E. Davis, John B. Austin, John S. Bartlett, Stephen Sicard, and Walter Mead, and from Mexico City, Lorenzo de Zavala.

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Scope and Content Note

The collection is comprised of twenty-eight documents and letters. All but two of the documents were written before 1841. Most of the documents are related to Morgan and the establishment of the New Washington Association. Many of the documents bear Morgan’s own notes and docketing; some of them are his drafts or retaining copies.

This unpublished archive contains manuscripts on the Texas Revolution, including signed proclamations issued by President David G. Burnet following the Battle of San Jacinto. Included in this collection are manuscripts relating to Santa Ana’s incarceration in Texas as a prisoner of war. Republic Era manuscripts in include two letters written by Sam Houston to Colonel James Morgan.

The collection is organized into three series: New Washington Association; Other Business Dealings' and Texas Revolution. New Washington Association includes all documents related to the organization and devleopment of the association. Other Business Dealings is comprised of Morgan's other business dealings - incluing hist personal relationship with Sam Houston. Texas Revolution includes historical documents related to the Texas Revolution.

Selected material in this collection has been digitized and is available in our digital collections.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please use the Collections Request Form.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], James Morgan Papers, MS 278, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections

Acquisition Information

The collection was purchased at auction from Dorothy Sloan-Rare Books, Inc., in April 1997. According to its description at auction, the collection has been in private hands since the nineteenth century. A former owner of the manuscripts, J. C. Terrell, Jr., of the Fort Worth area, passed the collections to his heirs, where it remained until it was offered for sale. Terrell is a descendent of Capt. J. C. Terrell, lawyer, business-man, Civil War officer, and author of Reminiscences of the Early Days of Fort Worth (1906).

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Dennis Medina, Special Collections Librarian and Jose Faz, student intern.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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