PAPERS 01' 1\IIRABEAU BUONAPARTE L.Al\ffll
597
. No. 2122 [1841?], JOSE ANTONIO NAVARRO SAN ANTONIO DE BEXAR? [TEXAS], AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 58 ----Jose Antonio Navarro.---- I was born in the City of San Antonio de Bexar, on the 27th. Feb- ruary 1795, my father was Angel Navarro a native of the Island of Corsica; my father arrived [in the Kingdom] of New Spain [in] the service of the King [ ] been an Officer, and having resined his [commission, he s] ettled in Bexar and maried [1\Iiss Mary Joseph] Ruiz, afterwards my mother, which lad[y descended] from a Spanish family of the City of Saltillo.- [I ca]n not say that my father de- scended from any of the first European families, but I can assure that his virtues and honest life sufficiently indicate th [a] t he appertained to those [of so]me distinction in Corsica. lily father acquired by means of Commerce in Bexar a sufficient fortune to maintain us with dicen[cy?] and to obtain for his children .a rank and e[ducation], which in those days of obscurity and obstacles to [the?] American Civilization, which the Government of Spain never lost sight of, may have been called superior. Of the marriage of my father resulted six Children, who sur- vived him- lily father left Bexar and this world on the last day of October. 1808. · .In consequence of the death of my father, we were left orphans and at the side of our widowed mother we six stood. The oldest was my Brother Jose Angel, followed by 1\Iaria Josefa, Jose Antonio (the writer of this) l\Iaria Antonia, Jose Luciana and the last and the youngest of all Jose. Eugenio. Under the inexperient tutilage of my oldest brother Jose Angel we could make but little progress in promoting our interest and much less could we apply 0111 rselves] to a more perfect education, them we could if o[ur] f [ather had] lived. The whole family rem [ ] in moderate cir- cumstances when [ ] period of the beginning of the p [rincipal re] volu [t Jion of ~lexico, commenced. From this [time] up to 1813 when Bernardo Guttierrz invaded the Province of Texas with the American Volunteers, and the Inhabitants of Nacog- d [aches], defending the Independ!J r nee] of 1\Iexico, my whole family and property suffered considerable losses and damages In the year of 1813 my Uncle Lieutenant Col: Francisco Ruiz took a very active part with the Insurgents, in the Army of Bexar under the Comn[d.J of Guttierez, and afterwards under that of Jose Alvarez Toledo[a?] Young & brave General & as well inform[ed] as he was unfortunate in 1the? J first battle which he fought, on the 1\Iedina against the Spanish General Joaquin ·de Arredondo, on the 18th. August 1813. Imagine now to yourselves the position of my whole family, with the loss of the cause of liberty by the battle of Medina.- My Venerable Uncle Francisco Ruiz and my Brother-in-law Juan llfartin de Veramendi leaving Bexar fugitives from their fam-
68A. Df. Mutilated.
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