Ou,· Catliolic Heritage in Texas
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Cabello who made this error first in reporting the abandonment to Croix. 67 The permanent occupation of present Nacogdoches dates from the arrival on its site of the former settlers of Bucareli. Unfortunately, the exact date cannot be determined. But it certainly was much earlier than May 13 or e\'en May 9, the dates suggested and generally accepted up to this timc. 61 It will be necessary to recapitulate the general sequence of e,·ents in order to approximate the date, since the removal was not done with the regularity of official incidents. There is no doubt that the bulk of the settlers and their families left Bucareli on January 25, 1779, as attested by Ibarbo on two different occasions and by Father Garza. It is equally well established that on January 27, two days later, Father Garza set out with the sick and ailing. Their destination was the country of the Tejas, with strong evidence, from what Father Botello said more than a month before the departure, that the former site of the abandoned Mission of Guadalupe de los Nacog- doches was their goal. The distance from Bucareli at Paso Tomas on the Trinity to Nacogdoches, according to lbarbo himself, was a two days' journey. Allowing all the time desired, the families and men, who left between January 25 and 27, must have arrived in Nacogdoches before the end of the first week in February. The high water and floods which had slowed their march and caused them to stay oYer three months on the road did not occur until February 14. 1-t is unreasonable and illogical to conclude that families fleeing from hostile Indians would have leisurely tarried on the road regardless of floods and high water, instead of making their way to the desired goal. That the bulk went on January 25, lbarbo again reassures us on May 13, saying, "and it should be added that had not most of the families departed on January 25, there is no doubt, sir, the flood would have caused greater damage, drowning many children and persons made helpless by sickness." Reoccupation of Nacogdocltes. Keeping all these facts in mind, we find that the first document dated at Nacogdoches available up to now is the letter of Father Garza to Croix, written on April 30. He certainly was at Nacogdoches at this time. If he, who according to his own statement, went on foot, accompanying the sick, was in Nacogdoches at this time, those who departed two days before must have been there also. Furthermore, they had been there for a few 67(;overnor Cabello to Croix, February 11, 1779. A. G. M., Historia, Vol. 51, pp. 496-499. 61Bolton, Te:ras in the 11/itld/e Eighteenth Century, p. 439.
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