Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 10, Number 2, July 2000 Page: 125

Reminiscences of Dilue Rose Harris

page 29 nine May 1836 home after the runaway
scrape
by the middle of May our neighbors that we
parted from at liberty came home they got to the
Sabine river before they hear of the battle of
San Jacinto. Father and the men that had cotton
on the bank of the Brazos river have goine to the
river to build a flat boat to ship theire cotton to
Brazoria. Mothe said it would best for the afew
day but they wouldnt stop. said as they had been
camping for two months it would make them sick
to sleepe in a house. uncle James with us he had
seven bales of cotton but was not able to work
he overseed our Mexicans and helped the women
in the neighborhood to get their corn worked they
all got mexicans but it required awhite man to
make them work there will not be any cotton
grown in this neighborhood this year. the people
have been very short of provisions. there would
been suffering among them but the Citizens of
new Orleans sent aschooner loaded with
provisions to Harris-burg. the provisions was
distributed with out cost. there is considerable
talk of anew town being started on buffalo bayou
about ten miles above Harris-burg by the Brothers
Allen. they the messrs. Allen wanted to buy out
the Harris claim at harrisburg but the Harris
brothers wouldnt sell
page 30 June 1836 Shiping cotton on a flat boat
the first of June the men sent word they had the
cotto on the boat ready to start. to send Uncle
Ned with the Staford wagon brng home family
supplys. it was more than 50 miles by land but
along and dangerous rout by water.
the new town laid out by the Aliens is named
Houston in honor of Gen. Houston. there were
circulars and drawings sent out which on paper
looked like alarge City. there were Churches a
court house amarket house and asquar of ground
sit as sid with a promise to Erect abuilden for
Congress to use of the seat of goverment was

located there. the goverment had been on the
move since february from sanfilip to Washington.
Harrisburg to Washington on the bay to Galvesto
Island linchburg velasco & Columbia. there was
so much excite-ment about the City of Houston
tha some of the young men in our neighborhood
visited it my brother among them. after an
absence returned said it was hard work to find
the in the pine woods and when they did it
consisted of one canoe cald adugout abottle
gourd of whiskey surveyors chain and compass
in habited by four men with an ordinary Camping
out-fit. we had a good joke on the boys at theire
disap-poinment. would asked them
page 31 Houston in June 1836
what hotel they put up at. if they went to Church
or theater the boys took our teasing in good part.
said they were thank-ful to get home alive. said
the mosquitos were as large as grass hopers. to
get away from the mosquitoes they went bathing
the bayou water was clear and cool thought they
have a nice bath. in a few minutes the water
was alive with alligators. one man ran out on
the north side other came out where they went
in got acanoe and went to rescue theire
companion. he said alarge panther was near but
ran off as the caoe came neare. while Father
was gone a man came to our house triing to get
aplace to teach school. mother told him the men
that had families were absent but thought he could
get aschool. she expected Father home in afew
days. the said he was with-out money had been
in battle of San Jacinto. as the army had gone
West decided to teach till he could get money to
return to the United States. offerd to teach we
three Children for his board. till he could get
aschool. Mothe was glad to get a teacher we
had been out of school since September 35 when
our teache and the young men went to sanantonio.
then in possession of the mexicans under General
Cos. we gathered what books we could.

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