Heritage, Volume 15, Number 1, Winter 1997 Page: 9
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U hI W ~ SJEI S W liii[?SJ m Ib)YI U Ku ~ I~SU F 1(~U M SISI W U K W~ fl
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas
was organized in 1891 to preserve the legacy
of their pioneer ancestors.
Former director of the Republic of Texas
Museum, Daughters of the Republic of
Texas in Austin, Carl McQuery, in an
article he wrote in the Fall of 1993 for this
magazine told the story of the beginnings of
the organization:
"Two young ladies began reading
Henderson Yoakum's 'History of Texas' (in
the summer of 1891). Betty Ballinger and
Hally Bryan, who were first cousins, undertook
the task without hesitation, despite
the fact that the combined weight of the
ponderous two-volume set was nearly 20
pounds. The books weave an inspiring tale
of the Texas pioneers who conquered the
frontier and carved out an empire of vast
proportions, in spite of hostile Indian attacks
and a tyrannical foreign government...
The two young ladies became convinced
after reading the work, that no other state
in the Union had a more unique or glorious
history than that of Texas."
The girls, whose maternal grandfather
was William Houston Jack, a soldier of the
Battle of San Jacinto, formulated the idea
of an organization of ladies that would
honor the memories of their patriotic ancestors.
With the help of Hally's father
Colonel Guy M. Bryan, an active member
of the Texas Veterans Association, and
Mesdames Andrew Briscoe, Anson Jones,
and John Feen, who were also members of
the Veterans Association, the Daughters
of the Lone Star Republic was born on
November 6, 1891.The objectives of the
group were:
* To perpetuate the memory and spirit
of the men and women who achieved
and maintained the independence of
Texas;
* To encourage historical research into
the earliest records of Texas, especially
those relating to the Revolution of 1835
and the events which followed; to foster
the preservation of documents and relics,
and to encourage the publication of records
of individual service of soldiers and patriots
of the Republic;
* And, to promote the celebration of
March 2 (Independence Day), and April
21 (San Jacinto Day); to secure and hallow
historic spots by erecting monumentsthereon; and to cherish and preserve the Unity of
Texas, as achieved and established by the fathers
and mothers of the Texas Revolution.
Five months later, at their first annual meeting
in Lampasas, the organization became known
as the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
Since its earliest days, the Daughters have
dedicated their efforts to the collection and preservation
of Texas documents and relics. This
DRT collection, which began as a travelling
exhibit and was kept in the various members'
homes, was eventually moved to the State Capitol.
A more permanent home for the collection
was realized when the Daughters were granted
the use of the old General Land Office building
on the Capitol grounds, and the DRT collection
was officially opened to the public at this new
location in 1921.
Today, the enormous collection is housed at
the Republic of Texas Museum, located at 510
East Anderson Lane in Austin.
Though the collection and the museum are
impressive, as Carl McQueary noted, "this is
only one of the notable projects of the Daughters
of the Republic of Texas. Other works include
the preservation and maintenance of the Alamo
in San Antonio. Since 1905 this laudable work
has been carried out with great care and diligence
at no cost to the state. The DRT also
maintains the Daughters of the Republic of
Texas Library on the Alamo grounds. This library
is a tremendous reference source for those
doing genealogical work or researching early
Texas history. The historic French Legation in
Austin is also maintained and operated by the
Daughters, as is the little Ballinger Library Building
in Galveston."Pictured above are Betty Ballinger, top, and
Hally Bryan Perry, bottom, the co-founders
of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.HERITAGE * WINTER 1997 9
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 15, Number 1, Winter 1997, periodical, Winter 1997; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45400/m1/9/?rotate=270: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.