Memoirs of Mary A. Maverick - Texas History Tales, #2

"Texas Pioneers: Memoirs of Mary A. Maverick" by Mary A. Maverick is an eyewitness look at the harshness, dangers, and problems, as well as the joys and eventual accomplishments of frontier Texas life by an early settler. Unlike a typical Hollywood "oat burner", Mary's memoirs show what fortitude the frontier settler needed just to survive, let alone prosper. Mary's memoirs cover her Texas experiences from 1837---when she, Sam, and their 5 month old child arrived on the frontier--- to 1859 with the looming of the Civil War.
Mary's husband Sam was an early settler in 1830's Texas and by luck survived the Alamo Massacre as he was sent with dispatches from the Alamo a few days before Santa Ana's army arrived to start the famous siege. Sam also provided the name "maverick" as the term for an unbranded cow or calf. It seems that Sam's major fortune building occupation during the 1830s to 1865 was in land speculation. As part of that speculation, he acquired a ranch and herd of cattle.
Being busy with his land deals, he gave the management of this ranch and cattle to Jack, one of his slaves. Jack, however, was not overly ambitious and did not brand many of the Maverick calves. Since ranch land was not fenced in those days, any unbranded cow was fair game for anyone who could rope and brand it. As a result, around 1867, the term "maverick" began to be used in the part of Texas where Sam's ranch was for any unbranded cow, especially a calf.
The term rapidly spread throughout the cattle country and eventually came into the English language. Mary's account of early pre Civil War frontier Texas is a great portrait of her times and enlightening regarding the history of Texas. A must read for the student of Texas history for historical background material of what frontier life was really like in those long vanished days. There are approximately 47, 150+ words and approximately 157+ pages at 300 words per page in this e-book.
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