Gaspar Flores de Abrego
Encyclopedia
José Gaspar Flores de Abrego (1781–1836) was a political figure of Texas, Tejano
land commissioner and associate of the colonists of Austin
and a mayor of San Antonio, Texas
.
. He was great-grandson of the first alguacil (mayor) (1731–1779) of San Antonio, Vicente Álvarez Travieso
. In 1827, he was acting land commissioner for the Austin colony, issuing 35 land titles. Between 1819, 1824, 1829, and 1834 José Gaspar was elected mayor of San Antonio, Texas
.
, by a group opposing a Centralist government and concerned about the dictatorial actions being taken by the President of Mexico
, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
. They asked all Texans to join them in a convention to be held on November, 15 that year (1834). This was the first revolutionary convention held in the city. Gaspar Flores and his son Nicholas were among the thirty-five signatories of the anti-Centralist document.
In 1835 Santa Anna dissolved the Congress and was enforcing his political power in all the state governments of Mexico
, including that of Coahuila
and Texas
. The crisis came to Bexar with the arrival of troops under Colonel Domingo Ugartechea
. Flores, who at that time acted as administrator of the Treasury, refused to obey the demand of the colonel and relinquish its official documents, since, according to him, "the military has no right to interfere".
Accordingly, Santa Anna sent General Martin Perfecto de Cos
with additional troops to control Texas, but in December 1835, a group of Texian
volunteers drove them out of San Antonio de Bexar and Texas at the siege of Bexar
. After the Mexican forces had departed Texas, most thought it was safe and only a small group of local and a few other volunteers decided to stay in Bexar, based in the Alamo
, even though they no longer had money or supplies. Gaspar Flores went to their aid and supplied the group with goods, food and cattle. The following year, when the soldiers met with the citizens of the city in January 1836, Flores worked on a committee, that included people like James Bonham, James Bowie, and Juan Seguin, to draft resolutions for consideration by the committee.
February 1, of that year was election day for cities in Texas
. Each city should select four delegates to the convention of March 1, 1836 and this election would decide the future of Texas. Gaspar Flores was one of the delegates chosen in Bexar, the others were: José Antonio Navarro
, José Francisco Ruiz
and Erasmo Seguin
.
Two weeks later, Texas received the information, that Santa Anna had crossed the Rio Grande
with thousands of troops intent on capturing Bexar. The younger men in Texas joined the army or acted as messengers. After the fall of the Alamo
, Flores and Seguin were collecting both their own families and others. With ox carts loaded and 3,000 sheep they moved into east Texas, all the while quick to protect the other fleeing families.
Flores died on September 6, 1836, after the battle of San Jacinto
, having managed to go so far as the home of George Huff, a few miles east of San Felipe
. He probably died of a fever that struck the area, which also killed settlers in Nacogdoches and many others in the region.
He had been married twice. His second wife Petra Zambrano, his son Nicholas and two sons-in-law were the receivers of his inventory of goods on February 11, 1837.
Tejano
Tejano or Texano is a term used to identify a Texan of Mexican heritage.Historically, the Spanish term Tejano has been used to identify different groups of people...
land commissioner and associate of the colonists of Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
and a mayor of San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Early life and family
José Gaspar María Flores de Abrego was born in San Antonio de Béjar on January 5, 1781. He was the son of Vicente Flores and Maria Antonia de las Fuentes Fernandes, who were descendants of first settlers of Texas, from the Canary IslandsCanary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. He was great-grandson of the first alguacil (mayor) (1731–1779) of San Antonio, Vicente Álvarez Travieso
Vicente Álvarez Travieso
Vicente Álvarez Travieso was the first alguacil mayor of San Antonio, Texas, whose office was held until his death. He was one of the people who contributed most to the community of the isleños of San Antonio because, through of their demands to the leaders of New Spain was able to improve the...
. In 1827, he was acting land commissioner for the Austin colony, issuing 35 land titles. Between 1819, 1824, 1829, and 1834 José Gaspar was elected mayor of San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Life during the Texas Revolution
On October 13, 1834, a meeting was held in BexarBexar
Bexar can refer to:*Bexar County, Texas, a county in the American state of Texas containing the city of San Antonio*Bexar, Alabama, a community in Marion County, Alabama in the United States...
, by a group opposing a Centralist government and concerned about the dictatorial actions being taken by the President of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
. They asked all Texans to join them in a convention to be held on November, 15 that year (1834). This was the first revolutionary convention held in the city. Gaspar Flores and his son Nicholas were among the thirty-five signatories of the anti-Centralist document.
In 1835 Santa Anna dissolved the Congress and was enforcing his political power in all the state governments of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, including that of Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The crisis came to Bexar with the arrival of troops under Colonel Domingo Ugartechea
Domingo Ugartechea
Domingo de Ugartechea was a 19th century Mexican Army officer for the Republic of Mexico.-Early years:He served for Joaquín de Arredondo in 1813...
. Flores, who at that time acted as administrator of the Treasury, refused to obey the demand of the colonel and relinquish its official documents, since, according to him, "the military has no right to interfere".
Accordingly, Santa Anna sent General Martin Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos was a 19th-century Mexican general. He was married to Lucinda López de Santa Anna, sister of Antonio López de Santa Anna.-Background:Cós was born in Vera Cruz in the year 1800, the son of an attorney...
with additional troops to control Texas, but in December 1835, a group of Texian
Texian
Texian is an archaic, mostly defunct 19th century demonym which defined a settler of current-day Texas, one of the southern states of the United States of America which borders the country of Mexico...
volunteers drove them out of San Antonio de Bexar and Texas at the siege of Bexar
Siege of Bexar
The Siege of Béxar was an early campaign of the Texas Revolution in which a volunteer Texan army successfully defeated Mexican forces at San Antonio de Béxar . Texians had become disillusioned with the Mexican government as President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's tenure became increasingly...
. After the Mexican forces had departed Texas, most thought it was safe and only a small group of local and a few other volunteers decided to stay in Bexar, based in the Alamo
Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a battle fought during the Texas Revolution.Alamo may also refer to:-Places:*Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas*Alamo, California*Alamo, Georgia*Alamo Township, Michigan*Alamo, Nevada*Alamo, New Mexico...
, even though they no longer had money or supplies. Gaspar Flores went to their aid and supplied the group with goods, food and cattle. The following year, when the soldiers met with the citizens of the city in January 1836, Flores worked on a committee, that included people like James Bonham, James Bowie, and Juan Seguin, to draft resolutions for consideration by the committee.
February 1, of that year was election day for cities in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Each city should select four delegates to the convention of March 1, 1836 and this election would decide the future of Texas. Gaspar Flores was one of the delegates chosen in Bexar, the others were: José Antonio Navarro
José Antonio Navarro
José Antonio Navarro was a Texas statesman, revolutionary, politician, and merchant. The son of Ángel Navarro and Josefa María Ruiz y Pena, he was born into a distinguished noble family at San Antonio de Béxar in New Spain....
, José Francisco Ruiz
Jose Francisco Ruiz
José Francisco "Francis" Ruiz was a Texas revolutionary-Early life and family:Ruiz was born in San Antonio de Bexar, Texas to Juan Manuel Ruiz and María Manuela de la Peña. Appointed the first schoolmaster of San Antonio in 1803, he designated a house acquired by his father on Military Plaza as...
and Erasmo Seguin
Erasmo Seguín
Juan Jose Maria Erasmo Seguin was a prominent citizen and politician in San Antonio de Bexar in the 19th century. From 1807 until 1835, Seguin served as postmaster of San Anotnio, TX. After Mexico achieved independence from Spain, Seguin was named the sole representative from Texas to the...
.
Two weeks later, Texas received the information, that Santa Anna had crossed the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
with thousands of troops intent on capturing Bexar. The younger men in Texas joined the army or acted as messengers. After the fall of the Alamo
Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
, Flores and Seguin were collecting both their own families and others. With ox carts loaded and 3,000 sheep they moved into east Texas, all the while quick to protect the other fleeing families.
Flores died on September 6, 1836, after the battle of San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
, having managed to go so far as the home of George Huff, a few miles east of San Felipe
San Felipe, Texas
San Felipe, also known as San Felipe de Austin, is a town in Austin County, Texas, United States. The town was the social, economic, and political center of the early Stephen F. Austin colony. The population was 868 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. He probably died of a fever that struck the area, which also killed settlers in Nacogdoches and many others in the region.
He had been married twice. His second wife Petra Zambrano, his son Nicholas and two sons-in-law were the receivers of his inventory of goods on February 11, 1837.
External links
- Dorothy Sloan-Books: Auction 14: Americana. Lots : Manuscripts. http://www.dsloan.com/Auctions/A14/A14Web10-12.htm