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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | John Hunter Herndon's Diary of a Trip from Kentucky to Texas |
| Author | Herndon, John Hunter (1813-1878) |
| Date | 12 Dec 1837 - 5 May 1838 |
| Document Type | Personal Account |
| Reference | 2R36 |
| Library / Archive | Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin |
| Collection Name | Herndon (John Hunter) Papers, 1814-1872 |
| Description | Diary recording John Hunter Herndon's travel's by steamboat, remarking upon journey conditions, social encounters and entertainments along the route and in the cities of Galveston and Houston, Texas. Henderson also gives accounts of various legal cases observed or learnt about whilst travelling, including various trials for treason, arson, larceny and murder, as well as subsequent post-mortem operations completed of hanged convicts. |
| Series Description | Correspondence, diary, legal documents and military documents relating to observations of John Hunter Herndon (1813-1878), lawyer and soldier, during his journey from Kentucky to Texas via New Orleans (1837-1838), especially his impressions of Galveston and Houston, and his opinions regarding the President and members of the Congress of the Republic of Texas. Also included is material relating to land transactions in Texas and to the military career of Alexander Calvit. |
| Biographical Note / History | Born and educated in Kentucky, John Hunter Herndon arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1838. He studied law in Kentucky and Houston, and was admitted to the bar in Fort Bend County in November 1838. In 1839, Herndon married Barbara Makall Wilkinson Calvit, heir to the Calvit sugar plantation in Brazoria County, and by 1860 he had become one of the wealthiest landowners in Texas. Although he was not in active military service during the Civil War, the war and Reconstruction depleted most of his fortune. Herndon died on July 6, 1878, and was buried at Hempstead. |
| Theme(s) | Arrivals: Ports and Early Experiences |
| Places | Lynchburg, Tennessee, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Nacogdoches, San Antonio, Brazoria County, Houston, Texas, Kentucky, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States; Rio Grande, Mexico |
| Ports | Galveston, Texas, United States |
| Nationality | American; American Indian; Mexican |
| Ships | Independence; Lexington; Houston; Friendship; SS Correor |
| People | Herndon, John Hunter (1813-1878); Hedron, H; Houston, Sam (1793-1863) |
| Keywords | travel, food, social life, family, women, weather, port, weapon, livestock, postal service, journey conditions, health and sickness, harbour, food, coffee, housing, Battle of San Jacinto, history, lodging house, timber, construction, death, marriage, alcohol, military, navy, art, landmark, settlement, slavery, land sale, market, duelling, clothing, law, crime, court, capital punishment, theft, prison, holidays and celebrations, dance, entertainment, land grant, pathology, literature, religion, societies, social class, election, army, government, politics, leisure, theatre |
| Additional Information | Please note: Some of the metadata for this document has been taken from the Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin catalogue. |
| Language | English |
| Copyright | Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin |
