Charged to consider the value of what is Texas ; searching for an Arabian horse

By Bebe and Sissy Fenstermaker

The Laredo chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas has copies of the rare out-of-print Memoirs of Mary A. Maverick for sale at a price which makes the book quite available to the public and Texana book collectors. This is a fundraiser for the Villa de San Agustin de Laredo Chapter of the DRT and they may be contacted by writing the DRT c/o PO Box 1724, Laredo, TX, 78044 or by emailing mffnstr@sbcglobal.net.

Our great-great grandmother, Mary Adams Maverick, was witness to Texas ' change from her arrival in Texas in 1837 until her death in 1898. The first Anglo woman to make San Antonio her home, she began chronicling her life in diaries in order to write letters to her mother back in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she had been raised. From those diaries of her daily activities, she was able to tell her mother what was going on with her growing family, the town and its natives, the interesting doings in the fledging country of Texas , and later of the brand-new State of Texas . These diaries touched subjects both personal and public as she described a life filled with hair-raising events, great happiness and tragedies, her husband, Samuel Augustus Maverick, and other important people she knew and all that living in those early times involved. These diaries were of great interest to her children as they grew to adulthood and recognizing that, she and her son, George Madison Maverick (1845-1913), set out to pull them together into her memoirs. These memoirs were printed up into one copy for each of her children, then bound, numbered, and distributed.

My grandmother, Rena Maverick Green (1874-1962) (George M. Maverick's daughter), was Mary A. Maverick's oldest granddaughter and had known her grandmother well. Rena M. Green knew the memoirs had important historic value and were of interest to more than just family so in 1921 she edited and published the Memoirs of Mary A. Maverick, San Antonio's First American Woman, and had them printed by the historic Alamo Printing Company in San Antonio. She had several hundred copies printed and they were sold in bookstores and presented to libraries around the state, thus insuring that the public had access to this truly important account of the early days in 19th century Texas . Our mother and Aunt Mary continued the sales and distribution all of their lives, always emphasizing the book's importance as Texana literature. Historians agreed and the book is included in John Jenkins' Basic Texas Books. Since there was just one printing of the book it has become quite valuable.

The other day while thinking of the Memoirs of Mary A. Maverick and of the massive changes Texas is undergoing today, I was led to wonder how each previous generation saw their changes. Our landscape is undergoing urbanization at an unprecedented rate; every time I leave the gates of the Maverick Ranch-Fromme Farm I encounter a new horror wrought by bulldozer and developer. These changes can and do happen overnight, literally.

Then I thought of our parents who knew horse-drawn vehicles, saw the earliest gasoline powered vehicles hit the road, first airplane flight, and a man on the moon before they died. They saw San Antonio grow from the confines of downtown outward for miles in corresponding width. Our grandmother knew 19th century cities and towns fresh from the pain of the Civil War, railroads which met and served public need, she knew of Sputnik and she met John F. Kennedy. They all witnessed the changes around them, be it in landscape, people, or thought; it took them their lifetimes to take it all in. They left us memories, memoirs, and their opinions. They raised us to watch the changes, ensured that we would know what has gone before us and charged us to consider the value of what is Texas.

Bebe Fenstermaker

Our cousin, Kelly, was in town looking for a horse. She blew in from West Texas with the determination of finding an Arabian that would be suited for dressage and trail riding. In addition, the Arabian Horse Show was going on just down the road. Bebe and I accompanied her on two occasions. One was to look at a half Arabian, half Percheron. She was a dappled grey with a beautiful Arab head and the largest eyes I've ever seen. The second horse was a smashing sorrel gelding with four white stockings. He was full Arab and a former racehorse. Kelly is very picky! What surprised me was the number of households in our area with horses. Both adults and children are involved with them. Most of those were riding and training English style.

I became a slightly better housekeeper during the visit, and honed my cooking skills. The dogs were thrilled with our guest, who lavished attention and snacks from the table on them. Flecka deserted Sienna and me one night to keep Kelly company. The cats took full advantage of the situation and spent nights outside. I did not want to expose Kelly to their tendency of exploding while playing, to scratch and bite. Kelly survived the animals here and the search for The Horse continues.

The dogs and I did take Kelly for a walk one morning. We went down to the creek. I pointed out the remaining portions of the rock wall Mr. Fromme had built back in the late 1800s along the bank that borders the big field. I also showed her where the creek had spread out, forming wetlands further down. We had a cool spring with few days above the mid-80s.

The peacock is in full dress now. His tail appears coppery in the early morning light as he sits on his roost. I always admire it and compliment him. Once off the roost, it becomes its equally beautiful combination of bright spring green, blues, and touch of golden-yellow. Unfortunately, the peahen is not so impressed. She ignores his fanned-out tail. She actually favors the company of the chickens. In desperation, the peacock pals around with the guineas. They run him ragged. The guineas don't walk, they run.

Sissy Fenstermaker