Long Hollow

‎''You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas''

~Davy Crockett

If you don't live in Texas, you might not realize that today is Texas Independence Day. On this date 175 years ago, Texas officially declared its independence from Mexico and became the Republic of Texas. An independent nation.

Ours is the only state of the United States that has even been a nation. How cool is that?

"Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession.

Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word."

~John Steinbeck, Author 

Yes, we are obsessed with ourselves, but I think we have a right to be. Face it – we're unique! We may not be the biggest state anymore, but we're still pretty damn big. (I know from experience! I've driven to El Paso and to Brownsville and to Amarillo!) 

We have the Gulf coast, the piney woods, the hill country, the desert, the plains, the Guadalupe and Davis mountains… 

The thing is, you can't judge Texas from any one area. We are the sum total of our parts.

And our history.

Ah, Texas history. I could get lost in you!

~ me

(In fact, I often do, especially when I'm working on my great-great-grandfather's story… )

My roots dig deep into Texas history. According to a book by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, my multi-great grandpa, Jacob Reed, was part of the Austin Colony (as in Stephen F.Austin! Yes, I'm name-dropping!) He received a Spanish Land Grant, taking an oath in May of 1831, along with his wife, Matilda Gage Reed. 

My Baggett branch arrived in 1841 and stayed, becoming judges and successful businessmen.  I had several successful, land-owning relatives, but unfortunately, I'm always related to the youngest female of just about every branch, and they didn't inherit squat except the status of "Texan".

But I'm happy with that.

My Clary branch couldn't make up their minds, buying land early on in the Republic days but going back and forth between Texas and Arkansas. Or was it Alabama…

Whichever it was, they got smart and finally settled in Texas. Or at least my branch did.

Are you bored yet? Sorry, the genealogy addict in me started rearing its head. After writing just this little bit, I have somehow accumulated five 3-ring notebooks filled with tedious family history details stacked beside me.

I was getting lost in history again…

Now, believe me, I have nothing against other states. I've traveled to almost all of them and found beauty and interesting history in each one. And each branch of my family originated in some other state (except for the Rantzes, who came over from Germany in the 1840's and landed at Indianola… oops, there I go again. Sorry!)

Anyway, let's just end this by saying I am damn proud of being a multi-generational Texan.

Happy 175th birthday, Texas! And many more!

"I think Texans have more fun than the rest of the world."

~Choreographer Tommy Tune

"I am forced to conclude that God made Texas on his day off, for pure entertainment, just to prove that all that diversity could be crammed into one section of earth by a really top hand." 

- Author Mary Lasswell

"If you've ever driven across Texas, you know how different one area of the 
state can be from another. Take El Paso. It looks as much like Dallas as I look 
like Jack Nicklaus." 

- Pro Golfer Lee Trevino

"Texas is neither southern nor western. Texas is Texas." 

- Senator William Blakley

"I have moved over a great part of Texas  and I know that within its borders
I have seen just about as many kinds of country, contour, climate and conformation
as there are in the world."

 - Author John Steinbeck

"In the covered wagon days, if a baby was born in Texarkana while the family was
crossing into the Lone Star State, by the time they reached El Paso, the baby would 
be in the third grade."

- Texas Author Wallace O Chariton 

"Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called walking."

~George W. Bush