Ballygarret Historic Society
History
of The Texas Connection With Ballygarrett
In
1833, some 600 people led by the Empressario James Power left
Ireland to found a new Irish settlement under Mexican jurisdiction
in the state of Texas. Some few years earlier Mexico had won independence
from Spanish rule and a new colonisation statue had been enacted
desiring by every lawful means to augment the population of their
sparsely populated territories and permitting individual states
within the Mexican Federation to formulate their own immigration
laws.
The
laws adopted by state of Texas were particularly favourable to
immigration from Ireland. The Refugio and San Patricio areas of
south Texas were selected to be colonised by the Irish Four Irish
Empressario's became involved James Power & James Heweston
in Refugio with John McMullen and James McGloin in San Patricio.
The Empressario's (i.e. Land Agents) made contracts to colonise
the land with people who were "Irish, Catholic and of good
moral Character". The land available amounted to about 1,000
acres per family after the Empressario's had their share. This
was a vast fortune in the eyes of the colonists.
James
Power was born, probably at Cahore, Ballygarrett, Co. Wexford
in 1778. He emigrated to North America in1809 and engaged in the
business of trading, first in Philadelphia and later in New Orleans,
on the Gulf of Mexico. Many people with Irish connections had
moved westwards after the tragedy in 1798, with the hope of carving
out a better and freer life in the newly emancipated state of
North America. Power, became aware of the possibilities that existed
for the people of his native Wexford in the development of Texas.
They were an industrious farming breed and had suffered much privation
in the aftermath of the 1798 Uprising Such loyalists as Hawthery
White, Hunter Gowan and other greedy land seekers were relentlessly
chasing the tenant farmers off their lands.
Power
met up with James Hewetson a Kilkenny man who had medical practice
first in Missouri and later after travelling south with Stephan
Austin in Saltillo. When the Texas land became available for colonisation
they had common cause in seeking accommodation for their hapless
neighbours and kindred back home. Hewetson had by this time married
into a powerful Mexican family and thus had some influence in
decision - making places. Power was later to make a somewhat similar
marriage.
The
Sparsely populated territory in the Refugio And San Patricio area
granted to the Power and Hewetson colony was the homeland of the
Karankawa Indian tribe who were much feared for their ferocity
in defence of their territory and who were widely believed to
be cannibal.
Power
and Hewetson contracted with the Mexican government to bring over
settlers from amongst the oppressed Irish smallholders to colonise
the area. Power came home to Ballygarrett in 1832 and after much
travel and organising induced some 600 people to emigrate. Two
parties set sail from Liverpool for New Orleans in December1832
and January 1833, some of the migrants perished en route during
the slow and torturous sail voyages of the time. The survivors
landed at New Orleans where a number of them contracted the dreaded
Cholera. After lingering for a time, they found lonely graves
in far off Louisiana on the banks of the Mississippi River. The
survivors transferred to smaller craft and made their way to Copano
Bay with their crude implements and other belongings. Even then
their woes were not over. One of their boats capsized in Copano
Bay with the loss of much of their goods and chattels. Worse still
was to come for of the Texas Revolution.
The
Mexican democratic government had by this time been usurped and
the new military dictator, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna,
had declared the land contracts signed by his predecessors to
be null and void.
Supported
by a Mexican army, de Santa Anna speedily arrived on Texan soil
to enforce his decree. The would - be settlers now faced civil
war in addition to their other woes. The fight was long, bloody
and vicious. In addition to the well remembered battle of The
Alamo in San Antonia in 1836 there were many other fierce and
bloody battles between the Mexican army and the settlers. Others
who had come to the area in search of land and fortune backed
up the latter. Much of the land had been laid waste during the
battles. In the true spirit of pioneers they set about the formidable
task of breaking the virgin lands and setting up colonies in Refugio,
Victoria and in Gooliad, where another noted battle in the conflict
had been fought. James Power became a leading figure in establishing
Texas as a State and bringing it under American influence. He
represented the area in Congress and helped to set out the land
for distribution and registration. He became a towering figure
in his adopted land and brought many of compatriots to positions
of influence and power with him. Many of these families nurtured
their land grants carefully and increased the size of their holdings,
buildings in the case of his nephew, Tom O' Connor, a ranch of
near one million acres.
The
names of many of the early settlers are engraved on the memorials
in Ballygarrett and Refugio as a lasting memorial to their enterprise
and courage in leaving all behind and following James Power to
death or freedom. These impressive memorials, bearing the names
of many of the pioneers, were designed, planned and erected at
both locations mainly by public subscription.
The memorial at Ballygarrett was unveiled on 19th May 1996, by
Mrs Jean Kennedy Smith, United States Ambassador to Ireland and
in the presence of some 140 Texas Irish who had travelled to Ballygarrett
for the occasion: most of them were descendants of the original
emigrants.
Through
the good offices of Wexford County Council, and the Town Council
in Refugio Ballygarrett and Refugio officially twinned for cultural
economic and tourism purposes. The Wexford County Manager, Mr
Seamus Dooley and the then T.C. M.C.C. joined the party in Refugio
for the official twinning ceremonies, High Ranking dignitaries
both Federal and State attended on the U.S. side
From the settler families of 1833 -4 many links are still around
O' Connor's, Fagan's, Lambert's, Power's, McGuill's, O' Reilly's,
Duggan's, Fitzsimon's, Kelly's, Roche's, O'Brien's Smith's, Hall's,
Keating's, Murphy's, Malone's, Tobin's and their descendants through
many generations may still be found both in Texas and in Ireland.
The
Power colony is one of the colonial enterprises named in every
Texas history and James Power a role model for the colonisation
of new lands everywhere. Many writers have penned the History
of these people and their daunting undertaking Monsignor Wm. Oberste
in his The Texan Irish, Richard Roche in his Texas Connection
and Lucy Fagan Snider and her fellow historians in Refugio under
the title Refugio Country History are but a few.
Today, this impressive memorial in Ballygarrett stands tribute
to the pioneering spirit of our forefathers who faced the perils
of settling in a strange land amongst a hostile people while wringing
a living from a reluctant, virgin soil.
The
flags of Ireland, the United States, Mexico Goliad and Wexford
fly high in Ballygarrett in honour of their courage and valour
in that troubled time in our history.
Coupled
with the nearby memorial to those millions, who suffered and died
in The Great Famine of 1847, Ballygarrett's need to remember and
honour its past is adequately fulfilled.
We
ask that you all feel welcome to share with us in our commemoration
of the tragedies and triumphs of our people.
BALLYGARRETT
HERITAGE COMMITTEE
MAY
2000
The
present parish within the jurisdiction of Ballygarrett in the
RC sections covers part of the area once under jurisdiction of
the priory of Glasscarrig and the ancient parishes of Donaghmore,
Glasscarrig, Killenagh and to some extent, Kiltrisk. The present
edifice of the Reformed Church at Clonevan is referred to on Ordnance
Survey Maps as Donamore. It was built to replace the ruined church
in Donaghmore cemetery and a different spelling was used by the
cartographers perhaps to distinguish one from the other.
The
Old Killenagh church and cemetery site is in the townland of Tomduff
No trace of the walls remain but the outline of its structure
can be made out. It was described in 1615 as "being down"
but was evidently repaired and continued to serve as the Parish
Church until 1828 until a replacement Parish Church was built
at Ballyduff Cross. Local tradition tells us that the stones from
the old Church building were carted and used to build its successor
less than one mile distant as the crow flies. The new Church was
called Killena Church again; perhaps, to distinguish it from the
one it replaced. Neither did the new edifice survive the ravages
of time nothing but the site now remains.
Sir
Walsingham Cooke lived at Tomduff House, adjacent to the Old Killenagh
Church. A long lane, commencing at "the Goose Green"
and ending at the Tomduff Stream approaches the farm. The church
and burial ground were located on his hands to the right of the
laneway leading to Tomduff House.
In
1619, Cooke received some 500 acres of demesne land in Cookstown
and surrounding area. The Gaelic name for this place was "An
Culog Buide" (the Yellow Hill-back) and it may have been
know by some derivation of this prior to Walshgham Cooke acquiring
it and implanting the Cooke name to perpetuate his memory.
The
two memorials found in the graveyard are recorded in their work.
The Cooke slab seems to have been the cover stone of a vault,
a suggestion strengthened by the presence of a depression in the
ground that may be the collapsed vault.
In
a field on the opposite side of the lane to Tomduff House and
close to the entrance to the graveyard is a stout flagstone some
6 feet in height and 2 feet in diameter. It seems to be the remnants
of a crude cross from ancient times. If this proves to be the
case, it should have a more secure site or else protected in situation
in the adjacent graveyard.
Kiltrisk
is another old ecclesiastic site in the same area. It is in the
townland of Glebe, south of Clonganny House, (a Hawtry White property)
and due west of Peppards Castle, built by one Patrick Peppard
circa 1550 (Mrs Hinkson). Lewis writing in 1837 says, "the
walls of the ancient Castle have been incorporated in the house
still called Peppard's Castle. It would appear that the castle
was built on church lands belonging to the Glascarrig priory.
There may have been an earlier structure in this site as Jeffrey
in his "Castle of County Wexford" (edited by Ed Cullenton)
mentions that Richard Peppard, a tough Norman Knight, built his
13th century Co. Wexford castle on church land in defiance of
the bishop". The Peppads may well have had Wexford associations
before the coming of Walter Peppard, mentioned above. In the 1500's
they owned and operated the mines at Barrystown, near Wellington
Bridge. The Peppard's Castle lands amounting to some 770 acres
are adjacent to the Pounden lands of Ballywater of some 940 acres.
George Taylor, who wrote in 1800, "The Rebellion in Wexford
- a historical account of the rise, progress and suppression of
the Rebellion in the County of Wexford in the year 1798".
Taylor himself was caught up in the rebellion and narrowly escaped
death on Wexford Bridge during a massacre there on 20 June 1798.
Near
a bend in the road at Ballyduff, close to Primrose Cottage, is
a bridge at which a battle was during the Cromwellian war here.
It will be remembered that some of Cromwell's forces were wounded
or well ill as the main body marched on Wexford. These remained
in Dublin and when they were stronger, were marched down to help
in the occupation of Co. Wexford. They were in battle with the
Royalist forces on the strand of Donoughmore and Glascarrig. Some
of them retreated and were overtaken and engaged at Ballyduff.
Their grave mounds were to be seen in the field to the north of
the bridge and were obliterated only in recent land reclamation
works. One of the capstones on the bridge itself is granite and
carved with the number 46. The stone clearly had another use before
being placed in its present position.
Local
lore says that there was a church or other religious structure
in the Townland of Templederry near where the drainage canal now
runs. This may have been a "booth" or "hut"
from the Priory at Glasscarrig. The name "Temple Derry"
probably "the Church (or Temple) in the (Oak) Wood"
suggests that a church or temple did exist there. No trace of
it appears on the Sites and Monuments survey maps. There is evidence
of an enclosure at Ballinoulart some short distance south of Templederry;
this may be the one referred to in local lore. Could it be that
Templederry stretched further south in earlier times, though one
would have thought that townland boundaries were well fixed.
Re
Hawtrey White:
In jottings of the past there was a note on "Hawtrey White,
the alarmist" saying that before the rising, White was responsible
for the report that a general rising of papists was intended and
a wholesale massacre of Protestants in Wexford was contemplated.
General Hunter ordered that White be summoned before him and when
he arrived he was asked to state his authority for what he had
reported. He replied that to his own knowledge the rebels had
formed an encampment on an island two miles from the land from
whither they went every morning after harassing the country during
the night. He made a request that he personally should be entrusted
with a force to prevent the rebels from landing on the mainland
again. Hunter pretended to believe the story and sent White in
a gunboat to proceed to the island he had mentioned. At the same
time he positioned a party of soldiers on the seashore. No such
island of course existed and White was brought before court martial
but his age and the intercession of the gentry of the country
on his behalf prevailed on General Hunter to refrain on punishing
him. White resided in Peppard's Castle and died in 1817.
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