A Guide to the James Morgan Papers, 1836, 1844-1850
Born in Philadelphia to James and Martha Morgan, James Morgan (1787-1866) grew up in North Carolina, where he married Celia Harrell, with whom he had three children. In 1830, Morgan moved to Texas to open a mercantile business with John Reed. Two years later, Morgan was selected to represent Liberty Municipality in the Convention of 1832. In 1835, Morgan joined the New Washington Association as a purchasing agent. He soon purchased large quantities of land for the company in Harrisburg and Liberty counties, and laid out the town of New Washington. Morgan also operated a ship for the company, which was often used by the Texas government during the Revolution. Additionally, he was appointed commandant of Galveston Island and planned its defenses, though Sam Houston charged him with mismanagement. After Texas gained its independence, Morgan returned to work for the New Washington Association, was defeated in his bid for a Congressional seat, and was active in promoting the Houston Ship Channel. He also experimented with the cultivation of oranges, cotton, and sugarcane as well as possibly importing the first Durham shorthorns into Texas.
Brunson, B. R. and Andrew Forest Muir. "Morgan, James." Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed July 19, 2011.
Composed of correspondence and a bill of sale, the James Morgan Papers relate to his opinions concerning a variety of issues. An original letter from W. C. Allen to James Morgan describes the withdrawal of Mexican troops from San Antonio during the revolution and related issues between Mexico and Texas. Two typescript letters from Morgan to J. M. Storms document his thoughts on annexation, slavery, politics and politicians, and current events in 1844. Additionally, the collection contains a Photostat of a bill of sale from 1850, as well as a typed transcript of a 1836 letter from Morgan to Samuel Swartwout gifting to Swartwout the tent belonging to Santa Anna as a token of appreciation for Swartwout's service to Texas.
This collection is open for research use.
James Morgan Papers, 1836, 1844-1850, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.
Detailed Description of the Papers