Indexes to the Laredo Archives Page: 3
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INTRODUCTION
As happens with a lot of works of a very detailed
nature, the Indexes to the Laredo Archives published in 1993
had a number of typing errors, and some incorrect data. In
addition, some readers found the format difficult. This new
edition has hopefully corrected these things.
The history of the Laredo archives in the first edition
is not repeated here, but some reminders might be useful.
One might expect that the documentation from the Spanish
period would include first and foremost the land grants given
to the early settlers of Laredo. Unfortunately, outside of
what is mentioned in the official visits of 1757 and 1767,
there are none of these, though some references to them exist
in copies of inventories of estates and last wills made after
this time. Neither are there any individual birth, marriage
or death records except in a few instances where they were
used as testimony in court cases. Most of the documentation
from this first period tends to reflect Spain rather than
Mexico (e.g. the wars with England and France; desertion from
the army, etc.). There are many royal and viceregal decrees
on a wide variety of subjects. Other documents deal with news
of the various insurrections taking place (including that of
Miguel Hidalgo in 1810), early local organizational ordi-
nances, records of civil and criminal litigations, and the
ever-present problems posed by the Indians.
The documents from 1821 to 1848 are of the same nature
as those listed above. There are interesting references to
Mexico's growing pains as a nation and the attempt to estab-
lish a Federal system. In 1824 the state of Tamaulipas was
created (Folder 71 has a number of valuable documents on
this) and Laredo became dependent upon the capital of this
state which was first situated in Aguayo, and then moved to
present-day Ciudad Victoria. Much of the correspondence in
the archives comes from here, and from the sub-prefects in
Ciudad Guerrero and Mier, or from the military commander in
Matamoros. The " vacillating national political affairs are
reflected in the archives which have references to the
various "Plans" that divided the nation (see the Topical
index), along with narratives of the capture and execution of
both Agustin Iturbide and Antonio L6pez de Santa Anna whosecareers went from national hero to national enemy. The
immediate problems of Laredo, however, were stolen horses and
cattle, quarrels over debts and property, gathering wood and
salt and defense against the constant threat of Indian
attacks. The military reports on the subversive activity in
Texas and the attempts to squelch it are of special
historical importance.
The documentation after 1848 is relatively sparse. From
1860 on it is almost entirely in English. Most of it deals
with court proceedings (subpoenas, statements from witnesses,
etc.) and results of elections, with a few local matters such
as bids for construction and municipal accounts. For all
practical purposes the archives end with 1867. The documents
after this are one from 1868, one from 1869, two from 1872
and one from 1892.
USING THE INDEXES
The following three indexes in this book offer the same
basic information: where the subject, person or place may be
found in the Laredo Archives. The chronological index gives
the basic information for the 5,406 entries listed: folder in
which they are located, place of origin, sender and receiver,
the date and a brief indication of the contents. In general,
the date given is the one at the end of the document (except
for acknowledgments of receiving and verification), that is,
the date it was sent or forwarded by the governor, sub-pre-
fect or mayor. For printed documents, the date of the docu-
ment itself is given.
References in the topical or personal name indexes give
the Folder in bold numbers and the document (s) in light face
and may be somewhat clarified by consulting the chronological
index according to folder and document.
A few abbreviations are used: cf. for refer to; re for
concerning or about; Mtz. for Martinez (especially from 1841-
1845 when Policarpio Martinez was the sub-prefect in Mier);
and vs. for against. The researcher may notice that toward
the end of the index some folder numbers are missing (206,
213, 223, 234, 237) . The contents of these folders have been
combined with other folders.
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Wood, Robert D. Indexes to the Laredo Archives, book, 2005; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth611905/m1/3/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting St. Mary's University Louis J. Blume Library.