From the brief sketches of contributors that follow, something is
revealed of the humanistic interest in their own social inheritance
that is stirring among men and women over the State of Texas. If
culture is a cultivation of the inherent rather than a grafting of the
extrinsic—and history shows that it is—then surely no small debt will
be acknowledged to these individuals by the growing number of children
of Light who claim also to be children of Texas.
Stanley E. Babb, a young man of Galveston, has written some genuine
poetry of the sea. He is literary editor of the Galveston News.
Julia Beazley of Houston is a gatherer of Texas folk-songs as well as
of legends.
L. D. Bertillion’s business of mounting horns has carried him into many
parts, and apparently he has always traveled with open ears. Only lack
of space has prevented the inclusion of other legends of his gathering.
He lives at Mineola.
Austin Callan, who used to live at Santa Anna, is a newspaper man.
John R. Craddock is a true product of the rangy West, and he is
gathering all manner of folk material from the old-time Plains people.
Only one to the manner born can seize a legend as he has seized “The
Legend of Stampede Mesa.” At present Mr. Craddock is ranching in
Dickens County. He has written good ballads and has been a student at
the University of Texas.
Dr. Alex. Dienst of Temple is a well known scholar in Texas history. He
has contributed to the Southwestern Historical Quarterly and is engaged
on a bibliography of Texasana.
Bertha McKee Dobie has from childhood been familiar with the country of
the Brazos and the San Bernard rivers.
Flora Eckert is a native of the Llano region. At present she is
teaching in the Fredericksburg Public Schools.
A. W. Eddins, who is engaged in school work in San Antonio, has
contributed to both preceding Publications of the Society. He promises
more lore from the Mexicans.
Julia Estill is president of the Texas Folk-Lore Society and one of the
most useful members that the Society has ever known. Last year she
contributed an article to the Publications on German lore of Gillespie
County. She is principal of the Fredericksburg High School.
Jord Leeper Gay has played tramp, cowboy, treasure hunter, and
collegian. At present he is attending the School of Mines at El Paso.
Lillian Gunter is librarian of the Cooke County Free Library at
Gainesville. There she has a county museum and is inspiring a
widespread interest in local history.
Charles Heimsath is instructor of English at the University of Texas.
Frontier Times, issued monthly at Bandera, is, to one interested in
Texas folk-lore and pioneer reminiscences, the most interesting
magazine ever published within the borders of the state. Of it J.
Marvin Hunter is editor and publisher. During the eight months that
Frontier Times has appeared it has printed as many Texas legends, in
addition to folk-lore of other forms. One who is interested in folk
diction, folk metaphor, etc., will find in this magazine invaluable
source material. Mr. Hunter compiled the two volumes of Trail Drivers
of Texas published by George W. Saunders of San Antonio. He has written
also a history of Bandera County.
Martin McHenry Kenney (1831–1907) was born in Illinois and at the age
of three came to Texas with his parents, members of Austin’s colony. He
was a forty-niner, captain of a company in the Confederate Army, a
Texas Ranger, and for thirteen years Spanish translator of the State of
Texas. He was a diligent student of Indian life and knew the Indians at
first hand. He wrote “The History of the Indian Tribes of Texas,” which
is included in Wooten’s Comprehensive History of Texas.
Edgar B. Kincaid is a ranchman of Uvalde County.
Edith C. Lane is an active member of the El Paso Archaeological
Society.
E. G. Littlejohn is well known among Texas historians. He is the author
of Texas History Stories, familiar to many school children of the
state. He is secretary of the Texas Historical Society at Galveston and
principal of the Alamo School.
Adele B. Looscan, president of the Texas State Historical Association,
has made many valuable contributions to the history of Texas and has
largely encouraged the cultivation of literature in this state. Her
home is in Houston.
Roscoe Martin is a student at the University of Texas.
J. W. Morris is a lawyer at Freeport. He has written various legends of
the coast country that have been published in the Freeport Facts.
L. W. Payne, Jr. has perhaps done more than any other man to keep alive
the Texas Folk-Lore Society. He was the first president of the Society,
having been largely instrumental in founding it, and has been a
constant contributor to its Publications. Dr. Payne is now gathering
the folk-songs of Texas for a proposed volume. He is Professor of
English at the University of Texas.
Fannie Ratchford is assistant in the Wrenn Library, in connection with
which she has done interesting research.
Mrs. Bruce Reid, of Port Arthur, has put a series of legends into story
form for children. She acknowledges her inspiration to Mrs. E. C.
Carter, until recently Chief Librarian of the Memorial Library at Port
Arthur. In this library Mrs. Reid’s folk-stories are read and told to
children. Mrs. Reid has made extensive studies of birds.
R. E. Sherrill, a business man of Haskell, has written a history of
Haskell County. Working through the public schools, he has stimulated a
lively interest in the history and lore of his county.
John P. Sjolander, a veteran of seventy-three years, will long be
remembered as a pioneer Texas poet. He was born of a noble family in
Sweden, was educated in England, and came to Texas more than half a
century ago—as a seaman. For a long generation he has lived at Cedar
Bayou, cultivating poetry and the art of life. He has translated many
folk-songs from the Swedish and has contributed to various magazines of
this country and Sweden. A sketch of his life by Hilton R. Greer is to
be found in Library of Southern Literature. Only some of his “Rhymes of
Galveston Bay” are here reprinted.
J. S. Spratt, recent student of the University of Texas, lives at
Mingus in Palo Pinto County.
Mary A. Sutherland is the author of The Story of Corpus Christi, an
interesting history not only of her home city but of the lower Nueces
country. She contributed to the Publications of 1923.
Victor J. Smith, a member of the faculty of the Sul Ross State Normal
College at Alpine, is the acknowledged representative of the Texas
Folk-Lore Society for the Big Bend country. He combines anthropology
and folk-lore and contributed an article of such blend to the 1923
Publications.
As editor of The American Sketch Book, which she brought to Texas from
the north and continued to edit under the sub-title of Texas Pioneer
Magazine, Bella French Swisher was during the eighteen eighties rather
prominent in Texas literary circles. Her romantic nature took her to
California, to the stage, and to a young husband. She died some fifteen
years ago.
In the note to “The Devil and Strap Buckner” something is said of the
author’s life. Nathaniel Alston Taylor was born in North Carolina,
1835. He graduated from the University of Virginia, came to Texas, and
served as colonel in Polignac’s Brigade during the Civil War. After the
war he settled in Houston.
Louise von Blittersdorf is an enthusiastic worker in the Texas
Folk-Lore Society. Her home is in Austin, and she is a student in the
University of Texas.
J. O. Webb, Superintendent of Schools at Alvin, is writing a history of
Galveston for his Master’s thesis at the University of Texas.
W. P. Webb perhaps knows more about Texas Rangers and frontier outlaws
than any other man living. He has written various articles on Texas
history and Texas folk-lore; at present he is working on a book having
to do with Texas Rangers. Mr. Webb is Adjunct Professor of History at
the University of Texas.
Mrs. S. J. Wright is the author of San Antonio de Béxar, Historical,
Traditional and Legendary, which contains a number of legends
pertaining to San Antonio. Mrs. Wright is a leader in Texas women’s
club work. San Antonio is her home.