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ANTONIO
GIL Y'BARBO:
LATTER-DAY MOSES
by Archie
P. McDonald, PhD |
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It may be presumptuous
to liken Y'Barbo to Moses, but there is some merit in the comparison.
Their motives differed, of course, but both led displaced persons
to--or back to--a "promised land." At least the children of Israel
and many citizens of Nacogdoches felt that way about their destination.
First, let's deal with the name. Most, including descendants, spell
it "Y'Barbo." Spelling was never the strong suit of pioneers, so one
also finds "Ibarbo," "y'Barvo and "y Barbo." Suffice it that most
East Texans pronounce Gil's name as if it was spelled "Wye-Bar-Bow."
And they say "gill" instead of "hile." A better writer once asked
"What's in a name?" so hereinafter you will read Y'Barbo.
Anyway, Y'Barbo was born in Los Adaes in 1729. His parents came from
Andalusia, Spain, as colonists and settled on Lobanillo Creek in an
area now known as Sabine County.
In 1763, the Peace of Paris ended the Seven Year's War. A consequence
was the exclusion of French claims in North America, which made Spanish
and English territory meet at the Mississippi River. Rid of the French
threat in their northern provinces, Spanish authorities ordered all
East Texas missions and settlers removed to San Antonio in 1772.
Y'Barbo emerged as the natural leader of these displaced persons.
Soon after they arrived in San Antonio, Y'Barbo pestered authorities
to be allowed to return to East Texas. In 1774, they consented, if
he and those who accompanied him would go only as far as the Trinity
River. There they founded a settlement named Bucareli and endured
several years of floods and Indian difficulties. Then, in the spring
of 1779, Y'Barbo and his followers packed up and moved father east.
They traveled as far as the site of the abandoned mission in Nacogdoches.
The move was unauthorized but approved after the fact. Y'Barbo was
named lieutenant governor, captain of militia, and judge of contraband
with jurisdiction over smuggling cases. |
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The
Old Stone Fort
Postcard courtesy rootsweb.com/~txgenweb// postcards/Index.html |
It
is impossible to overstate the importance of Y'Barbo to the founding
of Nacogdoches.
He built a "casa piedras," or Stone House, on Plaza Principal, and
a separate residence. The Stone House, though always private property,
became the seat of government and town gathering. Y'Barbo "fathered"
Nacogdoches. He parceled property and provided leadership in all areas
of development.
Then the trouble came. Complaints from convicted smugglers led to
Y'Barbo's resignation in 1790, and a year later, he, too, was accused
of the same offence. He was banned from Nacogdoches, but permitted
to live in Louisiana after several year's residence in San Antonio
and eventually returned to Nacogdoches. He died at his Rancho La Lucana,
located on the Attoyac River, in 1809.
All Things Historical
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April 14-20, 2002
A syndicated column in over 40 East Texas newspapers
Published with permission
(Archie P. McDonald is Director of the East Texas Historical Association
and author or editor of over 20 books on Texas) |
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