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William Barret Travis Signed Document

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:25,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD
William Barret Travis Signed Document

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Auction Date:2015 Jan 22 @ 13:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:236 Commercial St., Suite 100, Boston, Massachusetts, 02109, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Manuscript DS, in Spanish, signed four times, “W. Barret Travis,” four pages on two adjoining sheets, 8.25 x 12, April 9, 1834. Document regarding the sale of a boat. In part (translated): “In the village of San Felipe of Austin…before me the citizen Robert M. Williamson justice of the peace of said village and the named witness at the end along with those of my assistance with whom I act because of lack of scribe appeared the citizen George Huff caretaker and reliable trustee…of the goods of the defunct William Kelly…in conformity of a public notice given in various points of this municipality for thirty consecutive days, sold on public auction on the current date of April 5th the schooner named the William of 54 and 53/94 tons situated and being on the Bafaloe Bayous River in the village of Harrisburg in this municipality with all of its sails, rigging, wardrobe and belongings to the citizen John W. Moore…and grants that in real and public sale…for use of inheritance forever to the said John W. Moore the said Schooner William that is the same that was registered and received a British patent…and that the said schooner belonged to the granted representative of the defunct William Kelly in possession and property, and as such will sell it with all its belongings to the stated Moore for 615 pesos whom he confesses having received in compliance of the said Moore with the terms of the auction…and by this…the said schooner will be delivered to the referred John W. Moore.” Travis has signed once in the final paragraph as a witness, and signed an additional three more times as a witness. Document is also signed by George Huff, twice by R. M. Williamson, and James Darwin. A final paragraph of the document, dated February 27, 1835, acknowledges transferring ownership of the schooner to another party. In very good condition, with minor foxing and edge chipping, light damp staining touching but not adversely affecting the readability of some marginal text, a few small unobtrusive archival tape repairs along horizontal folds, and expected show-through from writing on opposing sides. All of the writing is very bold—particularly Travis’s four rare signatures. The Robert Davis Collection.

This remarkable document connects several of the key figures in provoking Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and the conflict at Anahuac in the summer of 1835, one of the early military actions of the Texas Revolution. The schooner being purchased is appropriately situated in the Buffalo Bayou at Harrisburg, which served as a major shipping center during this period. The purchaser, John W. Moore, served in local government with Travis and later signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. In June 1835, a dispute over customs fees arose between settlers and Mexican officials at Anahuac which resulted in the arrest of two merchants. Once news of the arrests reached William Barret Travis in San Felipe de Austin, he raised a small militia of 25 men—Moore included among them—and commandeered a vessel at Harrisburg to sail for Anahuac and free the prisoners. Travis, Moore, and their militia were quickly able to free the merchants and expel the Mexican troops stationed there, who were led by Antonio Tenorio. As the Revolution progressed, George Huff took on the responsibility of supplying provisions, arms, and ammunition to the headquarters of the volunteer army at Gonzales. Williamson, known as 'Three-Legged Willie' due to a peg leg, was an early agitator for independence and during the siege of the Alamo he helped organize the relief forces gathering in Gonzales after receiving Travis's plea for aid—these 32 Gonzales men were the only reinforcements that made it to the Alamo, and all were killed. Shortly before the Battle of San Jacinto, Santa Anna went to Harrisburg and burnt down the entire town—except, ironically, for Moore's residence. Travis represents one of the rarest and most desirable autographs from the Texas Revolution, and documents such as this—signed four times by Travis and countersigned by his revolutionary associates—is an absolutely outstanding piece.