C. A. STERNE - RECALLS DAYS OF REPUBLIC

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Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm

Transcribed by Kathy Odom Submitted by Scott Fitzgerald -
scottfitzgerald@tyler.net East Texas Genealogical Society,
1st Vice-President 16 March 2007

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Originally published in The Tracings, Volume 4, No. 1, Winter 1985, Pages 
57-58 by the Anderson County Genealogical Society, copyright assigned to the
East Texas Genealogical Society.


The following article on Mr. C. A. Sterne was copied from an old clipping of
the ------------Farm News which was printed on May 4, 1920.


OLDEST NATIVE BORN TEXAS RECALLS DAYS OF REPUBLIC 


Palestine, Texas May 1, 1920.    Living at his home in this city, C. A.
Sterne, 90 years old, is the oldest native inhabitant of Texas. He was born
in Nacogdoches, then in the state of Coahuila and Texas, when Mexico was a
republic under the constitution of 1824. He claims the distinction of being
the oldest Mason under the jurisdiction of the grand lodge of Texas, being
made a master Mason in Euclid Lodge No. 30 at Rusk, Texas in 1852, which
gives him sixty-eight years of continuous membership. He is also a life
member of Galveston Consistory No. 1, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of
Freemasonry.

Mr. Sterne is now adjutant of John H. Reagan Camp, United Confederate
Veterans, of this city, and has an enviable record in the civil war. He was
a member of Company F, Thirteenth Texas Cavalry, commanded by Colonel John
H. Douglas, chief quartermaster of the trans-Mississippi department, where
he rendered valuable service until the close of the war.

Mr. Sterne has held a number of important positions in civil life also. He
served as trustee and secretary of the Palestine school board for thirty-six
years, retiring last year. He served as city secretary for six years and as
secretary of the Board of Trade for five years. For twenty-five years he
conducted the leading hotel of the city. He has ten children, thirty-seven
grandchildren and twenty-one great-grandchildren.

Hale and hearty, Mr. Sterne is planning a fishing trip soon to Indian Lake,
near here. He boasts of the fact that he has read The News continuously for
seventy-five years, beginning in 1845, when his father was postmaster at
Nacogdoches. His mind is as clear as it was fifty years ago and his
recollections of the early days in Texas are very interesting and of value
to future historians of the state.

In describing the battle of San Jacinto, where General Sam Houston was
wounded, Mr. Sterne adds: "After the battle of San Jacinto, Houston went to
New Orleans to have his wound treated. From New Orleans he returned to Texas
and made his home in San Augustine and then came to Nacogdoches. On one
occasion, when on a visit to my father, he met my mother and embraced her
affectionately, addressing her as 'my dear godmother!'  As I was a witness
to the meeting, my mother explained to me how she became godmother of our
distinguished guest, and related the circumstances as follows:  When the
call was made to send delegates to Washington on the Brazos to meet in
convention, which declared the independence of Texas on March 2, 1836, the
citizens of the municipality of Nacogdoches selected a number of its
citizens as delegates to the convention. Among the number was General
Houston, but it was found that he was not a bona fide citizen of the
republic, hence it was important to comply with the law, and preparations
were hurriedly made to qualify Houston as a legal delegate.

"He chose my mother for his godmother and Colonel John S. Roberts for his
godfather. General Rusk told him that it was customary on such occasions to
present the godmother with some memento of the event. The general approached
my mother, took her by the hand and said:  "My dear godmother, allow me to
place on your hand this ring to remind you of this interesting event in the
history of my life, and in which you had an important part. You, for my
sake, are requested to wear this ring on the anniversary of my christening,
and on my birthday, which is March 2.'  My mother was ever faithful to this
request.  March 2, 1836, was the date of the declaration of independence of
Texas and made that anniversary doubly interesting. After the battle of San
Jacinto she added April 21 to the number.

The ring was a beautiful and valuable diamond, which was inherited by my
sister, Mrs. Rosine Ryan of Houston, and which she continues to wear on the
memorable days of the history of Texas."