Title:
Ben Milam's hair
Description:
Lock of hair, gray / black. The locks of hair are placed within an envelope on which there is some writing. The envelope also includes fragments of what is presumably the original mailing envelope, which looks burned (black spots). Writing on the envelope: Col. Benj. R. Milam, Col. B.R. Milam, San Antonio and 7th Dec. 183?. On the top of the outer envelope is written: Photos, framed (misc.)
Description:
Historical Note: Benjamin Rush Milam was born on October 20, 1788 to Moses and Elizabeth Pattie Boyd Milam in Frankfort, KY. He fought in the War of 1812 with the 8th regiment, 39th infantry company of the Kentucky militia, serving from August 17 to December 8, 1812. By 1818, Milam was in Texas, trading with the Comanche Indians on the Colorado River. The following year he joined Jos� Felix Trespalacios and James Long in what became known as the Long Expedition, working to separate Mexico and Texas from Spain. Milam became a Mexican citizen under the new constitutional government on June 24, 1824, and was commissioned as a colonel in the Mexican army. On January 12, 1826 Milam signed a contract granting him permission to establish Milam's Colony. The agreement required that he settle 300 Catholic families on the land within six years. Milam failed to do so and the contract expired on January 25, 1832. The claims of the 52 families in Milam's Colony were therefore in question. In 1835, Milam convinced the governor of Coahuila and Texas, Agustin Viesca, to grant land titles to Texas settlers. Shortly thereafter, however, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna overthrew the government and captured Viesca and Milam on June 5, 1835. Milam escaped in October and joined a band of Texans under George Collinsworth who were fighting for independence from Mexico. They captured Goliad and then marched to San Antonio. On December 4, Milam heard that most of the men had given up the plan to attack San Antonio. 300 men volunteered to attack San Antonio with him, and the attack began on December 5, 1835. Four days later, General Martin Perfecto de C�s and the Mexican army surrendered. Milam did not live to see the victory, however; he was killed by a sniper's bullet on December 7. Milam is believed to be buried in Milam Park in San Antonio, TX.
Description:
Related Resource: Refer to Texas Treasures online exhibit (image of Ben Milam's passport on The Siege of Bexar web page) and The McArdle Notebooks online exhibit (image of Ben Milam in Dawn at the Alamo notebook), Texas State Library and Archives Commissi
Identifier:
ATF0394
Item identifier:
ATF0394
Collection:
Artifacts collection
Date range of creation:
1830 to 1835
Container information:
Artifact Box 0111
Subject:
Milam, Benjamin Rush, 1788-1835
Type:
Image
Type:
Human hair
Medium:
Organic material
Citation information:
ATF0394, Artifacts collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Copyright information:
This image is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States. The Item and its design depicted in this image may be protected by copyright, patents, trademarks, or other related rights. You are free to use this image in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Texas State Library and Archives Commission makes no warranties about the Item and cannot guarantee the accuracy of this Rights Statement. You are responsible for your own use. Please contact the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for more information. You may need to obtain other permissions for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy or moral rights may limit how you may use the material.
Size or duration:
not measured due to fragile nature of item
Language:
English