Inventory of the Mercurio Martinez Papers Texas MSS 00083 ., 1767-1963 (bulk: 1910-1963)
Title:
Inventory of the Mercurio Martinez Papers 1767-1963 (bulk: 1910-1963)
Mercurio Martinez, school teacher, rancher, legal researcher, public spirited citizen, and authority on the history and genealogy of Zapata County, Tex., was born in San Ygnacio, Zapata County, Tex. on October 27, 1876, and died in 1965. Descended from Spanish-Mexican pioneers who had settled on the banks of the Rio Grande River in the mid-eighteenth century, Martinez was one of six children born to Don Proceso Martinez and Maria de Jesus Martinez. As a child, Martinez studied guitar and violin. Music remained an avocation throughout his long life, and he wrote numerous "corridos" or ballads which were based on historically significant events in the Zapata County area.In 1898 Martinez graduated from St. Edwards College in Austin, Tex., with a degree of Master of Accounts which is equivalent to a B. S. degree in Business Administration. Between 1898 and 1907, Martinez taught school in the Dolores settlement of Zapata County, Tex. where many of his paternal kinsmen lived. Upon moving to the town of Zapata in 1908, Martinez was appointed principal of the local schools, serving as principal and teacher from 1908 until 1911, when he resigned to become Zapata County treasurer and the administrator of the County School Depository. Martinez held this position through 1916. In 1917, Martinez was appointed Sanitary Inspector of Zapata County by the State Health Department. During his two-year term, he actively attempted to ameliorate conditions which led to the spread of contagious diseases. From 1919 until 1921, he devoted his time to farming and ranching. Although he continued to supervise his lands and rental properties throughout his life, Martinez accepted a position with the Laredo law firm of Hicks, Hicks, Dickson and Bobbitt in 1921, and moved to Laredo. Martinez's duties included work as bookkeeper, cashier, auditor, translator, interpreter, abstracter, and investigator. His knowledge of kinship networks and histories of land ownership in Zapata County was an especially valuable asset to the firm. Mercurio Martinez retired from the Laredo, Tex. law firm in 1942, but continued to work with local lawyers on occasional cases having to do with land ownership. Interests in the history of the region his forebearers had pioneered led him to cooperate with Virgil Lott of Roma, Texas, in writing a county history, , which was published in 1953. One of the great achievements of Martinez's long and vigorous life was his role in the salvation of the community of historic San Ygnacio, Tex., which was condemned as a result of flooding caused in the area by the construction of the Falcon Dam in 1949. The flooding marked the doom of many ancient towns along the river south of Laredo. Martinez worked as a key agent of the International Boundary & Water Commission in contacting the many citizens of Zapata County who were resettled on higher ground. The Mercurio Martinez Papers (1797-1963 (bulk: 1910-1963)) include correspondence, copies of legal documents such as wills, deeds, affidavits and courtroom briefs, maps, a few photographs, field notes for land surveys, genealogical charts, accounts of family and regional history by Mercurio Martinez and historical accounts from other sources, principally newspapers. There are also financial records of various kinds including tax records, bills and receipts, books of check stubs, and account sheets. The vast majority of the papers relate to families, places and events in Zapata County, Tex. Webb County, Tex. is also well represented, as is the region surrounding the town of Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico, located on the south bank of the Rio Grande River opposite Zapata County, Tex. Accounts of family and local history written by Martinez in the 1950's and early 1960's deal with events dating back to the Spanish settlements along the lower Rio Grande in the 1750's. Genealogies are generally traced back to the first colonists to arrive in the region. There are more files from the 1950's than any other single decade.Approximately one-quarter of the papers are written in Spanish, and many of the Spanish documents are accompanied with English translations.Among the most important files in the collection are those on the relocation of the town of Zapata due to the construction of Falcon Dam on the Rio Grande River in the early 1950's, the salvation of the community of San Ygnacio from destruction during this period, the accounts of family history and genealogy from Zapata County, and the papers related to division of lands between descendants of original holders of Spanish grants and sales of family lands. Also of interest are the Corridos, or ballads, composed by Mercurio Martinez and dealing with dramatic events in Zapata County history. The Kingdom of Zapata
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