The French in Texas : history, migration, culture / Franc̦ois Lagarde, editor.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Lagarde, François, 1949-

Series:

Focus on American history series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

French Americans--Texas--History.

French Americans.

Civilization.

Texas.

History.

French Americans--Migrations.

French Americans--Texas--Intellectual life.

Intellectual life.

Texas--History.

Texas--Civilization.

Physical Description:

xiii, 330 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 27 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2003.

Summary:

The flag of France is one of the six flags that have flown over Texas, but all that many people know about the French presence in Texas is the ill-fated explorer Cavelier de La Salle, fabled pirate Jean Laffite, or Cajun music and food. Yet the French have made lasting contributions to Texas history and culture that deserve to be widely known and appreciated. In this book, Francois Lagarde and thirteen other experts, including Jonathan Beecher, Martha Utterback, Robert S. Weddle, and Carl Brasseaux, present original articles that explore the French presence and influence on Texas history, arts, education, religion, and business from the arrival of La Salle in 1685 to 2002. Each article covers an important figure or event in the France-Texas story. The historical articles thoroughly investigate early French colonists and explorers, the French pirates and privateers, the Bonapartists of Champ-d'Asile, the French at the Alamo, Dubois de Saligny and French recognition of the Republic of Texas, the nineteenth-century utopists of Icaria and Reunion, and the French Catholic missions. Other articles deal with French immigration in Texas, including the founding of Castroville, Cajuns in Texas, and the French economic presence in Texas today (the first such study ever published). The remaining articles look at painters Theodore and Marie Gentilz, sculptor Raoul Josset, French architecture in Texas, French travelers from Theodore Pavie to Simone de Beauvoir who have written on Texas, and the French heritage in Texas education. More than seventy color and black-and-white illustrations complement the text. The story of the French in Texas has long deserved the full and skillful treatment provided in this book. In the words of Lagarde, "the French in Texas have a past, a history long enough that it guarantees them a future in Texas. They also have a present; they migrate and immigrate. Like millions of other migrants today, they experience radical environmental and cultural change. May this book bring them comfort on their voyage."

Contents:

1. The Wreck of Ships and Dreams: A New Look at the Explorer La Salle / Robert S. Weddle 1

2. Exploring the Texas Coast: Bellisle, Beranger, and La Harpe, 1719-1721 / Robert S. Weddle, Patricia R. Lemee 20

3. Ambivalent Successes and Successful Failures: St. Denis, Aguayo, and Juan Rodriguez / Patricia R. Lemee 35

4. Athanase de Mezieres and the French in Texas, 1750-1803 / F. Todd Smith 46

5. French Pirates and Privateers in Texas / R. Dale Olson 60

6. Champ d'Asile, Texas / Betje Black Klier 79

7. Heroes, Villains, Merchants, and Priests: The Alamo's Frenchmen / Betje Black Klier 98

8. Diplomacy, Commerce, and Colonization: Saligny and the Republic / Francois Lagarde 107

9. Grounds for Emigration: Alsace at the Time of Henri Castro / Ianine Erny 124

10. Henri Castro and Castroville: Alsatian History and Heritage / Wayne M. Ahr 128

11. French Catholic Missions in Texas, 1840-1880: Propagation and Enterprise / Francois Lagarde 142

12. Birth, Stock, and Work: French Immigration in Texas / Francois Lagarde 157

13. French Artists in Texas / Martha Utterback 178

14. Eugenie Lavender, nee Aubanel: A Romantic on the Frontier / Martha Utterback 192

15. Building Utopia in the Promised Land: Icarians and Fourierists in Texas / Jonathan Beecher 197

16. Is There French Architecture in Texas? / Richard Cleary 226

17. The Enduring Legacy of the French in Texas Education / Ann Marie Caldwell 240

18. French Travelers in Texas: Identity, Myth, and Meaning from Joutel to Butor / Alexandra K. Wettlaufer 255

19. "Grand Texas": The Cajun Migration to Texas / Carl A. Brasseaux 273

20. Raoul Josset and the 1936 Texas Centennial / Francois Lagarde 287

21. Global Culture: French Economic Presence in Texas, Summer 2001 / Francois Lagarde 293.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-320) and index.

ISBN:

0292747349

029270528X

OCLC:

49959184