The Arcane Texas Fact of the Day: The idea for the Texas flag, the Lone Star flag, did not originate in Texas. In November, 1835, a mass meeting took place in Macon, Georgia. It was called to discuss aid for the Texans in their struggle against Mexico. More than 3,000 dollars were raised and plans were made for the organizing of a company of volunteers. One hundred and fifty Georgians enlisted in the company, under command of Colonel Fannin, later to become immortal in the massacre of Goliad. Joanna Troutman, only 17 years old and inspired by the Texas cause, sacrificed a beautiful silk skirt. Miss Troutman designed and made a flag of white silk, bearing a blue, five-pointed star and two inscriptions: Liberty or Death on the obverse and, in Latin, UBI LIBERTAS HABITAT, IBI NOSTRA PATRIA EST (Where Liberty dwells, there is our fatherland) on the reverse. She presented the flag to the battalion, and it was unfurled at Velasco on January 8, 1836, above the American Hotel. It was carried to Goliad, where James W. Fannin, Jr., raised it as the national flag when he heard of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The flag was accidentally torn to shreds, however, and only its remnants flew above the Battle of Coleto Creek on March 19-20, 1836. After Texas won independence, the government of the Republic honored Joanna by presenting her with a spoon and fork of solid silver, both of which had belonged to Santa Anna. Joanna married Solomon L. Pope in 1839, and the couple moved to Elmwood, their prosperous plantation near Knoxville, Georgia, in 1840. They had four sons. Her husband died in 1872, and she married W. G. Vinson, a Georgia state legislator, in 1875. She died on July 23, 1879, at Elmwood and was buried next to her first husband. In 1913 Texas governor Oscar B. Colquitt secured permission to have her remains taken to Texas for interment in the State Cemetery in Austin.. where she rests close to Stephen F. Austin. A bronze statue by Pompeo L. Coppini was erected there as a monument to her memory; her portrait hangs in the state Capitol. If youd like to see what it is thought the flag looked like, click here: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/TroutmanFlag.jpg
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 13:00:00 +0000