REVIEW OF SAN ANTONIO MARRIAGES 1703-1846

BOOK REVIEW:  Grand Prize Winner of the 2021 TxSGS Book Award

San Antonio Marriages 1703-1846: Matrimony  in Colonial, Mexican and Republican Texas 

by Art Martínez De Vara (Von Ormy, Texas: Alamo Press, 2021): 598 pages, illustrations, indexed. Available from Alamopress.com, Amazon, and other bookstores.

by William D. “Bill” Buckner, TxSGS Awards Chair

     Art Martínez De Vara’s goal was simple: produce a comprehensive source of marriage records centered on San Antonio, with an index that would provide in-depth access. Researchers pursuing marriage documentation previously had to seek multiple primary sources, such as the unpublished Republic of Texas marriages (1836–1846). According to Art, there was a void in the literature that this book helped fill.1 The focus of the book is marriage records recorded between 1703–1846 (460 pages) under Spanish, Mexican, and Republic of Texas rule. Gaps in the records were filled by marriage-related records, including marriage petitions, investigations, licenses, marriage in exile, and more. 

     The records are presented in order of the sources outlined in the Table of Contents and include San Fernando Church Marriages and Petitions, San Antonio Marriage Investigations, Mission San Antonio De Valero Marriages, Mission San Jose Marriages, Mission Concepcion Marriages, Republic of Texas Marriage Licenses, Marriages of Bexar Exiles in Natchitoches, Mission San Francisco Solano Marriages, and 1772 Married Couples of Mission San Antonio De Valero. The entries are arranged in date order. The record abstracts are numbered consecutively, which helps in locating information via the index. The author used a left-page header to identify the source of information for any entry. 

     As San Antonio history buffs know the first settlers to San Antonio came in 1718, a clarification is in order regarding the publication’s 1703 beginning date. The Mission San Francisco Solano was founded on the Rio Grande in 1700; it moved to San Antonio in 1718 and became Mission San Antonio De Valero (the site of the battle of the Alamo). In this book, the author included marriages that were trans-ferred along with records of Mission San Francisco Solano to the new site.

     The entries are names and ages of the bride and groom, date of marriage, and the priest or minister. Additional biographical, genealogical, and historical content may include names of the parents, where the married coupled was from, how long they had lived in the city, godparents, occupation, other relationships, and more.

     The author thoughtfully chose the supplemental material included with the marriage records. As the author summarized, “marriage in San Antonio was a social and religious institution that formed the basis of colonial society,” defining family units, social relationships, and racial/class standings. It was also the legal and social means of administering the transfer of wealth. 

     To enhance and give context to the marriage records, a 31-page overview of marriage laws and customs of the period is included. This section includes the use of banns, dispensations, and marriage investigations, plus a discussion of marriage by bond, a practice unique to Texas. An additional supplement complementing the core material includes the English translation of the Marriage Manual of the San Antonio Missions, written specifically for the Coahuiltecan Indians entering the mission. It sheds light on indigenous marriage practices used outside the missions. 

     Two indexes are provided: a general “Index of Terms” (pages 500-514) and an “Index of Names” (pages 515-598). The every-name index is arranged by surname then by given name with the page numbers, providing additional value to this reference. These indexes include 15,000 names and 1,200 terms, providing unprecedented access to the material. 

     Art’s careful planning and meticulous attention to detail gives readers these records in context. Using both indexes illuminates the times in which the couple was married. I highly recommend this book as a great reference resource.   

Endnotes

1. Art Martinez de Vara, “WAC-034: San Antonio Marriages, 1703-1846,” inter-view by Moises Garza, host, We are Cousins Podcast, 25 February 2021, audio (https://www.wearecousins.info/2021/02/san-antonio-marriages-1703-1846/ : accessed 16 Feb 2022).