james hart's Page

Hello James...

I have HART ancestry from Ireland.  My HART ancestors, Teddy and Mary HART and their son, Felix HART, and his wife Bridget CARRIGAN emigrated to South Texas in 1829, at the time it was a possession of Mexico.

Teddy HART and his family had settled in Maryland (which was a haven for Catholics) before 1810 and Felix HART and his family settled in New York between 1822 when first daughter, Catherine, was born in Ireland and 1829 when his son, Timoothy, was born in New York.  Teddy's son and my 3rd Great Grand Uncle, also named Timothy, signed the Texas Declaration of Independence at Goliad.

There were several unrelated HART families that gained Mexican Land Grants in the area which is now called San Patricio and Bee Counties.

Later, more HART families joined these original HART families in settling South Texas.  The Mexican Government recruited these families to act as buffers between the Comanche Indians and the Mexican population in general as well as a buffer between the generally Protestant Anglo settlements along the border between Texas and Louisiana.

Every Texas school kid is versed in the history of the settlement by Anglos such as the Stephan F. AUSTIN colony.  However, few people in Texas know anything about the brave Irish Colonists who settled South Texas and who also fought and died for Texas independence.