Transcript of Mary Ann Adams Maverick

This is Texas Originals. From Humanities Texas, for the advancement of heritage, culture, and education.

The memoirs of Mary Maverick paint a vivid picture of life on the Texas frontier.

Born in Alabama, Mary moved to San Antonio in 1838 after marrying Samuel Maverick, a veteran of the Texas Revolution.

Sam was a leading figure in the new Republic. He surveyed lands in the distant West and legislated in Austin. Because he was often away, Mary faced the challenges of raising a family alone. Only six of her ten children survived past the age of eight.

Mary chronicled her life in her diaries, which have become an important source for historians. She witnessed the bloody Council House Fight of 1840, a turning point in relations between Texians and the Comanche.

She also writes about Jack Hays, Juan Seguín, and Mirabeau Lamar; notable figures of Texas history appear in her pages not as distant monuments, but as friends and neighbors.

Mary Maverick worked in other ways to honor Texas history. She helped save the Alamo from development. She also promoted the Battle of Flowers—an annual parade still held in San Antonio commemorating the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto.

Maverick died in 1898. Three years before her death she compiled and edited her memoirs with the aid of her son, leaving us with a remarkable account of life in early Texas.

More information about Mary Maverick and other Texas Originals is available at TexasOriginals.org. This program is produced by Houston Public Radio and Humanities Texas, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.