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Original handwritten manuscript written in Spanish by the Reverend Santiago Tafolla at the age of 71. Tafolla was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico under Mexican rule; traveled widely in the US; and served in the Texas Indian Wars and the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The memoir offers a rare look at 19th century Texas from the Tejano perspective and is the only known memoir of a Mexican American who served in the Civil War. Tafolla's great-granddaughters Carmen and Laura Tafolla transcribed, translated, and edited the memoir, which was ultimately published as A Life Crossing Borders: Memoir of a Mexican-American Civil War Soldier, by Arté Público Press in 2009. Item is fragile; pages 73-76 are illegible in places; written in pencil.

Original handwritten manuscript written in Spanish by the Reverend Santiago Tafolla at the age of 71. Tafolla was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico under Mexican rule; traveled widely in the US; and served in the Texas Indian Wars and the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The memoir offers a rare look at 19th century Texas from the Tejano perspective and is the only known memoir of a Mexican American who served in the Civil War. Tafolla's great-granddaughters Carmen and Laura Tafolla transcribed, translated, and edited the memoir, which was ultimately published as A Life Crossing Borders: Memoir of a Mexican-American Civil War Soldier, by Arté Público Press in 2009. Item is fragile; some pages are illegible in places; written in pencil.

Clara Louise Harrison Cape (1892-1995) was married to Edward Matthew Cape (1890-1972), son of early San Marcos settler John Matthew Cape. Her scrapbooks and knowledge of local history contributed to the research that produced "Clear Springs and Limestone Ledges: A History of San Marcos and Hays County for the Sesquicentennial." For the first part of the interview, Cape reads from a prepared statement that highlights what she remembered about San Marcos after arriving here in 1906 when she was about 15 years old. She talks about how different Texas was from Alabama, life as a student at the East End School, and the creation of Southwest Texas State Normal School. Cape then answers interviewer questions, discussing topics including the San Marcos River, native vegetation, the Depression, her family history, and being a friend of Lyndon Johnson.