Skulls, Slaves, and Sex, Secrets of Early Texas

The Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground pass along this Symposium news:

 

ANNOUNCING  the 10th Annual Battle of San Jacinto Symposium - Saturday April 17, 2010 - Hilton Hotel and Conference Center, University of Houston Central Campus

"SKULLS, SLAVES, and SEX: SECRETS  OF  EARLY  TEXAS"   

Discovery of the Mexican Soldier Skulls -- In 2009, Symposium founder Jeff Dunn discovered the existence of six skulls of Mexican soldiers who were killed in the battle of San Jacinto.  Four of these skulls were retrieved by American naturalist John James Audubon during his trip to Galveston and Houston in May 1837 and sent to his friend Samuel Morton.  Morton was a natural scientist who lived in Philadelphia and collected crania from around the world.  Two other Morton colleagues also sent him skulls of slain Mexican soldiers from San Jacinto battlefield.  Morton's unique collection, including these six Mexican soldier skulls, is now preserved at  the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia.  Following this exciting discovery the Symposium Committee through Jan DeVault retained internationally-renowned Doug Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution to conduct a forensic examination of the skulls.  His research findings will be presented publicly for the first time at the 2010 Symposium.  More on the Mexican skulls is available right now, just click this title  "The Mexican Soldier Skulls of San Jacinto" .

But we aren't stopping with skulls.  We also have outstanding scholars who will be talking about slavery in Texas, Sam Houston's legal problems with his Texas girlfriend, and sex in revolutionary Texas!

Our speakers for the 2010 Symposium:

Jeff Dunn, founder of the San Jacinto Symposium, on the discovery of the Mexican skulls

Dr. Ron Tyler, Director, Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, on John James Audubon's visit to Texas in May 1837

Doug Owsley, Division of Physical Anthropology, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, on the forensic examination of the six skulls of Mexican soldiers killed at the battle of San Jacinto, discovered in the Samuel Morton Collection

Dr. Andrew Torget, Assistant Professor of History, University of North Texas, Denton, on his groundbreaking digital Texas Slavery Project

James W. Paulsen, Professor of Law, South Texas College of Law, Houston, on the marital legal issues that complicated the romance between Sam Houston and Anna Raguet

Lael Morgan, author and lecturer of Communications, University of Texas at Arlington, on sex in revolutionary Texas

And returning as moderator, Dr. James E. Crisp, Associate Professor of History, North Carolina State University.

 

See also:  https://www.friendsofsanjacinto.com/