In this post, you can learn more about Gilberto M. Hinojosa's book "A Borderlands Town in Transition; Laredo, 1755-1870" and where to get a copy.
I previously wrote about the Laredo Archives and the wealth of information that you can find using them. In that post I mentioned the book by Gilberto M. Hinojosa. Well, today I want to talk about the book a little bit more.
The author starts off by describing and explain the creation of Laredo and the struggles that it had to become a mature town. He also talked about war and social change that brought prosperity and recessions to the town.
He also mentions how the border moved South after the Mexican American war and the effects that it had on Laredo during the 1850's. A period know as a time of change and adjustment.
He finally talks about the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Something that stood out to me was how the author described that the population was very fluid and in constant movement. Some years half of the population mentioned in one census was gone.
Also, this book does not provide genealogical information and it will not help you find your ancestors. What it will do is help you put them into the greater picture and help you understand laws, events, and social movements that might have affected their lives. That is, if your ancestors lived in Laredo or its neighboring communities of Revilla and Mier.
Cover of Book:
Click here or on the above image to view on Amazon
$10.99 Used and $11.68 New Get Your Copy
Description of book by Amazon:
"Wave upon wave of newcomers has penetrated the semiarid plains of the U.S.-Mexican borderlands. Among the settlers and sojourners along the Rio Grande in the mid–eighteenth century were the founders of Laredo, who came seeking survival and permanence in that chaparral country.
Established in 1755 as an outpost of New Spain, Laredo, like other borderlands towns, has periodically been buffeted by powerful outside forces that upset the stable society and family unity characteristic of the early villa. Unlike some other border communities, though, it has maintained a prominent Mexican-American political and economic elite.
Applying quantitative techniques of demographic analysis and interweaving their results with more traditional narrative, Gilberto Miguel Hinojosa tells the story of a borderlands town and its people. He shows how larger events such as war, economic depression, and changes of sovereignty affected family structure, racial and ethnic divisions, social-class relations, age composition of the population, property ownership, literacy, and other aspects of the daily lives of the townspeople. His conclusions suggest that life in these communities was far from the static, uneventful existence it was once believed to be."
Table of Contents:
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xvii
Chapter
1. Implantation, Growth, and Maturity, 1755-1810 Pg. 3
2. War and Social Change, Prosperity and Recession, 1810-35 Pg. 25
3. The Border Moves South, 1835-50 Pg. 47
4. The 1850's A Decade of Change and Adjustment Pg. 64
5. The Civil War and Reconstruction Pg. 81
6. Borderlands in Transition Pg. 95
Appendix Pg. 123
Glossary Pg. 131
Bibliography Pg. 135
Index Pg. 143
Get Your Copy of This Book:
At the moment of writing this the only place that I could find it was at Amazon.com and was selling starting at $10.19 used and $11.68 new for the soft cover. If you are interested in buying this book click here BUY NOW to buy from Amazon.
I hope that you find this book useful and informative as I have. Please let me know in the comment area of this post of what you thought about this book.
