urn:taro:utexas.cah.02353 A Guide to the Reuben Ross Family Papers, 1825-1861, 1928 Original EAD encoding by Laurel Rozema according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. February 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Ross, Reuben. Ross, Reuben, d. 1839. Ross, Reuben, family papers 1825-1861, 1928 Materials are written in English. 1942 8 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Composed of correspondence, a diary, receipts, legal documents, literary productions, a photograph, and newspaper clippings, the Ross Reuben Family Papers, 1825-1861, 1928, document Ross’ career and family. Biographical Note

Virginia native Reuben Ross participated in the Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition of 1812-1813, which fought in Texas on the side of the Mexican Army during the Mexican War for Independence. Ross served as senior Anglo-American officer and fought at the battle of Rosillo. While attempting to obtain land from the Mexican government several years later, Ross was killed by robbers.

Ross’ nephew Reuben Ross (d. 1839) served as an aide-de-camp for Felix Huston in the Texas Revolution, rising to the rank of captain. In 1837, Ross acted as land agent for Huston, and the next year, he became captain of the Houston Volunteer Guards. In 1839, Ross served as captain of the Gonzales Company of frontier Texas Rangers, then joined the Mexican Federalist movement as colonel under Antonio Canales. Ross returned to Gonzales, where he challenged Ben McCulloch to a duel on behalf of Alonzo B. Sweitzer. When McCulloch refused the duel, Ross the wounded him in the arm. Several months later, Ross was killed in an altercation with Ben’s brother Henry E. McCulloch.

Sources:

Ross, Reuben (?-?). Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed February 22, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fro83.

McLendon, James Hays. Ross, Reuben (?-1839). Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed February 22, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fro84.

 Scope and Contents

Composed of correspondence, a diary, receipts, legal documents, literary productions, a photograph, and newspaper clippings, the Ross Reuben Family Papers, 1825-1861, 1928, document Ross’ career and family. The collection relates to the Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition and Ross’ attempts to obtain land from the Mexican government for his military services. The papers also chronicle the military career of Ross’ nephew Reuben as an aide-de-camp to Felix Huston during the Texas Revolution and captain of the Gonzales Company of the Texas Rangers as well as his death in a duel with Henry McCulloch. Additionally, the collection contains a diary of poetry, a photograph of a drawing of Ross, an 1830 declamation for the Debating Society, an 1828 memorandum of a journey, and several plays.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Ross, Reuben -- Archives. Ross, Reuben, d. 1839 -- Archives. Huston, Felix, 1800-1857. Subjects (Organizations) Texas Rangers. Frontier Battalion. Texas. Army. Subjects Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition, 1812-1813. Places Mexico -- History -- Wars of Independence, 1810-1821. Texas -- History -- 1810-1821. Texas -- History -- Revolution, 1835-1836. Preferred Citation

Reuben Ross Family Papers, 1825-1861, 1928, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Contact repository for inventory.