84R18692 BPG-D
By: Gutierrez H.R. No. 2674
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of San Antonio for more than 200 years,
the Arciniega family has long made important contributions to the
Alamo City and the State of Texas; and
WHEREAS, In 1803, a company of 100 Spanish lancers, the
Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras, was sent from
Coahuila to reinforce the presidio of San Antonio de Béxar; among
the company was Gregorio Arciniega, who arrived in San Antonio with
his wife, María Josefa Flores de Abrego, his son, José Miguel, and
his daughter, Dolores; in November 1811, Gregorio Arciniega was
granted a tract of land in San Antonio on Alamo Street, and he
subsequently built a home on Arciniega and South Presa Streets; he
died in San Antonio in 1822, and the property was inherited by José
Miguel, his only son; and
WHEREAS, Born in Coahuila on September 20, 1793, José Miguel
Arciniega was a man of broad ability and experience; fluent in
Spanish, English, French, and nine Native American dialects, he
held at least 18 positions under three different flags; in the
1810s, he made trips to gather information about the presence of
Americans and foreigners in Northeast Texas, along the Trinity
River, and at Galveston, and in 1823, he served as a member of the
Texas provincial deputation to the Constituent Congress in Mexico
City; three years later, he was sent to East Texas to ascertain the
mood of the Cherokees, who had been trying to secure a land grant
from the Mexican government, and he met with Richard Fields,
diplomatic chief of the Cherokees, as well as with leaders of
several other tribes; he was appointed captain of the militia in
December 1826, and he was elected the following spring as one of two
deputies from the District of Béxar to the legislature of the State
of Coahuila and Texas; and
WHEREAS, Named land commissioner for Stephen F. Austin's
colonies in 1830, José Miguel Arciniega signed a four-league grant
for the town of Bastrop, which he helped to plat; the people of San
Antonio elected him twice as their alcalde, or mayor, during the
1830s; Mexican general Martín Perfecto de Cos relied upon his skill
as an interpreter in negotiations for the surrender of Béxar in
1835, and that year, Arciniega was appointed second judge of Béxar;
although he was selected as the Béxar delegate for the
revolutionary Convention of 1836, his responsibilities at home kept
him from attending; a man of substance, he held, in addition to
property in San Antonio, a land grant of nearly 50,000 acres in what
is now Hunt, Grayson, and Harrison Counties; and
WHEREAS, This dynamic leader was united in marriage with
María Alexandra S. Losoya in 1825, and they became the parents of 10
children; after his passing in 1849, his descendants remained in
San Antonio and the surrounding vicinity, and some 400 reside in the
area today; they have united to preserve the rich oral tradition
that tells of their illustrious ancestor, and they have followed in
his footsteps, recording notable achievements of their own; fields
of professional endeavor represented in the modern Arciniega family
include the arts, education, finance, medicine, public service, the
military, real estate, law, and the ministry; and
WHEREAS, José Miguel Arciniega demonstrated a profound
commitment to the community he helped shape, and some two centuries
later, his descendants continue to bring honor to the family name;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to José Miguel Arciniega and commend
his descendants for their efforts to raise awareness of his role in
the history of our state; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the family as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.