| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 656 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to |
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| 3 | 3 | | join the Harris County Historical Commission in celebrating the |
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| 4 | 4 | | dedication of an official Texas Historical Marker for the |
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| 5 | 5 | | Morse-Bragg Cemetery, which is taking place May 12, 2017; and |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Agur Tomlinson Morse and his wife, Grace Baldwin |
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| 7 | 7 | | Morse, left their cotton plantation in Mississippi and settled in |
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| 8 | 8 | | Texas in 1851; they established the Pleasant Bend plantation, |
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| 9 | 9 | | which eventually grew to encompass nearly eight square miles of |
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| 10 | 10 | | land; today, that area includes much of modern Houston's |
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| 11 | 11 | | Tanglewood, Post Oak-Galleria, River Oaks, West University |
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| 12 | 12 | | Place, and Southside Place neighborhoods; and |
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| 13 | 13 | | WHEREAS, Through the years, numerous additions were made |
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| 14 | 14 | | to the plantation, including a grist mill, a cotton gin, a steam |
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| 15 | 15 | | sawmill, and a cemetery; the cemetery was used from the early |
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| 16 | 16 | | 1850s by the Morse family and the Pleasant Bend community; and |
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| 17 | 17 | | WHEREAS, The cemetery is the final resting place for many |
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| 18 | 18 | | of the early citizens of rural Harris County, including Thaddeus |
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| 19 | 19 | | Bell, the first male child born in Stephen F. Austin's colony, |
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| 20 | 20 | | several members of the African American Banks family, and |
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| 21 | 21 | | numerous Confederate veterans; the land was deeded in 1874 for |
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| 22 | 22 | | continued use by the Morse family with an additional section sold |
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| 23 | 23 | | to Benjamin A. Bragg; now, therefore, be it |
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| 24 | 24 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th |
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| 25 | 25 | | Legislature, hereby commend the Harris County Historical |
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| 26 | 26 | | Commission on its commitment to preserving the area's heritage |
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| 27 | 27 | | and extend to its members best wishes for a memorable Texas |
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| 28 | 28 | | Historical Marker dedication for the Morse-Bragg Cemetery; and, |
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| 29 | 29 | | be it further |
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| 30 | 30 | | RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in |
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| 31 | 31 | | honor of this special occasion. |
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| 32 | 32 | | Huffman |
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| 33 | 33 | | ________________________________ |
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| 34 | 34 | | President of the Senate |
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| 35 | 35 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 36 | 36 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 37 | 37 | | the Senate on April 24, 2017. |
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| 38 | 38 | | ________________________________ |
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| 39 | 39 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 40 | 40 | | ________________________________ |
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| 41 | 41 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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