The Texas Republic

About the Book

The Texas Republic is told from the eyewitness perspective of Andrew, a freed slave who served as a soldier in the Texas Army. After meeting with Sam Houston to win a land grant, Andrew is wounded and his wife Delephine is killed in ambush by robbers. A Cherokee hunting party finds Andrew, saving him from death and adopting him as a member of their tribe. Andrew marries Say-te-Qua, a Cherokee woman and the tribe's dream interpreter. When Sam Houston asks the Cherokee to scout for the Texas army, Andrew and his brother-in-law Red Bird assisted Sam Houston to broker a peace treaty when an Indian War broke out in Texas, records the events of Texas as a Mexican state, the decade of Texas as a free republic, and the annexation of Texas as the 28th state of the United States of America. This engaging and highly recommended story is based on true stories of actual characters and events, and is enhanced with selected illustrations; a replica of a letter Sam Houston wrote to Caddo Chief Bintah inviting him to the 1843 Great Council; and a "Glossary of Unfamiliar Words". This story is told in Andrew's own words. He uses 19th century word usage.This way the reader gets the perspective of a pioneer coming to the untamed frontier of the 1830's.
Joe L. Blevins. The Texas Republic.

About the Author

Joe L. Blevins started writing when his paternal grandfather told him of his family's life in early Texas. There was a tradition that one family member must know the traditions and stories so that they can be passed down properly. Joe loved to hear the adventures and stories of the pioneer days when people lived simple but harsh lives. Most people love sports, but Joe loves history the same way. Joe had terrible handwriting as a child so his parents had him write in a tablet every Sunday afternoon to improve his penmanship. Writing the alphabet was boring, so Joe wrote down the stories he heard from his grandfather and close family. Over time this became many folders and boxes of information with drawings that he loved to do as he loved to draw from an early age. He kept these stories in his mind all his adult life. Since he had copied them over and over then he could recite many of them to put them into the form of a published journal. The reader gets the opportunity to see the journal from an eyewitness perspective. Joe illustrates all his books so each one is a labor of love. He first sees the pictures, then the stories unfold around them. Joe has six published books with two more in the works. He is excited about the new Kindle and Nook devices so more people will read that might not like toting around a big stack of books, No matter what you read, people that read are healthier and happier in the long run. The best medicine is to take some time to read a good book and relax from the troubles of the world for a while. Enjoy the journey! Joe L. Blevins