The rugged character and indomitable spirit of the early pioneers of Stephen F. Austin's Texas colony had their roots in a turbulent, distant past. From the early 1600's, their courageous ancestors had pushed westward, leaving the European shores to carve out a new nation from the wilderness. Many came with tales of their former struggles in Ireland during the great Siege of Derry, of terrible massacres and clan rivalries in the times of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. These pioneers associated themselves with men like Travis, Crockett, Houston and Andrew Jackson. The majority of these early trailblazers were Scots-Irish and German immigrants. They were on a westward trek to grasp a special prize, to seal America's Manifest Destiny. And the prize they sought was Texas.
From Jamestown to Texas is the story of these intrepid pioneers and their ancestors who cleared and farmed the land, who fought the Indians, battled the elements, and carved out this wonderful country that we have today.
