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Sánchez family founds Laredo
On this day in 1755, Tomás Sánchez de la Barrera y Garza founded Laredo
with his family and several others. Sánchez was born near Monterrey, Nuevo
León, in 1709. As a young man he served in the army and later ran a ranch
in Coahuila. When José Vázquez Borrego established a ranch on the north
bank of the Rio Grande in 1750, Sánchez started one on the south side
within sight of the new settlement. He was residing there in 1754, when he
petitioned José de Escandón for permission to found a town on the north
bank of the river. Escandón eventually approved the request and appointed
Sánchez captain and chief justice of the new settlement, to be named
Laredo. Sánchez was almost singly responsible for maintaining the
settlement on the north bank of the Rio Grande, and he held the offices of
chief justice and alcalde with only brief intermissions until his death in
January 1796.
- Links to Related Handbook of Texas Online Articles
- SANCHEZ DE LA BARRERA Y GARZA, TOMAS
- LAREDO, TX
- VAZQUEZ BORREGO, JOSE
- ESCANDON, JOSE DE
- SPANISH TEXAS
- ALCALDE
- Other Texas Day by Day Articles for This Date
- Distinguished author born in Central Texas hamlet (1890)
- Historic lighthouse extinguished by title search (1888)
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