Mary Austin Holley

Mary Austin Holley (1784-1846) a cousin of Stephen F. Austin journeyed to Texas on three separate occasions. Her first visit in 1831 resulted in the publication of her book Texas. Her second and third trips in 1835 and 1837 were depicted in her diary. This witty observant and highly perceptive woman captured the infant Texas in her journal-the Mexican state moving toward rebellion and the new Republic dynamic and struggling with a great destiny. The Holley diary is an important insight into the social and political history of early Texas.