José Antonio de la Garza was born near San Antonio, Texas back in 1776 to Leonardo and Magdalena. In 1813, he was elected mayor of San Antonio. In 1818, he was granted permission to create the first coin that existed in Texas.
In 1824, he was able to purchase a large extension of land between San Antonio and the Medina River becoming one of the largest land owners in Texas. In the 1840’s he moved his family to a home site near Calaveras Lake. It is believed he died around 1851, however I could not find any documentation to support that finding. So, his true date of death is unknown.
What you may not know about José is that the coin he first minted on one side was his initials “JAG”, on the other side was a lone star. That one star symbol is said to have inspired Texas to be the “Lone Star” State. So, Kathy Streib did you know this one?
Your day is worthwhile when you make someone smile, so give the free gift of a smile today
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