"Melvin:Tale of Three Cities"
Written by George Carmack in San Antonio Express News on Sat., Sept. 22,1979

It started 120 years ago -back in 1858 and 1859. From San Antonio the story moved across the Rio Grande to a place first called "Resurreccion" but soon renamed "Jimenez." Jimenez was the scene of the story for about 30 to 40 years. Then the story came back across the Ro Grande to a little town almost in the exact center of Texas, named Melvin.

Melvin is just a few miles west of Brady. We arrived in Melvin early last Saturday when people were still putting up stands and decorating them for a "Diez y Seis" celebration. There we met Nestor Perez, historian and author of a recently published book-"Colonia Jimenez de Melvin, Texas." Perez has researched the story of the "Jimenez Colony in Melvin" and its background for 20 years.

"In 1858 and 1859, the Mexican government invited people of San Antonio and other towns to settle on the frontier. They would be given land," Perez, who was born in Melvin, said. "A Colonel from the Mexican Army led 119 families from San Antonio across the Rio Grande to what became known as the Jimenez area." "The San Antonio families reached the area set aside for them in January 1859. They founded a town the named Resurreccion," Perez continued.

"This was dangerous Indian country. The Apaches made many raids. One entire family was captured by the Indians. "Three boys were captured and held 12 years before being recaptured. They had been with the Indians so long they did not want to be returned home. "The people from San Antonio built a little fort where families could seek shelter against Indian attacks. "Ruins of the fort are still there."

Title to the land was given to 109 "head of household." The Perez family still owns land there. {We still have land on the San Matias Hacienda} Perez, after much research, has put together a list of those families. In time the name Resurreccion was changed to Jimenez-honoring one of the martyrs of the 1810 revolution. "People stared moving out of Jimenez area about 1895." Perez said. "A big flood was one of the reasons.

"How they got to Melvin is interesting. A number of men left Jimenez temporarily to work on a railroad building in Louisiana. The railroad reached Brady in the early 1900s-just when the area was being cleared and cotton growing started in a big way. "Some on those working on the railroad stayed at Melvin and brought their families. Then about 20 famiies came, bought land and started clearing it. Perez lists alphabetically 85 families who settled in the Colonia Jimenez de Melvin.

Bonnie and I talked to a number of people whose ancestors were in the group that went from San Antonio to Jimenez and then to Melvin. Frank Sandoval's great-grandfather was in that group. "An uncle told me a story about the trip from San Anbtonio to Jimenez and back," Sandoval told us.

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