Alamo Hero Daniel Cloud

In 1835, Daniel William Cloud wrote a moving letter to his brother and told of his intention to go to Texas and help them fight for their freedoms . Daniel died March 6, 1836 as one of the defenders of the Alamo. That letter was finally located in a private collection by representatives of the Cloud Family Association and, in 1979, it was presented to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas to add to their document library.

(The letter may be seen at MyKindred.com)

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas had become involved because the Alamo was falling into disrepair at the end of the 19th century. The Alamo was conveyed by the state of Texas to the DRT in 1905 and they undertook renovating and maintaining the property and collecting documents and artifacts relevant to its history. In 1994, then-governor George W. Bush rejected attempts to transfer control of the Alamo away from the DRT. In 2011, investigating complaints against the DRT, the Texas attorney general determined that the Alamo and its properties should be under the aegis of the state of Texas rather than a private, genealogical organization. The AG report found a number of shortcomings and a legal battle ensued over who would maintain the Alamo and over the ownership of the documents held by the DRT in the Alamo library. This was also a concern of the Cloud Family Association as it was concerned about the preservation and sharing of Daniel Cloud’s letter. In 2011, governor Rick Perry signed a bill transferring ownership of the Alamo to the Texas General Land Office with the transfer being completed in 2015, but custodianship of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library Collection was allowed to remain with the DRT.

The letter below from the DRT to the CFA announces the June 2016 settlement of that dispute and the CFA is pleased to share it with you.