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Galen Greaser, while working at the Texas General Land Office as the Spanish translator from 1984 to 2011, amassed a collection of documents related to his work at the GLO and his publications about the GLO. The collection consists of material related to the history of the Spanish Collection, South Texas land grants, legal cases for which he provided research and translation services and research files on individuals and specific issues related to the land policies and laws adopted by Spain and Mexico in the settlement of Texas. Additionally the materials include presentation materials, which consist of lecture notes for both Spanish and English presentations on genealogy and surveying, as well as written ideas for new articles, exhibits, and even a film draft.
Galen Greaser was born in Newton, Kansas on September 12, 1947. He received his B.A. in psychology summa cum laude from Inter-American University in San German, Puerto Rico in 1969. Greaser went on to attain his master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin with a specialization in Latin American history, political science and literature in 1975.
Between the years of 1975 and 1984 Greaser was self-employed as a translator of technical and scientific material. From 1984 to 2011 Mr. Greaser served as the Spanish translator in the Archives and Records Division of the Texas General Land Office in Austin, Texas. By translating records and preparing finding aids, Greaser facilitated access to researchers including attorneys, surveyors, landmen and genealogists who require information on Spanish and Mexican land grants in Texas.
In the course of his employment as the Spanish translator of the General Land Office, he conducted original research on Spanish and Mexican land systems, land surveying methods, and early Texas history in an effort to gain insight into the historic application of the laws governing said land grants. Greaser saw it as his duty to be informed, saying in a description of his work: “Knowledge of the laws, surveying practices, and historical context is essential to answer the questions asked by attorneys, surveyors, historians, and genealogists who use the records.”
His published translations include books and articles on Latin American art, architecture, literature, science and technology published by the University of Texas Press, John Wiley and Sons, UNESCO and the Organization of American States (OAS). Greaser was selected as the runner-up for the 2009 Presidio La Bahia award, which recognizes work that focuses on Texas heritage during the Spanish Colonial period, for his publication on South Texas land grants. Greaser has also conducted or participated in many seminars and conferences, in which he gave original presentations on topics related to land grants and surveying in Texas and genealogy.
José Barragán was the Spanish Translator from 2011-2016.
Between the years of 1975 and 1984 Greaser was self-employed as a translator of technical and scientific material. From 1984 to 2011 Mr. Greaser served as the Spanish translator in the Archives and Records Division of the Texas General Land Office in Austin, Texas. By translating records and preparing finding aids, Greaser facilitated access to researchers including attorneys, surveyors, landmen and genealogists who require information on Spanish and Mexican land grants in Texas.
In the course of his employment as the Spanish translator of the General Land Office, he conducted original research on Spanish and Mexican land systems, land surveying methods, and early Texas history in an effort to gain insight into the historic application of the laws governing said land grants. Greaser saw it as his duty to be informed, saying in a description of his work: “Knowledge of the laws, surveying practices, and historical context is essential to answer the questions asked by attorneys, surveyors, historians, and genealogists who use the records.”
His published translations include books and articles on Latin American art, architecture, literature, science and technology published by the University of Texas Press, John Wiley and Sons, UNESCO and the Organization of American States (OAS). Greaser was selected as the runner-up for the 2009 Presidio La Bahia award, which recognizes work that focuses on Texas heritage during the Spanish Colonial period, for his publication on South Texas land grants. Greaser has also conducted or participated in many seminars and conferences, in which he gave original presentations on topics related to land grants and surveying in Texas and genealogy.
José Barragán was the Spanish Translator from 2011-2016.
This collection contains documents gathered by Galen Greaser, the Texas General Land Office’s Spanish translator from 1984 to 2011 in the course of his work and research at the agency. The documents present in the collection are the product of his research into the legal practices in place during Spanish and Mexican control of Texas, surveying practices associated with these laws, and the land grants issued during this time. The materials relate to public land policies and laws for the periods of 1718-1821, the period of Spanish control, and 1821-1835, the period of Mexican control and to subsequent historical and legal opinions about them.
The history of land grants in Texas is complex and contentious. Changes in sovereignty from Spain to Mexico to the Republic of Texas and finally the State of Texas required decisions on validating existing perfected titles and confirming inchoate or incipient titles. As Spanish translator, Greaser sought to understand the intricacies of the Spanish and Mexican colonization laws affecting Texas, the systems devised to implement them, and the actual practices associated with issuing land titles. The work of accurately translating the GLO's Spanish Collection titles and associated land records and providing informed answers to legal, historical, and general inquiries about them demanded the accumulation of specialized knowledge of the subject. The materials in the collection are, in part, the result of research efforts to answer questions about mineral and water rights associated with these titles, the empresario system, surveying practices, and specific land grants with a contentious history, such as the William Palham Humphries, Thomas Jefferson Chambers, and Jose Francisco Balli "La Barreta" grants. The collections contains copies of decisions, and notes on additional sources of land grant information. The collection also includes a significant amount of information on the accession and organization of the holdings of the GLO's Spanish Collections, and research on the "Archive War."
The scope of the collection covers early Spanish and Mexican land grants, titles, plats and related materials for areas of what is now the state of Texas. Specific regions of interest include Austin’s colonies and surrounding areas and South Texas. Greaser’s South Texas research includes materials describing the settlements and regions of Zapata, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Santander, the Rio Grande and the Nueces River areas and Laredo. Also present in the collection are a large number of legal documents relating to land ownership debates in Texas. In Greaser’s research there is a particular focus on the Kennedy and Ballí land disputes, in which two families lay claim to mineral rights in land near Kingsville, Texas. There are also materials relating to the history of public lands in Texas, the history of the General Land Office and research for conferences held on genealogy and surveying.
Materials present in the collection include copies of correspondence, original handwritten land grants, surveyors field notes, family histories and legal court documents from the 19th and 20th centuries with original material such as presentation notes, drafts for published materials, and promotional material celebrating Texas history dating from the early 20th century. The collection consists primarily of photocopies of land grant records and published materials. Additionally, there are handwritten notes on loose notepaper and legal pads, binders, bound publications, several compact discs, two floppy disks, a few newspaper clippings and a few 4x6 color photos.
The history of land grants in Texas is complex and contentious. Changes in sovereignty from Spain to Mexico to the Republic of Texas and finally the State of Texas required decisions on validating existing perfected titles and confirming inchoate or incipient titles. As Spanish translator, Greaser sought to understand the intricacies of the Spanish and Mexican colonization laws affecting Texas, the systems devised to implement them, and the actual practices associated with issuing land titles. The work of accurately translating the GLO's Spanish Collection titles and associated land records and providing informed answers to legal, historical, and general inquiries about them demanded the accumulation of specialized knowledge of the subject. The materials in the collection are, in part, the result of research efforts to answer questions about mineral and water rights associated with these titles, the empresario system, surveying practices, and specific land grants with a contentious history, such as the William Palham Humphries, Thomas Jefferson Chambers, and Jose Francisco Balli "La Barreta" grants. The collections contains copies of decisions, and notes on additional sources of land grant information. The collection also includes a significant amount of information on the accession and organization of the holdings of the GLO's Spanish Collections, and research on the "Archive War."
The scope of the collection covers early Spanish and Mexican land grants, titles, plats and related materials for areas of what is now the state of Texas. Specific regions of interest include Austin’s colonies and surrounding areas and South Texas. Greaser’s South Texas research includes materials describing the settlements and regions of Zapata, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Santander, the Rio Grande and the Nueces River areas and Laredo. Also present in the collection are a large number of legal documents relating to land ownership debates in Texas. In Greaser’s research there is a particular focus on the Kennedy and Ballí land disputes, in which two families lay claim to mineral rights in land near Kingsville, Texas. There are also materials relating to the history of public lands in Texas, the history of the General Land Office and research for conferences held on genealogy and surveying.
Materials present in the collection include copies of correspondence, original handwritten land grants, surveyors field notes, family histories and legal court documents from the 19th and 20th centuries with original material such as presentation notes, drafts for published materials, and promotional material celebrating Texas history dating from the early 20th century. The collection consists primarily of photocopies of land grant records and published materials. Additionally, there are handwritten notes on loose notepaper and legal pads, binders, bound publications, several compact discs, two floppy disks, a few newspaper clippings and a few 4x6 color photos.
1984-2011
17.94 Linear feet (41 document boxes)
English
The collection is organized into the following series:
I.Spanish Collection Research
II.Legal
III.Empresario Colonies
IV.South Texas Research
V.Surveying
VI.Presentations
VII.Family History Research
VIII.Publications
I.Spanish Collection Research
II.Legal
III.Empresario Colonies
IV.South Texas Research
V.Surveying
VI.Presentations
VII.Family History Research
VIII.Publications
Spanish Collection Research Subject Files (SPA). Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin.
Materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Access note
Unrestricted access.
Use restrictions
Materials may be under copyright protection. US copyright law does allow for reproduction of materials under copyright for uses such as critique, criticism, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, locating copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form.
Conditions Governing Access note
Unrestricted access.
Use restrictions
Materials may be under copyright protection. US copyright law does allow for reproduction of materials under copyright for uses such as critique, criticism, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, locating copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form.
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