The matriarch of one of the most important families in Texas 
history, Petra Vela Kenedy has remained a shadowy presence in 
the annals of South Texas. In this biography of Petra Vela 
Kenedy, the authors not only tell her story but also relate the 
history of South Texas through a woman's perspective. Utilizing 
previously unpublished letters, journals, photographs, and other 
primary materials, the authors reveal the intimate stories of the 
families who for years dominated governments, land acquisition, 
commerce, and border politics along the Rio Grande and across 
the Wild Horse Desert.

    From Petra's early life in the landed ranchero society of 
northern Mexico, through her alliance with Luis Vidal—an officer 
in the Mexican army to whom she bore eight children—until her 
move to Brownsville after Vidal's death, Petra lived in Mexico. 
When she moved to Texas, having taken Vidal's name, she 
represented a link to the landed families of the region. Mifflin 
Kenedy, a steamboat captain who had first come to Texas during 
the Mexican War, married into her world, acquiring local 
respectability and stature when he took Petra as his wife.

    The story of their life together encompasses war, the taming of 
a frontier, the blending of cultures, the origin of a ranching empire, 
and the establishment of a foundation and trust that still endure 
today, giving millions to Texas through charitable gifts. An attractive
woman of business acumen, strong religious convictions, and 
intense family loyalty, Petra Vela Kenedy's influence through her 
husband and her children left a legacy whose exploration is long 
overdue.

_________________________________________________________

JANE CLEMENTS MONDAY is the coauthor of three previous 
books, including Voices from the Wild Horse Desert. A graduate of 
the University of Texas, she has served as chair of the Texas State 
University System Board of Regents and serves on the board of the 
Texas State Historical Association. She is also is a former president 
of Texas Exes and a founder of the Heritage Society. FRANCES 
BRANNEN VICK founded E-Heart Press and co-founded the 
University of North Texas Press. She serves as president of the 
Texas Institute of Letters and president-elect of the Texas State 
Historical Association. She is also a Fellow in the Texas Folklore 
Society. She has contributed to several books, including chapters 
in Texas Women on the Cattle Trails and Texas Women Writers: 
A Tradition of Their Own.


Perspectives on South Texas, sponsored by Texas A&M–Kingsville


What people are saying about this book

"If it weren't footnoted, Petra's Legacy might be mistaken for 
soaring fiction. It is chockablock with crooked politics, cattle 
rustlers, land fraud, warfare, and enough illicit sex to populate 
South Texas courtrooms for generations."—Dallas Morning News, 
6 January 2008

“Petra’s Legacy provides a sweeping record of one of the wealthiest 
of Texas families and the Catholic legacy left by Petra Vela de 
Kenedy through her children—an epic story, a must-read for Texas 
history.”—McCormick Messenger, November 29, 2007

"If it weren't footnoted, Petra's Legacy might be mistaken for 
soaring fiction. It is chockablock with crooked politics, cattle rustlers, 
land fraud, warfare, and enough illicit sex to populate South Texas 
courtrooms for generations."—Dallas Morning News, 6 January 2008

"Petra's Legacy provides a sweeping record of one of the 
wealthiest of Texas families and the Catholic legacy left by Petra 
Vela de Kenedy through her children. Her epic story and that of 
her husband Mifflin flow through the violent years of the 
Mexican-American War, the Anglo settlement of South Texas, the 
bloody but highly profitable Civil War, and the building of Texas 
during the last half of the nineteenth century. This is a must-read 
for everyone who is enthralled by the histories of the families of 
South Texas."—Carolina Castillo Crimm

"In the harsh region of Spanish Texas along the banks of the 
lower Rio Grande, much of the success at settlement hinged on 
family and community. The women governed the outcome, 
measured against the great obstacles of unrest, war, and disease. 
Their equal legal status also gave them an empowerment other 
pioneer women did not enjoy. The life and times of Petra Vela 
Kenedy stands as a much needed study to broaden our 
understanding of the women of this era and a family's survival 
and success in the Wild Horse Desert."—Mary Margaret 
McAllen Amberson, author, I Would Rather Sleep in Texas