VISUAL LEGACY: 700 YEARS IN MOTION
A Timeline of Lineage, Law, Memory, Migration, Freedom, Exile, and Return
A timeline of lineage, law, memory, migration, freedom, exile, and return — drawn from archival records, historical scholarship, and descendant reconstruction.
THE STONE
1325–1650
England, memory, conscience, and the origins of pattern.
THE STONE
1325–1650
England, memory, conscience, and the origins of pattern.
THE WIND
1795–1865
Vermont, Mexican Texas, freedom, law, exile, and the borderlands of war.
THE INHERITANCE
1865–2025
Survival, silence, recovery, and the archive.
🜂 THE LINEAGE OF WIND AND STONE
Classified Chronology — Verified · Approximate · Period · Contextual
- ○c. 1325 — Beginning of reconstructed medieval lineage memory in northern England.
- ●1385 — Marriage of Maud Percy and John Neville (historical record, not proven lineage).
- ●1464 — Death of Sir Ralph Percy, Battle of Hedgeley Moor.
- ▣1500–1600 — English Reformation period (Chapter 2 framing).
- ◐1598 — Thomas Webster recorded as “sound in doctrine” (parish tradition).
- ▣1600–1650 — Oath enforcement and civil conflict.
- ○1640s — English Civil War (context for oath refusal traditions).
- ●1654 — Thomas Webber appears in Kennebec region (New England record).
- ●1687 — Mary (Parker) Webber petition to Governor Andros.
- ●1692 — Salem‑related testimony (Mary Webber appears in record).
- ▣1690s — Kittredge medical line active in Billerica (multi‑record support).
- ▣1690–1750 — Healer / Kittredge lineage period.
- ▣1750–1795 — Consolidation of New England family lines.
- ◐c. 1795 — Birth of John Ferdinand Webber (records vary 1794–1795).
- ○1791 — Vermont becomes a U.S. state (environmental context).
- ○1819 — Panic of 1819 (migration pressure).
- ▣1820s — Webber migrates to Mexican Texas.
- ○1829 — Mexico abolishes slavery (critical legal context).
- ●1832 — Land grant issued to John Ferdinand Webber (Texas GLO record).
- ●June 11, 1834 — Silvia Hector Webber Emancipation Bond. Executed at San Felipe de Austin before Alcalde R.M. Williamson. John F. Webber = obligor; John Cryer = emancipator.
- ▣1830s–1840s — Establishment of Webber’s Prairie (Webberville).
- ▣1835–1861 — Ferry operation era on the Colorado River.
- ○1836 — Texas Revolution (implicit contextual shift).
- ○1845 — Texas becomes part of the United States.
- ●1861 — Texas joins the Confederacy.
- ▣1861–1865 — Civil War period; Webber family exile southward toward the Rio Grande.
- ●1865 — End of Civil War.
- ●1870 — Census record: Webber family present in Rio Grande region.
- ●1880 — Census confirms family structure and status (Silvia listed as wife).
- ▣1880–1965 — Fragmented record / oral tradition phase (generational silence).
- ●1966 — Fernsten Pedigree Chart created.
- ▣2000s–2020s — Digitization of records + genealogical reconstruction.
- ●2025 — Briscoe Center engagement; narrative and archive formally consolidated; The Lineage of Wind and Stone completed.
⚡ THE TRANSFORMATION OF INHERITANCE
Obedience & Allegiance
Castle & Crown
Oaths & Dissent
Healing & Labor
Freedom & Exile
Moral Borders Crossed
Silence → Recovery → Return
The Archive Remembers
Percy · Neville
Webber · Kittredge
Silvia · John
The Record Changes Hands
LOVE & RESISTANCE
Across Changing Law, Shifting Borderlands
The Chronological Journey of Silvia Hector Webber & John Ferdinand Webber
Diplomatic Edition · 128 Verified Dates
I. FOUNDATIONS
1786-1821
II. MEXICAN TEXAS
1822-1832
III. FAMILY FORMATION
1833-1837
IV. DANGER & EXILE
1837-1860
V. CIVIL WAR
1861-1865
VI. LEGACY
1866-1899
VII. MODERN RECOGNITION
2021–Ongoing
Alternate Birth Year — John Ferdinand Webber
Alternate record places the birth of John Ferdinand Webber in Danville, Vermont, into a New England family of British descent.¹
Marriage of John Webber and Hannah Morrill
John Webber (father) and Hannah Morrill marry in Danville, Caledonia County, Vermont.²
Anchor Birth Year — John Ferdinand Webber
Competing and widely cited birth year for John Ferdinand Webber appears in later census and family reconstructions; 1794–1795 serves as anchor, with 1786 preserved as alternate.³
John Ferdinand Webber Born
Born in Danville, Vermont, to Hannah Morrill and John Webber.⁴
Silvia Hector Born into Slavery
Born in Spanish West Florida (present‑day West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana), a region shaped by shifting imperial borders.⁵
Cryer Family Migration
The extended Cryer family (who will later own Silvia) migrates from Georgia to St. Helena Parish in Spanish West Florida, then to Arkansas and Missouri Territory.⁶
Mexico's War of Independence Begins
Introduces antislavery ideology into national discourse.⁷
John Ferdinand Webber Serves in War of 1812
Serves as private and medic in the 31st U.S. Infantry under Captain S. Dickinson, fighting in the Battle of Shadage Woods.⁸
Silvia Sold, Separated from Mother
At approximately age eight, Silvia is sold and permanently separated from her mother, Sarah (as reflected by later probate valuation).⁹
Probate Inventory — Mother and Child Listed Separately
Inventory of Dr. Samuel Flowers in East Baton Rouge Parish lists Sarah ($600) and Silvia (“Sylvia”, $350) separately, documenting forced familial separation.¹⁰
Silvia Sold to Morgan Cryer Sr.
Silvia (“Silva”), ~12 years old, sold by Silas McDaniel to Morgan Cryer Sr. in Clark County, Missouri Territory for $550 (~$10,947 in 2023).¹¹
Adams–Onís Treaty
Establishes the U.S.–Spanish Texas border; slavery remains legal on both sides of the line.¹²
John Ferdinand Webber Migrates Southwest
Migrates through frontier corridors toward the borderlands that will become central to his and Silvia's lives.¹³
Mexican Independence
Mexico gains independence after an 11‑year war; Texas becomes part of the new nation. Mexico formally adopts antislavery principles.¹⁴
Jared Groce Brings Enslaved People to Texas
Jared Groce brings 90 enslaved people into Austin's Colony, embedding plantation slavery in the region.¹⁵
John Ferdinand Webber Arrives in Mexican Texas
Arrives in Mexico, settling in San Felipe de Austin within Stephen F. Austin's colony, seeking to establish himself as a settler.¹⁶
Imperial Colonization Law
Mexico enacts the Imperial Colonization Law, permitting slavery in practice via long‑term "indenture" contracts (a legal fiction masking coerced labor).¹⁷
Mexican Federal Constitution
The constitution is silent on slavery, leaving regulation to states; Coahuila y Tejas tolerates slavery in practice.¹⁸
Census of Austin's Colony
Census records 443 enslaved people.¹⁹
John Cryer Appears in Austin's Register
John Cryer appears with five enslaved people listed, including Silvia. He petitions for a Mexican land grant as part of Austin's Colony.²⁰
John Webber Settles Near Colorado River
John Ferdinand Webber appears in Austin's Colony records and settles near the Colorado River. He is a neighbor and business partner of John Cryer.²¹
Silvia Brought to Mexican Texas
Silvia is brought into Mexican Texas by John Cryer at approximately age 19, placing her in proximity to John Webber.²²
Coahuila y Tejas Restricts Slavery
Bans further importation of enslaved people and provides that children born to enslaved women be freed at adulthood (often interpreted as age 14). Anglo settlers evade enforcement by reclassifying enslaved people as "indentured servants."²³
Indenture Loophole Dominates
Indenture/servitude contracts become the dominant loophole preserving slavery despite Mexican law. Foreign indenture contracts are legalized in May and widely misused.²⁴
Guerrero Abolition Decree
President Vicente Guerrero issues a nationwide abolition decree. Texas receives an exemption after Anglo settler pressure, but the decree strengthens the legal basis for abolition throughout Mexico.²⁵
First Child Born — Alcy (Elsie) Webber
Silvia gives birth to Alcy (also spelled Alecy, Alcey, or Elsie) Webber, their first child, legally treated as enslaved under Texas practice despite Mexico's antislavery posture.²⁶
Law of April 6
Restricts U.S. immigration into Texas, enforces customs duties, attempts to curtail slavery's expansion, and prohibits further importation of enslaved people.²⁷
John Webber Marries Silvia Hector
John Webber marries Silvia Hector in a ceremony performed by Father Michael Muldoon, a Catholic priest. Under Mexican law, interracial marriage is legal in Coahuila y Tejas. Multiple witness accounts confirm this marriage.²⁸
Land Grant Received
John Ferdinand Webber receives a headright land grant of 2,214.2 acres on the Colorado River near what is today the Travis‑Bastrop county line.²⁹
Anglo‑Texan Resistance Erupts
Anglo‑Texan settlers resist Mexican authority; skirmishes erupt as settlers demand restoration of federalism and claim Mexico threatens their "rights."³⁰
Sons Henry and John Jr. Born
Silvia gives birth to sons Henry and John Jr., both legally enslaved under the doctrine that a child's status follows that of the mother.³¹
Family Formed While Siliva Enslaved
John and Silvia form a family while Silvia remains legally enslaved in the Cryer household.³²
Webber's Fort Established
John establishes Webber's Fort and a stockade on a hill, becoming the first non‑native person to live on Webber's Prairie in Travis County, Texas.³³
Family Life Under Mexican Law
Silvia and John continue their family life under the protection of Mexican law, which recognizes their marriage and their children's rights.³⁴
Santa Anna Centralizes Power
President Santa Anna centralizes power, dissolving federalist protections and destabilizing prior legal guarantees that sheltered free Black and interracial families under Mexican governance.³⁵
Emancipation Bond Filed
After years of negotiations, John Ferdinand Webber reaches an agreement with John Cryer to emancipate Silvia and their three children. Cryer demands two young enslaved children; the Webbers refuse. An emancipation bond is filed at San Felipe before Alcalde R. M. Williamson. Under Mexican law, Silvia and the children are formally emancipated, and the marriage is legally recognized.³⁶
Refusal to Perpetuate Enslavement
The original demand by Cryer required delivery of enslaved children by this date. The Webbers do not comply, demonstrating their refusal to perpetuate the cycle of enslavement.³⁷
Santa Anna Deploys Troops to Texas
Santa Anna deploys troops to Texas to enforce centralist rule.³⁸
Battle of Gonzales — Texas Revolution Begins
The Texas Revolution begins.³⁹
Slavery's Protection as Revolutionary Motive
Slaveholding settlers fight to separate from Mexico; modern scholarship emphasizes slavery's protection as a central motive.⁴⁰
Texas Independence — Marriage Nullified
Texas declares independence. The Republic of Texas Constitution explicitly legalizes and protects slavery, bans free Black immigration, prohibits interracial marriage, and restricts manumission. John and Silvia's lawful Mexican marriage becomes illegal and their family status is voided.⁴¹
Mexico Reaffirms Abolition
Mexico reaffirms abolition and continues to treat anyone reaching Mexican soil as free.⁴²
Life at Webber's Prairie
The Webbers live at Webber's Prairie east of Austin, raising a biracial family under increasing racial surveillance and growing hostility.⁴³
Webber's Prairie Officially Named
The settlement becomes officially known as Webber's Prairie (later Webberville), a community of free Black and mixed‑race families anchored around the Webber ferry.⁴⁴
Private Tutor for Webber Children
The Webbers hire Robert G. McAdoo, a school teacher from North Carolina, to live with them and teach their children, who are not allowed to attend local schools due to racial prejudice.⁴⁵
Slavery Expands, Resistance Networks Grow
Slavery expands and race laws harden; early resistance networks begin guiding freedom seekers south toward Mexico.⁴⁶
Thirteen Children Born
The Webbers have a total of thirteen children, eleven of whom live past infancy. Their children include: Alcy (Elsie), Henry, John Jr., Leonard, Sarah Jane, James M., Nelson, Santiago James, Sabrina, Andrew, Rachel Amanda, and Jeremiah.⁴⁷
Freedom Seekers Flee to Mexico
Dozens to hundreds of enslaved people flee from Texas into Mexico. Mexico repeatedly refuses U.S. and Texas extradition demands, upholding its abolitionist position.⁴⁸
Prejudice Against Mixed‑Race Family
Newcomers from the Deep South resent Webber's racially mixed marriage. The family faces "cruel prejudice and unfair treatment." New settlers in Webberville want to "get rid of the founder and his mixed‑race family."⁴⁹
Texas Annexation
Texas is annexed by the United States as a slave state; legal threats intensify for free Black families and interracial households.⁵⁰
U.S.–Mexico War & Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The war fixes the international border at the Rio Grande, transforming a fluid frontier into a hard boundary between a slaveholding U.S. South and an antislavery Mexico.⁵¹
Texas Enslaved Population: 58,161 — Fugitive Slave Act
Texas enslaved population reaches 58,161. The Fugitive Slave Act heightens kidnapping risks for free Black families. The Webbers appear in the 1850 Travis County census at Webber's Prairie.⁵²
Forfeiting Land Instead of Enslaving Children
The Webbers choose to forfeit a large portion of their Webberville property to settle the debt owed to John Cryer for Silvia and her children's freedoms — rather than pay Cryer's demand for enslaved children.⁵³
U.S. Demands Return of Fugitives — Mexico Refuses
The United States and Texas repeatedly demand the return of fugitives from Mexico; Mexican officials refuse each demand.⁵⁴
Webbers Sell Central Texas Land
The Webbers sell their land in Central Texas and move south, seeking to escape racial discrimination, "strong prejudice against free Blacks," and increased attacks on the family.⁵⁵
Seminole Maroons Granted Land in Mexico
Seminole Maroons and Black fugitives are granted land in northern Mexico, further solidifying the borderlands as a Black freedom zone.⁵⁶
Permanent Relocation to Rio Grande Valley
The Webbers permanently relocate to the Rio Grande Valley, purchasing land on both sides of the river.⁵⁷
Land Acquired in Hidalgo County
John Ferdinand Webber acquires 8,856 acres known as El Agostadero de la Gata (or Porción Agostadero del Gato) from parties associated with the Seguín family network. This marks the earliest documented presence of the Webber family in the Rio Grande Valley.⁵⁸
Webber's Ranch and Cemetery Founded
The Webbers purchase land six miles east of Hidalgo, near what is now the Donna water pump, along the Rio Grande. They establish Webber's Ranch, building a home on the banks of the Rio Grande across from Reynosa, Mexico. The Webber Ranch cemetery is founded this year.⁵⁹
Ferry Landing Built and Licensed
The Webbers build a ferry landing and obtain a ferry license to transport goods and people across the river.⁶⁰
Escapes Across the Rio Grande Intensify
Escapes across the Rio Grande intensify; accounts later documented in Texas newspapers (especially around 1863) describe crossings hidden in bales of cotton.⁶¹
Association with Jackson Family
The Webbers become associated with neighboring interracial couple Matilda and Nathaniel Jackson, who also operate a safe house for fugitives on the Underground Railroad to Mexico.⁶²
Texas Enslaved Population: 182,566
Texas's enslaved population reaches 182,566 (over 30%). The Rio Grande is widely recognized as a route to freedom.⁶³
Texas Secedes — Ranch Becomes Refuge
Texas secedes and joins the Confederacy. The Webbers oppose secession, remaining loyal to the Union. Confederate troops take control of the Rio Grande Valley.⁶⁴
Webber Ranch as Sanctuary
The Webber Ranch becomes a sanctuary for Unionists, fugitives from slavery, and other refugees. Silvia, in her 50s, is remembered as a protector who feeds, shelters, and guides freedom seekers crossing into Mexico. According to family lore, Silvia uses her home as a stop on the Underground Railroad leading south, and the Webber ferry helps fugitives cross the Rio Grande to freedom.⁶⁵
Persecuted as Union Sympathizers
The Webbers are persecuted for being "Union sympathizers" and are driven off their ranch.⁶⁶
Emancipation Proclamation Issued
The Emancipation Proclamation is issued but has no immediate effect in Texas.⁶⁷
Crossings Hidden in Cotton Bales
Contemporary reports and later newspaper accounts describe enslaved escapees crossing the Rio Grande hidden in cotton bales and moving via ferries and informal corridors.⁶⁸
Confederate Arrest of Webber's Sons
Confederate forces under John S. "Rip" Ford and Santos Benavides drive federal forces back toward Brownsville. At the Webber Ranch, Confederate troops arrest Webber's sons as Union sympathizers. One son escapes, rides to Brownsville, and informs the federal commander that Ford has only about sixty men. Union troops are dispatched, but Ford strikes first, scattering the Yankee force.⁶⁹
Exile to Mexico
Under pressure from Confederate occupation, the Webber family takes refuge in Mexico. Several Webber children are born in Mexico during this exile. The 1880 census later records J. Morrill Webber as born in Mexico, corroborating wartime exile.⁷⁰
Confederate Surrender
Confederate surrender ends major Civil War operations.⁷¹
Webbers Return to Texas
The Webbers return to Texas after the collapse of the Confederacy, reestablishing their presence near the Rio Grande.⁷²
Juneteenth — Emancipation in Texas
General Order No. 3 declares all enslaved people in Texas free.⁷³
Freedmen's Bureau Begins Operations
The Freedmen's Bureau begins operations in Texas.⁷⁴
Texas Black Codes Enacted
Texas enacts Black Codes restricting the freedoms of formerly enslaved people; racial violence escalates.⁷⁵
Reconstruction Acts — Military Reconstruction
Reconstruction Acts place Texas under military Reconstruction (Fifth Military District).⁷⁶
John Webber Listed as Unionist Voter
Hidalgo County voter rolls list John Ferdinand Webber as a Unionist voter, reflecting formal participation in postwar civic life.⁷⁷
Ku Klux Klan Violence Increases
Ku Klux Klan activity and broader white supremacist violence increases across Texas.⁷⁸
Texas Readmitted — Census Lists Webbers in Hidalgo County
Texas is readmitted to the Union. The U.S. census lists the Webbers in Hidalgo County near "Edinburk" (Edinburg), among Black and mixed‑race families, indicating a multiracial border community.⁷⁹
Matthew Gaines Elected to Texas Senate
Matthew Gaines is elected to the Texas Senate and advocates public education and civil rights reforms.⁸⁰
War of 1812 Pension Processed
John Ferdinand Webber's War of 1812 pension is processed (late), becoming a modest but important support, especially for Silvia in later years.⁸¹
"Redemption" — White Supremacists Regain Control
"Redemption": white supremacist Democrats regain political control through violence and intimidation, purging Black political gains.⁸²
Compromise of 1877 — Jim Crow Era Begins
The Compromise of 1877 ends Reconstruction and ushers in the Jim Crow era.⁸³
Silvia Recognized as "Wife" in Federal Census
Silvia appears in federal records as "wife," a recognition denied for decades. J. Morrill Webber is listed as born in Mexico, corroborating exile.⁸⁴
It took forty years and a flight into exile before the census finally called her what she was: wife.
John Ferdinand Webber Dies
John Ferdinand Webber dies at his home near what is now Donna, Texas, close to the Rio Grande. He is buried in the Webber family cemetery in Hidalgo County, near the levee road above the Donna pump.⁸⁵
Silvia Hector Webber Dies
Silvia Hector Webber dies, remembered as a free woman, matriarch, "Aunt Puss" to her community, and a central figure in the Rio Grande freedom corridor. Her grave is believed to be on the Webber Ranch in the family cemetery and remains unmarked alongside other family members and ranch workers.⁸⁶
The Evolution of a State Published
The Evolution of a State, or, Recollections of Old Texas Days by Noah Smithwick is published, including several pages dedicated to John Ferdinand Webber and Silvia Hector Webber, cementing their contribution to history in the written record.⁸⁷
Silvia's Freedom Papers at Briscoe Center
Silvia Hector Webber's freedom papers (emancipation bond and related records) are held at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. They have been exhibited publicly and are available for research.
Plano African American Museum Exhibits Begin
The Plano African American Museum begins developing exhibits focused on the Underground Railroad to Mexico, featuring the Webber family legacy.⁸⁸
Podcast "Hungry for History" Features Silvia Webber
The podcast "Hungry for History with Eva Longoria and Maite Gomez‑Rejón" features an episode on "Freedom Fighters in Mexico and Texas" highlighting Silvia Webber as the "Harriet Tubman of Texas," with guests including Dr. María Hammack and representatives of the Webber Family Preservation Project.⁸⁹
"Risking It All For Freedom" Exhibit
The Plano African American Museum presents "Risking It All For Freedom," an exhibit co‑curated by Webber family descendants, displaying photos and documents tracing the journeys of those who escaped slavery via the southern route to Mexico.⁹⁰
Webber Family Preservation Project & Research
Family historians and the Webber Family Preservation Project (wfpptx.org) continue to research and document the Webber story. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Special Collections & Archives maintains a research guide for primary and secondary sources on the Webber family.⁹¹