On March 2, 1836, delegates meeting at Washington-on-the-Brazos declared their independence from Mexico: The new nation they formed was the Republic of Texas. Over the next ten years citizens of the republic maintained their independence although faced with problems such as poor finances and the constant threat of war. By 1845, most Texans were ready to trade independence for statehood. 
There are many items in the Alamo Collection. Many of them have very little to do with the Alamo site directly. This dress fragment is one of those items. It is from the dress worn by Mrs. Dorothy Hancock in Philadelphia in 1776 at her first public reception. Her husband, Gov. John Hancock was the president of the First Continental Congress and Signer of the Declaration of Independence. This fragment was given to the donor by his mother who received it from Mrs. Hancock in 1829. It was passed on to the donor, C. A. Quincy Norton in 1882 by his mother. It is made of a soft, fine, sheer fabric known as "Indian Mull" which was worn over a pink silk gown. While this item has little to do with Alamo history, it is a very important piece of American History.
This article was written by Alamo Assistant Curator Ernesto Rodriguez, III.
Mary Smith was born July 24, 1819 in Lawrence County, Arkansas to parents John McCutcheon Smith and Sarah (Pevehouse) Smith. She was one of five children born to the couple. Following the death of John in 1833, Sarah relocated the family to Brazoria, Texas where she married John Woodruff, a widower with six children of his own. The blended family resided in Brazoria until they were forced to flee in advance of the Mexican army during the 1836 Texas Revolution.