Charles Cronea, Buccaneer

by Don and Jennifer Reed

Charles Cronea was Jennifer's great-great-great-grandfather. She never knew him, of course, though a mere 60 years and 60 miles separated his final days on the Bolivar peninsula and her birth in Houston, Texas. Indeed, until a few years ago she did not know who he was or that he was her ancestor. You see, Jennifer was estranged from her natural father's family at an early age when he and her mother divorced. Not until recently, when Jennifer and I developed an interest in genealogy, did her curiosity begin to grow. Then, in 1992, her paternal grandmother passed away, leaving her estate to Jennifer and her brother Darryl.

We traveled to Austin and proceeded with the task of disposing of the earthly possessions of this woman who neither of us knew. Over a period of three weeks as we sorted through an immense collection of objects that she had held dear, we learned that her legacy was very rich in family history. It is safe to say that the large majority of her treasure consisted of words on paper. She had been an active genealogist for many years, a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and an avid collector of documents. Although Jennifer had not thought of her in years and I had hardly known her name before she died, the reverse was not true. We found newspaper clippings, notes and legal documents detailing Jennifer's childhood and our marriage, and the births of our children. We also found a veritable treasure trove of family history documentation.

In preparing her DRT application, Jennifer's grandmother had documented two lineages that qualified her for membership. In her final application, she used her descent from another southeast Texas pioneer, Martin Dunman. But she also documented her descent from Charles Cronea, and we found that documentation intact in her home. It gradually became apparent to us that she left this wealth of information specifically for Jennifer, her brother, and our children, her only living descendants, and for future generations. We are happy to share it with you.

Charles Cronea was born in Marseilles, France on January 14, 1805. Late in 1819, at the age of 14, he was a cabin boy on a French war ship bound for America. A boyish prank committed at sea resulted in unintentional injury to another cabin boy on the ship, and Cronea was punished severely by the ship's captain. Upon arrival in New York harbor, Cronea deserted the French vessel and soon shipped out on a merchant vessel for Charleston, South Carolina.

In early 1820 Cronea signed on to the crew of another ship bound from Charleston to Liverpool. But a few miles offshore the captain informed his crew that a schooner would soon come along side looking for 15 volunteers for a cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. Cronea volunteered and soon transferred to the schooner, which anchored off of Corpus Christi about a week later.

Cronea and the other volunteers were set ashore on Padre Island with instructions to wait there for another vessel. Soon the ship appeared - it was the Hotspur, a swift hermaphrodite brig commanded by Captain James Campbell, Jean Laffite's right-hand man. Cronea and the other volunteers agreed to sign on to Hotspur for privateering duties. For the next eight months, the Hotspur raided Spanish shipping with a commission from the government of Cartagena1.

Years later, in an interview with a reporter from the Galveston Daily News, Cronea described the method used by Campbell to subdue their targets: "We cruised up and down the gulf, capturing nothing but Mexican craft. If we saw one which we didn't know the nationality of, we signaled her to heave-to, and if she didn't we fired a round shot across her bow. That generally brought 'em to, and then the capen would call away a boat and send a crew and officer, all armed, aboard ...

Sometimes a Mexican would show fight, and our gunner would send a round shot into her ... They always surrendered quick after that.

A good many think that we used to cut throats and make those we captured walk the plank; but that is all a ---- lie. I never saw a man murdered while I was with Campbell2."

Later that year, after being punished by Campbell for spilling a bucket of water, Cronea decided to desert. In November 1820 he did just that when the Hotspur sailed up the Mermenteau River in southeast Louisiana to load fresh water. The Hotspur never sailed out again, but sank after running aground near the mouth of the river. Campbell and the crew made it back to Laffite's headquarters on Galveston Island, and Campbell was given command of another ship, but he never sailed again as a privateer. Just over a month later, in January 1821, a U.S. Navy warship paid a visit to Laffite's village and ordered the group to disband and leave the area, under orders from U.S. President James Monroe. Laffite delayed for a month or so until, faced with an ultimatum to leave or be destroyed, he left Galveston and faded from the public eye3.

His privateering days over, Charles Cronea soon returned from Louisiana to Texas where he married and started a family. His second child, a daughter named Mahala Cronea, was Jennifer's great-great grandmother. For many years he lived near Sabine Pass, farming and increasing his family. His first wife, Amanda Johnson, died at a young age. Cronea married again, to Louisa Ellender, and the couple had at least seven more children.

In 1835 Cronea volunteered to fight with the Texan army against Mexico. He participated in the successful siege of San Antonio and in the "Grass Fight", and he was present at the battle of San Jacinto. According to Cronea, a member of his company captured Santa Ana and brought the Mexican presidente before Sam Houston. In his account of what happened next, Cronea departs from the history books. He maintained that Houston released Santa Ana because Santa Ana and Houston were both Masons. He also claims that members of his company pursued Santa Ana eastward into Louisiana before losing his trail. History documents that Santa Ana was escorted back to Mexico by a Texan attachment, where he enjoyed a continuation of power and favor for several years4.

Cronea volunteered for military service again in 1846 in the U.S. war against Mexico. He received a pension and a grant of 1280 acres of land in recognition of his service5.

In his later years Cronea lived at Rollover on the Bolivar Peninsula. In an 1892 interview, he explained the origin of the name Rollover: smugglers and pirates could easily roll casks and bales of contraband over the peninsula from the Gulf of Mexico to Galveston Bay at this narrow spot, thus eluding customs officials at Galveston. They could then transport the cargo overland into East Texas and Louisiana or through inland waterways to markets6.

By all accounts, Charles Cronea had a strong appreciation for the value of family, and was affectionately called "Uncle Charlie" by many people from Sabine Pass to Bolivar Point during his life. His kind nature and his incredible story-telling ability endeared him to young and old alike.

After his wife Louisa Ellender Cronea died in the 1880's, Cronea divided his property among his children and spent his remaining years traveling from household to household. When he died in 1893 at the home of his daughter in Rollover, he had ninety living descendants encompassing four generations7.

Charles Cronea was the last surviving member of Laffite's band. His passing ended an era in the American saga. Our discovery of this legacy from Jennifer's grandmother started us on our own journey of discovery. We set out to independently verify her descent from Charles Cronea, and in the process we have learned much about the man and his descendants. We have met other Cronea descendants and shared information with them, expanding Jennifer's family horizons in the process.

While some may consider it a dubious honor to have a "pirate" in the family tree, one only has to study the life, deeds and legacy of Charles Cronea for a little while to recognize the value of his contributions to Texas and to America, and to gain a sense of pride that he is part of our children's heritage.

1 Obituary, "Charles Cronea, who Fought Under Jean Laffite," Galveston Daily News, March 6, 1893.
2 Ibid.
3 Block, W.T., "A Buccaneer Family in Spanish East Texas: A Biographical Sketch of Captain James and Mary Sabinal Campbell", Texas Gulf Historical and Biographical Record, XXVII, No. 1, 1991
4 Obituary, op. cit.
5 Block, W.T., "Uncle Charlie Cronea: The Last of Lafitte's Pirates", Frontier Times, July 1977, p. 17ff.
6 Richardson, T.C., East Texas Its History and Its Makers, Vol. II, pg. 913
7 Copeland, Mary Amanda Adams, personal note