A Guide to the Philip Nolan Papers, 1797-1808 Born to Peter and
Elizabeth (Cassidy) Nolan in Ireland, Philip Nolan (1771-1801)
became a noted mustanger and possible filibuster in Spanish
Texas. Before arriving in Texas, Nolan worked as a bookkeeper
and shipping clerk for General James Wilkinson in Kentucky and
New Orleans, where he learned of business opportunities in
Texas. Nolan began mustanging in 1791, though suspicions grew
among Spanish authorities about his true intentions due to his
connections with Wilkinson and illegal trade. A year after
marrying Frances Lintot in 1799, Nolan set out with a group of
well-armed men on his fourth expedition to catch horses in
Texas. After building a small fortification and corrals, Nolan
began catching mustangs. He was killed, however, in March 1801
by Spanish forces sent to intercept him, while his captured men
were tried and imprisoned. Composed of Photostat copies of
correspondence and government documents, the Philip Nolan
Papers, 1797-1808, document the Spanish