The Yellow Rose of Texas
As a Texan, I am frequently asked which rose is The Yellow Rose of Texas. In truth, this rose is not a "which;" it's a "who!"
In rose literature, the Old Garden Rose most frequently associated with this name is Harison's Yellow. In the 1830's, George Folliott Harison was a New York lawyer and amateur rose hybridizer. He (or possibly his lawyer father, Richard) crossed what is believed to be Rosa foetida persiana ('Persian Yellow') with R. spinosissima (= R. pimpinellifolia) ('Scotch Briar Rose'). The resulting hybrid was named Rosa x. harisonii or 'Harison's Yellow.' Although once-blooming, Harison's Yellow was renowned at the time for its vigor, hardiness, and resistance to disease.
Harison's Yellow was reportedly carried westward by settlers who planted it wherever they stopped. Even today, naturalized stands of this rose can be found as far west as New Mexico and California. But it is seldom seen naturalized in Texas. Despite its resilience to the difficult growing conditions in northern climates, Harison's Yellow does not grow well in Texas where the growth season is long and summer temperatures are high.
There is still debate whether Harison's Yellow refers to the rose of folklore. We do know, however, The Yellow Rose of Texas of song, re-popularized during the 1950's by Mitch Miller, actually refers to a person, not a rose. Specifically, the lyrics refer to Emily West Morgan, somewhat forgotten in history for her heroism during the Texas war of independence from Mexico.
The legend of The Yellow Rose of Texas begins in 1830 with the immigration to Texas of James Morgan, an entrepreneur from Philadelphia. Morgan was eager to capitalize on cheap land and business opportunities in the fledgling Mexican colony. Since the Mexican government did not permit slavery, Morgan converted his slaves into 99-year indentured servants.
In 1835, amid an effort to flood Texas with non-Mexicans from the United States, Morgan returned to New York to recruit more workers for his growing settlement. One such émigré was a twenty year old woman named Emily D. West - "an eastern import with extraordinary intelligence and sophistication."
Emily West was mulatto and possibly from Bermuda, since Morgan brought many of his workers from this Atlantic island. According to some records, West volunteered to be indentured, most probably to escape the prejudice against her mixed race. As was the custom for an indentured worker at the time, she changed her last name to that of Morgan's.
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