J. Milton Nance

Joseph Milton Nance (September 18, 1913 – January 17, 1997)^[a] was an American historian and educator with a focus on the history of Texas. From 1941 until his 1979 retirement, he taught at Texas A&M University,^[2] and he was the department chair of the Department of History and Government from 1958 to 1968, and of the successor Department of History until 1973.^[3][4] The J. Milton Nance Lectures in Texas History lecture series at TAMU is named in his honor.^[5] During the 1966–1967 year, he served on a program committee of the Texas State Historical Association.^[6] For much of his life, he lived in College Station, Texas.^[7][8]

J. Milton Nance
Born	Joseph Milton Nance (1913-09-13)September 13, 1913 Kyle, Texas, U.S.
Died	January 17, 1997(1997-01-17) (aged 83) Bryan, Texas, U.S.

Background

Nance was born in Kyle, Texas September 18, 1913. Joseph was the oldest of the eight children of Jeremiah Milton "Jerry" Nance Jr.^[b] and Mary Louise Hutchinson,^[c] who married in 1912.^[9]

Joseph Milton Nance married Eleanor Glenn Hanover in 1944.^[7] They had three sons,^[4] Jeremiah Milton Nance III (born 1948),^[d] Joseph Hanover Nance (born 1952),^[e] and James Clifton Nance (born 1957).^[f]

Education

Nance had received a B.A. in 1935, an M.A. in 1936, and a Ph.D. in 1941, all from University of Texas at Austin. He also received a certificate in naval communications from Harvard in 1943.^[7]

Works

Nance's personal papers are archived by the Briscoe Center for American History and are available online.^[13]

Nance wrote or edited multiple books, including:

• Nance, J. M. After San Jacinto: The Texas-Mexican Frontier, 1836-1841.
• Nance, J. M. Attack and Counterattack: The Texas-Mexican Frontier, 1842.
• McCutchan, J. D. Nance, J. M. (ed.). Mier Expedition Diary: A Texan Prisoner's Account. Introduction by J. A. Kenamore.
• Baugh, V. E. Rendezvous at the Alamo: Highlights in the Lives of Bowie, Crockett, and Travis. Foreword by J. M. Nance.
• Nance, J. M. McDonald, A. P. (ed.). Dare-Devils All: The Texan Mier Expedition, 1842-1844.
  • Nance, J. M. McDonald, A. P. (ed.). Dare-Devils All: Biographical Data on Selected Members of the Mier Expedition. Vol. 2.
• Puryear, P. A.; Winfield, N. Jr. Sandbars and Sternwheelers: Steam Navigation on the Brazos. Introduction by J. M. Nance.