A Merchant’s Troubles on the Rio Grande
Charles Nimmons Writes to Charles Stillman, July 1852
In July of 1852, Charles Nimmons, writing from the river town of Roma, Texas, sent Charles Stillman a detailed letter describing the state of several accounts and the difficulties of collecting money owed in the frontier trade.
His message reveals the constant financial juggling required to keep commerce moving along the Rio Grande.
The Immediate Issue: Money in Transit
Nimmons begins by explaining that two bags of money totaling about $300 had been placed in the care of Comanche, likely the steamboat operating on the Rio Grande.
This money represented proceeds from sales belonging partly to S. H. Harris, another merchant involved in the network.
But Nimmons immediately explains a problem familiar to every frontier trader:
the proceeds were less than expected.
He lists the purchasers and amounts paid.
Among them:
Thos. Cash
Alexander Hays
Simpson
John Charles
John Vale
John Lund
Welch
The total collected was $976.56, but the expected returns fell short.
The Sheriff Problem
One of the most revealing passages concerns a local official.
Nimmons writes bluntly:
“The Sheriff has received for his services $8.25 which is too much & I think he is a d— rascal.”
This small comment tells us a great deal.
On the frontier, legal enforcement of debts often required involving the county sheriff, who would serve papers, seize property, or enforce collections. But such services could easily turn into abuses or inflated fees, especially in remote areas where oversight was minimal.
Nimmons clearly believed the sheriff had taken advantage of the situation.
Collecting Debts Across the Valley
Another difficulty was simply locating debtors.
Nimmons explains that he had tried repeatedly to settle accounts but could not always find the men responsible.
He planned to travel to Cerralvo in Nuevo León to attempt collection there.
This detail again reveals how commerce worked:
Merchants on the Texas side were constantly dealing with customers scattered across northern Mexico and the Rio Grande settlements, often requiring personal travel to settle accounts.
A Frontier Cast of Characters
The letter also provides a glimpse of the people circulating through the valley.
Nimmons notes that Doña Josefa was traveling through the area with a son described as:
“a big fellow as big as life.”
He adds that Don Carlos was acting as the man responsible for her affairs.
These passing references remind us that the trade route was not just wagons and ledgers. It was a constant flow of families, travelers, traders, and intermediaries moving between Texas and Mexico.
A Hint of Smuggling
One intriguing line suggests another layer of frontier activity.
Nimmons mentions that he had obtained four cargo carts for Stillman’s merchandise.
The phrasing hints that these carts may have been used to move goods quietly across the border, a practice that was extremely common in the Rio Grande trade where tariffs and customs rules were often circumvented.
The Final Accounting
At the end of the letter Nimmons includes a rough financial summary:
Cash received
Charges by Simmons & Co.
Additional fees and expenses
Sheriff’s bill
The remaining balance comes to $1010.89, showing how carefully these merchants tracked every dollar even in such chaotic circumstances.
Why This Letter Matters
The Nimmons letter shows the less glamorous side of frontier commerce.
Behind the great trading houses and wagon trains were constant struggles:
collecting debts
chasing down customers
dealing with corrupt officials
transporting money safely
settling accounts across two countries
Without men like Nimmons handling these everyday problems, the commercial empire of Charles Stillman & Co. could not have functioned.
Roma, Texas
The Forgotten Trade Town of the Rio Grande
Long before railroads reached South Texas, the river town of Roma was one of the most important commercial outposts along the Rio Grande.
In the early 1850s—when Charles Stillman and other merchants were building trade networks between Texas and northern Mexico—Roma served as a strategic middle point between Brownsville and the interior frontier settlements.
Today it is quiet and often overlooked. But in its day, Roma was a busy river port, trading depot, and legal center for the upper Rio Grande valley.
A River Port in the Frontier Economy
Roma sits on a natural bend of the Rio Grande about 60 miles upriver from Brownsville.
During the mid-19th century this location made it ideal for trade:
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river steamers could navigate to Roma
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wagon roads connected it to ranching districts
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Mexican settlements lay just across the river
Merchants moving goods inland often stopped here to redistribute cargo or settle accounts before continuing farther upriver.
The town effectively became a commercial checkpoint in the river trade.
A Town of Merchants and Warehouses
By the 1850s Roma had developed into a thriving mercantile community.
Large stone buildings along the riverfront housed:
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dry goods stores
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warehouses
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commission merchants
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shipping agents
From these buildings goods were transferred between riverboats, mule trains, and freight wagons.
Many of the handsome limestone structures still standing in Roma today date from this golden age of commerce.
The Cross-Border Marketplace
Roma’s importance also came from its location directly across from Ciudad Miguel Alemán’s predecessor settlements in Tamaulipas.
Trade across the river was constant.
Merchants and ranchers crossed daily to:
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buy manufactured goods
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sell hides, livestock, and wool
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settle debts
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exchange currency
In practice, the river was less a barrier than a commercial highway.
Steamboats on the Rio Grande
During this period, river steamers regularly traveled between Brownsville and Roma.
These vessels carried:
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passengers
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merchandise
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bags of coin and banknotes
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letters between merchants
When Charles Nimmons writes that money was placed on a boat such as the Comanche, he is describing the normal system used to move funds safely along the river.
Roma functioned as one of the upper river terminals for this traffic.
Law, Debt, and Frontier Justice
Roma was also the county seat of Starr County, making it a center of legal authority in the region.
Sheriffs, courts, and lawyers operated there, which explains why letters like the one from Charles Nimmons frequently mention:
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sheriffs collecting debts
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legal papers being served
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disputes between merchants
In a frontier economy where credit was essential, the courthouse and the trading house often worked hand in hand.
A Town that Still Stands
Unlike many frontier settlements, much of historic Roma survived.
Its old mercantile district—built of thick limestone and facing the river—remains one of the best preserved 19th-century commercial streets in Texas.
Walking those streets today, it is still possible to imagine the era when:
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steamboats arrived at the landing
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wagons waited to be loaded
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merchants argued over ledgers and silver coin
and letters like the one from Charles Nimmons to Charles Stillman were written to keep the machinery of frontier commerce moving.
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