Hi, James,
My understanding is that Sanchez and Sanches can differ in the location of the family, Old or New World, and who writes it; an English speaker or Spanish speaker. Our ears are tuned differently. Texas became independent from Mexico in 1836, was an independent nation until it joined the United States of America in December, 1845.
There are county records, church records, the universities and colleges have collections of documents that may help if you have any idea where he lived. Many of the counties, and towns have genealogy societies that get together. The LDS has contacts as close as the telephone or computer. The local library may be of some assistance. The colleges and universities have depositories for various types of information. There is a big genealogy library in Houston, The Clayton Library. I do not know if they help over the telephone or not. It is open to the public, and you need to get a library card from the Clayton Library while you are there; from the Harris County Library.
I hope this helps. FYI My great-great grandparents were buried in a small town in South Carolina. I was not sure where, but I had a local town. I called the church and was told they were absolutely not buried there. A relative wrote to me and said that said that they were. I called the county library and talked to the librarian. We had a pleasent talk. She told me that they were probably in unmarked graves at the church. I sent her a copy of my letter for the local genealogy society, and a small check for the library for the time that I took her away from her duties. Not to deviate from the subject, but you never know when someone can help you.
