The TexianThe Official Publication of The Sons of the Republic of Texas

VOL Viii nUMBeR 3 aUgUsT 2015

PResidenT geneRaL’s Message

Robert Kendall, KSJ

Contact us at:

SRT Office: www.srttexas.org Email: aa-srt@son-rep-texas.net1717 Eighth Street, Bay City, TX 77414Phone: (979) 245-6644 Fax: (979) 244-3819

1717 Eighth StreetBay City, TX 77414

RETuRn SERviCE REquESTEd

i hope everyone is having a won-derful summer. in May i went to the Lone Star chapter lunch. i gave a talk about the SRT organization and my ancestor General Sidney Sherman. it was a very nice time.

What’s InsIdeBattle of Medina .......................1, 3President General’s Message ....1, 3Janet’s Korner ...............................2Chapter News ........................4, 5, 7Texian Navy Day ..........................6

i know that historical happenings slow down during the summer. i hope that all of the members and chapters are doing well.

We had a nice quarterly meeting in June at Waco. Thanks to Curt Os-borne for setting up the hospitality room. Everyone had a good time.

The Saturday meeting went well. The agenda moved along. One item that was discussed again was the use of the SRT logo. if anyone has questions on this, please contact the Logo committee. Over the summer, an item was brought up in the media, a certain flag. Gentlemen if anyone

2015 QUaRTeRLy MeeTingsept. 11-12, 2015 La quinta inn & Suites Belton, 229 West Loop 121, Belton, TX 76513; (866) 527-1498, Room Rate $101 + tax, cut off date August 21, 2015; Please identify yourself as SRT.

cont. pg. 3

The public is invited to attend our 15th annual ceremony commemorating the Battle of Medina, this being the 202nd anniversary of the bloodiest battle in Texas history! The Battle of Medina occurred on August 18, 1813 between the Royal Spanish Army and the Republican Army of the north when between 800 and 1,300 Ameri-cans, Tejanos, indians, and Spanish soldiers died in this all but forgotten battle which historians have named the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition. Since August 18th is on Tuesday this year, we will hold our normal com-memorative ceremony beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 15, 2015 under the large Oak trees on Old Applewhite Road. We will have a Color Guard representing the u.S.A., Spain, Texas and Mexico, plus descen-dants of the men who fought and died in this battle. due to the heat, we will try to keep this ceremony as short as possible, and adjourn to the nice cool meeting room at the First Baptist Church located at 400 north Reed Street in Pleasanton, Texas, for an afternoon seminar beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of Barbara Westbrook, Atascosa County Historical Commission Chairman.

Our feature speakers this year include Caroline Castillo Crimm, Ph.d., Professor of History at Sam Houston State university History department. dr. Crimm spoke last year at the 201st Anniversary seminar, and you will not want to miss what she has to say about this all but forgotten event in Texas history. dr. Bill O’neal, the Texas State Historian, appointed by Governor Perry, will speak on the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition. Al McGraw will be back this year and will discuss the historic pattern of Spanish colonial ranchos, river cross-ings and early roads. Jessie villarreal will bring his second book that discusses the Tejanos involved in events

Historical Marker ..........................8In Memoriam ................................9New SRT Members ...............10, 11Calendar of Events ......................12

news ReLease fOR The 202nd anniVeRsaRy Of The BaTTLe Of MedinaaUgUsT 15, 2015

cont. pg. 3

Calendar of events

2015 Quarterly Meetingssept. 11-12, 2015 La quinta inn & Suites Belton, 229 West Loop 121, Belton, TX 76513; (866) 527-1498, Room Rate $101 + tax,

cut off date August 21, 2015; Please identify yourself as SRT.

dec. 4-5, 2015 Hampton inn & Suites, 7006 navarro, victoria, TX 77904; (361) 573-9911, Room Rate $99 + tax, 1 King or 2 queen cut off date november 18, 2015; Please identify yourself as SRT.

2015 sRT eventsMarch 2 Texas independence dayMarch 6 Fall of the AlamoMarch 27 Goliad MassacreApril 21 San Jacinto daySeptember 19 Texian navy day on the Battleship TexasOctober 2 Battle of Gonzalesnovember 3 Stephen F. Austin’s Birthday (Father of Texas)

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Janet’s KornerBy: Janet Knox

Administrative Assistantemail: aa-srt@son-rep-texas.net

1717 Eighth Street Bay City, Texas 77414

(979) 245-6644

• ThenextQuarterlyMeetingisSept.11-12 La quinta inn & Suites Belton, 229 West Loop 121, Belton, TX 76513; (866) 527-1498, Room Rate $101+Tax, cut-off date August 21, 2015; Please identify yourself as SRT.

• Youcanview“TheTexian”newsletteronthe websiteforfree.Youmayalsopurchase“The Texian”anditwillbemailedtoyouforafeeof $20.00 a year. Please contact the national office.

• Thosemembersthathavenotpaidtheir2015dues are now considered delinquent and must pay a $50.00 reinstatement fee plus the $40.00 dues fee forthecurrentyear.Youcanmailorgotowebsite to pay your dues with PayPal.

• Theeditorwelcomesallsubmissionsofnews articlesandphotosfor“TheTexian”.Please submit electronic data using the following guidelines. 1. Submit text in WORd document format; articles may be edited due to space limitations. 2. Submit photos as separate attachments in .jpg/.eps, or tif format. Caption for each photo or after the article’s text. identify the placement of people (e.g.L to R, center, front row, back row), with a corresponding key that matches the name of the file attachment. Please limit the number of photos submitted per article.

• Remember:Allactivedutypersonnel,yourdues are waived. Please notify the SRT Office by email, postal service or telephone.

• Iwouldliketothank you for the articles and pictures you are sending for your newsletter; they have been GREAT. i need yOUR help with articles and pictures. if your chapter has or will be celebrating any events PLEASE email me at: aa-srt@son-rep-texas.net. i will be submitting the October issue for publication; the deadline for submissions is sept. 25, 2015.

new sRT MeMBeRs

name Chapter ancestor hometown

exeCUTiVe COMMiTTee2015 - 2016

disTRiCT RePResenTaTiVes2015 - 2016

Michael Ray Turner 32 Robert White deer Park, TX

Jeffrey Phares Bobo 33 Hardy Pace Pineland, TX

Kevin Skyler Cato 36 Christian Smith Mansfield, TX

darrell Ray dunlop 36 Samuel Chelton inman Euless, TX

Michael Robert Miller 36 Calvin Gage idaho Falls, id

Peter Gage Molino 36 Calvin Gage idaho Falls, id

James Burl Cox 39 John Jennings iii Abilene, TX

George Robert Chall, Jr. 40 John Padre McCoy San Antonio, TX

norman Forrest Porter, Sr. 40 George Joseph Blackman Pleasanton, TX

Hillard Martin Soward iii 40 George Joseph Blackman San Antonio, TX

RobertMarvinGillespie 47 JoshuaWrightYoung Granbury,TX

Mason Harrington-Hensley LeBlanc 48 Arabella Gray deve Harrington Blanco, TX

Scott Alan Schriewer 50 Ludwig Jauer Seguin, TX

George Marvin Cunyus 52 dickson H. dyer Kilgore, TX

William Bruce Kitchen 52 Thomas Jefferson Foster, Sr Wake village, TX

John Patrick McCoy 56 david Baugh Lufkin, TX

John Patrick McCoy ii 56 david Baugh Lufkin, TX

daniel Joseph Hollmann 57 Lawrence Frank Odessa, TX

Robert Emmett Hollmann 57 Lawrence Frank Odessa, TX

William Kipling Coe 58 isaac decker Pinehurst , TX

Ronald Lee McAnear 58 John B. McAnear Livingston, TX

John davis Morton, Jr. 58 norman Austin Conroe, TX

Benjamin Fontaine Swank iv 58 William Rodney Baker Tomball, TX

Mark Allen White 58 isaac Guest Katy, TX

Jimmy Lynn Ferguson 59 daniel Gilleland McKenna, WA

Left to right front row:David Stone, Chaplain General; Edward Heath, Second Vice President General; Robert Kendall, KSJ, President General; Bob Steakley, KSJ, First Vice President General; William D. Power, Secretary General.

Left to right back row:David Hanover, KSJ, PPG, Executive Committeeman;L. Clay Fisher, Executive Committeeman; KennethPfeiffer, Treasurer General, Randy Pollard, HistorianGeneral.

Left to right front row: Arthur Evans, Gulf Coast District; George Nelson, Brazos Valley District; William D. Power, North East District; Bob Steakley, KSJ, Frontier District.(Not pictured: John Knox, Post Oak District)

Left to right back row:Tim Gibson, North Central District; John Meredith, Lone Star District; Jim Massingill, Heart of TexasDistrict; Ronald W. Brown, San Jacinto District.

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nEW SRT MEMBERS

name Chapter ancestor hometown

Andrew Patrick Thomas Byford Teliha Kirby Ferguson Womack Oklahoma City, OK

Leo Mitchell Etienne iii John W. Smith iii Austin, TX

John david Phillips, Jr. John Bryan Boyce, LA

Robert don Powell isaac Guest El Paso, TX

Christopher Michael Pryor John Berry Washington, dC

Luther Hugh Soules, Sr. nelon Soules San Antonio, TX

Travis Barret Fite 1 John W White Houston, TX

Michael John Harris 1 Squire Aathan Cruse Cameron, Wi

John Carl Harris 1 Squire Aathan Cruse Cameron, Wi

William Wallace Hunter iii 1 Johnson Calhoun Hunter Cypress, TX

Tom Cornelius Lane, Jr. 1 Alfred Lane Perry, OK

Stephen Wayne Rogers, Sr. 1 James Rogers Houston, TX

Joseph Hamilton Tennant 1 John Pettit Borden Houston, TX

Thomas Boake Ball 7 Evin Corner McAllen, TX

Murf Christopher Troutz 7 Christopher Troutz Eugene, OR

William Clyde Kerley 8 William Sweeney Frisco, TX

Brian Lee Lenhart 8 Peter Cauble Allen, TX

J.d. Humber ii 10 Robert Orson William McManus dayton, TX

david A. Fenili 12 Richard H. Chisholm Killeen, TX

Seldon Bain Graham, Jr. 12 John C Struwe Austin, TX

Ralph Anthony Pacheco 12 Jose Pacheco Lago vista, TX

Levi Rhett Hagerman 14 Joseph Squyres College Station, TX

Tanner Leon Hagerman 14 Joseph Squyres College Station, TX

Howard S. Motley, Jr. 16 Charles Stanfield Taylor victoria, TX

Walter Edward Rabke 16 Petersin Clinton Beall Fredericksburg, vA

William Weathers Christopher, Jr. 25 Jane dickens Stepp Goliad, TX

PResidenT geneRaL’s Messagecont. from pg. 1

of you are asked about this issue or any political issue you may decide to answer or not. if you do reply, you will doitonapersonallevel.YouwillnotanswerasarepresentativeoftheSRT.ThePresidentGeneralistheonlyperson that represents the SRT.

i am looking forward to the September quarterly meeting in Belton. There will be a lot to be discussed. Please make your reservations and enjoy a weekend of great friendship.

Robert KendallPresident GeneralThe Sons of the Republic of Texas

in Texas that connect to the American Revolution. We always invite representatives of both the Texas General Land Office, and the Texas Historical Commission, and William McWhorter will tell us what the THC has done this past year. i have invited dan Arellano, who has organized the Battle of Medina Association to tell us what he has been doing this past year. doc L’Herisson from Louisiana, will speak again this year, and tell us what he has found about the men from Louisiana who came to fight in Texas. We always invite award winning author, Robert Thonhoff, Teacher, Administrator, County Judge, who spent years researching this all but forgotten battle. However, due to health reasons, Professor Thonhoff probably will not be able to attend. if it were not for Bob Thonhoff most of us would not know about the Battle of Medina.

The Battle of Medina was between approximately 1,800 men in the Royal Spanish Army and approximately 1,400 men in the Republican Army of the north, which included about 400 Spaniards, 400 Tejanos, 200 native Americans, and about 400 men from the uSA. in fact we have identified 5 men who fought in the American Revolution who were involved in some way in the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition, with only one Patriot of the American Revolution, Peter Sides having been proven to have fought in both the American Revolution and also fought and died in the Battle of Medina. direct descendants of Peter Sides are eligible for membership in the dAR, the SAR, the dRT and the SRT, and descendants directly related to any of the 3,200 men who fought in this battle on either side are eligible for membership in the SRT. Over the past 14 years the SAR, dAR, SRT, dRT, Mayflower Society, the daughter of the War of 1812, and descendants of the men who fought here have dedicated markers to the men who fought and died in this battle, and these descendants will rededicate their markers at the Saturday morning ceremony under the large Oak Trees. Everyone interested in history is invited to attend.

Signs will be placed where you turn to the west off Highway 281 onto the Old Pleasanton Road about 15 miles south of San Antonio, and 10 miles north of Pleasanton. Signs will again be placed where Bruce Road branches off Old Pleasanton Road to the west. Signs will also be where Old Applewhite Road branches off Bruce Road to the west. The afternoon seminar will begin at 1:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon at the Pleasanton First Baptist Church located at 400 north Reed Street, in Pleasanton, Texas. For additional information or direc-tions, contact Tom Green at TBGreen3@gmail.com or 713-340-1965.

news ReLease fOR The 202nd anniVeRsaRy Of The BaTTLe Of MedinaaUgUsT 15, 2015

cont. from pg. 1

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name Chapter hometown

In Memoriam

This

COULd haVe Been

yOUR ChaPTeR’s

aRTiCLe

donald Lee Clark 48 Llano, TX

Bill Cox 1 Houston, TX

Otto Gregory Crona, Jr. 56 Lufkin, TX

Charles Lewis Garrett 8 Garland, TX

Philip Alwin Guittard 16 victoria, TX

Gilbert isaac Patino 40 San Antonio, TX

Ronald Roy Woods 6 Clute, TX

Carroll Clarke Cook, Sr. 1 Austin, TX

Homer Calvin Kelton 36 Henrietta, TX

Judge Holland, commissioners, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for inviting me to be with you today. it is truly my pleasure.

As we all know, Henderson County was organized in 1846 out of Houston and nacogdoches Counties. But some of you may not know that when organized, Henderson County contained all of what is present day Henderson County, van Zandt County, Wood County, Rains County, Kaufman County, Rockwall County and the southern half of Hunt County.

The county seat of this large county alternated between Centerville and Buffalo and it was not until 1850 that Athens became the county seat when the county was scaled downtoitspresentsize.AndourtownofAthenswasnotnamed“Athens”until1850.Priortothattime,ourlittletownwascalled“Alfred”,namedforourfirstpostmaster,AlfredMallard.

James Pinckney Henderson was elected the first governor of the new state of Texas in 1845 and took office in February19, 1846, just a few months before Henderson County was organized. it seemed fitting to name this new county for the first governor of Texas and so Henderson County was named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson.

Gov. Henderson was born in north Carolina in 1808, grew up there and studied law at the university of north Carolina. He was admitted to the bar in 1829 at the age of 21 and began his legal career in Salisbury, nC.

Beginning his military service the following year, he was appointed a major in the north Carolina militia and later was promoted to the rank of colonel.

in 1835 James Pinckney Henderson moved to Mississippi and while there became increasingly interested in the news of the Texas Revolution. He began enlisting men for service in Texas and he and several of his recruits sailed to Texas, arriving in velasco in June, 1836, shortly after the Texas victory at San Jacinto.

in Texas he was commissioned a brigadier general in the army of the Republic of Texas by david G. Burnet who was the interim President of the Republic, and who sent him back to the united States to recruit for the army of the Republic. He recruited and organized a company of men in north Carolina and sent them to Texas, reportedly at his own expense.

upon his return to Texas later in 1836, he was appointed Attorney General of the Republic under Sam Houston who had been elected President and in december, 1836, he succeeded Stephen F. Austin as secretary of state,Austinhavingjustdied.SamHoustonsaidofHenderson,“Anindividualpossessingmoralworth,geniusandtalentspropertothedischargeofthedutiesofthatoffice.”

But Texas had major problems: huge debts, trouble securing loans from the u.S. and from Europe and diffi-culty acquiring recognition as a sovereign state.

Early in 1837, Gov. Henderson was appointed Texas minister to England and France to secure recognition and treaties for commerce between those countries and Texas. England was skeptical that Texas could defend itself against Mexico and Texas supported slavery, which England had abolished. France also had serious reservations since it had good relations and trade agreements with Mexico.

But after three years, through Henderson’s persistence and perseverance, England and France eventually entered into trade agreements with the Republic and ultimately recognized Texas independence.

While in France, he met Francis Cox and they married shortly thereafter in London. She was born in Phila-

JaMes PinCKney hendeRsOn

8 5

delphia and was educated in Europe and after Henderson’s death, lived most of the remainder of her life in Europe.

Henderson returned to Texas in 1840 and set up a law office in San Augustine. in 1844 he was sent to Washington to nego-tiate a treaty of annexation with the united States but the treaty was originally rejected by the u.S. Senate and Sam Houston, much to Henderson’s dismay, ordered him to return home. The united States Senate saw serious problems with possible annexation: A probable war with Mexico, Texas’ huge debts, a southern border in dispute (nueces River or Rio Grande?) and an ill-defined western border.

Henderson again returned to his law practice in San Augus-tine and went into partnership with Kenneth Anderson. Fol-lowing annexation (which closely followed the terms negotiated by Henderson), Anderson decided to run for governor but died unexpectedly, and Henderson was persuaded to take his place.

James Pinckney Henderson was elected governor of Texas in november, 1845 and took office in February, 1846. With the start of the Mexican War in 1846, he was asked by the legislature to take personal command of the troops in the field. He led the 2nd Texas Regiment at the battle of Monterrey and negotiated the surrender of that city. Later he was appointed a Major General in the united States Army.

After the war, he resumed his duties as governor but refused to run for a second term. He returned to his private law practice in 1847. Ten years later, in 1857, Gov. Henderson was elected to the u.S Senate to succeed Thomas J. Rusk, his law partner who had committed suicide. Henderson served in the senate until his death on June 4, 1858, at age 50. He was buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, but in 1930 his remains were moved to the State Cemetery in Austin where they lie today.

A little bit about his personal life.- Married Frances Cox in 1839 in London.- She died in 1897 and was buried in nJ.- Five children. Three died in infancy. - Martha, died unmarried at age 18. - Fanny, married into Austrian aristocracy. (Lived in Europe) - Julia, married Edward Adams and lived in nJ.James Pinckney Henderson was quite a man. - Lawyer - Colonel in the north Carolina Militia - Brigadier General in the Army of the Republic of Texas - Hero of Mexican War. - Major General in the u. S. Army - Served as Attorney General and as Secretary of State of Republic of Texas - Served as Emissary to England and France and secured their recognition of Texas independence and negotiated trade agreement with them. - negotiated treaty of annexation with the united States. - Served as first governor of the State of Texas. - Served as a u. S. Senator.

i think we should all be extremely proud to have our county named for such an outstanding man.

Thank you for your attention.Wayne Stafford

JaMes PinCKney hendeRsOnPROgRess RePORT fOR RePLaCeMenTOf sTOLen Texas hisTORiCaL MaRKeR

BY:DAvIDHAnoveR,KSJ

AsstatedintheSRTConstitution,Section4.3.Goals:“TheSRT shall organize and promote public recognition of dates and places of historical significance to the Republic of Texas withmonumentsandotherappropriatesignageorevents.”

At the time of this publication, Piney Woods Chapter #52, Tyler, President Sam Hopkins is working with Smith County Historical Commission (SCHC) Chairman, Rob Jones (also a member of SRT since 2014), and Tx dOT, in replacing a 1975 historical marker and pullout location immediately south of the Sabine River bridge on u.S. Hwy. 69, in north-ern Smith County. The marker recognized that 3.5 miles westofthemarkerlocationwasthe“LastCampoftheRepublicofTexasArmyaftertheBattleoftheneches”inJuly 1839. Over the past 40 years, the 1975 marker has been stolen three times, and through the combined efforts of the SCHC, SRT Piney Woods Chapter and dRT Charles G.

davenport Chapter, the interested historical organizations are determined to make this FOuRTH marker at that location more difficult to steal. The replacement marker is on order from the foundry, due to be completed in several weeks. Chapter President Hopkins is working with a local memorial company to mount the marker into a piece of granite, instead of on the traditional historical marker pole. When the marker was last stolen in 2003, highway workers watched during the day as thieves loaded the historical marker into the back of a pickup. de-spite the thieves’ license plate being turned into the sheriff’s office, no charges or marker recovery were made. Since that last time to be stolen in 2003, Hwy. 69 has been widened from 2 to 4 lanes, completely eliminating the pullout location of the 1975 historical marker. The challenge of creating a new pullout will be handled by Tx dOT. Watch for updated progress of this preservation project in a future issue of The Texian.

in a related matter, SRT Past President General david Hanover, KSJ, Piney Woods Chapter President Hopkins and SCHC Chairman Jones took a field trip to Burleson Lake, the site referenced in the text of the three stolen 1975 historical markers. Located inside privately owned Burleson Wetlands, the Last Camp of the Republic of Texas Army (after the Battle of the neches with Chief Bowles in van Zandt County on July 16, 1839) is marked by a 1936 Texas Centennial historical marker. Past President General Hanover had been fortunate enough to make contact with one of the owners of Burleson Wetlands and was allowed to enter the property for the pur-pose of assessing the condition of the marker. Badly vandalized over the past 79 years, the marker has come to the attention of the Texas Historical Commission; hopefully, in the next couple of years, the 1936 marker can receive the restoration needed to preserve Texas history.

Photo and edited photo courtesy of david Hanover, KSJ

1936 Texas Centennial historical marker located at Burleson Lake in northern Smith County, south of the Sabine River. A 1975 Texas historical marker, stolen 3 times over the past 40 years and to be replaced on U.S. Hwy. 69, 3.5 miles east of the 1936 marker, is an ongoing project of several interested groups determined to preserve Texas history, including the SRT Piney Woods Chapter.

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2015 Texian Navy Day

Honoring

The Texian Navy

Saturday, September 19, 2015 11:00 AM

Battleship Texas USS TEXAS – BB-35

Battleship Texas State Historic Site

3523 Independence Parkway South La Porte, Texas 77571

Ceremony organized and hosted by: The Sons of the Republic of Texas

SRT sponsored by:

The Battleship Texas Foundation With assistance from the staff of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

Contact: Ronald W. Brown / 713 621 5660 / ron@ronwbrown.com

(www.srttexas.org for additional details)

Come see the U S Coast Guard and Rolling Thunder

Members of the San Jacinto Chapter had a very nice trip to our State Capitol on Tuesday, the 21st of July. We were proud to induct Justice Jeffrey v. Brown as the newest member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, and a member of the San Jacinto Chapter.

Justice Brown is a member of the Supreme Court of Texas. We performed the ceremony in the old Supreme Court on the third floor of the State Capitol. We learned that this room is quite historic, having been used from 1888 to 1959. it can now only be allowed use with the permission of a State Senator.

San Jacinto Chaplain, Joe davidson, KSJ said the in-vocation and Tom Green, KSJ led the pledge. Mr. Ron Brown, district Rep. introduced President General, Robert Kendall, KSJ who inducted Justice Brown into the SRT. As President of the San Jacinto Chapter, i welcomed him into our Chapter.

JusticeBrownexpressedhistruepleasureandprideinbecomingamemberof“TheSons”.

After Mr. davidson gave the benediction, we all left to have a great lunch at the driskill Hotel.

Curt Osborne, President San Jacinto Chapter The Sons of the Republic of Texas

gReeTings:

Left to right: Maurice Nassar, Randy Pollard, Ed-ward Heath, Joe Davidson, KSJ, Curt Osborne, Ron Brown, Justice Brown, Robert Kendall, KSJ, and Tom Green, KSJ.