Tejanos in the Texas Revolution
taken
from
Viva Tejas
�
The Story of
the Tejanos,
the Mexican-born Patriots of the Texas
Revolution
by Ruben Rendon
Lozano
With new material added by Mary Ann Noonan Guerra
THE MEXICAN TEXANS
AND THEIR ACTIVITIES
Chapter IV of Viva Tejas by Reuben Rendon Lozano written in 1936 at the Texas Centennial
SECOND
REGIMENT OF TEXAS
VOLUNTERS
NINTH
COMPANY
Jos� Mar�a
Arocha
Born
in Texas;
enlisted with Captain Seguin on October 11, 1835; fought in the siege of Bexar;
discharged November 4th, 1836.� His headright and labor of land was sold in San Antonio on February 2nd, 1836.� He died at San Antonio, Texas
in 1841.
[Arocha
Desendants Report]
Manuel Arocha
The
Bexar County board issued to this soldier a headright and labor certificate for one third of a league
of land.� On May 31, 1851, he was issued
donation certificate for 640 acres of land for services at the battle of San Jacinto.� The Arocha descendants in Bexar County
are many.
[Arocha
Desendants Report]
Antonio Cruz Arocha
Born in Mexico, reared in Texas, served
with Captain Seguin's Company.� Left the Alamo with Seguin
the night of February 29th, 1836, to procure aid for the garrison of the Alamo.� He joined Houston's
army at Gonz�lez immediately thereafter, and fought at San
Jacinto. Bounty Warrant No. 927, for 1280 acres of land, for
serving in the Texas
army from January 1835 to December 1837.�
On November 6th, enlisted as second sargeant in Lieutenant Manuel Flores' Company.� He was granted a labor and league by Bexar
County Board March 6, 1838.� He is listed
in Seguin's
company as Antonio Cruz.
[Arocha
Desendants Report]
Simon Arreola
Born
in Bexar, Texas. According to Service Record No. 6669,
Arreola, joined Captain Seguin's Company February 23,
1836 and was discharged at Nacogdoches,
July 31, 1836.� The Bexar County Board of
Land Commissioner's granted him a league and labor of land on February 2,
1838.� In 1842 he was still to be found
in San Antonio, but on November 1850, according
to a deed record in the County Clerk's record of Bexar County,"
he was either dead or out of the state."
Andres Barcines
Born in San Antonio de Bexar, Texas.�
His services were recognized by the granting of a headright
certificate of land.� He died in San Antonio in 1839, and
Colonel Juan N. Seguin was appointed administrator of his estate May 27, 1839.
Cesario
Curbiere
Native Texan, born in Bexar.�
Enlisted in Lieutenant Manuel Flores' company November 5, 1836; served
until February 3, 1838.� He was granted
1280 acres of land by the Bexar County Board.�
Died in Bexar, 1841.
Mat�as
Curbiere
(Jose Matias Courbiere)
Native
Texan, born in Bexar in the year 1814, enlisted in Captain Seguin's Company
November 5, 1836 and served as third sergeant of the company.� He married Irulella
Garza November 11, 1837.� He was a member
of the Texas Veteran's Association.� Died in San Antonio in 1877.
Lucio
Enriquez
Native
Texan, born in San Antonio, Texas,
service record No. 8760; served in Seguin's
Company from March 5, 1836 to June 5, 1836.�
(The dates of enlistment like the above show some of
these men rallying to Houston's army just before the battle of San Jacinto,
April 21, 1836.)� He later
enlisted in Lieutenant Manuel Flores' Company and was Second Sergeant.� He was granted a third of a league of land by
the Bexar County
land board and received his allotted 640 acres for service at San
Jacinto.� On April 21, 1852,
he was given more land, consisting of 320 acres, for services in the Texan army
from February 22, 1836, to July 15 of the same year.� On May 24, 1852 his widow sold 960 acres of
land to one John James.
Manuel Flores (Jose Manuel Nepomunceno Paublino Flores)
Flores was born in Bexar,
his service record No. 4220 shows him as serving in the Texan army from October
1st, 1935, to October 1st, 1836, as first sergeant under Captain Seguin; as
First Lieutenant in Second Regiment of Cavalry, Company "B", and as
Captain from March 1st to October 12, 1837.�
He was credited with urging the Texans forward, after their first fire
upon Santa Anna's men.� The Texans having
fallen on their stomachs, waiting the reaction, he shouted: "Get up you
cowards. Santa Anna's men are running."�
This man was also disappointed by the fact that Texas was deciding to annexation, and while
residing in Matagorda he attempted a revolution against the established Texan
authorities.� General Canalizo
of the Mexican army procured his services to incite the Indians in Texas to uprisings.� On May 14, 1839 Texas Rangers under
Lieutenant James O. Rice discovered him and his band on the San
Gabriel river in Williamson
County, and in the encounter Flores was killed.�
Much too sad an end for his splendid record.
[It
is likely that both the Flores' above and below were the loyalist Hispanic Tejano patriot who participated in the Texas rebellion who
died in 1868 and served with Seguin's company during and after the war for
independence.� The incident referred to
above happened at San Jacinto and was related
by Ambrosio Rodriquez to his son who related it in
his memoirs.� It is unclear if the
centralist agent Flores served in early battles for Texas independence on the side of the Texians---W.L. McKeehan]
[flores Desendants Report]
Manuel Mar�a
Flores
This
man was granted a headright certificate for one third
of a league of land, for serving in Captain Seguin's company from January 15,
to June 10, 1836. Born in San Antonio, Texas in 1808.� Died at the same place on
December 3, 1868.
Nepomuceno Flores (Jose Maria Victoriano Nepomunceno
Flores)
Born at Bexar, Texas, in the year 1811.�
Service record 4223.� Served as corporal in Juan N. Seguin's Company from January 1st,
1836 to October 11 of the same year, and as first lieutenant from October 14,
1836, to October 14, 1837.� He
took part in the storming of Bexar in December 1835.� His father was Jos� Flores de Abrego, and he was a brother of Captain Manuel Flores.� He served at San Jacinto.� He was a brother of Colonel Juan N. Seguin's
wife.� Died December 2,
1878.
[flores Desendants Report]
Pedro Herrera
Born
in Bexar; served in Captain Seguin's Company from February 23, to July
1836.� His service record is No.
565.� Re-enlisted
November 5, 1836.� In Captain Manuel Flores' Cavalry Company on November 4, 1837.
[Herrera Desendants Report]
Tomas Maldonado (Listed as Maldonart)
Served
in Captain Seguin's Company. This man is among the
many Mexican-Texans whose records do not appear in many places. Having
performed their duties as soldiers, they were never heard of again except,
perhaps, through some friend, or kinfolks.
Antonio Menchaca (Jos�
Antonio Menchaca, 1800-1878)
Born
in San Antonio, Texas, in 1800; served gallantly in the storming of Bexar, in
December 1835; served under Captain Juan N. Seguin as second sergeant, and as
such took part in the battle of San Jacinto, it being said about him that he
was ordered by Sam Houston to cook a Mexican dinner for the prisoner of war,
Santa Anna.� During Manuel Flores'
uprising in Nacogdoches, President Lamar
appointed a commission to deal with him, hoping to win Flores back to the Texan
cause, and Antonio Menchaca was a member of the
Commission, He made all possible efforts to convince Flores
of his error, but was unsuccessful.� He
made a full report of his mission to President Lamar.
He
later was elected city alderman in San
Antonio, and became mayor pro-tem July 20, 1838.� He was a member of Texas Veteran's
Association.� He was a very close friend
of Colonel James Bowie, with whom he had taken a trip to the United States, and had learned to
admire Americans, and their customs.� The
Congress of Texas, in recognition of his services and his injuries, for he had
been wounded, granted him a house and lot at San Antonio, from properties confiscated
from those who gave aid and comfort to the enemy.� However, the confiscation never took place
and he got only the recognition.� He was
wounded during the battle with General Woll at San Antonio.� Don Antonio was the father-in-law of the one time County
Treasurer, J. B.
Lacoste.� Died in San Antonio on November 1, 1879, and is
buried in San Fernando Cemetery No. 1.
[MENCHACA DESENDANTS REPORT]
Nepomuceno Navarro� (Juan Nepomuceno Navarro, 1811-1877
)
Born
in San Antonio in 1811. Another one of Captain
Seguin's men; received land from the Bexar County Land Board in recognition of
his services.� He also was a member of
the Texas Veteran Association.� Died at San Antonio, April 8, 1877.
Jacinto Pe�a
Born in Mexico, reared in Texas, served
in Captain Seguin's Company until June 10, 1836.�
On December 31, 1836, he is again shown as second corporal in Captain
Manuel Flores' Cavalry.� On January 29,
1838, he was granted a headright certificate for a
third of a league of land by the Bexar County Land Board.� Fought at San Jacinto.
Ambrosio
Rodriguez (c.a. 1806-1848)
Born
in San Antonio, his father was Don Manuel
Ignacio Rodriguez and his mother was Antonia Curbiere,
of the early Canary Island families, which settled San Antonio; he was married to Miss Maria de Jes�s Olivarri on January 16,
1828. He joined Captain Seguin's Company on the 23rd day of February,
1836.� The muster roll of Captain
Seguin's Company, at Victoria,
shows Rodriguez as a second lieutenant on May 29, 1836.� He was paid tribute by General Thomas J. Rusk
who said that he deserved the kind treatment and friendship of all Texans.� At Houston Captain Seguin certified that a
saddle, bridle, and mountings valued at sixty-five dollars had been pressed
into service, being the property of Lieutenant Rodriguez, and General Houston
endorsed the certificate of payment to him.�
He served gallantly at the Battle of San Jacinto.� He enlisted November 5, 1836, for the
duration of the war in Lieutenant Manuel Flores' Company.� He was promoted to second lieutenant of the
company, the Texas Senate confirming his appointment on May 22, 1837.� He died in San Antonio in 1848.� His son Judge J. M. Rodriguez, of Laredo and San
Antonio, carried on where his father had left
off.� In 1858 he was elected assessor and
tax collector in Bexar
County, on the same
ticket with General Houston, who was running for governor. He was later elected
county clerk of Webb
County and later county
judge of the same county; an office which he held for thirty-five years, or
until his death.�
[RODRIGUEZ DESENDANTS
REPORT]
Manuel Tarin (Manuel
Antonio Santiago Tar�n, 1811-?)
According
to his service record, No. 194, he was born in Mexico, served in Captain Seguin's
Company from February 22 to July 15, 1836.�
On January 25, 1838 the Bexar County Land Board granted him a headright certificate for one third of a league of
land.� He lived in San Antonio.
[TARIN
DESENDANTS REPORT]
Source:
Lozano, Ruben Rendon, Viva Tejas, The Story of the Tejanos, the Mexican-born Patriots of the Texas Revolution. With
new material added by Mary Ann Noonan Guerra.� (San Antonio,Texas: Alamo Press, c.1936, 1985).� Pages 40-47.
� 2002, Steve Gibson, Bexar
Genealogy, All Rights Reserved