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
José María 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 González 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.
Matías 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 María 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 José 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 (José
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 Peña
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 Jesús 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 Tarín, 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