For many years my mother documented my ancestry back to the American Revolution and the Republic of Texas. I'm finally at a point where I want to bridge the generations for my kiddos sake.

I'm a direct descendant of Robert Rankin who Is buried in the Texas State Cemetery.

https://cemetery.tspb.texas.gov/pub/user_form.asp?step=1&pers_id=6

I believe he is the only Officer of the American Revolution buried in Texas.

I'm looking forward to meeting others maybe even a few TexAg-ers with similar roots.

TX_COWDOC said:

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I'm looking forward to meeting others

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Umm, they're all dead man

After my M-I-L passed and we were going through all her stuff, we found documentation that traces my wife's dads side of the family to the American Revolution. She could've received scholarship from the DAR if she had known. Now she's trying to get it all lined up for our daughters to be part of DAR.

Also found copies of old family letters showing that one of her relatives was given a colonelship in the civil war and he was instructing people to put out the word for men of fighting age from his home town to come to where he was and to bring food, guns, gunpowder and shoes if they owned them.

Very interesting reading.

My 4xGreat Grandfather, James George fought and died at the Alamo. He was part of the immortal 32.

God Bless Texas

My grandparents spent a few years driving through the South, looking up records and visiting cemeteries. I know where the family plantation was In Louisiana and the stories of it being burned out, and what was done to the women and children that were held captive there by yankees. My grandparents had trouble finding a lot of records because of all of the courthouses that had been burned down by yankees. They were able to prove the family story that a distant grandmother was Davy Crockett's cousin, and were able to go back to the Revolutionary War and found that the name of the farthest back patriarch is on a plaque on a courthouse in North Carolina in honor of his service as an officer during that war. My grandmother had books made for all of us, detailing the history. It's interesting to read copies of deeds and wills that they found.

I've got both in my lineage as well.
My dad's aunt traced us back to 1600's Maryland colony.
Great x 3 (or 4) grandfather and his brother are listed on San Jacinto monument.

My mother's descendants founded Tennessee Colony, unfortunately family members sold much of the land way back. My great great great grandpappy was a Texas Ranger, Indian fighter, owned a hotel, general store and a mill. He was in Texas before it became a state. He and his son were Kia during the Civil War. I have and cherish a rifle handed down to me that belonged to kin that was Kia in the 2nd Battle of Bullrun.
On her other side her kin founded and funded Wofford College in Spartanburg SC. Kinfolks fought in the Southern battles at Wofford Ironworks & The Cowpen Battle, during the American Revolution. The Wofford's hit the shore in 1640, St Mary's, Maryland.
Texas Forever!

I a had a direct relative that fought at Cowpens, also!

I'm a direct descendant of two signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

Charles Sharp
Stephen Blount

For those who haven't been, the San Jacinto Monument outside of Houston is a must see. Be sure to walk around the outside base and read the inscribed story on the outside wall.
No family connections there, but I enjoy going every couple years and hiking around the grounds. Neat monuments in the park across the street next to the Texas Battleship also.

My mother's maiden name was Ely. Her great grandfather (Levi Wells Ely) moved his whole family into Texas and started a community known as Ely, TX at the end of the 19th century. All that remains is one building and a historical marker in Fannin County.
He fought for the confederacy along with his brothers and father. Once over, he renamed a couple of his kids after confederate generals he admired. He most admired Nathan Bedford Forest, son one of these boys was named Bedford Forest Ely (my great grandfather.
But, more to your interest OP, several earlier Ely's fought in the Revolutionary War. Thomas Ely Sr. an immigrant from England and several of his sons were wounded at Buford's defeat. One of those severely wounded (head wound by a saber) was William "Warrior Bill" Ely (son of Thomas Sr.) Bill became a POW but was soon release under the presumption his wounds were too severe. Warrior Bill was the grandfather of Levi Wells Ely making him my 4th great grandfather.
As a side note, I have learned (confirmed by speaking directly with him) that Joe Ely (singer songwriter) is my 3rd cousin.

We have both in my lineage. I have a cousin who filled it all out and joined daughters of the republic of Texas. I need to get motivated to join sons.

I've got a relative on my mom's side who's big into the family tree stuff.

Has has traced back to afamily member on the Mayflower. Which when you into, that family member leads to a whole slew of famous relatives including:
General Pershing
The Bush Family
Marilyn Monroe
Joe Buck (sports announcer)
And lot more.

Also have the lineage another side all the way back to the time of William Wallace.

On my dad's side, we have some information tying us to Martha Washington. Basically makes Geirge Washington an uncle.

Several branches of my family tree go back to Virginia and South Carolina and fought in the revolution.

The ones I can trace didn't come to Texas until after the civil war though.

direct descendant of John Hays, defender of the Alamo

The folks who replied here seem to be the type of folks that would attend a historical reenactment. If you've never been to Presidio La Bahia in Goliad, I highly recommend it. The best time to come is in March for the Fannin Massacre reenactment. Battel reenactments, period camps and crafts, history recreated.

As for San Jacinto, I recommend coming in April during the annual battle reenactment.

I have American Revolution on my mom's side and Republic of Texas on my dad's, so that's fun. We have some fairly deep Texas ties.

Had 3 descendants that were part of the patriot militias at King's Mountain in 1780.

Another descendant served in a North Carolina militia regiment under Gen. Jethro Sumner and later under Gen. Nathanael Greene. Several of my ancestors that served in the revolutionary war were born in Scotland & Ireland.

aggie4231 said:

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Has has traced back to afamily member on the Mayflower. Which when you into, that family member leads to a whole slew of famous relatives including:
General Pershing
The Bush Family
Marilyn Monroe
Joe Buck (sports announcer)
And lot more.

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Small world - I'm told that I'm a descendent of William Bradford (long-time Plymouth governor) on my mother's side.

Independence Chapter TXSARTX_COWDOC said:

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For many years my mother documented my ancestry back to the American Revolution and the Republic of Texas. I'm finally at a point where I want to bridge the generations for my kiddos sake.

I'm a direct descendant of Robert Rankin who Is buried in the Texas State Cemetery.

https://cemetery.tspb.texas.gov/pub/user_form.asp?step=1&pers_id=6

I believe he is the only Officer of the American Revolution buried in Texas.

I'm looking forward to meeting others maybe even a few TexAg-ers with similar roots.

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there is an SAR chapter in College Station.

Meets for lunch monthly SEP- APR on the third Wednesday at Coopers' BBQ


https://www.txssar.org/Independence/

watty said:

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I have American Revolution on my mom's side and Republic of Texas on my dad's, so that's fun. We have some fairly deep Texas ties.

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Same here.

Revolutionary war on both sides and Republic of Texas on Moms side.

Revolution on my mom's side, still have part of the uniform that was worn during the war.
Have a decendant that fought at the Alamo, andy possibly one that was one of the Immortal 32 (not sure on that part though)
Old 300 here as well

Still has the six flags of Texas on the doors. I'm shocked that someone hasn't forced them to remove them. I don't know of many confederate symbols left in the State inventory.

There are some great stories about the battlefield after the war. Buggy rides from Houston to to see the dead Mexican bones left there for the cows to munch on. The owner of the property pleading to Sam Houston to "come get his dead Mexicans" because no one would buy the cows that were eating the bones. Great stuff.

My original immigrant ancestor immigrated to Jamestown Colony, Virginia in the early 1600's, the first permanent settlement in North America.

One of my great grandfathers fought at Valley Forge with George Washington.

My 4x Great Grandfather was Andrew Kent. Also one of the Immortal 32 and took part in the "Come & Take It" skirmish.

9th Generation Texan here.
All the women in famy are documented Daughters of the Republic. Im waiting to make it an event with my Son.

McLennan county named after my peeps. Just did a movie based on John Jr's life being abducted by Comanches. Cant remember name of it tho.

I know that my grandfather x times removed was at San Jacinto. He was too old to fight so they put him on detail to watch the wounded and horses. When the rout started the Mexicans ran right through where he and the other guards were. So I guess he got to fight some, anyway. Then, on New Years day or New Years Eve in 1839 he and his family were massacred by some Comanches. Of the family, one girl and a five year old boy survived. The girl was scalped but survived. The little boy hid among the other dead family members.

Man, sure a lot of this going on here…

I don't go to the American Revolution but I am direct descendent of Moses Austin by way of Stephen F.'s sister Emily who became a Bryan and then a Perry. We are members of the Descendants of Austin's Old 300 and myself and my boys are Sons of the Republic of Texas while my daughter is Daughter of the Republic of Texas.

All of my grandparents immigrated from Italy.

My paternal grandparents were Sicilian.

My lineage was thoroughly researched prior to me being "Made"

I will have to dig up the records in our family books, but I am both and my wife is both. I am also related to Kaiser Wilhelm on my great grandmothers side of the family. That also makes me related to the British Royal family as I believe the Kaiser and King George were cousins.

This thread inspired me to do a little more work on my family tree. My mom's side was easily filled out as far back as I can go to my great-great-grandparents who immigrated mostly from Sweden/Finland.

My dads side however... I finally unraveled the thread that a few people have brought up in the family. Daniel Boone is my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. I still have a lot of random branches to complete, but it looks like we've got Texas blood going back potentially to the 1840s/50s but it's hard to tell when some people moved. So far I'm just trying to collect names, DOB/DOD, birth/death place.


I've been cobbling together my family tree on familyecho.com since it's free... does anyone have any other free or low cost recommendations to try out?

JB!98 said:

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I will have to dig up the records in our family books, but I am both and my wife is both. I am also related to Kaiser Wilhelm on my great grandmothers side of the family. That also makes me related to the British Royal family as I believe the Kaiser and King George were cousins.

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They were. Many thought they were brothers because they looked almost identical.

I am a member of the SAR. If you need help locating a chapter let me know. I am in the Paul Carrington Chapter in Houston. My ancestors settled Mobile, then New Orleans and Lake Charles.