Nellie Mae Kinney's History of Old Bexar
Bernard Pyron
I have a zerox copy of a history of Bexar written by my first cousin
Nellie Mae Kinney in 1986.
Nellie Mae Kinney and her older brother, William Pyron Kinney, known
as Billy, are shown in the attached photo of Mabel Moote, my mother,
and her Bexar students in about 1915. Nellie Mae has on a bonnet and
Billy is a taller boy standing. Nellie Mae and Billy were children of
Will Kinney and my aunt Jessie Pyron Kinnney and they lived at Bexar
then.
She says "The first store was owned by John Connoly and Dr.
Matthews, who was the only MD in Bexar at that time."
"There was also a theater - Mrs John Connoly directed the plays,
an excellent orchestra - directed by a Mr Priest, a post office and a
cotton gin."
"Pat Kenney owned 600 acres of land, part of which was in downtown Bexar.
Others had ranches further out."
"The town was centered where the Wisdom family
resided. The Methodist Church was located about
half way between the Catholic Church down downtown Bexar. The second
Baptist Church was
situated where the Latin-American Cemetery is now. Later, all three
churches moved to Somerset."
"Among the original families were the Connoly's, the Matthew's,
McMonagles, Longs, McCoys, Malones, James's, Scanlons, McConnels,
Pyrons, Kenneys, and the Norris's who owned the land where Somerset is
now located."
My note: A.M. and Virginia Pyron and their children lived about three
miles east of Bexar. Grandfather A.M. Pyron was a member of the Old
Rock Baptist Church a couple of miles south of where they lived on his
land bordering on what became Somerset. My grandmother was Catholic
and might have also attended Old Rock Church before St Patrick's
Catholic Church was built in Bexar.
"The second Baptist Church was started in 1894, when the new cemetery
was laid out...St Patrick's Catholic Church was built in 1892. A
group of Irish-American families with a group of Latin-American
families, and other families, united their efforts and erected the
building which served a wide territory for many years."
"To go further back into the early history of these churches, the
first Baptist Church was located at Macdona, then known as Mann's
Crossing; and the first Catholic Church was at the Medina River
community, then called Garza's Crossing."
She includes photos of the present day St Mary's Catholic Church in
Somerset and St Patrick's Catholic Church in Bexar. The zerox copies
of the photos do not come out too well.
My note: Garza's Crossing, or Paso de Los Garzas, is an area around the Somerset Road-Medina River crossing which was part of the Ruiz lands, originally a Spanish Land Grant. According to http://www.vonormytexas.com/history-of-von-ormy.html " Manuel Ruiz received a land grant in 1762..."
Blas Herrera married the daughter of Colonel Jose Francisco Ruiz. Blas Herrera was one of many ranchers and vaqueros on the San Antonio and Medina Rivers who fought on the side of Sam Houston's Texas Army. Herrera and his descendants lived at Paso de Los Garzos. Herrera was a scout who warned the men in the Alamo of the approach of Mexican General Santa Anna.
Bernard Pyron
I have a zerox copy of a history of Bexar written by my first cousin
Nellie Mae Kinney in 1986.
Nellie Mae Kinney and her older brother, William Pyron Kinney, known
as Billy, are shown in the attached photo of Mabel Moote, my mother,
and her Bexar students in about 1915. Nellie Mae has on a bonnet and
Billy is a taller boy standing. Nellie Mae and Billy were children of
Will Kinney and my aunt Jessie Pyron Kinnney and they lived at Bexar
then.
She says "The first store was owned by John Connoly and Dr.
Matthews, who was the only MD in Bexar at that time."
"There was also a theater - Mrs John Connoly directed the plays,
an excellent orchestra - directed by a Mr Priest, a post office and a
cotton gin."
"Pat Kenney owned 600 acres of land, part of which was in downtown Bexar.
Others had ranches further out."
"The town was centered where the Wisdom family
resided. The Methodist Church was located about
half way between the Catholic Church down downtown Bexar. The second
Baptist Church was
situated where the Latin-American Cemetery is now. Later, all three
churches moved to Somerset."
"Among the original families were the Connoly's, the Matthew's,
McMonagles, Longs, McCoys, Malones, James's, Scanlons, McConnels,
Pyrons, Kenneys, and the Norris's who owned the land where Somerset is
now located."
My note: A.M. and Virginia Pyron and their children lived about three
miles east of Bexar. Grandfather A.M. Pyron was a member of the Old
Rock Baptist Church a couple of miles south of where they lived on his
land bordering on what became Somerset. My grandmother was Catholic
and might have also attended Old Rock Church before St Patrick's
Catholic Church was built in Bexar.
"The second Baptist Church was started in 1894, when the new cemetery
was laid out...St Patrick's Catholic Church was built in 1892. A
group of Irish-American families with a group of Latin-American
families, and other families, united their efforts and erected the
building which served a wide territory for many years."
"To go further back into the early history of these churches, the
first Baptist Church was located at Macdona, then known as Mann's
Crossing; and the first Catholic Church was at the Medina River
community, then called Garza's Crossing."
She includes photos of the present day St Mary's Catholic Church in
Somerset and St Patrick's Catholic Church in Bexar. The zerox copies
of the photos do not come out too well.
My note: Garza's Crossing, or Paso de Los Garzas, is an area around the Somerset Road-Medina River crossing which was part of the Ruiz lands, originally a Spanish Land Grant. According to http://www.vonormytexas.com/history-of-von-ormy.html " Manuel Ruiz received a land grant in 1762..."
Blas Herrera married the daughter of Colonel Jose Francisco Ruiz. Blas Herrera was one of many ranchers and vaqueros on the San Antonio and Medina Rivers who fought on the side of Sam Houston's Texas Army. Herrera and his descendants lived at Paso de Los Garzos. Herrera was a scout who warned the men in the Alamo of the approach of Mexican General Santa Anna.
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