Virginia Blackburn Pyron and the Republic of Texas

Virginia Blackburn Pyron and the Republic of Texas
Bernard Pyron

Virginia Blackburn Pyron, 1856-1943, is our connection to the Republic of Texas. She is the daughter of Gideon Blake Blackburn, 1817-1881, who became a citizen of the Republic of Texas between 1836 and 1846. According to http://www.lavacacountyhistory.org/biographies5.htm Gideon Blackburn,"... a native of Tennessee, Mr. Blackburn came to Texas about 1840 or '41, and located on the Mustang Creek, now in Lavaca County. "

The black and white photo above of the family group shows Virginia Blackburn Pyron seated. She was about 74 when this photo was taken in about 1930. The woman standing is my aunt Jessie and the man is her son Billy Kenney. His daughter Patricia is the little girl.

See: http://www.drtinfo.org/ancestors-b
"Blackburn, Gideon 05-02-1817 Williamson Co., TX 12-23-1881 LaVaca Co., TX Dufner, Mary Ann"

This is from: The Daughters of the Republic of Texas list of ancestors who were citizens of the Republic of Texas. Great grandfather Gideon B. Blackburn was born in 1817 - in Tennessee, not in Texas - and died in 1881. He lived in Lavaca county, Texas during the time of the Republic and his wife's name was Mary Ann Dufner.

Grandmother Virginia Pyron's uncle, John L.D. Blackburn is also listed in the Daughters of the Republic of Texas list of ancestors in the Republic. Great-great uncle John L.D. Blackburn was in the Texas Army and was in the Mier Expedition. On December 23, 1842 about 300 members of the Texas Army invaded  and occupied the town of Mier in Mexico. The Texans ran out of supplies and surrendered to a superior force of Mexicans. They were put in prison, but they escaped from the Salado prison on February 11, 1843. All but four of them were recaptured by the Mexicans. Who were the Texans who made it back to Texas?

See: https://books.google.com/books…
Savage Frontier, 1842-1845, by Stephen L. Moore

After the escape of the Texans from the prison at Salado, "Mexican forces pursued and captured most of the Texans during the next two weeks. John Alaxander and Major William Oldham survived a perilous journey through the mountains and across the Rio Grande, arriving in San Antonio in Mid-April. Only two other Texans from this escape party were known to have made it back home alive, Thomas W. Cox and John L.D. Blackburn."

John L.D. Blackburn is grandmother Virginia Blackburn Pyron's uncle - brother of her father, Gideon B. Blackburn.

Here is great-great uncle John L. D. Blackburn's information in the Daughters of the Republic of Texas List of ancestors who lived during the time of the Republic:

Blackburn, John L. D. ca 1815 TN 09-24-1869 La Grange, Fayette, Co., TX Hayden, Martha He was born in Tennessee in 1815 and died in 1869. His wife was Martha Hayden.
Great grandfather Gideon Blake Blackburn, who lived in Lavaca county on Mustang Creek from about 1841 to his death in 1881, lived in three sovereign nations, the Republic of Texas, The Confederate States of America and the United States.