Christmas Greeting

Tree of the Little Hands Greetings and Best Wishes for the New Year from Sons of DeWitt Colony Texas

Gonzales Municipality, Coahuila y Tejas, Republica de Mejico,December 1835. It's been a stormy year. We have vacillated between fear of losing everything we came to Texas for over five years ago--freedom, land and even our lives to the Centralistas, and hopes that sanity would return to our adopted government with restoration of the rights we had under the Constitution of 1824. It's a time for great celebration this Christmas, none in our families have been seriously injured in the ruckus over the cannon last fall and running Gen. Cuss and his men out of Bejar. Indian vandalism has not been severe, in fact most have been downright friendly as long as plenty of hams and milk for them is available. It looks like the Centralistas have quit Texas altogether after we whipped them at Bejar and Texas can be a state separate from Coahuila. Hopefully things will return to the good ole days of 32-34. There is a lot of talk about separation of Texas from Mexico all together, making a Republic. Anyway, all the boys are home for Christmas.

Being Catholic is not as hard as we thought it would be, after all we are Christians and out here in Texas it is pretty much up to each person to define what it means to be a Catholic. Rev. Pilgrim is the only priest we see anyway, he's so busy teaching the kids how to read, he has no time to preach-----I suspect there is a little Catholic in him also. Having to be Catholic keeps out those evangelistic fanatics back in Missouri that disapprove of fandangoes and condemn a drink that even the most conservative enjoy at this time of year.

Andy and Dave Kent are home safe from Bejar and the whole family is supposed to come into town from the lower Lavaca for Christmas day, as well as the Captain and his family. Cousin Adam is smoking up a storm at the Pontons' smokehouse, deer, turkey, ham, a beef or two and lots of chicken. We're all planning to meet down at the Burket homestead on Kerr Creek for the big day.

All the best to you and yours for the New Year.
The Burket, Kent and Zumwalt Families for all the DeWitt Colonists

A fictional Christmas greeting from the author of Sons of DeWitt Colony Texas.

The hope and optimism of Christmas 1835, the last as citizens of the Republic of Mexico, was shortlived. Soon after the Centralista Mexican government under General Santa Anna returned to Texas with thousands of troops bent on displacing all colonists from the territory by force or execution. On March 6, 1836 after a prolonged siege, the Alamo at Bexar was taken by storm and all ca. 200 defenders killed. Among them was uncle Andy (Andrew) Kent who was among the 32 Gonzales Rangers who on March 1 fought their way into the Alamo through Mexican siege lines to joined their doomed comrades. Uncle Andy Kent left a widow and 8 fatherless minor children, 3 of whom died of exposure on the flight east before the Centralista forces called the Runaway Scrape. Grandpa David Burket and cousins Captain "Black" Adam Zumwalt and "Red" Adam Zumwalt under appointment by General Houston assisted in the evacuation of Gonzales and Lavaca River area residents. Properties of the three Anglo-Mexican immigrant families, that of other immigrants and of native Texians who were loyal to the Federalist cause were destroyed by the terroristic policies of the Centralistas. Gonzales town was burned on orders of General Houston as he moved through the area just ahead of the Centralistas toward San Jacinto. Family members fled to the east except those in the volunteer Texian Republican Army. After the Texian victory over the Centralistas at San Jacinto, the four families (including Andrew Kent's children and widow, Elizabeth) returned and rebuilt their homes in the Gonzales area in the newly independent Republic of Texas. Cousin "Black" Adam Zumwalt was a minuteman leader in security of the Lavaca River valley protecting against hostile aborigines and subsequent Centralista invasions until too old to ride. Grandpa David Burket and cousin "Red" Adam Zumwalt continued as civic leaders and businessmen in reconstructed Gonzales town.

All the Best to You and Yours for the New Year

Sons of DeWitt Colony Texas