Saturday, March 6, 2010

The Anniversary of the Alamo Defeat

Hello Taylors and Friends,

Today is the anniversary of the day that the Alamo fell. The Alamo, for those who haven't seen the movies, read the books or had Texas history, is a fortress in modern-day San Antonio. Four Taylors were known to have served as defenders. Three were the Taylor brothers James, George and Edward, all born in Tennessee to Anson and Elizabeth Maley Taylor. The fourth was a William Taylor, about whom I have no more information. I do not know when William was born, who his family were, or whether he died at the Alamo or not. The first three Taylors are known to have died at the Alamo. Some Alamo defenders were transferred out, or sent as messengers, and thus did not die at the Alamo.

Among the 50 US states, Texas has a unique and proud history. The Alamo is part of that history. The final defense of the Alamo, in which 115 defended the Alamo against a Mexican force of 1500, killing 400 or more of them before dying themselves, is an example of bravery even today.

See the quote below from Wikipedia:

"James Taylor (ca. 1814-March 6, 1836) was a defender of the Alamo and the brother of George Taylor and Edward Taylor.

Taylor and his brothers were born in Tennessee, to Anson and Elizabeth Maley Taylor. At the outbreak of the Texas Revolution, the three brothers were employed picking cotton in Liberty, Texas. They soon left that job to join the Army of the Republic of Texas, and served under the command of Col. William Travis at the Alamo. All three were killed when, on March 6th, 1836, the Mexican army breached the Alamo walls, overwhelming the defenders. There have been some who have suggested that the brothers were killed in the massacre following the Battle of Goliad, but instead they were killed at the Alamo. Taylor County, Texas is named for the Taylor brothers."

Lalia Wilson for the Taylor Surname Project

9 comments:

  1. i am the secretary for the Chambers County Historical Commission in Texas, located in Anahuac. The Taylor brothers as well as Anson Taylor, lived in Anahuac; This area was part of Liberty County at that time, but is now Chambers County; they lived on Round Point, an area in Anahuac, Texas. When you read that they were farming in LIberty, they were actually in the town of Anahuac, which was Liberty County back then; Anahuac is full of history; William B. Travis was a lawyer here, and imprisoned in Fort Anahuac. (He was a commander at the Alamo, in case you didnt know) Read on the Anahuac disturbance; We have bricks ordered for the taylor brothers as well as William barret Travis for our veterans memorial, and i have an ambitious project planned for a statue of the three brothers and travis.....

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    1. Hello

      I know this post is somewhat dated, but I am a descendant of Anson Taylor and Elizabeth Maley Taylor through their daughter Cecilia "Sally" Taylor who married Andrew Roach. Their daughter Clementina was mother to my great grandmother Catherine Elken Alexander. I am interested in any links or information you can provide on the family.

      Yours truly,

      Margaret Hackett

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    2. Maggie, I am also descended from Cecilia.
      Her daughter, Lucretia, is my Mother's GreatGrandmother.
      A couple of weeks ago on the anniversary of the battle, my Mother, both sisters and myself went to San Antonio for the 'Dawn at the Alamo' ceremony. We are all members of the 'Alamo Defenders Descendants Asso.' and went to their ceremony that evening. Please, if you are interested in the 'ADDA' let me know and I will be glad to share any info I have with you, such as any proof of ancestry, you will need to join.

      Regards,
      Linda Adams

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    3. Hello Linda- I am just reading your reply to my post from last January!! Are you related to Wanda Ayo? I have been in email contact with her (my cousin Joann has been also). We are in New York, so getting to Texas is a dream...

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    4. dunkit42, I seem to recall that -- before the brothers went off to fight -- their parents had died and they were working on another's farm. Is that rue?

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  2. also, we in Texas never refer to the Alamo as a place we were 'defeated'..... and i know that sounds odd, since all the Alamo heroes stood thier ground and died there willingly, as Travis wrote... I will never surrender... God and Texas...etc.. we say the Alamo fell, but i have never heard any Texan say Alamo and defeat in the same sentence.... :)

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  3. Taylor Family Genes project would welcome hearing about direct paternal descendants of the four Taylor Alamo defenders or their brothers or male cousins. We'd like to have the family's yDNA represented in the project. For contact info, go to www.TaylorFamilyGenes.info/contacts.shtml.

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  4. I'm coming into the topic a wee bit late 2019. Do you have any information on how the elder Taylors died? It's odd that Anson, Elizabeth and brother
    Robert all died in 1831.

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  5. I believe that perhaps may be? A decent of Taylor

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