Young Perry Alsbury
Encyclopedia
Young Perry Alsbury was a soldier in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution
. He was among the group of volunteers for the mission that was successful in burning the strategically important Vince's Bridge
during the Battle of San Jacinto
. Additionally Juana Navarro Alsbury
the wife of his brother Horace Arlington Alsbury was one of the few survivors of the battle of the Alamo.
in 1814. He was the youngest of his parents’ ten children. His father Thomas Perry Alsbury was a frontiersman and was one of the founders of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. In the spring of 1820 his family moved to Texas
. Stephen F. Austin
had written a letter to his father Thomas Perry Alsbury, The letter had asked the Alsbury family and their ten children, including seven sons, to move to Texas. They settled in Brazoria
on the Brazos River
. Land was what had enticed the family to move to the area. Thomas P. Alsbury was given two leagues and 1½ labors somewhere between 9,000 and 10,000 acres (36 and 40 km²). (A league of land was 4428.4 acres (17.9 km²), a labor 177.136 acres) The property was located on the west bank of the Brazos River. Three of the older sons of Thomas were also given land. It was located in the Indian country, along the Gulf Coast, a bit west of where the Dow Chemical Company is now located.
When he was 22, during the Texas Revolution
, Young Perry Alsbury fought on the Texian
side in Captain Henry Wax Karnes
’ Cavalry, better known as "Deaf Smith
's spy company". Prior to the pivotal Battle of San Jacinto
on April 21, 1836, he joined a small company in passing close to enemy lines to burn the strategic Vince's Bridge
to prevent reinforcement and escape of Antonio López de Santa Anna
. The others who were with him on that mission were Deaf Smith
, John Coker
, Denmore W. Reaves
, John T. Garner
, Moses Lapham
and Edwin R. Rainwater
.
On May 28, 1838 he was issued Donation Certificate No. 247 for 640 acres (2.6 km²) of land for having participated in the battle. He received a Bounty Certificate No. 3599 for 320 acres (1.3 km²) of land for having served in the army from March 1 to May 28, 1836. On March 5, 1839, he was issued a Headright Certificate for one-third of a league of land by the Brazoria County
Board. Shortly after the Battle of San Jacinto, Young Perry Alsbury came to San Antonio, Texas
and in 1845 during the U.S.-Mexican War he went into Mexico with General Scott. He was wounded at the Battle of Palo Alto
.
After the war was over he came back to San Antonio, and was married there in 1847 to Mary Rodriguez. Early in the spring of 1848 he moved to the East bank of the Salado Creek, just north of Dittmar road. His mother moved from Brazoria to live there with him. He raised four children, their names were Lea Jane, Thomas Jefferson, Young Perry the 3rd, and Mary Ann. Young Perry Alsbury died November 19, 1877, and was buried only a few yards from the home on the Salado that he loved. A huge pecan
tree marked the head of his grave. To his right lies the body of his wife, and to his left is that of his mother.
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
. He was among the group of volunteers for the mission that was successful in burning the strategically important Vince's Bridge
Vince's Bridge
Vince's Bridge was a wooden bridge constructed by Allen Vince over Sims Bayou near Harrisburg, Texas. Its destruction by Texas armed forces played a critical role during the April 1836 Battle of San Jacinto in the decisive defeat of the Mexican army, which effectively ended the Texas Revolution...
during the Battle of San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
. Additionally Juana Navarro Alsbury
Juana Navarro Alsbury
Juana Navarro Alsbury was one of the few Texian survivors of the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution in 1836. As Mexican forces entered her hometown, San Antonio de Bexar, on February 23, Alsbury's cousin by marriage, James Bowie, brought her with him to the Alamo Mission so that he...
the wife of his brother Horace Arlington Alsbury was one of the few survivors of the battle of the Alamo.
Biography
Alsbury was born in Hopkinsville, KentuckyHopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
in 1814. He was the youngest of his parents’ ten children. His father Thomas Perry Alsbury was a frontiersman and was one of the founders of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. In the spring of 1820 his family moved to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
had written a letter to his father Thomas Perry Alsbury, The letter had asked the Alsbury family and their ten children, including seven sons, to move to Texas. They settled in Brazoria
Brazoria, Texas
Brazoria is a city of Brazoria County in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 2,787.Brazoria was originally founded as a port for Stephen F...
on the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
. Land was what had enticed the family to move to the area. Thomas P. Alsbury was given two leagues and 1½ labors somewhere between 9,000 and 10,000 acres (36 and 40 km²). (A league of land was 4428.4 acres (17.9 km²), a labor 177.136 acres) The property was located on the west bank of the Brazos River. Three of the older sons of Thomas were also given land. It was located in the Indian country, along the Gulf Coast, a bit west of where the Dow Chemical Company is now located.
When he was 22, during the Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
, Young Perry Alsbury fought on the Texian
Texian
Texian is an archaic, mostly defunct 19th century demonym which defined a settler of current-day Texas, one of the southern states of the United States of America which borders the country of Mexico...
side in Captain Henry Wax Karnes
Henry Wax Karnes
Henry Wax Karnes was notable as a soldier and figure of the Texas Revolution, as well as the commander of General Sam Houston's "Spy Squad" at the Battle of San Jacinto....
’ Cavalry, better known as "Deaf Smith
Deaf Smith
Erastus "Deaf" Smith was an American frontiersman noted for his part in the Texas Revolution and the army of the Republic of Texas. He fought at the Grass Fight and the Battle of San Jacinto. After the war, Deaf Smith led a company of Texas Rangers.-Biography:Smith was born in Dutchess County, New...
's spy company". Prior to the pivotal Battle of San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
on April 21, 1836, he joined a small company in passing close to enemy lines to burn the strategic Vince's Bridge
Vince's Bridge
Vince's Bridge was a wooden bridge constructed by Allen Vince over Sims Bayou near Harrisburg, Texas. Its destruction by Texas armed forces played a critical role during the April 1836 Battle of San Jacinto in the decisive defeat of the Mexican army, which effectively ended the Texas Revolution...
to prevent reinforcement and escape of Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
. The others who were with him on that mission were Deaf Smith
Deaf Smith
Erastus "Deaf" Smith was an American frontiersman noted for his part in the Texas Revolution and the army of the Republic of Texas. He fought at the Grass Fight and the Battle of San Jacinto. After the war, Deaf Smith led a company of Texas Rangers.-Biography:Smith was born in Dutchess County, New...
, John Coker
John Coker
John Coker was a soldier in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution, noted for a daring action during the Battle of San Jacinto that helped seal the decisive Texian victory.-Biography:...
, Denmore W. Reaves
Denmore W. Reaves
Denmore W. Reaves was a soldier in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution, noted for a daring action during the Battle of San Jacinto that helped seal the decisive Texian victory.-Biography:Denmore W. Reaves arrived in Texas in June 1835...
, John T. Garner
John T. Garner
John T. Garner was a soldier in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution, noted for a daring action during the Battle of San Jacinto that helped seal the decisive Texian victory.-Biography:John T...
, Moses Lapham
Moses Lapham
Moses Lapham was a soldier in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution, noted for a daring action during the Battle of San Jacinto that helped seal the decisive Texian victory.-Biography:...
and Edwin R. Rainwater
Edwin R. Rainwater
Edwin R. Rainwater was a soldier in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution, noted for a daring action during the Battle of San Jacinto that helped seal the decisive Texian victory.-Biography:...
.
On May 28, 1838 he was issued Donation Certificate No. 247 for 640 acres (2.6 km²) of land for having participated in the battle. He received a Bounty Certificate No. 3599 for 320 acres (1.3 km²) of land for having served in the army from March 1 to May 28, 1836. On March 5, 1839, he was issued a Headright Certificate for one-third of a league of land by the Brazoria County
Brazoria County, Texas
Brazoria County[p] is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Regionally, parts of the county are within the extreme southern-most fringe of the regions locally known as Southeast Texas. Brazoria County is among a...
Board. Shortly after the Battle of San Jacinto, Young Perry Alsbury came to San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
and in 1845 during the U.S.-Mexican War he went into Mexico with General Scott. He was wounded at the Battle of Palo Alto
Battle of Palo Alto
The Battle of Palo Alto was the first major battle of the Mexican-American War and was fought on May 8, 1846, on disputed ground five miles from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas...
.
After the war was over he came back to San Antonio, and was married there in 1847 to Mary Rodriguez. Early in the spring of 1848 he moved to the East bank of the Salado Creek, just north of Dittmar road. His mother moved from Brazoria to live there with him. He raised four children, their names were Lea Jane, Thomas Jefferson, Young Perry the 3rd, and Mary Ann. Young Perry Alsbury died November 19, 1877, and was buried only a few yards from the home on the Salado that he loved. A huge pecan
Pecan
The pecan , Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South...
tree marked the head of his grave. To his right lies the body of his wife, and to his left is that of his mother.