I went to the Alamo...again

The Alamo

 I have been to the Alamo on several occasions and have always thought that I was related to James Butler Bonham.  Thru some research and several kind individuals I am now able to prove that indeed James Butler Bonham is my 4th cousin 6x removed.

James Butler Bonham

Now that I know we are related I decided that it was time to go back to the Alamo with different eyes.   It was different to me.   A shrine to Texas Heroes and to someone that I was related to: even distantly.  I looked at the walls of the mission and could see the men and women that sacrificed their lives there and wondered how it was that so many are still drawn to the Alamo.

I think that we are drawn because it is the story of men who against all odds stood and died because of what they believed in. The other side of the coin is that it can be looked at as another example of taking something that really wasn't ours.  I can see both sides of the battle.  In my heart, they were heroes.  James Bonham rode back to the battle that he believed in and it cost him his life.

Monty, the volunteer at the desk was very knowledgeable and only because my husband told him that I was related to hero of the Alamo, I was invited to sign the descendents book!  Monty told me that I was to closest thing to royalty that Texas had.  It made me chuckle a little to think that because of some DNA I now could be counted as Texas Royalty!

 

 He left South Carolina and joined Travis in Texas. Born in the same place, boyhood friends, they died together in battle.

 

 

 

James Butler Bonham

Probably the most warmly regarded of the Alamo defenders, James Butler Bonham's life before he came to Texas had already been colored by his dedication to defending the rights and honor of himself and others. He became committed to the Texan cause by October 1835, and the following month he helped to organize the Mobile Greys.

Bonham arrived in Texas in November. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Texan cavalry on December 20. Unattached to a specific unit, Bonham came to San Antonio January 19, 1836. He soon became active in the garrison's political life, running unsuccessfully for delegate to the 1836 convention.

The Old Oak at the Alamo

On February 16, 1836, Col. William B. Travis sent Bonham to seek aid for the army at San Antonio. He returned to the besieged city on March 3, making his way through enemy lines, and bringing news from Robert M. Williamson that relief efforts were underway. He died defending the Alamo March 6, 1836, possibly manning one of the cannons in the interior of the Alamo chapel. 1

1. From the Texas State Library and Archives Commission