down the family tree? The remarkable Jennings fam-
ily could certainly make this case. Patriarch Gordon
C. Jennings, a 53-year-old soldier at the Alamo, was
the oldest man to die in the 1836 Mexican standoff.
Jennings' descendants, including Linda Sioux Henley,
an artist in Helotes, and local Bryan resident, Jane
Buzzard, are proud of their ties to the Alamo soldier.
is a direct descendant of Jennings through his daugh-
ter, Katy. When Gordon's wife, Catherine, heard of
the Alamo's fall, she sent 10-year-old Katy on a bare-
back ride to warn their neighbors of the advancing
Mexican Army. To commemorate the journey, Linda
created a bronze sculpture, "The Ride of Katy Jen-
nings," depicting young Katy clinging to her horse's
mane as she rides for miles from her home in Manor,
TX, throughout the Austin countryside, in what
became known as the Runaway Scrape. Linda
says she is inspired by the Jennings' lega-
cy of "perseverance and sense of duty
to one's belief." When Gordon
brought his family to Texas, he
wanted to give them a better
life. They were "coming to Texas
in a covered wagon all the way from
[Connecticut]. Can you imagine how
hard that had to be on them?" she adds.
throughout the family. His father fought
in the Civil War, and his brother,
after the Alamo fell. To honor their ancestors, the
Jennings' descendants gather in March for a candle-
light memorial service at the Alamo, and many mem-
bers of the family have joined the Daughters of the
Republic of Texas and Alamo Defender Descendants
Association. "My ancestors should be remembered
for the sacrifices they made and the family members
involved in the history of Texas," says Linda. "How
brave and courageous they were to help develop this
great state!"
father, is traced through his son, Samuel, who was a
Texas Ranger. Jane, a native-born Texan, was unaware
of her deep Texas roots until 1992, when a cousin un-
covered the genealogical connection. "It was a won-
derful revelation to learn about our ancestor, and it
gives me great pride to know we were part of the
rich history of the Alamo," she says. "It would have
been fun to [know] this...when I was studying Texas
history in high school." For her family, though, who
bered for the sacrifice [they] made...
to help develop this great state."
Linda Sioux Henley
1854 in Gleason's Pictorial Drawing Room Companion.