Wilson County

Floresville, TX

The Flores de Abrego family came from northern Spain before the American Revolution and, through the eighteenth century, drove their cattle north to establish ranches along the San Antonio River. Grandsons of the family fought on the Texian side in the revolution against Mexico, and in 1854 Josefa Agustina Flores de Abrego married Samuel William Barker, who became Wilson County's first sheriff. In 1867 Josefa donated 200 acres for the new county seat, asking that it be named Floresville in honor of her ancestor Francisco Antonio Flores de Abrego II.

Stockdale, TX

John Reagen Baker was a soldier of fortune in the turbulent borderlands of the 1840s — fighting for the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande, serving as sheriff of Refugio County, raising minutemen, and repelling Mexican raids into Texas in 1842. He joined the disastrous Somervell and Mier expeditions, was wounded, and afterward settled into the quieter life of a merchant. His career reflects the violent, unsettled decade before Texas found its footing.

Cestohowa, TX

In the 1700s the Spanish crown planted forts across its northern frontier to guard ranches and missions, and El Fuerte del Cibolo stood watch over the ranch country between San Antonio and La Bahía. Manned in two stretches between 1734 and 1782, its small garrison protected herds and settlers on land the King of Spain had granted to private ranchers. Remarkably, soldiers from this outpost helped drive cattle to the Gulf Coast to supply Bernardo de Gálvez's forces fighting the British — a Spanish contribution to American independence.

La Vernia, TX

Under Mexican rule, the Gonzales Road linked the DeWitt Colony settlement of Gonzales to San Antonio de Béxar, fording the Cibolo Creek at a natural crossing about twenty-two miles east of the town. That ford ran through land granted to spy Erastus "Deaf" Smith, who is said to have watched Mexican troops from a nearby tree in 1835. The crossing became a rendezvous during the Texas Revolution, where relief forces under captains like Juan Seguín and Albert Martin gathered in early 1836 hoping to reinforce the Alamo, before annexation and new roads left the old ford abandoned.