Frances (Menefee) Sutherland (1789 - 1874)

Born 19 Sep 1789 in Tennessee

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 15 Mar 1874 at age 84 in Jackson, Texas, United States

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Biography

Frances (Menefee) Sutherland is a member of Clan Sutherland.

Frances was born in 1789. Frances Menefee ... She passed away in 1874. ^[1]

Son, William DePriest Sutherland was one of the Defenders of the Alamo, and was killed in the battle of the Alamo, March 6, 1836. ^[2]

Sutherland Letter 5 June 1836. Alamo Defender and casualty, William Sutherland's mother, Frances Menefee Sutherland, expressed her grief over sons death and described subsequent events in a letter of 5 Jun 1836 to her sister Sarah Norment in Tennessee.

"June 5, 1836 Dear Sister I received your kind letter of some time in March, but never had it been my power to answer it ‘til now, and now what I must say, O, God support me. Yes, sister, I must say it to you, I have lost my William. O, yes he is gone, my poor boy is gone, gone from me. The sixth day of March in the morning, he was slain in the Alamo in San Antonio. Then his poor body committed to the flames. Oh, Sally, can you sympathize with and pray for me that I may have grace to help in this great time of trouble. He was there a volunteer, when the Mexican army came there. At the approach of thousands of enemies they had to retreat in the Alamo where they were quickly surrounded by the enemy. Poor fellows. The Mexicans kept nearly continual firing on them for thirteen days. Then scaled the walls and killed every man in the fort but two black men.

Dear Sister, I think the situation a sufficient excuse for not answering your letter sooner. Since I received your letter I had been away from home with a distracted mind and had got back to our house where we found nothing in the world worth speaking of---not one mouthful of anything to eat, but a little we brought home with us. God only knows how we will make out. I will try to compose my mind while I give you a short history of a few months back: The American army was on our frontier. We thought prudent to stay at home and did so until the General (Sam Houston) thought proper to retreat. We, being on the frontier, were compelled to go (I speak for all.) We went to the Colorado, forty miles, but after some time, the General thought proper to retreat farther and of course we had to go, too. We proceeded to the Brazos River. There stopped a few days, but dread and fear caused another start; there Mr. Sutherland quit us and joined the army. William Heard was in, also, with a good many more of our citizens, however, we went on for several miles and again stopped, hoping we would not have to go farther, but someone over there that week brought in the early news the Mexican army was crossing the Brazos not more than forty miles behind us. Again we started and traveled two days then heard the army was twenty miles behind. (I wish you could know how the people did as they kept going about trying to get somewhere, but no person knew where they were going to get to.) Several weeks passed on without any certain account from the army. All this time you could hardly guess my feelings. My poor William gone, Sutherland in the army, me with my three little daughters and my poor Thomas wandering about, not knowing what to do or where to go. You will guess my feelings were dreadful, but ever the Lord supported me, and was on our side for I think I may boldly say the Lord fought our battles. Only to think how many thousands of musket and cannon balls were flying there over our army and so few touched. I think seven was all that died of their wounds. Some say our army fought double their number and who dares say that the Lord was not on our side. Mr. Sutherland's horse was killed under him, but the Lord preserved his life and brought him back to his family. He found us at the mouth of the Sabine from thence we all returned home. I pray that God will still continue our friend and bless us with peace again.

I will now say that our relations are only in tolerable health, tho' none very sick. Poor Mother went the rounds not very well all the time. I was afraid she would not hold out to get back again, but she is much better. She stopped at Brother William's, and I expect she will stay there all summer. Sister Martha lives there. We are still trying to raise something to eat, but I fear we will miss it. Brother Thomas' house was burnt with stable and corn crib. Mr. Sutherland's warehouse was burnt, also his house at the Bay. But if we can have peace and can have preaching I won't care for the loss of what property is gone." (letter provided by fellow Menefee researcher via ancestry.com, transcribed by Liz Carpenter, Published in the Houston Chronicle , March 21, 2003)

Sources

1. ↑ First-hand information as remembered by James Dunnahoo, Wednesday, March 11, 2015.
2. ↑ https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fsu20

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