DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker at San Patricio de Hibernia is what I'm drawing from here, and friend, this one's got layers. Now, you're rollin' through San Patricio County, and the ground beneath you has been carrying a heavy story since 1830. That's when John McMullen and James McGloin planted a town out here on the Texas frontier and named it San Patricio de Hibernia — in honor of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
These two men were empresarios working under a contract dated August 17, 1828, and they fulfilled that contract, bringing their Irish colony to life between 1830 and 1835. Out here on the edge of everything, they built something. But here's the thing about San Patricio — it stood at the very frontier outpost of Texas when the revolution came knockin'.
And the revolution, she did not knock gently. From 1835 to 1845, this little town absorbed every misery that conflict had to offer, and the marker is careful to note: no compensating returns. None.
Just the suffering. And the single worst morning came on February 27, 1836. General Jose Urrea — commanding a division of Santa Anna's army — surprised and overwhelmed Johnson's Texan party right here at and near San Patricio.
There were 35 men in that party. When the smoke cleared, nine or ten Texans were dead. Six or seven managed to escape.
And twenty — twenty men — were sent as prisoners to Matamoros. That's not a battle. That's a disaster before dawn.
Then came San Jacinto. You'd think victory would bring relief. Instead, the town of San Patricio was destroyed and its inhabitants driven away.
The winning side won. San Patricio paid anyway. The marker pauses here to remember the early settlers by name — and I'm going to honor that, because these names deserve to be spoken aloud.
Reverend Henry Doyle, Reverend T.J. Molloy, William O'Docharty, George O'Docharty, Walter Henry, Patrick Henry, John Hart, Michael Haley, Mark Killalea, William Hefferman, Oceola Archer, Lewis Ayers, Catherine Hoye, Owen Gaffney, John Ross, and William Pugh. They were here.
They held on as long as anyone could. And this community sent people into the fight. John McMullen himself rode as a delegate to the Consultation of 1835.
John Turner and John White Bower signed the Texas Declaration of Independence — their names on that document, their town under fire. And a whole company of men from San Patricio served as soldiers in the Texas Revolution: John McGloin, John Fadden, Dennis McGowan, Andrew M. O'Boyle, George Pettuck, Mathew Byrne, Patrick Nevin, Edward Garner, Edward Ryan, Dennis Mahoney, Miles Andross, and W.M.
Quinn. What came after — the rebuilding, the enduring — produced a long roll call of distinguished citizens that the marker records with evident pride. Patrick O'Docharty, Susanna O'Docharty, Thomas O'Callaghan, Patrick McGloin, Chris Sullivan, Rose K.
Mahoney, John Ryan, George McCowan, Catherine Ryan, James McKeown, Patrick McMurray, Thomas Magowan, William P. Allen, Mary Ann Collins, Hubert Timon, David Odem, John Timon, Andrew Jackson Brown, John Donahue, Mary E. McCloin Murphy, Robert Dougherty, Alexander McCloin, Margaret Hart McFall, Patrick Brennan, Margaret Baldeschwiler, John Corrigan, Margaret Q.
James, Andrew Gerhardt, Mathew Kivlin, James Grover, Robert Weir, Eliza A. Sullivan, J. Chrys Dougherty, Steve J.
Lewis, Joe E. Sullivan, Hugh Touhy, and John Dee. Every one of those names grew from soil that had been soaked in loss.
The State of Texas erected this marker in 1936 — and maybe that's fitting. A hundred years after that February ambush, after the burning, after the scattering, Texas looked back at San Patricio de Hibernia and said: we remember. The town that suffered everything and was given nothing in return finally got that, at least.
What the marker says
Founded in 1830 by John McMullen and James McGloin as the seat of their Irish colony under an empresario contract dated August 17, 1828 which was fulfilled by the empresarios 1830-1835. Named in honor of Saint Patrick the Patron Saint of Ireland. As the frontier outpost of Texas when the revolution began San Patricio 1835-1845 suffered all the miseries of that conflict with no compensating returns. At and near San Patricio, on February 27, 1836 General Jose Urrea's division of Santa Anna's army surprised and overwhelmed Johnson's Texan party of 35 men, 9 or 10 Texans were killed, 6 or 7 escaped and 20 were sent to Matamoros as prisoners. After San Jacinto the town was destroyed and its inhabitants driven away. In memory of Rev. Henry Doyle, Rev. T.J. Molloy, Wm. O'Docharty, Geo. O'Docharty, Walter Henry, Patrick Henry, John Hart, Michael Haley, Mark Killalea, Wm. Hefferman, Oceola Archer, Lewis Ayers, Catherine Hoye, Owen Gaffney, John Ross, Wm. Pugh early settlers of San Patricio. John McMullen delegate to the Consultation, 1835. John Turner, John White Bower, signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. John McGloin, John Fadden, Dennis McGowan, Andrew M. O'Boyle, Geo. Pettuck, Mathew Byrne, Patrick Nevin, Edward Garner, Edward Ryan, Dennis Mahoney, Miles Andross, W.M. Quinn soldiers in Texas Revolution. San Patricio has contributed the following distinguished citizens Patrick O'Docharty, Susanna O'Docharty, Thomas O'Callaghan, Patrick McGloin, Chris Sullivan, Rose K. Mahoney, John Ryan, Geo. McCowan, Catherine Ryan, James McKeown, Patrick McMurray, Thomas Magowan, Wm. P. Allen, Mary Ann Collins, Hubert Timon, David Odem, John Timon, Andrew Jackson Brown, John Donahue, Mary E. McCloin Murphy, Robert Dougherty, Alexander McCloin, Margaret Hart McFall, Patrick Brennan, Margaret Baldeschwiler, John Corrigan, Margaret Q. James, Andrew Gerhardt, Mathew Kivlin, James Grover, Robert Weir, Eliza A. Sullivan, J. Chrys Dougherty, Steve J. Lewis, Joe E. Sullivan, Hugh Touhy, John Dee. Erected by the State of Texas 1936