DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the one passin' it along. About two hundred and seventy-six yards to the west of where this marker stands, there's a grave. And the man in that grave lived a life that reads like somebody tried to fit the entire history of Texas into a single human being.
Sion Record Bostick. Born December 7, 1819. Died October 15, 1902.
And in between those two dates — well, hold on, because we're just gettin' started. He came from Alabama. Migrated to Texas in 1828.
A boy, really. And Texas at that time was not exactly a quiet place to grow up. By 1835, he was serving in the Texas army — at Gonzales and at Bexar, which you and I know as San Antonio.
The revolution was on. Then came 1836, and San Jacinto, and here is where the story takes a turn that most people never get in a lifetime. After the Battle of San Jacinto — after the smoke had settled and the Texas War for Independence had found its turning point — Sion Record Bostick was part of the party.
The party of young Texans. The ones who captured the escaping Mexican General Santa Anna himself. Not hunted him down in some distant campaign — captured him, after the battle, trying to get away.
Bostick was there for that. And he wasn't done. In 1840, he was at Plum Creek, in the stand against the Comanches.
Then came 1846, and he served as an American soldier in the Mexican War. And if you're keepin' count, that's already more than most men see. But then came the Civil War, the 1860s, and Bostick rode with Hood's Brigade as a Confederate.
The man fought in the Texas Revolution. He fought at San Jacinto. He fought at Plum Creek.
He fought in the Mexican War. He fought in the Civil War. Four distinct conflicts across four decades.
He also lived a life beyond the battlefield. He married Susan Townsend. After her death, he married Mary Indiana Rhodes.
He had several children. And in his later years, he became a leader in veterans reunions — because of course he did. Who better to stand up at a gathering of old soldiers than a man who had been at San Jacinto?
Sion Record Bostick is buried in San Saba Cemetery, and that grave is about two hundred and seventy-six yards to the west of here. Close enough that you could walk to it before this story stopped echoin' in your head.
What the marker says
About 276 yards to the west is grave of Sion Record Bostick (December 7, 1819 - October 15, 1902) A member of the party of young Texans who captured the escaping Mexican General Santa Anna after Battle of San Jacinto, during the Texas War for Independence. Migrated from Alabama in 1828. Served in Texas army at Gonzales and Bexar (San Antonio), 1835; at San Jacinto, 1836; and 1840 stand against Comanches, at Plum Creek. An American soldier in Mexican War, 1846; a Confederate in Hood's Brigade in the Civil War, 1860s. Married Susan Townsend; after her death, Mary Indiana Rhodes. Had several children. Became a leader in veterans reunions. He is buried in San Saba Cemetery. Recorded 1973