DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — and friend, this one's worth every mile. Before the United States of America was even a notion, before the shots at Lexington and Concord, a family had already crossed an ocean and planted roots in the New World. The Flores de Abrego family came from northern Spain — came before the American Revolution — and they didn't come empty-handed.
They brought cattle. And in the 18th century, they drove those cattle northward and laid down ranches along the San Antonio River. Now, the head of this family was Francisco Antonio Flores de Abrego II.
He died in 1757, but he left a mark that would outlast him by centuries. He and his wife, Rosa Hermenegilda Hernandez, had a son — Jose Joaquin Flores de Abrego, born in 1742, who grew up on a place called the San Bartolo Ranch, in what is now Karnes County. That's a boy raised on hard ground and open range, with cattle dust in the air and the San Antonio River not far off.
Jose Joaquin lived to around 1800, and the family kept growing, kept branching. By the time the next generations came along, the name Flores de Abrego was woven into the fabric of Texas itself. Jose Joaquin's grandsons — Manuel, Salvador, Nepomuceno, and Jose Maria — they didn't sit out the revolution for independence from Mexico.
They fought on the side of the Texians. Four grandsons, one cause. Now here's where the story turns into something remarkable.
Jose Maria Flores de Abrego had a daughter, Josefa Agustina Flores de Abrego. In 1854, she married a man named Samuel William Barker — and Samuel William Barker was no small figure himself. In 1860, he became Wilson County's very first sheriff.
But Josefa — Josefa is the one the marker wants you to remember. In 1867, she made a donation. Two hundred acres of land, offered to the County Commissioners Court, to serve as the site for the new county seat.
They accepted. And when they did, Josefa had one request: name the town in honor of her ancestor, Francisco Antonio Flores de Abrego II — the man who had led this family, who had died more than a hundred years before. They honored that request.
The town was named Floresville. And the family didn't fade into ceremony after that. As prominent ranchers, with cattle brands registered right there in Floresville, the Flores de Abrego family continued playing an important role in the colonization of this area.
A family from northern Spain. Cattle along the San Antonio River. Four grandsons in a revolution.
Two hundred acres and one quiet request. That's how a name — Francisco Antonio Flores de Abrego II — got carved into the map of Texas, and there it sits to this day.
What the marker says
The Flores de Abrego family came to the New World from northern Spain before the time of the American Revolution. During the 18th century, members of this family brought their cattle northward and established ranches along the San Antonio River. The head of this family was Francisco Antonio Flores de Abrego II (d. 1757), who married Rosa Hermenegilda Hernandez. Their son, Jose Joaquin Flores de Abrego (1742-c. 1800), grew up on the San Bartolo Ranch in present Karnes County. Jose Joaquin's grandsons Manuel, Salvador, Nepomuceno, and Jose Maria later fought on the side of the Texians during the revolution for independence from Mexico. In 1854 Josefa Agustina Flores de Abrego, daughter of Jose Maria Flores de Abrego, married Samuel William Barker, who became Wilson County's first sheriff in 1860. In 1867 Josefa's donation of 200 acres of land was accepted by the County Commissioners Court as the site for the new county seat. As she requested, the new town was named Floresville in honor of her ancestor, Francisco Antonio Flores de Abrego II. As prominent ranchers, with cattle brands registered in Floresville, the Flores de Abrego family played an important role in the colonization of this area. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986