Lorenzo Dow Yarbrough
updated on July 11, 2005
Lorenzo Dow Yarbrough was born
January 1840, probably in Houston Co., TX, the son of John Swanson, Sr. and
Cynthia Unknown Yarbrough. Dow, as his family and friends called him, was known
to have lived with his family in Houston, Gonzales, Atascosa, and McMullen
Counties, Texas. He very likely attended school in Gonzales County with his
sister Mandy and stepbrother's Jim Tope and John Moore.
About 1858 when Dow was 19 years
old he moved to McMullen from Atascosa County with his family. They settled on a bend of the Frio River
with about 30 other families. This was the first settlement of McMullen County
and was named Yarbrough Bend after Dow's father, Swanson Yarbrough. He lived there for about three years, until
1861, when he enlisted in the Confederate States Army at Fort Brown,
Brownsville, Texas on 23 September. He
served first in Captain William G. Tobin's Company, 2nd Regiment, Texas Mounted
Rifles, stationed at Helena. He was
then transferred to Company K, 2nd Texas Cavalry, under Captain John
Donaldson. He is found to be listed on the
2nd Reg't Texas Mounted Rifles Rolls for years 1861 and 1862 and 2nd Reg't Texas
Calvary Rolls for the years 1863, 1864, & 1865. Notes on the rolls say that
the 2nd Regiment Texas Calvary was also known as the 2nd Regiment Texas Mounted
Rifles. The Second Texas Cavalry was
originally organized in the spring of 1861 under designation of the Second
Texas Mounted Rifles. It was
reorganized with all the same officers and enlisted men and at that time it was
redesignated the Second Texas Cavalry. Dow appeared on a list of killed and
wounded, in an engagement on the Nueces River, near Fort Clark Texas, August
10, 1862, as having a wound in the left hip, a wound that would continue to
give him trouble until his death.
He was home on furlough in 1863,
when on November 30, he married, in Live Oak County, Miss Nancy White. She was born
on August 28, 1848 in Leon County, Texas, daughter of Headley Coburn White and
Lydia Wright.
Dow and Nancy are known to have
lived in McMullen County, TX where it is expected that most or perhaps all of
their children were born. Dow bought a lot of land in block # 36 in the town of
Tilden from James Lowe and wife M. J. Lowe in Tilden, McMullen Co., Texas on 16
day of July 1884.
Nine known children were born to Dow and Nancy:
(1) Sirletha Y. Yarbrough was born
December 31, 1864 in McMullen Co., TX, married December 27, 1883, McMullen
County to Samuel H. Ratcliff.
(2) John Swanson Yarbrough born
March 12, 1866 near Tilden, McMullen Co., TX, married Jane "Janie"
Louise Crawford on May 14, 1891 in Corizzo Springs, Dimmit Co., TX.
(3) Betty Ann Yarbrough, born
August 3, 1869 married Thomas Clinton "Clint" Edwards on May 15, 1888
in Tilden, McMullen Co., TX.
(4) Headley Coburn
"Tone" Yarbrough, born January 17, 1872, married Maggie Bell Maples
on June 15, 1896 in Uvalde Co., TX.
(5) Nancy Pairlee Yarbrough, born
April 28, 1877 in Tilden, McMullen Co., TX, married Valentine Harris Tilley on
June 1, 1898 in LaSalle Co., TX.
(6) Jonathan David
"Dave" Yarbrough, born April 1881, didn't marry.
(7) Lydia Martha "Lidy"
Yarbrough, born March 22, 1874, married (1) Jasper Newton Winters on June 05,
1890 in La Salle Co., TX, married (2) William M. Booth on June 20, 1894 in Frio
Co., TX.
(8) Tennessee Alivia "
Leavie" Yarbrough, born July 20, 1882, married John Allen "Pete"
Blakeney on August 31, 1903 in
Hope, Eddy Co., NM
(9) Lorenzo Skidmore “Skid” Yarbrough, born August 24, 1885, married Maggie Jane Cleary on April 02, 1908 in La Salle Co., TX.
Dow and Nancy were living in
LaSalle Co., TX by the 1900 census with their children Alevia and Lorenzo Skid.
Other families living nearby were their children John Swanson & Janie
(Crawford) Yarbrough, Samuel & Selitha (Yarbrough) Ratcliff, Clint &
Betty Ann (Yarbrough) Edwards and Dave Yarbrough was living in the household of
his brother John Swanson. Nancy's mother, Lydia Wright White was living in the
household of her son Lorenzo D. White and another son Headly White lived with
his family nearby as well. Other families in the vicinity are Oran and
Tennessee Althea "Tennie" (White) Winters, Josiah & Elizabeth
(Owings) Yarbrough, Joe & Nina (McDonald) Yarbrough, William & Jeanie
(Wilson) Yarbrough and James & Elizabeth "Bettie" Davenport.
The above photo was taken circa 1905
"Family Tradition" from
my grandmother Carmen has also stated that around 1901 Dow and Nancy traveled
by wagon train to New Mexico somewhere around Eddy County to see about a homestead
from New Mexico, but returned, shortly after, back to Texas. We do know that
Alevia did travel to New Mexico and and in 1903 married Pete Blakeney in Eddy
County, NM, and raised her family there, but it is not exactly known if she was
with her parents when she went.
Dow Yarbrough filed for his Civil
War pension June 28, 1906. Dow states that he is 67 years old, he resides in
McMullen County and has lived in Tilden for 40 years. He is not working at the
time and his physical condition is not good. He states he suffers from old age
and that he was shot during the war in the leg. He also states that he enlisted
in 1861 and served until the close of the war. He states he owns 1 mule worth
$50., 1 horse worth $50., and 1 wagon worth $25. It appears that this was a
long drawn out process where many Affidavits were taken. Notable affidavits
were taken from Daniel T. Winters of Big Foot, Frio Co., TX and Jas. H. Tope of
McMullen Co., TX to help prove that Dow actually served in the Civil War. Dow's
civil war pension was finally approved on March 25, 1907, more than 2 months
after his death.
Dow Yarbrough died January 5, 1907
and his grave is marked with a civil war military stone. Nancy White purchased
a home from Bettie Davenport on March 11, 1908 in the town of Cotulla, TX
county of LaSalle. Nancy died December 2, 1931 and was buried without a
headstone. They are both buried in the Old Cotulla cemetery in Cotulla, Texas.
Their son and daughter n law, John Swanson & Janie (Crawford) Yarbrough,
and son Dave Yarbrough are also buried on the same row without headstones.
The above photo was taken in July 1999
Notes: Bettie Davenport is Don Crawford's grandmother and in 1908 after Dow's death Nancy purchased a home and lot from Bettie. James H. Tope, a.k.a. Jim Tope, and John M. Moore are the sons of Frances Unknown Tope Moore Yarbrough, third known wife of John Swanson Yarbrough. Daniel T. Winters states he is 64 years old in 1907 and may be the son of Orrin and Susannah (Elroy) Winters.
Source Information
1835 Municipality of Teneha Texas Census
1855 Gonzales Co., TX School Census
1880 McMullen County, Texas Census
1900 LaSalle County Texas Census
Marriage Record - L D Yarbrough and Nancy White
Marriage Record - S. H. Ratcliff & Selitha Yarbrough
Marriage Record - John Swanson Yarbrough and Janie Crawford
Marriage Index at LaSalle Co., TXGenWeb - V. H. Tilley and N. P. White
Marriage Index at Eddy Co., NMGenWeb - John Allen Blakeney
Marriage Index at LaSalle Co., TXGenWeb - Skid Yarbrough and Maggie
Cleary
Obituary for Alevia Yarbrough Blakeney
Misscellaneous Land Records
Indian Depredation Deposition taken from Amanda Yarbrough Walker.
John Swanson Yarbrough, Man About Texas by Beth Walker
Thomas Clinton Edwards by Jay Edwards
Civil War Pension Application filed by Dow Yarbrough
Civil War Pension Application filed by Nancy Yarbrough
Confederate 2nd Reg't Texas Calvary and 2nd Regiment Mounted Rifle Rolls.
Amanda Dunn Cude's Notes
Notes and Information from Jewel Tilley Walker and Carmen Tilley Pierce
McMullen County History Book pages 460 - 461
Houston County History Book
Winters Genealogy from Peggy Winters Mullenaux
Renee Smelley's Genealogy File
Copyright © 2001, 2005 by Renee Pierce Smelley
This article may not be reproduced for profit
without the written consent of the author. All copies made must contain the
copyright information.
This webpage is part of Renee's Family Genealogy
Dow Yarbrough's Pension Application Transcription
Visit the CO K 2nd Texas Cavalry/2nd Texas Mounted Rifles web site for more information about the civil war unit that Dow Yarbrough served in.
Visit McMullen County TXGenWeb
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