My ggg-grandfather. Solomon W. Brill Another veteran of the Texas Revolution who came to Seguin soon after the Battle of San Jacinto, was Solomon Brill. When he first came here he was a house guest of Juan N. Seguin for whom this town is named. It is likely that for this reason he was selected by Juan Seguin to help gather the remains of officers killed at the Alamo. As stated before Mr. Brill, with several men from our town-then called walnut Springs -were commissioned by Juan N. Seguin, the military commander of the Bexar District, to perform this last service for the martyrs of the Alamo. Mr. Brill was an expert casket maker, and , he with his helpers constructed this walnut casket and in it they placed the five skulls and other bones which they! believed to be those of leaders, because of metal insignia adjacent to these bones.! This casket was buried twenty paces from the southeast corner of the Alamo. Until Mr. Brills death in 1891, he kept the secret of the exact location, and at that time he confided to his son-in-law the above stated facts. It is likely that for some particular reason the location of this burial spot was kept a secret. Juan Seguin in after years deserted the Texas cause. He believed injustice and discrimination had been heaped upon him because of his nationality. He lived in Mexico after the year 1842. If Mr. Brill contributed no other service to the Republic of Texas, he should have a warm spot in the memory of all Texans. Mr. Brill received bounty certificate No.2952 for 1280 acres of land for having served in the Army of Texas from October 25 1835, to October 17, 1836. In 1842 he was a member of Captain Mathew Caldwells company in the Battle of Salado Creek near San Antonio. Mr Brill married Hepsibah Day, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Emery (HEMBREE) Day. He was a charter member of the Texas Veterans Association, on having attended the first meeting in Houston in 1873. Mrs James Damon of Seguin has a framed collection of his veteran badges and a certificate of membership signed by Moses Austin Bryan as secretary of the association when it was organized. In this same frame is a certificate of membership in the Texas Veterans Association for Mrs Hepsibah Day Brill, wife of Solomon Brill It is evident from this, that the wife of a veteran was also eligible for membership. Mr. Brill was born in Poughkeepsie New York, and had attended a medical school in New York. At the time of the epidemic of yellow fever in the early eighteen-thirtys, Mr..Brill volunteered to come, to New Orleans for service in the work against the terrible scourge. it was here that he not only gave his service as a physician but became an expert in the making of caskets. (This may also be a reason for his selection by Juan Seguin to make the casket for the martyrs of the Alamo.) New Orleans had so few to render aid to the dead and dying that those there learned to perform many different kinds of work. At New Orleans he enlisted with company who came out to help Texas fight for her independence. Mr. Brill and his wife are buried in marked graves, three miles east of Sequin, in sight of State Highway 3-A (renamed 90-A). There is a concrete wall which encloses the family burial grounds south of highway. This land was a part of the original grant to Solomon Brill and is still in the possession of his descendants. This is located in the files of the DAR Library at the Alamo in San Antonio. Solomon W. Brills service to the Republic of Texas as well as his award of a bounty land grant can indeed be confirmed in several sources. Andrew Jackson Sowell, who wrote From Rangers and Pioneers of Texas in 1884 also confirms his service at Salado Creek under Caldwell (Sowell doesnt mention his rank). NOTE: There may be some speculation as to the Alamo event. However, there is no proof that is didnt happen the way recorded. Ill choose to believe the story, until proven to be in error.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 05:44:36 +0000
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