Softly call the muster: Andrew Kent descendants to gather in Gonzales for biennial reunion

Descendants of Andrew Kent will be heading to Gonzales for a family muster (reunion) Saturday, July 20 in honor of his legacy of fighting for Texas Independence.

Eighth-generation Texan Glennece Beckett, a five-time great granddaughter to Kent, said the biennial event is a celebration of the life of Kent and the part he played in the history of Texas.

“It is a day of history, stories, and extended family bonding. The first muster was held in Fredericksburg, Texas, in 1986. There were over 400 Kent descendants in attendance,” Beckett said. “In 1996, the Kent muster moved to Gonzales. It was a more appropriate location because this is where our Texas ancestors settled and the Kent legacy began.”

Beckett estimates that there are thousands of descendants of Kent around the United States and the world, she said.

“Elizabeth Zumwalt family descendants are also invited to the Kent Muster; after all, if not for Elizabeth, none of us descendants would be here. We are all cousins and the ties that bind are strong,” Beckett said.

Kent was born in 1791 in Kentucky and moved to Missouri in 1810 and would later met his future wife Elizabeth Zumwalt and married in 1816.

“In 1826, they met Green DeWitt and James Kerr, who told them of opportunities in Texas.  Andrew, Elizabeth and their nine children (they had two more in Texas) moved to Green DeWitt's colony in the spring of 1930 and secured a league of land on the eastern edge of the DeWitt colony,” Beckett said. “The family often made the 40-mile trip from their homestead into Gonzales to conduct business, sell and trade and to see friends and family in town.”

According to Beckett, in Gonzales, Kent would frequently trade with Joseph Martin and Horace Eggleston; Kent was a farmer, rancher and skilled carpenter.

“He and his family lived peacefully on their land as Mexican citizens from 1830 until 1834, when Santa Anna came to power. Santa Anna refused to honor the Constitution of 1824, and this threatened their way of life and previous agreements made between Mexico and the colonists in DeWitt's colony,” Beckett said.

Kent was one of the Immortal 32 who gave their lives at the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio.

“Knowing that I am a descendant of such heroic people who played an important role in securing Texas Independence is exciting. They are worthy, even 200 years later, of being remembered, honored and celebrated. I feel it is not only a privilege, but also my responsibility, to endeavor they are never forgotten. Many of us feel this way,” Beckett said.

The reunion will be held at Presbyterian Church in Gonzales from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with guest speakers including Doug Kubicek, chairman of the Lavaca County Historical Commission; Lee Spencer White, president of the Alamo Defenders Descendant Association; Glenda Gordon, chairman of the Gonzales County Historical Commission; and Gonzales Mayor Steve Sucher.

“We also plan to caravan to the Kent homestead, which is located just south of present day Hallettsville and is marked with a historical marker. We also plan to visit the monument site in Cost, Texas,” Beckett said.

The muster has a Facebook page (Original Andrew Kent Family Muster) and family descendants are welcome to join or email them at ajkentmuster@gmail.com for any questions or for more information.