James E. Byrne

James E. Byrne

Details of early Refugio County settler James Byrne/Burns bear some sorting out, as there were more than one James W. Byrne in the area.

ONE
The original James W. Byrne (1787 Ireland – 1862 Lamar, Refugio County, TX) came to Texas about the time of the Revolution, settling in what was to be Lamar. He was married to Harriet Odin and they had a son named James born in Ireland in 1805.

TWO
This James Byrne came to Texas with his family and eventually married Mary McCabe.

James (TWO) lived along the old San Antonio River Road with his large family — wife Mary (McCabe), and children Hugh, Elizabeth, Sarah, Peter, John and Mary Ann. On the 1850 census, John O’Brien, a teacher, boarded in their household.

THREE
One of their sons was James E. Byrne (1852 – ?) who married Susana Elizabeth Sideck.

To further confuse issues, Susana Sideck was the daughter of Anthony and Catherine Fagan Sideck.

The 1860 Slave Schedule for Refugio County shows “one Black, Female, 50 yr. Number of slave houses: 1” for James W. Byrne. This could likely be the elder James Byrne (TWO), as he was still alive at the time.

James (THREE) is age appropriate to be the father of Jesse Burns. Jesse was also known as Jesse James Williams and Jesse Carlos. In the end, he more consistently referred to himself as Jesse Burns.