He was a first cousin to "Red" Adam Zumwalt. Much has been writtenabo ut him and his family.
In Sons of Dewitt Colony Texas is:
"The Z and ZA above are cattle brands Z-1 and Z-2 registered to AdamZu mwalt in Gonzales 5 Jan 1830 and 3 May 1834, respectively. One wasprob ably assigned for "Black" Adam Zumwalt Jr. described here and theother f or his hotelier and merchant cousin "Red" Adam Zumwalt Sr.
The Zumwalts-Alsace-Lorraine, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky,Missour i. "Black" Adam Zumwalt was born 18 May 1795 in FayetteCo,Kentucky, th e fourth child of Andrew Charles Zumwalt Jr. (abt1758-abt 1823) and Ma rgaret Baldridge (birthdate unknown, d. abt1844, married abt 1792). Th e tags "Black," "Jr." and "2nd"distinguish "Black" Adam Zumwalt Jr. (o r 2nd) from the numerousAdam’s in the Zumwalt family including his old er prominent DeWittColony cousin who is likewise distinguished by "Red " Adam Zumwalt Sr.Neither are sons of an Adam thus it is believed the t wo were assignedthe tags by either themselves or record keepers and hi storians todistinguish them. Adam Zumwalt's father, Andrew Zumwalt Jr. , was theson of Alsatian immigrant Johann Wilhelm Andres Zumwalt who l anded inBaltimore, MD in 1737, resided and helped develop YorkCo, PA. A fterthe death of William Penn, the family moved to Georgetown on the Potomoc River and then to ShenandoahCo, VA. His sons migrated toBourbon Co, KY where "Black" Adam Zumwalt was born. Andrew Zumwalt Jr.and fami ly moved with his brothers Adam, Andrew, Christopher, Johnand Jacob fr om BourbonCo, KY along with Daniel Boone between1796-1798 where they b ecame citizens of Spain and received grants ofland from the Spanish go vernment in the St. Charles District of theLouisiana District of the I ndiana Territory. Adam met and marriedJane Strain Kent (first name lis ted as Mary or Martha in variousrecords), oldest daughter of Isaac and L ucy Hopkins Kent, in St.CharlesCo, MO in 1814. Jane Strain Kent was bo rn 25 January 1801 inAdairCo, KY and was the half-sister of Alamo defe nder and member ofthe Gonzales Alamo Relief force, Andrew Kent, who ma rried "Black"Adam Zumwalt’s cousin Elizabeth Zumwalt (daughter of Jaco bZumwalt). An entry in the family bible of Gabriel and Celia Davis Zumwalt, found recently (year 2000) in an attic in Gonzales, confirmsthe m arriage and birth dates of Adam and Jane S. Kent Zumwalt.
Arrival in the DeWitt Colony Texas from Missouri. Adam and Jane StrainK ent Zumwalt and family arrived in the DeWitt Colony in the sameperiod a s the five related extended families of Burket, Kent andZumwalt betwee n 1829-1830. It is unclear exactly how they arrived,whether by land or s ea or in groups or individual families. Landgrant documents state they a rrived 22 May 1830 although these datesare not reliable as precise dat es. If the birthdate of son Noah/Noelof 29 Dec 1829 is correct, than i t is likely that the family came toTexas in the spring or summer of 18 30. The family which arrivedconsisted of seven Missouri born children , five of whom were male.
Honorable Commissioner: I, Adam Zumwalt, a native of the UnitedStates o f the North, before, you, the formalities of the lawpermissing, appear a nd say that having been admitted by theEmpresario, Green de Witt, to s ettle the lands of his Colonyaccording to the provisions of the Coloni zation Law of the State andas appears on the Certificate which I duly e nclose, as I am marriedand have seven children, five male, and find my self to date withouttitle of possession to the tract that is due me as a s ettle, Ibeseech you to please through the use of your authority put me i npossession of one league (of land) which is entirely vacant in the watershed of Tejocotes Creek about 22 miles from this town, that I mayre ceive justice therein. Gonzales, May 2, 1832. Signed AdamZumwalt. [ From Adam Zumwalt's petition for land title translatedfrom the Spanish , Texas Spanish Land Grant Archives, vol. 13, pg.641-644."
"Black" Adam Zumwalt received title to a league, 24/25 sitio, of lando n 8 May 1832 which was described as "on the watershed of TejocotesCree k about 22 miles from the town of Gonzales." [Tejocote is a smallyello w fruit, Pomum saxeum, similar to the hawthorn berry. The wordcame fro m Aztec texocotl meaning wild acid and hard fruit. Diaristson the Alar con Expedition mentioned tejocotes, medlar and plum treesamong the thi ck brush in Texas. Medlar was similar to crab apples andcommon in Euro pean Spain]
Two branches of the northeast part of Peach Creek runs through theleag ue in a north-south and north direction. Currently the league issplit d own the middle by the current Gonzales-Fayette County linerunning from t he northwest to the southeast corner. The property isalmost exactly ha lfway between the Lavaca County and theCaldwell-Bastrop County lines.
.....Adam Zumwalt, 2nd, having proved that his is married as well asth ere being found in his person the requisites prescribed by theColoniza tion Law of the State dated March 24, 1825; in conformitywith the cite d Law, the contract, the instructions which govern medated September 4 , 1827, and the commission which was conferred uponme by His Excellenc y the Honorable Governor of the State by order ofthe 29th of January o f last year of 1831; in the name of the sameState I concede to, confer u pon, and put the said Adam Zumwalt 2nd,in real, actual, corporal and v irtual possession of one league ofland, which land, having been survey ed by the Scientific Surveyor,Byrd Lockhart, previously appointed in l egal form, was found to besituated as follows and with the following b oundaries: Situated onthe watershed of Tejocotes Creek about 20 miles f rom Gonzales,beginning on the north side of No. 31, exactly 2000 varas w es of itsnortheast corner at a driven stake which serves as the southe astcorner of this survey and from which an oak, 8 inches in diameter bears south 25 degrees west 5 varas distant and another, 10 inches indi ameter, bears north 35 degrees east 7 varas distant. Thence in astrai ght line north 5000 varas and a stake was driven for thenortheast corn er of this survey, from which stake an oak, 12 inchesin diameter bears s outh 15 degrees east 6 varas distant and another,14 inches in diameter , bears north 63 degrees west 1 1/2 varasdistant. Thence west 5000 va ras to the northwest corner where astake was driven from which an oak, 1 2 inches in diameter, bearssouth 73 degrees west 4 varas distant and a nother, 10 inches indiameter, bears north 41 degrees east 12 varas dis tant. Thence east1000 varas to the north west corner of No. 31. Thenc e 4000 varasmore in the same direction to the place of beginning, acco rding towhat is of record in the original field notes.....[From Adam Zumwalt's petition for land title translated from the Spanish, TexasSpa nish Land Grant Archives, vol. 13, pg. 641-644. For text of acomplete l and grant, see David Burket Land Grant]
To complete the sitio of land for which he was eligible as a marriedco lonist, Adam was later granted a labor of land on theLavaca-Colorado C ounty border which he received title for in 1838 andsold to Willard Wa dham in 1841 for fifty dollars. The land wasdescribed in the survey fo r Wadham as "mostly in Lavaca County,partly in Colorado County on the S andies River about 25 miles SW ofColumbus and 18 miles SE of Halletsvi lle.
Records of "Black" Adam Zumwalt’s movements suggest that theimmediate f amily did not settle on his land grant upon arrival in thecolony and l ived on it only in later life, if at all. It is believedthat the famil y lived in or just north of Gonzales town prior tofleeing the area in f ront of Santa Anna’s army in the RunawayScrape. After their return to t he colony in 1837, the family settledand with other Zumwalts and frien ds actually began what became knownas the Zumwalt Settlement south of w hat later became the county seat,Petersburg, between the conjunction o f Mustang and Yellow Bank Creeksand the Lavaca River south of Halletts ville in current Lavaca County.According to Judge Carl Boethel, Lavaca C ounty historian, "Black"Adam’s homeplace is near where the Mossy Grove C hurch and Cemeterycurrently stand not far from the Lavaca River
Lavaca River Minutemen. Along with Burket, Kent and Zumwalt relativesa nd most other DeWitt Colonists, from the time of their arrival in1829 t o 1835, "Black" Adam Zumwalt and family lived in peace as loyalcitizen s of the Mexican State of Coahuila y Texas except for thesporadic vand alism and violence by small nomadic bands of Indians andoutlaws from t he USA and Mexico. However, the increasing threat tothat way of life b y the centralista Mexican government and threat ofdictatorship increas ed the demand for organized military protection.Manpower and supplies f or military protection was in short supplyboth on the part of DeWitt C olonists and the central Mexicangovernment. Therefore, local defense c onsisted of volunteers(minutemen) who responded to raids at any moment f rom wherever theyhappened to be carrying on the business of making a l iving anddeveloping the colony. Although a participant in some, he app arentlyplayed no formal leadership role in the most well known battles leading up to and during the Texas Revolution. "Black" Adam Zumwalt wasd istinguished as a leader of citizen-soldier/minutemen and clearlyfocus ed his attentions in that capacity as a citizen-soldiercommander on th e security of primarily the Lavaca River area of theDeWitt Colony in r esponse to both incursions by Indians and theMexican Army. In that rol e he became known as Captain Adam Zumwalt.
The following sworn affidavits by himself and sons before GonzalesNota ry, E.W. Walker in 1870 (copied without editing from the E.W.Walker Pa pers in the Texas State Archives):
The State of Texas, County of Gonzales Before me, E.W. Walker, aNotary P ublic in and for Gonzales County, personally came andappeared Adam Zum walt se- well known to me, and after being dulysworn deposes and says t hat he moved from the State of Missouri toTexas in the year AD 1830, a nd that he has been a citizen of Texasevery since said date, And that h e was present and took part in thefirst fight or ingagement that took p lace at Gonzales, under Capt.Gohene Col. John H. Moore regiment on the 2 nd day of October AD 1835and that he was Capt of a Minute Company for s ome eight years, andwas with his company in the fight with the Indians a t Lenville, andfollowed up said Indians until they were drove out of t hesettlements, And that he was present in command of his company at th eBattle of Salado and was under Col. M. Caldwell or attached to his regiment and took and part with his men in that fight against Gen. Wallo n the 17th day of Sept. AD 1842, and he states on oath that he isnow a r esident of Fayett County Texas and was seventy five years oldon the 18 th day of May last, and he further states that he wasallways ready to s erve his country when called upon, by having a fewhours notice. Adam Z umwalt
A note at the bottom by E.W. Walker states "he was in charge offamilie s on the retreat before the Battle of San Jacinto. Starting incharge o f, and with said families from Lavaca County."
Above is the signature of Capt. "Black" Adam Zumwalt from his landgran t title in the Texas Archives. Signatures of cousins "Red" Adam(below) a nd Capt. "Black" Adam Zumwalt are similar yet distinct.
Committee of Safety and Correspondence. "Black" Adam Zumwalt was inatt endance on 17 May 1835 at the organizational meeting of theCommittee o f Safety and Correspondence between citizens of the DeWittColony along t he Lavaca River and from the Gonzales area. It isthought that cousin " Red" Adam Zumwalt and cousin-by-marriage DavidBurket were at the meeti ng although brother-in-law Andrew Kent, wholived on his league on the L avaca River south of where the ZumwaltSettlement was later established , was probably not at the meeting .
Battle of Gonzales. On 2 October 1835, "Black" Adam Zumwalt and sonAnd rew Zumwalt joined relatives Andrew Kent and son David Boyd Kentin the B attle of Gonzales, which began in earnest the final phase ofthe strugg le for Texas independence that began under Spain as earlyas 1813 and c ulminated at San Jacinto in April 1836. The Walkeraffidavit above and a n additional affidavit in support of applicationfor pension for his su rvivors after his death in 1874 attests to theparticipation of Capt. Z umwalt and son Andrew:
The State of Texas County of Gonzales Andrew Zumwalt of said State andC ounty a credible citizen to me well known who being sworn accordingto l aw declares that Adam Zumwalt, deceased, who applied for apension unde r the law of August 13th 1870 participated and served inthe battle fou ght in behalf of the people of Texas between theMexican forces command ed by Ge. Ugartechay and the Texans commandedby Co. John H. Moore near G onzales in the year AD 1835 and affiantfurther says that he was in the s ame battle with the said AdamZumwalt, deceased.
Andrew (X his mark) Zumwalt Sworn and subscribed before me this 18thda y of August AD 1874 to which as Clerk of the District Court ofGonzales C ounty, State of Texas, I certify under my hand and officialseal, this d ay & date above written. F. Chenault Clk
Precinct of Upper Lavaca. On 1 February 1836, Captain "Black" AdamZumw alt, cousin Abraham Zumwalt and brother-in-law Andrew Kent werevoters i n the "Precinct of Upper Lavaca" in the election for twodelegates to t he Convention which was to convene March 1 atWashington-on-the-Brazos a nd declared independence from Mexico.Andrew Kent and Isaac Millsap wer e judges and Henry C.G. Summers wasclerk for the election. Besides Ken t, Millsaps and Summers, eightothers went to the polls and voted: Adam Z umwalt, Michael Cody,Arthur Sherill, William E. Summers, George Henry H all, John Ashby,Abraham Zumwalt and John Smothers. Candidates for dele gates wereEsquire Ball, J.D. Clement, Bird Lockhart, John Fisher and G eorge W.Davis.
The Run Away Scrape. On 27 February 1836, Captain Adam Zumwalt’sbrothe r-in-law, Andrew Kent and over 30 other Gonzales men, departedGonzales i n relief of the Alamo where they died on 6 March 1836. Newsof the fall o f the Alamo in San Antonio brought panic to residents ofthe DeWitt Col ony around Gonzales and the Lavaca River even asHouston arrived from W ashington-on-the-Brazos to assemble an army andbegin his retreat to th e Colorado and Brazos Rivers. According to theW.W. Walker Papers in th e Texas State Archives, Captain Zumwalt wasplaced in charge of evacuat ion and accompanied Lavaca County familieseast toward the Sabine River i n the flight known as the RunawayScrape or Chute to the Sabine. In-law D avid Burket and cousin "Red"Adam Zumwalt participated in the same func tions for Gonzalessettlers....
Minuteman Activity on the Lavaca River 1837-1842. Captain Adam Zumwaltb egan to play a major leadership role in security of the area of theDeW itt Colony which is now Lavaca County when he returned to theZumwalt S ettlement from the Runaway Scrape in 1837. He was officiallyelected ca ptain of a Minute Company for protection of the LavacaRiver settlement s after 1841. The first recorded action in which hewas involved happen ed at daybreak on a fall day of 1837 whenComanches passing through the ir usual path south, the Big Hill areaof current Lavaca County, attack ed DeWitt Lyons and son Warren intheir cow lot near current Shulenberg i n current Fayette County.Lyons was an early settler in the Austin Colo ny. The Indian bandkilled and scalped the elder Lyons and carried off y oung Warren andhorses. The 13-year-old Warren was not seen until 1847 w hen heappeared in San Antonio with a band on Indians on a trading visi t.According to Wilberger in Indian Depredations in Texas he could not be persuaded to leave the band and doubts arose as to his realidentity. U pon being taken to the Lavaca ranch where he waskidnapped, he exclaime d "Dar me fadder kill--dar me take off." Uponseeing his mother Mrs. Ly ons he said "Dar me mudder! Ar me mudder!"erasing all doubt of his ori gin. In later years he served as aninterpreter and Texas Ranger under L t. Ed Burleson (son of General EdBurleson) and gained a reputation for c ontinuing his Comanche-styletactics in battle with them. He is said to h ave complained about therestrictive and uncomfortable outfits of the t raditional Ranger andin the heat of combat would often cast off his Te xan style boots,clothes and gear and meet the enemy in their own style a nd uniform.J.H. Livergood, who resided with the Zumwalts when he first a rrivedin Texas, survived the Mier Expedition and was a Lavaca County J udgein 1852, related the incident:
"In October, 1837, shortly after I reached the Lavaca River, theComanc he Indians made a raid on the settlement of the Navidad nearwhere Shul enberg now stands, killing a Mr. Lyons and taking captivehis son Warre n, age 13, whom they kept for ten years. At this timethere were but te n families in the bounds of this county, or ratherthis portion of Gonz ales County, and hence there were but few topursue. A company of thirt een was mustered, however, some of whomwere from Fayette County, and s tarted in pursuit. Among those in thislittle band, I recall the names o f James and Anthony Brown, TuckerFoley, W.H. Baldridge, David Kent (so n of Andy Kent who fell withTravis in the Alamo), Pat Dorathy (Dougher ty), Andy Zumwalt, Wm.Berntham, Burbanks, and a Mr. Stifner, a recent a rrival from the oldstates. They pursued the Indians northward into the m ountains, wherethey struck another trail coming south, which they took a nd came uponthe Indians on Big Brushy, near where Yoakum now stands. A b attleensued, in which our party lost one man, Mr. Stifner, and had sev eralwounded, but killed four Indians and captured thirty-two horses. Judging from the number of horses, we supposed that there werethirty-tw o Indians. The horses were brought to Captain AdamZumwalt’s, on the La vaca River, near where Mossy Grove church nowstands. Next day a small p arty returned to the scene of the conflict,and buried their comrade, M r. Stifner, which was, indeed, a sad duty,considering the fact that he h ad just arrived from the states....
In September 1842, San Antonio was again occupied by Mexican forcesund er Gen. Adrian Woll which resulted in the Battle of Salado andpursuit o f the retreating Mexican forces to the border in which Capt.Adam Zumwa lt's company of Lavaca River volunteers participated underCapt. Mathew C aldwell. Response to these invasions led to thedisastrous Somervell a nd Mier Expeditions."
More excerpts from the DeWitt Colony:
"Without saying who was the first settler in what is now LavacaCounty, i t can be said that between '30 and '36.....AndrewKent.....Adam Zumwalt ....all settled on or near the Lavaca from the"kent" place about ten m iles below Hallettsville, to a point perhapstwelve miles above.
After the retreat in '36, very few persons returned to Lavaca County.Z umwalt, Heath , the Kent family, ....and others returned so as toplant c rops in 1837."
Capt Adam commanded "the Lavaca River area minuteman company in most,i f not all, of its actions in maintenance of the security of the areain cluding the Comanche Raid on Linnville/Battle of Plum Creek andBattle o f Salado."
From "Free State of Lavaca"
"LIVERGOOD. The "Johnny come lately" of the Missourians who came tothe L avaca was one John Himes Livergood of Saint Louis County, thehome of t he Zumwalts.....
Livergood made his home with Captain "Black" Adam Zumwalt; he hadknown t he Zumwalts, as well as others in the settlement, back home inMissouri a nd it became his second home. In the years that followedLivergood beca me deeply attached to the Zumwalt family, particularlyCaptain Zumwalt. ...
"In October, 1837, shortly after I (James Livergood) reached theLavaca R iver, the Comanche Indians made a raid on the settlement ofthe Navidad n ear where Shulenberg now stands, killing a Mr. Lyons andtaking captive h is son Warren, age 13, whom they kept for ten years.At this time there w ere but ten families in the bounds of thiscounty, or rather this porti on of Gonzales County, and hence therewere but few to pursue. A compan y of thirteen was mustered, however,some of whom were from Fayette Cou nty, and started in pursuit. Amongthose in this little band, I recall t he names of James and AnthonyBrown, Tucker Foley, W.H. Baldridge, Davi d Kent (son of Andy Kent whofell with Travis in the Alamo), Pat Dorath y (Dougherty), AndyZumwalt, Wm. Berntham, Burbanks, and a Mr. Stifner, a r ecent arrivalfrom the old states. They pursued the Indians northward i nto themountains, where they struck another trail coming south, which t heytook and came upon the Indians on Big Brushy, near where Yoakum now stands. A battle ensued, in which our party lost one man, Mr. Stifner,a nd had several wounded, but killed four Indians and capturedthirty-two h orses. Judging from the number of horses, we supposedthat there were t hirty-two Indians. The horses were brought toCaptain Adam Zumwalt’s, o n the Lavaca River, near where Mossy Grovechurch now stands. Next day a s mall party returned to the scene ofthe conflict, and buried their comr ade, Mr. Stifner, which was,indeed, a sad duty, considering the fact t hat he had just arrivedfrom the states."
County records show Adam's livestock trades with other locals.
Residences & events:
1840 Where was Adam that year?
Again from Sons of Dewitt Colony:
"From the Lavaca to Peach Creek to Fayette County. In the years afters tatehood in 1846, Capt. Adam Zumwalt moved from his home on theLavaca R iver in the Zumwalt Settlement and Petersburg to the areaabout 15 mile s east of Gonzales on Peach Creek in Gonzales County. Heprobably lived o n his 640 acre piece of land which was awarded by theRepublic of Texas f or service as described in the Texas State LandArchives:
General Land Office Austin, Texas I, J.J. Groos, Commissioner of theGe neral Land Office, hereby certify, that the records of this officeshow , that Adam Zumwalt served faithfully and honorably in the Armyof the R epublic of Texas for a Term of three months from the Sixthday of June 1 836 until the Sixth day of September 1836, that he washonorably discha rged from said service and received for the same aBounty Warrant for 3 20 acres of land which is on file in this Officewith the field notes o f a Survey patented by virtue of the Same. Intestimony thereof I hereu nto set my hand and affix the impress of theSeal of my Office this Fou rteenth day of August AD 1874. J.J. Groos,Com."
11/14/1850 Peach Creek, Gonzales Co, TX. By the next census thefamil y had moved, following other Zumwalts to the wild west. Adamwas 55 ye ars old and his property totaled $3800. Wife Jane J was 50and the chi ldren were Mary, 16, and Gabriel, 14, as well as JaneGannalt, 10, and N ancy Gannalt, 8. Down the road were sons Thomasand Isaac.
7/20/1860 Fayette Co, TX near Plum Grove. On the move again thatyear t he census recorded Adam at 65, Jane S at 60. Adam's estate wasworth $ 2000/4900 and he was still farming. Living with them was thefamily of s on Gabriel.
11/8/1870 Between Halletsville Rd and Buckner Creek, Fayette Co, TX.T hat year Adam was listed in the census at age 75 but still farming.His p roperty totaled $4000/1200. Apparently he had a second wife asher nam e was Clarissa, 60. Living with them were Martha, 15, MattieCrenshaw, 1 8, and Hurt Hamilton, 20, field hand. Could Martha andMattie be step- daughters?
From Sons of Dewitt Colony Texas:
"Sons Andrew and Thomas swore out an affidavit confirming AdamZumwalt' s death in a document in the Freytag Papers in the FayetteCounty, TX A rchives, La Grange:
State of Texas County of Gonzales Personally appeared before me theund ersigned authority, Thos. B. Zumwalt and Andrew Zumwalt both wellknown t o me who upon oath say they know of their own knowledge thatAdam Zumwa lt, who applied for a pension under the Law of August 13th1870, died o n the 11 day of July AD 1872, leaving Clarissa Zumwalthis surviving wi fe, who was living on the 1st day of July AD 1874 &who is still living . Andrew (his X mark) Zumwalt T.B. ZumwaltSubscribed and sworn to befo re me to which as Clerk of the DistrictCourt of Gonzales County I cert ify under my hand and official sealthis 17th of August 1874. F. Chenau lt Clk CDGC"
"Notes with the heading Zumwalt presumably gathered by Freytag fromunk nown sources, or possibly individuals mentioned in the notes,state:
Adam Zumwalt Jr. is buried along the Fayette-Gonzales County line--hisf eet are in Fayette and his body in Gonzales County. "
