As I’ve considered my family’s heritage I realize that the most important heritage I’ve received is a love of family and country, and most importantly, a love of God demonstrated in a Christian home.

My parents, Herman and Evelyn Speckels Dyal met in church. They were blessed by having over 50 years of marriage before the passing of my father.

His ancestor, Aaron Burleson, is my DAR patriot. Like so many other families, over the years the Burleson family made its way from North Carolina to Texas. The town of Burleson and Burleson County were named for some of these family members. General Edward Burleson was active in the war for Texas independence. Rufus Burleson was an early President of Baylor University. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Burleson and Tumlinson families became acquainted. My grandmother was Isa Lee Tumlinson Dyal, the great granddaughter of John Jackson and Elizabeth Plemmons Tumlinson. John Jackson and Elizabeth, along with their children, were among the original Anglo settlers in Texas who arrived with Stephen F. Austin in 1821. John Jackson was elected Alcalde (Mayor) of the settlement, but in 1823 while traveling to San Antonio to meet with the Mexican governor he was killed by Indians along the Guadalupe River near present day Seguin. A group was “rounded-up” to hunt for the attacking Indians, a group which would later be considered the forerunner of the Texas Rangers. Archival records indicate quite a few Tumlinson men who served in the battle for Texas independence and later as Texas Rangers.

My mother’s ancestors are mostly of German descent. Her father’s family arrived in Galveston, Texas in the 1850’s and settled in the LaGrange area. Although aristocracy in Germany, they were just hard working farmers and merchants in Texas. My grandfather, Gilbert Speckels, moved to San Antonio as a young man and met his future wife, Ellen King. Ellen’s mother, Elizabeth Eichen King, came to America through Ellis Island in 1883. She made her way to Fort Davis, Texas where she worked as a servant. Eventually, she moved to San Antonio where she met Gilbert.

One of the joys of genealogy is not just in finding a name, place, or date, but in learning something about the individuals. It would be nice to know so much more about the heritage we share with our loved ones.