Welcome to the Susanna Dickinson Chapter, NSDAR

Our chapter is located southeast of San Antonio, Texas, in La Vernia, Texas. We meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 12:30pm, September through May. We support the National Society Daughers of the American Revolution by promoting the history of our great nation, honoring our forefathers, and encouraging others to explore their heritage. Please contact us if you are interested in attending or becoming a member. We welcome all prospective members and guests!

About Our Name

Our chapter is named in honor of Susanna Wilkinson Dickinson, whose unlikely participation in the war for Texas independence, helped to liberate Texas from Mexico rule. On March 6, 1836, the Battle of the Alamo occurred where Colonel William Barrett Travis and 181 fellow Texas patriots were overrun and killed by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his 5,000 man army. The morning following the battle, General Santa Anna gave Susanna Dickinson a letter dated March 7, 1836, which she was to deliver to General Sam Houston who was on his way from Gonzales, Texas, to the Alamo with reinforcements. As Susanna traveled east on horseback she encountered General Houston and his men on the Old Gonzales Road in LaVernia, Texas, and delivered the letter. The letter told him to retreat or suffer the same fate as those who defended the Alamo.

The news prompted General Houston to return east to gather reinforcements while Santa Anna's army spread out giving chase across south Texas. In San Jacinto, Texas, on the morning of March 18, 1836, General Houston sprung a surprise attack on Santa Anna's army where the general was forced to surrender.

Susanna Wilkinson Dickinson was the wife of Captain Almeron Dickinson. The Captain was killed at the siege of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Susanna married Joseph Hannig in 1847 and resided in Austin, Texas, until her death in 1883. She is buried in the Texas State Cemetery.