On June 1st, the Joshua D. Brown Chapter of The Daughters of the Republic of Texas and family members of the Fitzsimmons family held a posthumous Medallion Dedication Ceremony honoring Fannie Lee Johnston Fitzsimmons at the Lytle Community Cemetery.
The ceremony was facilitated by DRT member and CRT Sponsor Judy Fitzsimmons Patrick, who gave a brief biography of her mother.
The pledge to the American and Texas flags were led by Judy’s great nephew Marley and granddaughter Olivia, after which time the medallion was dedicated.
Lee, as she was known, was born in Palestine, Texas, in 1928, the eighth of nine children.
She married Burton “Fitz” Fitzsimmons in San Antonio in 1948, and they were parents of four children. They lived in San Antonio and then Lytle, where they were active in Bellaire Baptist Church in San Antonio and Trinity Baptist Church in Lytle, and in their communities.
She was very proud of her Texas heritage, passing down a love of family and an interest in Texas History and genealogy.
Her maternal ancestors, Asa and Jerusha Yeamans and their family, arrived from New York to Matagorda, Republic of Texas, in January 1829, followed in 1830 by Thomas and Hannah Cayce and their family from Tennessee in 1830.
Between these two families, there were 15 direct ancestors in the Republic of Texas by February 19, 1846, when Texas became a state. Members of these families proudly participated in the battles and challenges for the freedom of Texas.
In her honor, Lee’s three daughters and granddaughter are members of DRT and 7 great grandchildren are members of The Children of the Republic of Texas (CRT).
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas is the oldest women’s patriotic organization in Texas, dating to 1891.
The mission statement of the DRT is to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved and maintained the independence of Texas, and to assist any woman in tracing her ancestry back to the days of the Republic.
For more information, contact Chapter President Jan Engler at [email protected] or Chapter Registrar Judy McVay at [email protected].
Betsy Drapela is the Publicity Chair for DRT’s Joshua D. Borwn Chapter.
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