Ron's Poem

Samuel B. F. Kuykendall
1833-1913
Union Cavalry 1863-1865

In the 19th century cotton
produced by Southern slaves
was America's largest export.
Our great-grandfather Sam
was the son of a slave trader.
Sam grew up hating slavery.
When the Civil War started
he left home to join the
Union First Texas Cavalry
whose mission was to divide
the South at the Mississippi,
thus preventing supplies from
Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.
After the war Sam returned
home but was unwelcome.
He married his sweetheart
Anna and they moved to Mexico
where Anna died of influenza.
With two small children Sam
moved to Johnson City Texas.
He bought a farm next to
Texas State Representative
Sam E. Johnson Jr., father of
President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Though of differing ages and
ideas, he and Sam Johnson often
discussed the Civil War, government,
and the plight of the American Negro.
Influence from these discussions
between Sam Johnson and
Sam Kuykendall may have
influenced the future
President LBJ who signed
the 1964 Civil Rights Act
and the war on poverty.

Ronald Kuykendall