From Kings and Conquerors to Canary Islanders and Patriots: Stewart Lawrence Skloss Inducted into SAR

From Kings and Conquerors to Canary Islanders and Patriots: Stewart Lawrence Skloss Inducted into SAR (Sons of the American Revolution).

FREDERICKSBURG, TX, UNITED STATES, November 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Stewart Lawrence Skloss, Managing Director of Global Brokerage at Newmark and a twelfth-generation Texan whose family roots in the region date back to Spanish Texas, has been formally inducted into the Texas Society, Hill Country Chapter of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), the premier male lineage organization dedicated to honoring patriots of the American Revolution and promoting American history, education, and civic responsibility. The official induction ceremony will follow this coming January in Kerrville, Texas close to Mr. Skloss’s home in the Texas Hill Country.

Membership in the SAR requires documented, lineal descent from at least one patriot who supported the cause of American independence through military service or recognized civil or material support. In Skloss’s case, a deeply researched Ancestry-based family tree and supporting DAR/SAR source citations document dozens of men and women whose lives intersected directly with the American Revolution, from Spanish-Texan suppliers to Continental-era patriots in Maryland, the Carolinas, Georgia, and beyond.

“This induction is not about me; it is about the people who came before me who risked everything for faith, family, and freedom,” Skloss said. “I am humbled that my family’s story—from the Canary Islanders who helped build San Antonio, to Revolutionary War patriots in multiple colonies—is now formally recognized within the SAR. My responsibility is to honor that legacy with how I live, how I raise my daughters, and how I serve my community.”
A legacy that begins with the Canary Islanders

On his father’s side, Skloss descends from the original Canary Island families who founded the civil government of San Antonio in 1731. These “Isleños” left the Canary Islands under orders from the Spanish Crown, traveled via Havana and Veracruz, then completed a difficult overland journey to what was then San Antonio de Béxar. They formed the nucleus of the Villa de San Fernando, the first regularly organized civil government in Texas, and helped establish what became San Fernando de Béxar and modern San Antonio.

Among Skloss’s documented ancestors are Juan Curbelo and his wife, Gracia Umpierres, his 9th Great Grandparents, who were part of the original Canary Islander group and whose descendants played prominent civic roles in the founding of what is now San Antonio. Working with professional genealogists and Ancestry.com, Skloss also traced his line to John W. Smith, a Curbelo descendant who served as mayor of San Antonio during the Republic of Texas and after statehood, and was the last man to leave the Alamo alive as he rode to bring reinforcements. In 2022, the San Antonio Express-News highlighted these connections in a feature on the Skloss family as Canary Islander descendants at historic San Fernando Cathedral, which also noted the baptism of Skloss’s younger daughter, Mae, at the cathedral in celebration and recognition of the family’s deep roots there.

Generations later, the family’s Hill Country story continued. A separate branch of Skloss’s ancestry includes Heinrich “Henry” Ochs, who immigrated from Germany in 1851, became one of Fredericksburg’s first teachers, and later founded the Buckhorn Saloon, a community gathering place that helped establish Fredericksburg’s reputation for hospitality and handcrafted spirits that now houses the corporate headquarters for Security State Bank and Trust.

From Spanish Texas to the American Revolution-

The story of Skloss’s family is intertwined with a broader, often overlooked chapter in American history. During the era of the American Revolution, Spanish Texas and Louisiana—including Tejano ranchers and Canary Islander descendants—became a vital yet under-recognized support base for the fight for independence.

Spanish governor Bernardo de Gálvez organized and led campaigns against British positions along the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River, capturing key strongholds such as Baton Rouge, Natchez, Mobile, and Pensacola. His forces, supported by Spanish colonial resources, helped secure the southern flank of the Revolution and safeguarded vital supply lines for the Continental cause. The U.S. Congress later honored Gálvez with honorary United States citizenship in recognition of his contributions.

At the same time, settlers and ranchers in Spanish Texas, including Canary Islander and Tejano families, participated in large-scale cattle drives that delivered thousands of head of cattle and other supplies to Spanish troops allied with the American patriots. These drives provided badly needed beef, horses, leather goods, and other materials that sustained the war effort in the Gulf region.

Within that history, Skloss’s ancestor José Antonio Rafael Curbelo appears in family records and published scholarship as having provided supplies to Gálvez’s forces during the American Revolution, exemplifying the “Texas connection” to American independence.

Documented Revolutionary-era ancestors in the Stewart Skloss family tree

The Ancestry.com file for the Skloss family, which underpins Skloss’s SAR application, contains extensive citations to DAR “Lineage Book of the Charter Members,” SAR membership records, and American-Revolution references. These sources collectively identify more than twenty Revolutionary-era ancestors whose lives intersect the struggle for independence. Among them:
• José Antonio Rafael Curbelo – Spanish-Texan rancher in San Antonio de Béxar who, according to family notes and the work of historian Thonhoff, “provided supplies to Gálvez during the American Revolution.”
• Lines documented through DAR “Lineage Book” volumes – including ancestors such as Samuel Beall, Thaddeus Beall, Elizabeth Daniel, and Rachel Andrews, each appearing in lineage entries that trace back to recognized Revolutionary War patriot lines in Maryland, Virginia, and Georgia.
• Weaver, Moses, and Haywood lines – names such as Benjamin Lee Weaver, Meyer Moses Sr. and Jr., and Judge John Haywood appear in records cross-referenced with DAR/SAR sources, reflecting families whose men served, financed, or otherwise aided the patriot cause in the late 18th century.
• Other Revolutionary-era figures such as Marks Lazarus, Samuel Grey, and John Nelson Spotswood Jones are likewise flagged in family notes and source citations tied to the American Revolution and early American patriot organizations.

Many of these ancestors appear as soldiers in colonial military rolls; others are identified in DAR and SAR-linked references as “patriots” or heads of households whose support qualified their descendants for membership. Together they represent a network of Revolutionary-era service that runs from Texas and Louisiana to the eastern seaboard.

“My SAR record may rest on one specific patriot line, but our tree is filled with people who either fought, financed, or fed the Revolution,” Skloss said. “Seeing those names in DAR and SAR references makes it clear: my daughters and I are the current chapter of a story that began long before 1776.”

Royal roots: William the Conqueror and beyond

Beyond his American and Spanish-Texan roots, Skloss’s genealogy reaches deep into European royal houses. The family tree confirms that:
• William the Conqueror (1028–1087), Duke of Normandy and first Norman King of England, is his 30th great-grandfather.
• Matilda of Flanders, William’s queen, is his 30th great-grandmother.
• Henry II Plantagenet, Henry III, and Edward I “Longshanks” of England appear as successive great-grandfathers (approximately 25th, 23rd, and 22nd, respectively).
• Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, son of Edward III, anchors the Plantagenet line into later English and Irish nobility that also appears in the tree.
• Early European nobles such as Arnulf I and Arnulf II, Counts of Flanders, and Isabella of Aragon, Queen of France, add further depth to a lineage that stretches across Normandy, Flanders, England, France, and Iberia.

“It’s humbling to see William the Conqueror listed as my 30th great-grandfather,” Skloss said with a smile. “But what matters to me most isn’t the crown on his head; it’s the pattern of leadership, century after century, that now shows up in Texas schoolteachers, ranchers, saloon keepers, and, somehow, a commercial real estate broker in the Hill Country.”

Patriotism, education, and the next generation-

Founded in 1889 and chartered by the United States Congress in 1906, the Sons of the American Revolution is a non-profit, non-political organization that now includes approximately 38,000 members in over 575 chapters across the United States and abroad. The SAR promotes patriotism, preserves American history, and supports educational programs that help young people understand the founding principles of the United States. Its mission is explicitly patriotic, historical, and educational, honoring Revolutionary War ancestors by encouraging civic responsibility and a deeper understanding of the nation’s origins.

As a member of the Texas Society’s Hill Country Chapter, Skloss joins a community of veterans, educators, historians, and civic leaders who conduct public ceremonies, present JROTC and Eagle Scout awards, sponsor essay and oration contests, and partner with schools and historical sites to keep Revolutionary-era history alive.

Skloss, a single father of two young daughters, Ella and Mae, plans to use his SAR membership as a platform to involve his children and future generations in learning about their family’s role in American and Texas history, including potential participation in youth programs such as the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution, the nation’s oldest patriotic youth organization.

“Patriotism is not just flags and fireworks,” Skloss said. “It is knowing where you come from, understanding the sacrifices that were made so you can live in freedom, and then choosing, every day, to do the right thing for your family, your community, and your country. The SAR gives me a formal way to honor that, and it gives my daughters a tangible connection to their ancestors.”

About Stewart Lawrence Skloss

Stewart Lawrence Skloss is a proud father, man of faith, and lifelong Texan whose life has been shaped by perseverance, humility, and gratitude. A twelfth-generation Texan and Managing Director of Global Brokerage at Newmark, Stewart represents the next generation of relationship-driven real estate professionals—those who see business not simply as transactions, while attending the University of Texas at Austin, Stewart began his real estate journey in 1983. Over the subsequent decades, he has built a mosaic of relationships and commercial real estate projects spanning Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. His international experience and global network now position him to serve as a trusted single-source advisor for Sovereign Wealth Funds, Family Offices, Institutional Investors, Fortune 1000, and Global 2000 companies seeking comprehensive, strategic representation for their domestic and international real estate needs.

In his role at Newmark, Stewart is passionate about connecting the world’s most distinguished clients with the firm’s full spectrum of talent and resources—from brokerage and capital markets to valuation, development, and advisory. His focus is to ensure that every client, no matter the scale or geography, receives the personal attention, integrity, and strategic precision that Newmark’s platform makes possible.

“Clients today need more than a broker,” Stewart often says. “They need a trusted partner who understands their world, anticipates their needs, and can navigate every market with confidence and discretion. My goal is to be that person—someone they can call day or night, anywhere in the world, and know they’re in good hands.”

Beyond his professional life, Stewart’s heart is anchored in faith, family, and gratitude. He has experienced both great triumphs and difficult valleys, and credits his resilience to God’s grace and family support. “I’ve been to the top of the mountain and to the bottom of the valley, more than once,” he says. “Faith in God and love for my family are what carried me through.”

A devoted father to his daughters, Ella and Mae, and grateful partner to Kim, who he lovingly refers to as “his better half”, Stewart finds joy and peace in the simple moments that matter most. “With my daughters and Kim by my side,” he says, “I wake up every morning, and go to bed every night, with a smile on my face and in my heart.”

Through faith, purpose, and service, Stewart continues to build a life defined not only by global success but by integrity, compassion, and love—values he strives to share with everyone whose path he crosses.

About the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution-

The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) is a patriotic, historical, and educational organization whose members are lineal descendants of patriots who supported the cause of American independence during the Revolutionary War. Organized in 1889 and chartered by Congress in 1906, the SAR works to honor Revolutionary War ancestors by promoting patriotism, serving communities, and educating and inspiring future generations about the founding principles of the United States.

The Society maintains a national headquarters, genealogical research library, and education center and museum in Louisville, Kentucky, and supports hundreds of local chapters throughout the United States and abroad.

About Veritas Heritage Group-

Veritas Heritage Group is a communications and media firm focused on telling the stories of leaders, families, and institutions whose work is rooted in integrity, legacy, and service. The firm supports heritage based narratives, philanthropy related initiatives, and reputation development for individuals and organizations whose values emphasize truth, responsibility, and long-term impact.

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