About the Byrnes Family

Members of the Byrnes family work tirelessly to honor and maintain the memory of Chief Solomon Iron Nation. These Iron Nation descendants spent over 21 years restoring the Chief Iron Nation gravesite at the Messiah Episcopal Cemetery and facilitating Iron Nation’s 2006 Induction into the South Dakota Hall of Fame. In 2014 they also spearheaded Iron Nation’s gravesite placement into the South Dakota Historic Register and into the United States Department of Interior Park Service National Register of Historic Places. They are dedicated to the maintenance of the Chief Iron Nation historic gravesite.

This website is funded by the Byrnes family, who supplied many of the photos shown here. For more information about Chief Iron Nation, you can contact the owners of this website at Descendants@ChiefIronNation.com.

For More Information
South Dakota State Historical Society
http://history.sd.gov/

South Dakota Hall of Fame
www.SDHallofFame.com

National Register of Historic Places
reference NR#14000032
www.NationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.com

Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
www.LowerBruleSiouxTribe.com

Stephen L. Byrnes, Direct descendent of Chief Iron Nation and enrolled member of Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
Descendants@ChiefIronNation.com

Byrnes Family Genealogy

Chief Solomon Iron Nation
Only son of Iron Nation.
1818 – 1894
Maggie Iron Nation
Daughter of Solomon Iron Nation.
1858 – 1893
James Pachuta Byrnes
Only son of Maggie and Dr. Carl Byrnes; he was raised by Iron Nation. He lived his entire life on the Lower Brule Reservation and was a member of the Lower Brule Tribal Council.
1876 – 1946
Phillip Seymore Byrnes
One of 8 children of James Pachuta Byrnes and Jennie Standing Cloud, daughter of another Lakota Sioux Chief. Phillip was the 5th child born and first child to survive beyond infancy. He was born and raised on the Lower Brule Reservation. He fluently spoke the Lakota Sioux dialect used at Lower Brule.
1905 – 1991
Children of Phillip Seymore and Irene Dill Byrnes (1905 – 1985).
All enrolled members of the Lower Brule Tribe and direct descendents of Chief Solomon Iron Nation.
  Phyllis Lorena1928 – 2022
  Elizabeth Jane1931 – 1996
  William James1934 – 2013
  Phillip Marshall (Jerry)1935 – 2005
  Stephen Lee1941 –
Byrnes family
Byrnes Family (left to right): William, Phyllis, Rev. Webster Two Hawk, Jerry, and Stephen
Byrnes Family 1920

Byrnes family at their Lower Brule Reservation home in approximately 1920: (left to right) Jimmy, Philip Seymore, Lorena, Alice, Mother Jennie Standing Cloud, and Father James Pachuta Byrnes.