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
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 Lorena | 1928 – 2022 |
Elizabeth Jane | 1931 – 1996 |
William James | 1934 – 2013 |
Phillip Marshall (Jerry) | 1935 – 2005 |
Stephen Lee | 1941 – |

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.