Petra Vela de Vidal Kenedy

Petra Vela de Vidal Kenedy (31 January 1823 – 16 March 1885) was a Mexican rancher, philanthropist, and matriarch of one of the most influential families in South Texas during the nineteenth century.

[2] Petra's first marriage was to Luis Vidal, a Greek colonel in the Mexican Army, in December 1840.

This added to the wealth she had inherited from her father’s estate in 1846, making Petra a very wealthy woman for this time.

Following her first husband's death, Petra moved with her children to Brownsville, Texas, where she married Mifflin Kenedy, a Quaker rancher, on April 16, 1852.

The Kenedys became one of the wealthiest families in South Texas, dealing primarily in cattle, horses, sheep, and land.

[2] Kenedy was able to use her connections to persuade raiders not to raid her ranch and she used her wealth to fund a small army of mercenaries to protect her interest.