Conversation so far:
When was the Bowie knife made by the blacksmith James Black?
In 1830, blacksmith James Black made the famous Bowie knife for Jim Bowie who was already famous for knife-fighting from his 1827 sandbar duel.
What was special about the Bowie knife that the blacksmith James Black made?
Jim Bowie's killing of three assassins in Texas and his death at the Battle of the Alamo made him, and blacksmith James Black's knife, legends.
What else was important about the blacksmith James Black's Bowie knife besides Jim Bowie using it to kill three assassins and Jim Bowie dying at the Battle of Alamo making Jim Bowie and the knife legends?
After Jim Bowie's death in 1836, blacksmith James Black did a brisk business selling his knives to pioneers bound for Texas.
What happened next in his life?
In 1839, while blacksmith James Black was in bed from an illness, his father-in-law broke into his house and brutally attacked him with a club.

Question: Did he survive the attack?
Self-contained rewrite: Did blacksmith James Black survive the attack by his father-in-law in 1839?