How many people settled in the Austin Colony?
These grants were administered as one body, so by 1830, Austin had established a colony of about 1,500 families. Once in the colony, the settlers lined up at the land office in the colonial capital of San Felipe de Austin to receive their land.
Where did Austin find land for his colony?
Austin next set out to find land for his colony. He decided on the rich river bottom between the Brazos and Colorado Rivers, south of the El Camino Real. The area of Austin's Colony included land that is now contained in 19 Texas counties.
What was Stephen F Austin's Colony?
Austin's Colony was the first legal settlement of North American families in Mexican-owned Texas. Led by the Empressario, Stephen F. Austin, an initial grant for three hundred families--the "Old 300"--in 1821 opened up Texas to a flood of American immigrants, as many as 30,000 by the time of the Texas Revolution in 1835.
What happened to Austin's Colony?
The Evolution of Austin's Colony The settlement of Austin's colony from 1821 to 1836 has been called the most successful colonization movement in American history. Many of the historical events of Southeast Texas owe their origin to this colony. Fort Bend County was one of the most heavily populated areas of the colony.
Where did Austin find his colony?
How many families did Austin settle?
Why did Austin choose the colonists?
How much money did Austin give Hawkins to help the colonists?
Why did Austin leave San Antonio?
Who was the first person to settle in Texas?
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Austin's Colony Records - Texas General Land Office
Austin's Colony Records are arranged into 4 series: 1. Contract Records and correspondence, 1825-1836 includes one sub-series: a. Correspondence relating to land distribution, 1825-1836 Because the Records are physically part of the Spanish Collection, the contract records and correspondence are mixed in with material from other collections which accounts for the addition of 7 document boxes ...
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The Old 300 and Family Ties – TEXAS HISTORY NOTEBOOK
The Old 300 refers to settlers in Moses Austin and Stephen F. Austin's colony in Texas. Moses Austin petitioned the Spanish government to be allowed to settle in Texas in late 1820 and received his grant in early 1821. Shortly thereafter, Moses Austin died in Missouri and his son Stephen F. Austin elected to replace…
Where did Austin find his colony?
Austin next set out to find land for his colony. He decided on the rich river bottom between the Brazos and Colorado Rivers, south of the El Camino Real. The area of Austin's Colony included land that is now contained in 19 Texas counties.
Where did Austin settle?
Austin was issued an empressario contract to settle three hundred families in Spanish Texas. The Spanish demanded the settlers be, among other things, loyal to the offical government and religion of Spain.
How many acres of land can a married head of family farm?
Married heads of families could receive at least one labor (177 acres) if they farmed, and one league (4,428 acres) if they raised stock. Needless to say, virtually every man--whether doctor, tinsmith, or blacksmith--listed his occupation as farmer and stockraiser to receive the maximum amount of land.
Why did the colonists move to the US?
The promise of inexpensive land was the most prominent reason for emigrating from the United States at this time. Austin advertized in newspapers along the American western frontier, publicizing the abundant land--available for 12 1/2 cents per acre--one tenth the cost of public land in the United States. Colonists moved to the colony particularly from the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Some came overland by horse, wagon, or foot, while many others sailed from New Orleans and Mobile to the Texas port cities of Brazoria and Matagorda. The trip by either means was dangerous.
What crops did the Austin colonists plant?
Virtually all of Austin's Colonists planted crops on their land. "The soil and climate are best adapted to the growth of Cotton, Sugar, Corn, potatoes &c, which grow very luxuriantly.
What did Austin do after gaining his contract?
Soon after gaining this contract, the eleven-year war for Mexican Independence ended successfully, and the new Mexican government affirmed Austin's contract to settle Texas with families from the United States. Austin next set out to find land for his colony.
What was the most successful colonization movement in American history?
The Evolution of Austin's Colony. The settlement of Austin's colony from 1821 to 1836 has been called the most successful colonization movement in American history. Many of the historical events of Southeast Texas owe their origin to this colony. Fort Bend County was one of the most heavily populated areas of the colony.
Who established Austin's colony?
Abstract: Austin&s Colony was the first and largest Anglo-American settlement in Mexican Texas and was established by Stephen F. Austin in 1821. The Records include contracts, land titles, surveyor&s field notes, correspondence, registers, and plats of surveys created as a result of the process by which settlers were admitted to the colony and given title to land.
What was the name of the state that was colonized in 1825?
1825 Colonization Law of the state of Coahuila and Texas (Samuel Bangs imprint, 1828). (Leona Vicario, imprint, 4 pp.)
What was Austin's response to Austin's letter dated 4/4/1825?
In response to Austin&s letter dated 4/4/1825 (see Box 29:2), gives his consent to locate 500 families in the area designated for his contract and advises that the matters pertaining to the port of Galveston and the introduction of slaves must be submitted to the Mexican Congress. (Saltillo, L.S., 3 pp.)
Who were the surveyors for San Felipe de Austin?
Appointing Horatio Chriesman and Seth Ingram surveyors for Austin&s [second] contract and instructing them to adjust their chains and variation of the compass to the standards employed in surveying the town of San Felipe de Austin. (San Felipe de Austin, L.S., 1 p.)
When was the Imperial Colonization Law published?
1823 Imperial Colonization Law, with order that it be publicized. (Saltillo, imprint, 2 pp.)
Who did the map of Texas go to?
Transcribing his communication to the political chief of Texas relative to forwarding his map of Texas to the president of Mexico. Indicates that a copy of the map in English had been sent to Philadelphia for publication but that the version sent to Mexico was more complete and accurate. (San Felipe de Austin, A.L.S., 2 pp.)
Who was the governor of Texas in 1822?
Title: 723. Baron de Bastrop to Ant onio Martínez, Governor of the Province of Texas, 1/28/1822
How many acres did Austin settle on?
Austin persisted and was finally granted permission to settle 300 Anglo families on 200,000 acres of Texas land. Overjoyed, Austin immediately set out for the United States to begin recruiting colonists, but he became ill and died on the long journey back.
How many people did Stephen Austin bring to Texas?
Over the next decade, Stephen Austin and other colonizers brought nearly 25,000 people into Texas, most of them Anglo-Americans. Always more loyal to the United States than to Mexico, the settlers eventually broke from Mexico to form the independent Republic of Texas in 1836.
What happened to Austin in 1820?
Unfortunately, the economic collapse following the War of 1812 destroyed the lead market and left him bankrupt. Determined to rebuild his fortune, Austin decided to draw on his experience with the Spanish and try to establish an American colony in Texas. In 1820, he traveled to San Antonio to request a land grant from the Spanish governor, ...
Where did Austin mine lead?
After hearing reports of rich lead mines in the Spanish-controlled regions to the west, Austin obtained permission in 1798 from the Spanish to mine land in an area that lies in what is now the state of Missouri. Austin quickly built a lead mine, smelter, and town on his property, and his mine turned a steady profit for more than a decade.
Where was Dian Fossey found?
On December 26, 1985, primatologist and conservationist Dr. Dian Fossey is found murdered in her cabin at Karisoke, a research site in the mountains of Rwanda. It is widely believed that she was killed in connection with her lifelong crusade against poaching. An animal lover from ...read more
Where did Austin find his colony?
After canvasing the land between what is now Port Lavaca on the west to the San Jacinto River on the east, he decided on the rich river bottom land in between including the Brazos and Colorado Rivers, south of the El Camino Real extending from the vicinity of present-day Brenham, Navasota, and La Grange to the mouths of these two rivers on the Gulf of Mexico. The 862-mile long Colorado River (Figure 2), entirely contained with the boundaries of present-day Texas, and the 1280-mile long Brazos River (Figure 3) originating in what is now Curry County, New Mexico, had transported fertile soil from their upper stretches and deposited it in successive layers on the land along their lower courses for millennia slowly increasing its fertility. The 1820s Texas map of the El Camino Real, major towns, the great rivers and the area selected for Austin’s Colony is shown in Figure 1.
How many families did Austin settle?
Thus, under the empresario system, Austin successfully settled the first 300 families in his colony. Over the next several years, he obtained three additional contracts and settled 900 more families in the colony, plus an additional 800 in partnership with Samuel Williams.
Why did Austin choose the colonists?
Austin received a great deal of interest when advertising his colony and was able to be selective in his choice of colonists. Austin chose settlers based on whether he believed they would be appropriately industrious. Overall, they belonged to a higher economic scale than most immigrants, and all brought some property with them. One-quarter of the families brought slaves with them. All but four of the men could read and write. This relatively high level of literacy marked his colony as different from most others of the time. According to historian William C. Davis, because they were literate, the colonists “absorbed and spread the knowledge and news always essential to uniting people to a common purpose”.
How much money did Austin give Hawkins to help the colonists?
He purchased and outfitted the Lively. (Note: There is some debate among historians as to whether Lively was the actual name of the ship or rather was the name for a class of schooners known for their speed and agility in outmaneuvering slower, more heavily-armed, British ships.) He also made arrangements with other schooners, paid seamen, purchased provisions, and made numerous personal loans to colonists. Hawkins died bankrupt in the fall of 1823. He had not kept accounts, but from his notes and papers it was estimated that he had spent about $30,000 in sending and outfitting Texas colonists.
Why did Austin leave San Antonio?
After the Lively failed to appear at the mouth of the Colorado River, Austin left for San Antonio to determine whether the new Mexican government would honor his father’s contract with the previous Spanish government. Governor Martinez immediately suggested that Austin go to Mexico City to receive confirmation of the grant. Martinez issued Austin a passport and Austin left San Antonio on March 13, 1822 on his 1,200 mile journey to the Mexican capital. Before leaving, Austin appointed Josiah H. Bell to direct the affairs of the colonization in his absence. It would not be until August 1823, a year and a half later, before Austin returned to the colony. Conflicts within the Mexican congress delayed the passage of a general colonization law, but eventually they agreed to the same terms used previously by the Spanish: 1 “labor” (177 acres) of land for farmers and 1 “sitio” (4,428 acres) of land for stock-raisers. The new law controlled the status and sale of slaves, and required that all settlers give nominal allegiance to the Roman Catholic church. Even after the new law was approved, Austin still waited to get his own grant confirmed. He finally got confirmation and left Mexico City on April 18, 1823 for Texas. Soon after returning to Texas, Austin, aided by the Baron de Bastrop, began issuing titles to the members of the Three Hundred.
Who was the first person to settle in Texas?
The first legal authorization to settle families in Texas was granted to Moses Austin of Missouri when in January 1821 Joaquin de Arredondo, Commandant General of the Eastern Division of the Provincias Internas (internal provinces which included Coahuila, Texas, and several other Spanish provinces), approved his colonization plan. Unfortunately Moses died of pneumonia in Missouri June 10, 1821. On June 8 his wife, Maria, wrote a letter to their son, Stephen F. Austin, informing him of his father’s deteriorating health, and begging him to take up the challenge of establishing the Texas colony. Stephen Austin received the news of his father’s death on July 10, 1821 in Natchitoches, LA while travelling to San Antonio to request permission to assume his father’s role. Austin’s journal shows that he was accompanied by about eight men, including: William Little; Edward Lovelace; Henry Holstein; Dr. Hewiston; and William Smithers (or Smeathers), a hunter. (Note: William Smeathers was a patriot who fought both in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812. He is buried in a grave, now lost, along the banks of the Brazos in Brazoria County near what is now East Columbia. See our Patriots page for his biography.) Upon arrival in San Antonio, Stephen F. Austin met with the Spanish governor Antonio María Martínez who recognized him as the rightful heir to his father’s grant and issued him an empresario contract to settle three hundred families in Spanish Texas. Terms of the Spanish contract required that the colonists be loyal to the official government and religion of Spain and recognized the necessity of having colonists of reputable character.