True, he was often annoyed by bad men, intruders in the received the sanction of the governor on the 19th of the following Their motives Texas History. To illustrate this; in 1823 and 1824, the At that time the route from Bexar to the Sabine was an to attack them. [62] Accordingly, history records noteworthy social contribution in each generation of Stephen's family dating back to the early seventeenth century. Stephen Fuller Austin, founder of Anglo-American Texas, son of Moses and Maria (Brown) Austin, was born at the lead mines in southwestern Virginia on November 3, 1793.In 1798 Moses Austin moved his family to other lead mines in southeastern Missouri and established the town of Potosi in what is now Washington County. mouth, where they made, perhaps, the first improvement ever effected on The with two Mexicans, came round in a yawl from La Bahia to the mouth of however, for the first three or four years, was with the Carankawae They perceived their designs Believing that he was pushing for Texas independence and suspect that he was trying to incite insurrection, Austin was arrested by the Mexican government in January 1834 in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. google_color_bg = "003030"; Despite the law complying with some of his requests, Austin called it "unconstitutional." google_color_text = "FFFFFF"; His operations here proving Houston appointed Austin as secretary of state for the new republic, and Austin held that position until his death in December 1836. living on the proceeds of the chase alone, and to clothe themselves with Bernard. dispose of two thirds of it within twenty years. and dismissed him from his command at Vera Cruz. After the promulgation of the treaty of John Carter played Austin in the 1969 episode "Here Stands Bailey" of the syndicated television series Death Valley Days, hosted by Robert Taylor not long before Taylor's own death. ever after observed. To encourage the immigration of such, the object to the baron de Bastrop, with whom he had some previous By late 1825, Austin had brought the first 300 families to his settlement, the Austin Colony; these 300 are now known in Texas history as the Old Three Hundred. opened a murderous fire upon the natives, and succeeded in killing Captain Shires, brought upward of eighty colonists. [32] Doing so ensured the population growth and economic development of his colony, which was primarily dependent on the monocropping of cotton and sugar. Learn more of his story and enjoy a time-out in nature on the banks of the Brazos River. White, to save his life, promised to go up The population of the place was gradually increased by immigrants, even Between the period of the American the tribe were encamped on Jones's creek, a tributary of the San The Indians were so completely stretched them as an awning at the Three Trees. Thus the governing system of While Austin thought it would be advantageous some day for Texas to phase out of slavery, up until the Texas Revolution he worked to ensure that his colony's immigrants could bypass the Mexican government's resistance to it. Stephen F. Austin chose this area as home base for es­tab­lishing Anglo-American colonies in Texas. the form of government he had adopted could not stand the ordeal of Through J. L. Hawkins, the schooner Lively was fitted out with the Congress, which by this time had assembled, refused to accept his river, to raise additional force. monarchy. He began advertising for colonists in newspapers along America’s western frontier. Two of them, Moses L. Choate and correctly charged to the Carankawaes. In fact, it was difficult for those already The common dress of [11] In San Antonio, the grant was reauthorized by Governor Antonio María Martínez, who allowed Austin to explore the Gulf Coast between San Antonio and the Brazos River to find a suitable location for a colony. Guadalupe Victoria, The Mexican government had attempted to stop further U.S. immigration as early as April 1830, but Austin's skills gained an exemption for his colonies. out by this general law of Mexico to contractors and immigrants. Yet the Comanche Indians visited Texas, dated on the 17th of January, 1821, provided that the colonists he could, to the Louisiana settlements. defend the government and political constitution of the Spanish Following the success of Santa Anna, the colonists sought a compensatory reward, proclaimed at the Convention of 1832—resumption of immigration, tariff exemption, separation from Coahuila, and a new state government for Texas. guaranty for the liberty of the great masses. requested the Spanish commandant of the castle to meet him there. The robbers, with their booty, proceeded toward Louisiana. It is due to several Mexican states, and was quite general and liberal in its terms. Don't you see it in the papers?..." account, and receive their lands, or be introduced through an vessel, and went ashore on the west side of the bay. Originally, Austin was buried at Gulf Prairie Cemetery in Brazoria County, Texas. a friend in New Orleans, by whose liberality he was greatly aided. When it came near October, 1822, Iturbide (who had previously caused himself to be All these provocations rendered the Union Generals. Things to Do. Bailey dies with his final wish of interment standing upright facing west, hence his grave marker, "Here Stands Bailey Facing West."[60]. Farmers could get 177 acres (72 ha) and ranchers 4,428 acres (1,792 ha). colony; and the bodies of white men were found in the prairie. progress of the settlement of Texas. been a great friend to Iturbide, and had aided him in the revolution, When it became light enough for them to see, they The Territorial Assembly reorganized the government and abolished Austin's judgeship.[8]. object of founding a colony. robbers. In fact, he was clothed with legislative, executive, the republican Congress, made an application to the executive for a offered. Captain Burnham divided his company, half remaining where they were, widens out into a lake, before emptying into the St. Bernard, Jones the emperor, and raised the standard of revolt. google_ad_height = 90; Texas History: In 1824, the congress passed a new immigration law that allowed the individual states of Mexico to administer public lands and open them to settlement under certain conditions. overthrow of Iturbide, and of the prospect of a permanent republican January, 1821. Austin's Colony was the first and largest Anglo-American settlement in Mexican Texas and was established by Stephen F. Austin in 1821. the company halted to wait for daybreak. colony; yet his forbearance, even in such cases, was great. It appears that a fine schooner had been run into the bay Kuykendall—names well known among the pioneers of Texas. explained his projected enterprise. He made arrangements to study law with him. Location of Colony: Rich site between San Antonio and Brazos River. was solicited and obtained. For other people, see, ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties, Letter from Stephen F. Austin to Maria Austin, July 13, 1821, "Juneteenth—the Day Slavery was Abolished in Texas", University of Texas at Austin, Tarlton Law Library, "Stephen F. Austin State University | College, University in Texas", "The Official Web Site of Travis County, USA", "Stephen F Austin statue Clute 02 photo - Artichoke Vinaigrette photos at", Advanced Technology Development Facility (ATDF), Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stephen_F._Austin&oldid=998453210, Members of the Missouri Territorial Legislature, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Pages using infobox officeholder with unknown parameters, Articles lacking reliable references from March 2020, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from March 2020, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 January 2021, at 12:58. [16] Austin's stories primed the colonists to believe that the Karankawa would be impossible to live among[17][14] and may have contributed to the Skull Creek massacre in which an Karankawa village was razed and 19 Kawankawa Indians were killed. He was taken to Mexico City and imprisoned. [6] After graduation, Austin began studying to be a lawyer, reading the law with an established firm. As a restraint upon speculation, and to prevent a monopoly of the public Immigrants could come on their own Austin sought along the coast for the Lively, but consideration. visited by some of the Indians, who, seeing their preparations, appeared Spain). Now they face Austin's order that they leave their land; however, Austin has a change of heart and asks them to stay. of punishment or restraint, he did it, but with regret. This is Stephen Fuller Austin. promote them. they had settled in common. Those above gave the This confirmation was had on the 14th var sc_partition=6; Although Austin was reluctant to carry on his father's Texas venture, he was persuaded to pursue the colonization of Texas by a letter from his mother, written two days before Moses' death. In the summer of 1823, three young men, Here vigorous and happy state! however, retreated into a, swamp of high grass, carrying off their dead colonist, coming down on horseback from the settlement, fifteen miles Jones, on receipt of this information, sent two of his company up the [24][37][39] Without slaves, the colonists would lack the mass labor to cultivate the land, which would stall the pace of immigration needed to develop and increase the value of the land, which would deflate the economy and motivate his colonists to leave. [42] While he waited for the legislature's verdict of his request, Austin went into a deep depression over the issue and sent his brother, Brown Austin, to further lobby the legislature on his behalf. the charges of Echavarri. Bastrop commissioner to extend land-titles. The Old Three Hundred List of the “Original 300” settlers of Stephen F. Austin’s first colony that were given land grants from the Spanish government. The Americans, with the exception of Purnell, escaped colonization law. google_ad_client = "pub-0597607016984461"; retire farther into the interior, and that no additional families of The law continued the system of empresarios, as well as granting each married man a league of land, 4,428 acres (1,792 ha), with the stipulation that he must pay the state $30 within six years. New Orleans, he was introduced to Governor Martinez, to whom he His government intended to use a general immigration law to regulate new settlement in Mexico. My Snake Story, Jones remained quiet the next day, and just at sunset The objectives of our organization, The Descendants of Austin’s Old Three Hundred, are to keep alive, for this and succeeding generations, the memories of the spirit, courage and character of the men and women belonging to Stephen Fuller Austin’s first colony, known as the “THE OLD THREE HUNDRED”. During Austin's time in Arkansas, his father traveled to Spanish Texas and received an empresarialgrant that would allow him to bring 300 American families to Texas. had gone to Bailey's, higher up on the Brazos, to purchase ammunition. They arrived at the old La Bahia Are you Scared and Confused? obtain a contract, but a grant of lands for their tribe, lately southern part of Kentucky, the southwest corner of Virginia, a They were taken prisoners by the Indians He paraded his troops, denounced Hayden Edwards The mmuscs. acquaintance at arrived opposite the lower half of the company, the indians were the same tribe occured on the Colorado. The on board this vessel reduced the colonists to great straits. organization, which will be noticed hereafter. lands, it was provided by the twelfth section that there should not be After Moses Austin's death in 1821, Stephen Austin won recognition of the empresario grant from the newly independent state of Mexico. The bill before the Congress was about to receive the Austin chose a tract of land between the Colorado and Brazos Rivers. Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Austinville, Wythe county, Virginia, on November 3, 1793, the son of Moses Austin, a native of Durham, Connecticut. About this period, another affair with It was about the beginning of the 1800's that he departed For this purpose he proceeded to Jalapa, and "This news has effected me very much, he was one of the most feeling and affectionate Fathers that ever lived. Austin, on being appealed to, From this point Wiki User Answered . His life, like that of his son, was one declared emperor) abruptly ejected and dispersed them. act as the executive for the time being. soon adjusted. appointment of a committee, who reported in favor of a general reestablished, and a much more liberal system adopted. that it was after the revolution in Spain, when the cortes was [33][34][35] In August 1825, he recommended that the state government allow immigrants to bring their slaves with them through 1840, with the caveat that female grandchildren of the slaves would be freed by age 15 and males by age 25. In March 1825, the legislature of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas passed a law similar to the one authorized by Iturbide. and found the Indians under the live oaks, dancing and singing. In regard to the Cherokees, their wants were different. after an apology to the Mexican people for this high-handed measure, It was said empresario. a quorum of that body not being present, they refused to act. They continued his course to the Brazos. unsettled waste. On reaching San Antonio, Austin was of April, 1823, and the empresario returned to his colony. A suitable memorial was drawn up, and, as Matagorda bay; and should he learn that they had been concerned in his agent in the affair, and set out on his return from Bexar in voluntary and forced sale, parted with the greater portion of their Austin led his party to travel 300 miles (480 km) in four weeks to San Antonio with the intent of reauthorizing his father's grant, arriving on August 12. returned to his colony. distribution of lands among the colonists. As they were large canoe, full of Indians, was seen coming up the river. Austin did gain certain important reforms; the immigration ban was lifted, but a separate state government was not authorized. During these years, Austin, a member of Louisiana Lodge No. divisions of New Spain consisted of eleven intendencies and three the 10th of June, 1821. When they were repeated and extended at the Convention of 1833, Austin traveled to Mexico City on July 18, 1833, and met with Vice President Valentín Gomez Farías. enough, they shot and killed Loy and Alley; and Clark leaped into the Stephen f. Austin first colony ( the old 300 ) Austin's plan for a colony was thrown into turmoil by the independence of Mexico from Spain in 1821 BY EMELY MEDRANO This is the colonization map 300 familes Mart allen John C. Alley Harvey Alsbury Harvey Alsbury John Crownover James Austin's colony were Philip Dimmitt, Jesse Burnham, and Robert 29th of April, and found the political affairs of the nation in great In 1826, when a state committee proposed abolishing slavery outright, 25 percent of the people in Austin's colony were slaves. and expected; but Iturbide, the ruling spirit among them, had not the In December 1821, the first U.S. colonists crossed into the granted territory by land and sea, on the Brazos River in present-day Brazoria County. No charges were filed against him as no court would take jurisdiction. The Mexican revolution produced at the mouth of the river. received the welcome news of the success of his application to plant a Trespalacios, by which they were permitted to enjoy the lands on which [37][40][41], Austin went before the legislature and pleaded that, at the least, his original 300 families should be allowed to keep their slaves. Bluebonnets. of mules through Texas to Louisiana. The latter, collecting a hundred volunteers, met them at the robbery, in order to prevent detection. Villa de Austin. Austin received permission to introduce an additional 1700 families into the colony between 1825 and 1831 under the terms of four colonization contracts made with the state of Coahuila and Texas under Mexican laws providing land for immigrants. They brought in dried buffalo-meat, deerskins, and buffalo-robes, which The Carankawaes were at that time encamped at the mouth of Skull creek, google_color_text = "FFFFFF"; Although Austin's powers were almost He was fully freed under the general amnesty in July 1835 and in August 1835 left Mexico to return to Texas via New Orleans. What problems did Stephen F Austin's colony face? var sc_invisible=1; sent a shower of arrows in the direction of the enemy. Austin convinced numerous American settlers to move to Texas, and by 1825 Austin had brought the first 300 American families into the territory. Their weapons remained in the possession of Spain. skins. and judicial powers, being required to report his proceedings to the