The scheme for the distribution of land to his colonists which Stephen F. Austin laid before the governor of Texas in 1821 provided that each head of a family should receive 640 acres for himself, and an additional but smaller grant for his wife, children, and slaves. This arrangement was superseded by the colonization law passed by the Junta of Iturbide and confirmed, by special decree applicable to Austin's contract only, by the republican government which came into power upon the Emperor's deposition. By this law each family received not less than one labor (about 177 acres) or one sitio (about 4428 acres) of land, according as the occupation of the head was farming or stock-raising. The lands were distributed by a commissioner, appointed by the governor of Texas, who issued titles to the settlers designated by Austin. The law gave Austin and the commissioner jointly the power to increase without limit the quantity of land assigned to persons who were especially deserving. Under this provision, James Cummins, John P. Coles, and William Rabb received large tracts for erecting mills. Jared E. Groce was given ten sitios ``on account of the property he has brought with him,'' which consisted chiefly in a large number of slaves; and many families who came to Texas in 1821 and 1822, and endured the hardships of those winters, reaped the reward of their patience in increased grants.
The three hundred families were all, or nearly all, in Texas before the close of the summer of 1824. The work of issuing titles was begun by the commissioner, Baron de Bastrop, in July of that year; before August 24, when he was called away, he had issued two hundred and seventy-two. The work remained unfinished till 1827, when Gasper Flores was appointed commissioner and gave deeds to the remaining families.
There was no provision in the law for granting land to men without families. These were joined in groups of two and three, and each group constituted a legal family, which explains the numerous partnerships in the list given below.
The lands chosen by the settlers were the rich bottoms of the Brazos, the Colorado, and the Bernard, each sitio having a frontage on the river equal, in theory at least, to about one-fourth of its length; the east bank of the Brazos was wholly occupied from the Gulf as far up as the present county of Brazos. The greater part of the labors were laid off in three groups, one just above San Felipe de Austin, another a short distance below, and the third across the river immediately opposite the town.
There were three hundred and seven titles issued; nine families received two titles each, which leaves, not including Stephen F. Austin, two hundred and ninety-seven as the actual number of families introduced under this contract. The law required that all lands should be occupied and improved within two years after receipt of deed. It is a sufficient commentary on the sturdy character of these early settlers that but seven of the grants were forfeited.
The original titles are now in the archives of the General Land Office at Austin, Texas, bound in volumes of convenient size. They were also copied, as they were issued, by Samuel M. Williams, in the Register of Land Titles, etc., and these copies, by special decree of the government, were declared of equal validity with the originals. They have since been translated. My references are to the translated Register and to the original titles. The form and spelling of all the names except thirty-one are taken from the autographs of the settlers affixed to their applications, which appear in the deeds. In many instances the spelling of the names has been altered by Samuel M. Williams or his clerk. The title, for instance, which clearly bears the autograph of Pleasant D. McNeel, is issued to Pleasant D. McNeil. Most of the signatures are plainly written.
Only four of those whose autographs are given in the titles were unable to write.
How to cite:
Bugbee, Lester G., "THE OLD THREE HUNDRED. A LIST OF SETTLERS IN AUSTIN'S FIRST COLONY ", Volume 001, Number 2, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, Page 108 - 117. http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v001/n2/article_7.html
[Accessed Mon Dec 1 19:22:54 CST 2008]
