Chapter One--The Austin Empresario Land Grant

I have researching Texas at the time of the Civil War looking for the impact on the Czechs. I thought some of you might be interested in what I am finding. As usual for me, it seems that I have to go back further than I anticipate to fully understand how something evolves. In the case of Czech settlement patterns, there are a considerable number of issues which at first don't seem relevant. It is only when they are overlaid that it becomes clear how these issues affected the Czechs. Today, I start with the Austin Empresario Land Grant which sets the foundation for all else which follows.

 If one wishes to understand the settlement practices of the Czech immigrants who came to Texas in the 1880's, one must learn the settlement patterns of the German immigrants who came to Texas in the 1880's because the first Czechs sought out and settled near the Germans. In turn, if one wishes to understand the settlement patterns of the Germans, one needs to study the settlement patterns of the Anglo-Americans who, generally, settled in Texas, prior to the mass migration of Germans and Czechs. This short study will attempt to present an overview of the settlement patterns in Texas in the early 1880's.

It was the vision of Moses Austin, the father of Stephen F. Austin, which first brought the majority of Anglo-Americans to Texas. This father and son held what was arguably the most significant Empresario land grant. One of the definitions of "Empresario" in the Cassell's Spanish Dictionary is "contractor". In truth the "impresarios” of the Spanish land grant system held much power above that of a contractor. They determined who would allowed to settle the granted land, appoint officials, levy fees and could rule as a despot...if they so chose.

T. R. Fehrenbach, in his book, Lone Star: A History of Texas and Texans presents in-depth information on Moses Austin and his son Stephen F. Austin as well as their Texas colony in the Chapter titled "Empresarios." The following information is based on that work.

 Moses Austin, was a Connecticut-born, successful business man who emigrated to Missouri when it was still a Spanish colony. His interests were in lead mining and banking. He was one of the founders and principal stockholders of the Bank of Saint Luis. It was the depression of 1818 which wiped Moses Austin out financially. At the age of 54, Moses Austin set out to arise out of the financial ashes and to again become moneyed and important. He saw the land held by Spain in Texas as his future. With some great effort, he was able to convince the Spanish government that it was in the interest of their government to have Austin settle part of Texas. Moses Austin was to die before he ever saw his land grant; however, he did die knowing that he had a Royal Commission to settle land in Texas (Fehrenbach 132-136).

It was Stephen F. Austin who carried forward the dream of his father. Stephen F. Austin was able to convince the Spanish that he should be allowed to proceed with the plans of his father. In the early part of f1821, the young Austin was given the opportunity by the Spanish Governor to explore and choose the land for his colony. It was the bottom land of the Colorado and Brazos Rivers to which Austin was most attracted. This was not only an area with sufficient rainfall; rich, river-bottom soil; timber; and, gulf-access, it was beyond the raiding territory of the Comanches. It was the intent of Stephen F. Austin to created, on this gently rolling land, a colony which would be one based on the Southern cotton plantation economy. Young Austin envisioned a genteel and refined colony peopled by a polite gentry on this coastal plain land. No one would be allowed who was a drunkard, an idler, a gambler or a profane swearer (Fehrenbach 137-138).

By the fall of 1823, applicants who wished to settle in Austin's colony were arriving. In order to be allowed to settle, each applicant would have to become a Spanish citizen, swear an oath of loyalty to Spain AND become a Roman Catholic. In return, they would receive free land. It is to this first group of people that the term, "the Old Three Hundred" applies. There were actually on 297 land grants made but Austin had permission for 300. Fehrenbach describes the land and the terms of title as follows:

"In return for this oath each colonist received title to land at terms unheard of in the United States. The rich bottoms along the Brazos, the Colorado, from the vicinity of Brenham, Navasota, and La Grange to the Gulf were parceled out as follows: one 'labor' (177 acres) to each family engaged in farming; one 'sitio' or 'legua' (4,428 acres) to each family head who planned to raise stock. Spanish Mexican law, unlike that of the United States, already recognized the fundamental difference between ranching and farming. For obvious reasons--although this was plantation land and these men were Southern planters--most colonist classified themselves as stock raisers. Less than twenty land titles called for less than a square league. Single ranchers were entitled to one-third a league or about 1,500 acres--and some twenty-six 'family' grants went to bachelors who joined up in twos or threes to create a family and satisfy the letter of the law (Fehrenbach 139-140)."

These colonists were here for economic gain and not many other reasons.

 In about 1822, the land came under the control of Mexico instead of Spain and Austin spent the years 1882 and 1823 in Mexico defending his commission. Austin had a difficult time but was able to convince the officials in the new Mexican government that his colony should be allowed to stay. In the meanwhile, matters were not going well for the colony. Drought ruined the crops and a large number of colonist were killed by the Karankawa Indians. No new colonist were arriving and some of the old were departing. When Austin returned, he formed a militia and the Karankawa were driven from the land of the colony. He also made treaties with the friendly Wichita and Tonkawa tribes.

The colony then began to thrive. Cotton was the backbone of the colony's economy and, in 1825, and the populations --1,347 whites and 443 slaves--evidenced a plantation economy. Ten years after Austin received his land grant, the exports of Texas "were listed by the Mexican government as $500,000. Cotton accounted for "$353,000 of this; furs, hides, and cattle the rest." Fehrenbach indicates that these figures are inflated but representative of the economy as a whole. (Fahrenbach 142 - 143).

Austin's colony was a success. He used his first three hundred patents, requested more and eventually settled more that 1,500 American families there (Fehrenbach 146). Green Dewitt was another Empresario of importance. He arrived in Texas about the same time as Austin and received his contract with the Mexican government in 1825. He would bring 400 families to the area south of Austin's colony along the Guadeloupe, San Marcos, and Lavaca Rivers. Gonzales was established as his headquarters (Fahrenbach - 146).

Bibliography: Fehrenbach, T. R. Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans. NewYork: Collier Books, 1986.

Part Two will continue considers the Anglo-American plantation owners of East Texas and begin to thread in the Germans.

 Susan Rektorik Henley