Old Three Hundred
The Old Three Hundred were the 297 grantees, made up of families and some partnerships of unmarried men, who purchased 307 parcels of land from Stephen Fuller Austin and established a colony that encompassed an area that ran from the Gulf of Mexico on the south, to near present-day Jones Creek in Brazoria County, Brenham in Washington County, Navasota in Grimes County, and La Grange in Fayette County. Moses Austin was the original empresario of the Old Three Hundred and was succeeded by his son, Stephen F. Austin, after his untimely death.
Implementation
Stephen Austin agreed to implement his father's plan, and in the end of the summer of 1821 he and a small group of settlers crossed into Texas. Before he arrived in San Antonio to meet with the governor, they learned that Mexico had earned its independence from Spain, making Texas a Mexican province rather than a Spanish province. Governor Martinez assured him, however, that the new Mexican government would honor the colonization contract.Stephen returned to Louisiana to recruit settlers. He offered land at 12 cents per acre, only 10% of what comparable acreage sold for in the United States. Settlers would pay no customs duties for seven years and would not be subject to taxation for ten years. In return, they would be expected to become Mexican citizens.
In March 1822, Austin learned that the new Mexican government had not ratified his father's land grant with Spain. He was forced to travel to Mexico City, away, to get permission for his colony.
The 1823 Imperial Colonization Law of Mexico allowed an empresario to receive a land grant within the Mexican province of Texas. The empresario and a commissioner appointed by the governor would be authorized to distribute land to settlers and issue them titles in the name of the Mexican government. Only one contract was ultimately approved under this legislation: the first contract granted to Stephen F. Austin.
Establishment
Between 1824 and 1828, Austin granted 297 titles under this contract. Each head of household received a minimum of 177 acres or 4,428 acres depending on whether they intended to farm or raise livestock. The grant could be increased for large families or those wishing to establish a new industry, but the lands would be forfeited if they were not cultivated within two years.The settlers who received their titles under Stephen's first contract were known as the Old Three Hundred, and they made up the first organized, approved influx of Anglo-American immigrants to Texas. The new titles were located in an area where no Spanish or Mexican settlements had existed, covering the land between the Brazos River and the Colorado River from the Gulf Coast to the San Antonio Road.
The capital of this new colony was San Felipe de Austin, now the town of San Felipe in Austin County.
Growth
When Austin began advertising his colony, he received a great deal of interest. He was able to be selective in his choice of colonists, which enabled his colony to be different from most others of the time. 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 had a great impact on the future of the colony. 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".Despite a provision in Mexican law requiring immigrants to be Catholic, most of Austin's settlers were Protestant. Many chafed at being ruled by Catholics. Most held strong feelings about property ownership and their personal liberty.
List
Lester G. Bugbee in his article The Old Three Hundred published in the October 1897 issue of The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, identifies the head of each family who purchased land in Austin's colony. They were:| Head of household | Born | Died | Family as of March 1826 | Notes | Refs | - | |
| Elijah Allcorn | 1771 | 1844 | Wife, five children and two servants. | - | |||
| Martin Allen | 1780 | 1837 | Wife, nine children | - | |||
| Abraham Alley | 1803 | 1862 | Wife, five children | Brother of John, Rawson, Thomas and William Alley | - | ||
| John C. Alley | 1822 | Brother of Abraham, Thomas, Rawson and William Alley. | - | ||||
| Rawson Alley | 1793 | 1833 | Single | Brother of Abraham, John, Thomas and William Alley | - | ||
| Thomas Alley | 1826 | Single | Brother of Abraham, John, Rawson and William Alley | - | |||
| William Alley | 1800 | August 15, 1869 | Single | Brother of Abraham, John, Rawson and Thomas Alley | - | ||
| Charles Alsbury | Single | Brother of Harvey and Horace Alsbury. Died about 1828. | - | ||||
| Harvey Alsbury | Wife | Brother of Charles and Horace Alsbury | - | ||||
| Horace Alsbury | 1805 | June 1847 | Single; later married Juana Navarro | - | |||
| Thomas Alsbury | 1773 | Wife and two daughters | Father of Charles, Harvey and Horace Alsbury. Wife Leah Catlett Alsbury. Daughters Leah Ann and Marion B. Served in the War of 1812. Died August 1826. | - | |||
| Simeon Asa Anderson | Wife, three children, one slave | - | |||||
| John Andrews | February 1838 | Wife, two children, one servant | - | ||||
| William Andrews | 1840 | Wife, five children, two slaves | Daughter married Randal Jones in 1824. | - | |||
| Samuel Angier | August 26, 1792 | In 1829, married fellow colonist Pamelia Pickett | - | ||||
| James E.B. Austin | October 3, 1803 | August 14, 1829 | Helped put down the Fredonian Rebellion. Brother of Stephen F. Austin. | - | |||
| John Austin | March 17, 1801 | August 11, 1833 | - | ||||
| Stephen F. Austin | November 3, 1793 | December 27, 1836 | - | ||||
| James B. Baily | November 13, 1797 | September 30, 1835 | 5 wives and 18 children | - | |||
| Daniel E. Balis | - | ||||||
| William Baratt | - | ||||||
| Thomas Barnet | - | ||||||
| Thomas Hudson Barron | 1796 | 1874 | 2 wives 22 children | - | |||
| Mills M. Battle | - | ||||||
| Benjamin Beason | 1786 | 1837 | wife Elizabeth "Betsy" & children Lydia, Collins, Nepsey, Abel, Edward, Benjamin; one hired hand, seven servants; horses, mules, cattle, and farming utensils | In 1822, Beason began operating a ferry across the Colorado River. Beason also established a gristmill, gin, and a sawmill; his wife operated a boarding house. The settlement became known as Beason's Ferry or Beason's Crossing, later the site of the Texas Army camp under General Sam Houston. Following the Battle of the Alamo, Santa Anna's army headed for San Jacinto, and Sam Houston ordered that Beason's Crossing be burned during the Runaway Scrape. Beason's Crossing was officially renamed Columbus after the population returned In 1837. See Columbus, Texas. | |||
| Charles Belknap | - | ||||||
| Josiah H. Bell | August 22, 1791 | - | - | ||||
| Thomas B. Bell | Wife Prudencio, three children | Donated the land on which Bellville was founded in 1846 | - | ||||
| M. Berry | - | ||||||
| Isaac Best | 1774 | 1837 | Wife Mary Margaret, and some of their nine children. | After spending his early years in Pennsylvania and Kentucky, Best and his wife left Garrard County, Kentucky, and moved to Montgomery County in southern Missouri in 1808. There he built a mill and an outpost known as Best's Fort, which served as a refuge from Indian attacks during the War of 1812. The family and several slaves moved to Texas in 1824. On August 19 of that year Best received title to a sitio east of the Brazos River in what is now Waller County. He increased his landholdings and built a home near the site of present Pattison. The 1826 census described Best as a farmer and stock raiser between forty and fifty years of age. His household consisted of his wife, three sons, two daughters, and four slaves. Best may have lived at San Felipe in 1833, when William B. Travis issued a subpoena for him as a witness in a case against Isaac Clower. Best died near Pattison in 1837. On August 29, 1974, the Texas Historical Commission dedicated a marker to him on Farm Road 1458 1½ miles west of Pattison." | - | ||
| Jacob Betts | - | ||||||
| Francis Biggam | - | ||||||
| William Bloodgood | - | ||||||
| Thomas Boatwright | - | ||||||
| Thomas Borden | - | ||||||
| Caleb R. Bostwick | - | ||||||
| John T. Bowman | - | ||||||
| Edward R. Bradley | - | ||||||
| John Bradley | - | ||||||
| Thomas Bradley | - | ||||||
| Charles Breen | - | ||||||
| Patrick Brias | - | ||||||
| William B. Bridges | 1795 | April 4, 1853 | - | ||||
| David Bright | - | ||||||
| Enoch Brinson | - | ||||||
| Bluford Brooks | - | ||||||
| Robert Brotherington | - | ||||||
| George Brown | - | ||||||
| John Brown | - | ||||||
| William S. Brown | - | ||||||
| Aylett C. Buckner | - | ||||||
| Pumphrey Brunet | - | ||||||
| Jesse Burnam | 1792 | 1883 | - | ||||
| Micajah Byrd | - | ||||||
| Morris A. Callihan | - | ||||||
| Alexander Calvit | 1784 | 1836 | - | ||||
| David Carpenter | - | ||||||
| William C. Carson | - | ||||||
| Samuel Carter | - | ||||||
| Jesse H. Cartwright | - | ||||||
| Thomas Cartwright | - | ||||||
| Sylvenus Castleman | - | ||||||
| Samuel Chance | - | ||||||
| Horatio Chriesman | - | ||||||
| John C. Clark | - | ||||||
| Antony R. Clarke | - | ||||||
| Merit M. Coats | - | ||||||
| John P. Coles | - | ||||||
| James Russell Cook | 1812 | 1843 | Single | - | |||
| John Cooke | - | ||||||
| William Cooper | - | ||||||
| Robert Cooper | 5 children | - | |||||
| John Crownover | 1 son | Married to Elizabeth Chesney, son John Chesney Crownover born 1799 in Pennsylvania | - | ||||
| James Cummings | - | ||||||
| John Cummings | - | ||||||
| Rebecca Cummins | - | ||||||
| William Cummings | - | ||||||
| James Cummins | c. 1773 | 1849 | - | ||||
| James Curtis, Sr. | - | ||||||
| James Curtis, Jr. | - | ||||||
| Hinton Curtis | - | ||||||
| Samuel Davidson | - | ||||||
| Thomas Davis | - | ||||||
| D. Deckrow | - | ||||||
| Charles Demos | - | ||||||
| Peter Demos | - | ||||||
| William B. Dewees | Sep. 8th, 1799 | Apr. 14th, 1878 | - | - | |||
| John Dickinson | - | ||||||
| Nicholas Dillard | - | ||||||
| Thomas Marshall Duke | 1785 | 24 May 1867 | Married 3 times. 3rd wife, Jane Mason Wilkins McCormick Duke. 6 children; Mary Francis, Charlotte Jane, Thomoas Marshall, Jr., John Marshall, Stephen Austin, Alice Imogin | Died, Hynes Bay, Refugio County, Texas during the yellow fever epidemic of 1867-Certified by Witnesses: Wm. Andrews, G. Seelingson, F. Hunt. Source: Daily Ranchero, September 1, 1867. | - | ||
| George Duty | - | ||||||
| Joseph Duty | March 6, 1801 | September 11, 1855 | - | ||||
| Clement C. Dyer | - | ||||||
| Thomas Earle | - | ||||||
| G.E. Edwards | - | ||||||
| John Elam | - | ||||||
| Robert Elder | - | ||||||
| Charles Falenash | - | ||||||
| David Fenton | - | ||||||
| James Fisher | - | ||||||
| David Fitzgerald | 1832 | Widowed with one son and daughter. | The plot of land now sits in modern Fort Bend County. Fitzgerald died in 1832 and willed the land to his daughter Sarah. She would later sell the entire property to Johnathan Dawson Waters. | - | |||
| Isaiah Flanakin | - | ||||||
| Elisha Flowers | - | ||||||
| Isaac Foster | - | ||||||
| John Foster | 1837 | 2 sons | - | ||||
| Randolph Foster | - | ||||||
| James Frazier | - | ||||||
| Churchill Fulshear | - | ||||||
| Charles Garret | - | ||||||
| Samuel Gates | - | ||||||
| William Gates | - | ||||||
| Freeman George | 1780 | 1834 | Wife, 8 sons | Freeman George received 1 sitios land between San Bernard and Bay Prairie and 1 labor of land located Brazos East side opposite San Felipe. According to the Handbook of Texas Online, he was given a league and a labor of land which is known as Matagorda and Waller counties on July 7, 1824. Also one of the original patentees in the vicinity of Old Ocean, Texas, in southwestern Brazoria Co. | - | ||
| Preston Gilbert | - | ||||||
| Sarah Gilbert | 1750 | 1841 | - | ||||
| Daniel Gilleland | - | ||||||
| Chester S. Gorbet | - | ||||||
| Michael Gouldrich | - | ||||||
| Thomas Gray | - | ||||||
| Jared E. Groce | 1782 | 1839 | - | ||||
| Robert Guthrie | - | ||||||
| John Haddan | - | ||||||
| Samuel C. Hady | - | ||||||
| George B. Hall | - | ||||||
| John W. Hall | - | ||||||
| W. J. Hall | - | ||||||
| David Hamilton | - | ||||||
| Abner Harris | - | ||||||
| David Harris | - | ||||||
| John Richardson Harris | - | ||||||
| William Harris | - | ||||||
| William J. Harris | - | ||||||
| George Harrison | - | ||||||
| William Harvey | - | ||||||
| Thomas S. Haynes | - | ||||||
| James Hensley | - | ||||||
| Alexander Hodge | 1757 | 1836 | Historical marker erected at Hodge's Bend Cemetery in Fort Bend County, where Alexander Hodge's grave is located. | - | |||
| Francis Holland | - | ||||||
| William Holland | - | ||||||
| Kinchen Holliman | - | ||||||
| James Hope | - | ||||||
| C.S. Hudson | - | ||||||
| George Huff | - | ||||||
| John Huff | - | ||||||
| Isaac Hughes | - | ||||||
| Eli Hunter | - | ||||||
| Johnson Calhoun Hunter | May 22, 1787 | May 29, 1855 | Wife: Mary Martha Harbert; Children as of March 1826: Robert Hancock Hunter, John Calhoun Hunter, Harriet Harbert Hunter, Thomas Jefferson Hunter, Thaddeus Warsaw Hunter, Messina Hunter, Martha Hunter | Education: Dr. Johnson Hunter, earned a Medical Diploma around 1805. Dr. Johnson & Martha raised 10 children, four girls and six boys. He received a title to a sitio of land from the Mexican government in 1824. In 1826, he sold Hunter's Point Irons and son Elisha B. Irons born in 1826 | Settled outside Monaville, Tx near Irons Creek. | - | |
| Samuel Isaacks | - | ||||||
| Alexander Jackson | - | ||||||
| Humphrey Jackson | - | ||||||
| Isaac Jackson | - | ||||||
| Thomas Jamison | - | ||||||
| Henry W. Johnson | - | ||||||
| Henry Jones | - | ||||||
| James W. Jones | - | ||||||
| Oliver Jones | - | ||||||
| R. Jones | - | ||||||
| Imla Keep | - | ||||||
| John C. Keller | - | ||||||
| John Kelly | - | ||||||
| Samuel Kennedy | - | ||||||
| Alfred Kennon | - | ||||||
| James Kerr | - | ||||||
| Peter Kerr | - | ||||||
| William Kerr | - | ||||||
| William Kincheloe | - | ||||||
| William Kingston | - | ||||||
| James Knight | - | ||||||
| Abner Kuykendall | 1777 | 1834 | Brother of Robert and Joseph, father of Barzillia. Commanded the militia of Austin's colony, murdered by Joseph Clayton. | - | |||
| Barzillai Kuykendall | Son of Abner Kuykendall | - | |||||
| Joseph Kuykendall | - | ||||||
| Robert Kuykendall | - | ||||||
| Hosea H. League | - | ||||||
| Joel Leakey | - | ||||||
| Benjamin Linsey | - | ||||||
| John Little | - | ||||||
| William Little | - | ||||||
| Jane H. Wilkinson Long | 1798 | 1880 | Mother of Texas | - | |||
| James Lynch | - | ||||||
| Lydia Amanda Smalley | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Nathanael Lynch | - | ||||||
| John McCroskey | - | ||||||
| Arthur McCormick | - | ||||||
| David McCormick | - | ||||||
| John McCormick | - | ||||||
| Thomas McCoy | - | ||||||
| Aechilles McFarlan | - | ||||||
| John McFarlan | - | ||||||
| Thomas F. McKinney | 1801 | 1873 | Father of the Texas Navy | - | |||
| Hugh McKinsey | - | ||||||
| A.W. McClain | 1797 | 1895 | - | ||||
| James McNair | - | ||||||
| Daniel McNeel | - | ||||||
| George W. McNeel | - | ||||||
| John McNeel | - | ||||||
| John G. McNeel | - | ||||||
| Pleasant D. McNeel | - | ||||||
| Sterling McNeel | - | ||||||
| Elizabeth McNutt | - | ||||||
| William McWilliams | - | ||||||
| Shubael Marsh | - | ||||||
| Wily Martin | 1776 | 1842 | - | ||||
| William Mathis | - | ||||||
| David H. Milburn | - | ||||||
| Samuel Miller | - | ||||||
| Samuel R. Miller | - | ||||||
| Simon Miller | - | ||||||
| James D. Millican | - | ||||||
| Robert Millican | - | ||||||
| William Millican | - | ||||||
| Joseph Mims | 1844 | Wife Sarah, two sons, one daughter, and four slaves | - | ||||
| Asa Mitchell | - | ||||||
| John L. Monks | - | ||||||
| John H. Moore | Aug. 13, 1800 | Dec. 02, 1880 | Single | Indian fighter, builder of Moore's Fort, and leader at the Battle of Gonzales. Married Eliza Cummins, daughter of Jack Cummins listed above. | - | ||
| Luke Moore | - | ||||||
| Moses Morrison | - | ||||||
| William Morton | - | ||||||
| David Mouser | - | ||||||
| James Nelson | - | ||||||
| Joseph Newman | c. 1787 | 1831 | Wife Rachel Rabb, 10 children | Brother in-law to John Rabb and Thomas J. Rabb, he ranched and farmed a sitio near Bonus. | - | ||
| Charles Isaac Nidever | - | ||||||
| M.B. Nuckols | - | ||||||
| James Orrick | - | ||||||
| Nathan Osborn | - | ||||||
| William Parks | - | ||||||
| Joshua Parker | - | ||||||
| William Parker | - | ||||||
| Isaac Pennington | - | ||||||
| George S. Pentecost | - | ||||||
| Freeman Pettus | - | ||||||
| William A. Pettus | - | ||||||
| John Petty | - | ||||||
| J.C. Peyton | - | ||||||
| James A.E. Phelps | - | ||||||
| I.B. Phillips | - | ||||||
| Zeno Philips | - | ||||||
| Pamelia Picket | - | ||||||
| Joseph H. Polley | - | ||||||
| Peter Powell | - | ||||||
| William Prater | - | ||||||
| Pleasant Pruitt | - | ||||||
| William Pryor | c. 1775 | 1833 | Wife Betsy Trammell, 6 children | His death was recorded as 9 Sept 1833 in the diary of William B. Travis. Pryor's will states he was from Botetourt County, Virginia He disowned his only son Trammell J Pryor. | - | ||
| Andrew Rabb | - | ||||||
| John Rabb | - | ||||||
| Thomas J. Rabb | - | ||||||
| William Rabb | - | ||||||
| William Raleigh | - | ||||||
| L. Ramey | - | ||||||
| David Randon | - | ||||||
| John Randon | - | ||||||
| Frederic H. Rankin | - | ||||||
| Amos Rawls | - | ||||||
| Benjamin Rawls | - | ||||||
| Daniel Rawls | - | ||||||
| Stephen Richardson | - | ||||||
| Elijah Roark | 1782 | 1829 | Son: Leo Andrew Elijah Roark and Wife: Cynthia Elijah Fisher | - | |||
| Earle Robbins | - | ||||||
| William Robbins | - | ||||||
| Andrew Roberts | 1844 | Wife Sally, four daughters, and one son | - | ||||
| Noel F. Roberts | C. 1786 | C. 1843 | Harriet Pryor | - | |||
| William Roberts | 1813 | Jul 1849 | Elizabeth Pryor | - | |||
| Edward Robertson | - | ||||||
| Andrew Robinson Sr. | 1852 | Wife Nancy and two children | First settler | - | |||
| George Robinson | - | ||||||
| James Ross | - | ||||||
| June Salmeron | - | ||||||
| Joseph San Pierre | - | ||||||
| Robert Scobey | - | ||||||
| Marvin Scheick | - | ||||||
| James Scott | - | ||||||
| William Scott | - | ||||||
| William Selkirk | 1792 | 1830 | 2 children | Helped found Matagorda and served as militia captain. | - | ||
| Owen Shannon | 1762 | 1839 | Margaret & children | Margaret Montgomery/family Montgomery County named after/ Ran Montgomery County Trading Post | - | ||
| David Shelby | - | ||||||
| Daniel Shipman | NC 20 Feb 1801 | Goliad County Texas 4 Mar 1881 | - | ||||
| Moses Shipman | - | ||||||
| Bartlet Sims | - | ||||||
| George Washington Singleton | Related to Charla Kaye Moore Sisk | https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fsi29 | - | ||||
| Philip Singleton | Daughter Mary King married John D. Taylor November 19, 1838 | - | |||||
| Christian Smith | - | ||||||
| Cornelius Smith | - | ||||||
| John Smith | - | ||||||
| William Smeathers | 1767 | 1837 | - | ||||
| Gabriel S. Snider | - | ||||||
| Albert L. Sojourner | - | ||||||
| Nancy Spencer | - | ||||||
| Adam Stafford | - | ||||||
| William Stafford | 1780 | 1840 | - | ||||
| Thomas Stevens | - | ||||||
| Owen H. Stout | - | ||||||
| John Strange | - | ||||||
| Walter Sutherland | - | ||||||
| David Tally | - | ||||||
| John D. Taylor | Married, Mary King Singleton daughter of Philip Singleton, November 19, 1838, they had two children Jeanette Susan 1841-1915 and Isabell 1842-1925 | - | |||||
| George Teel | - | ||||||
| Ezekiel Thomas | - | ||||||
| Jacob Thomas | - | ||||||
| Jesse Thompson | - | ||||||
| Thomas J. Tone | - | ||||||
| James F. Tong | 1783 | 298 | Elizabeth Thompson, 1 Child- Harriet E. Tong | Father- William H. Tong Revolutionary Way Minuteman in Maryland, Fought at Bradywine and Germantown with George Washington. William Tong, 2 wives and 26 Children | - | ||
| Samuel Toy | - | ||||||
| John Trobough | - | ||||||
| Elizabeth Piemmons Tumlinson | 1778 | 1829 | Wife of John Jackson Tumlinson whom was killed by Waco Indians while crossing the Guadalupe river | ||||
| James Tumlinson | - | ||||||
| Isaac Vandorn | - | ||||||
| Martin Varner | - | ||||||
| Allen Vince | - | ||||||
| Richard Vince | - | ||||||
| Robert Vince | - | ||||||
| William Vince | - | ||||||
| James Walker | - | ||||||
| Thomas Walker | - | ||||||
| Caleb Wallice | - | ||||||
| Francis F. Wells | - | ||||||
| Amy White | - | ||||||
| Joseph White | - | ||||||
| Reuben White | - | ||||||
| Walter C. White | - | ||||||
| William White | - | ||||||
| Boland Whitesides | - | ||||||
| Henry Whitesides | - | ||||||
| James Whitesides | - | ||||||
| William Whitesides | - | ||||||
| Nathaniel Whiting | - | ||||||
| William Whitlock | - | ||||||
| Elias R. Wightman | 1792 | 1841 | Married Mary Sherwood Wightman in 1828 | Helped found Matagorda and surveyed Austin's colony. | - | ||
| Jane Wilkins | - | ||||||
| George I. Williams | - | ||||||
| Henry Williams | - | ||||||
| John Williams | - | ||||||
| John R. Williams | Built "The Old Place" along Clear Creek, which eventually became the oldest remaining structure in Harris County, Texas. It is now part of Houston's Sam Houston Park | - | |||||
| Robert H. Williams | - | ||||||
| Samuel M. Williams | - | ||||||
| Solomon Williams | - | ||||||
| Thomas Williams | - | ||||||
| Zadock Woods Zaduck | 1773 | 1842 | Wife Minerva Cottle Woods | Served in the battle of Gonzales, the battle of Concepción, the Grass Fight and the Runaway Scrape. Colonist of Texas, Zadock Woods was one of the "Old Three Hundred" who established a colony area with land purchased from Stephen F. Austin. A veteran of the War of 1812, he served in the battle of Gonzales, the battle of Concepción, the Grass Fight and the Runaway Scrape. His homestead was a fortified inn, known as Fort Woods, built to provide protection from Indian attacks on the colonists. He was the oldest man killed in the "Dawson expedition" September 1842. | - |