Moses Austin
"...my estate is greatly injured and I shall not save over 15,000 dollars after all is settled...my stock in the bank of St. Louis is not worth a cent."
Moses Austin in a letter to his son James E. Brown Austin, 8 February 1820.
The Panic of 1819 seemed to hit everyone, not only in the United States and its territories but in Spanish-occupied territories as well. The Spanish authorities were beginning to allow Americans into their land especially the undeveloped area of Texas. Three requirements had to be met before anyone was allowed to make a stake in Texas:
1. Membership in the Roman Catholic Church
2. To become a Texas citizen
3. Have a letter of recommendation proving one was an honest, upright man of character
Moses Austin was a man with vision. He saw how the Spanish government was allowing the Anglos in and decided to use his previous knowledge of being an empresario to work for him, hopefully to help out his financial matters that had been ruined in 1819. Time and again Austin had invested his time and money into business ventures. Sinking money into a lead mine in Virginia co-owned by his brother, the Austins also had a store there. When 1816 rolled around, it found Austin had lost yet another mine, this one in Missouri, collapsing on his fortunes. The Depression of 1819 brought Moses to more waters that needed to be parted and it was at this time the road to Texas looked very inviting.
Austin first received an empresario contract in Missouri when he helped families settle south of St. Louis. A mining community was there and men came to help with it. Austin gave them the opportunity to build their homes and settle there. It was this contract and his Spanish passport from 1797 that Austin kept with him when he travelled to Bexar (San Antonio) in 1820 to speak with the Spanish governor for a similar contract in Texas.
In December of 1820, Austin arrived in Bexar to present his petition to Governor Antonio Martinez. Legend has it, that he was immediately turned down. However legend could prove to be fact as the meetings were chronicled in son Stephen F. Austin's diary.
It seems the senior Austin, after being rejected by the Spanish government, ran into long-time friend Felipe Enrique Neri who was also known as the Baron de Bastrop. It was de Bastrop, the assistant alcade of Bexar, who went back to the governor and again pleaded with him on Austin's behalf. This time Austin was granted permission to let 300 families settle in Texas. Austin told the Spanish authorities his families would grow cotton, wheat, sugar cane and corn. He also told the Spanish officials the families would help defend against Indian attacks and others who presented hostile intents. Thus "the Old Three Hundred," as the first group of new Texans were known, was conceived.
A practical, organized man, Moses Austin, though born in Connecticut, moved his family to Missouri in 1798. He offered his devotion to the Spanish king thinking this alliance would help his future endeavors. Austin was very disappointed when America made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. He knew that with the American government would come taxes, harsher rules and service with the militia.
The Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819 between the United States and Spain gave the U.S. rights to Florida, but the U.S. would not claim Texas. Still the Spanish had trouble within the boundaries of Tejas. As early as the 1790's, Philip Nolan was crossing the border back and forth at various times rustling horses. Finally the Spanish attacked his group, killing Nolan and presenting his ears to the Texas governor as proof of their victory.
Still Americans flocked to Texas. The undeveloped land became a sanctuary for the bankrupt and the bankrobber, the outlaws as well as their in-laws. It wasn't unusual to see three initials on people's doors..."G.T.T." They were gone now...Gone To Texas. Texas had become a place to hide, a place to start over and a new place to live.
However, Moses didn't survive to see his plan fulfilled. Becoming ill in March of 1821, he struggled to make his way back to Missouri and inform his family of what had been taking place in Texas. Pneumonia filled his lungs, each day becoming harder and harder for him. He begged with his son Stephen Fuller Austin to take the Old Three Hundred to Texas, but at first Stephen was torn. Wanting to become a lawyer, yet wishing to help his father's dying request, Stephen fought a battle within himself.
On June 10, 1821, Moses passed into the Promised Land. Stephen had begun a job at a newspaper office earlier and waited for word from his father about the three hundred families. The only word that ever came was telling Stephen his father had succumbed to his illness.
Stephen Fuller Austin knew what had to be done. His father's dying words had been reported to be that Stephen take over the empresarioship of Texas, get the settlers there and give them a chance to start again just as Moses had been given chances to start over again in his various business ventures. Stephen knew his father's dream must be carried out and he was the one chosen to do so.
The Father of Texas took a deep breath as he looked out over the landscape, and the settlement of one of the greatest states in the land was on the horizon.
SOURCED:
Flynn, Jean. Stephen F. Austin: Father of Texas. Eakin Press, Austin, Texas. 1981.
McCall, Edith. Stalwart Men of Early Texas. Childrens Press, Chicago, Ill. 1980.
Time-Life Books with text by David Nevin, The Texans. Time-Life Books, New York. 1975.
Joni K. Buckner,
Dallas,
TX,
November 1998