Old Three Hundred in the context of Jones Creek, Texas


Old Three Hundred in the context of Jones Creek, Texas

⭐ Core Definition: Old Three Hundred

The "Old Three Hundred" were 297 grantees who purchased 307 parcels of land from Stephen Fuller Austin in Mexican Texas. Each grantee was head of a household, or in some cases, a partnership of unmarried men. Austin was an American approved in 1822 by Mexico as an empresario for this effort, after the nation had gained independence from Spain. By 1825, the colony had a population of 1,790, including 443 enslaved African Americans. Because the Americans believed they needed enslaved workers, Austin negotiated with the Mexican government to gain approval, as the new nation was opposed to slavery. Mexico abolished it in 1829.

The colony 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. It was the first authorized colony of Anglo-American settlers and enslaved African Americans in Mexico.

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Old Three Hundred in the context of Texian Militia

The Texian Militia was the militia forces of Texian colonists in the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas from 1823 to 1835 and the inaugurate force of the Texas Military. It was established by Stephen F. Austin on August 5, 1823 for defense of the Old Three Hundred colonists against the Karankawa, Comanche, and Cherokee tribes; among others. Its most notable unit, the Texas Rangers, remained in continuous service of Texas Military Forces until 1935.

The Texian Militia sparked the Texas Revolution at the Battle of Velasco and became legendary at the Battle of Gonzales (the "Lexington of Texas") which marked its transition to the Texian Army and Texian Navy. Their legend continued at the Battle of the Alamo as the only relief force to answer the To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World letter. The Texian Militia comprised 22% of the Texian Army service members who fought until the Battle of San Jacinto, helping the Texian Government win independence from the Centralist Republic of Mexico on May 14, 1836 at the Treaties of Velasco.

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Old Three Hundred in the context of Fort Bend

Fort Bend was a blockhouse built in a large bend of the Brazos River in what is now Fort Bend County, Texas, to provide protection against Indian raids. It was erected in November 1822 by several members of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred, including William W. Little, Joseph Polley, William Smithers [Smeathers], Charles Beard, Henry Holster and is described as a "little log shanty". The location was reportedly selected by Austin, and a settlement soon grew up around the post. As the site provided one of the more favorable fords of the Brazos River, it became important during the Texas Revolution. The Fort Bend crossing was briefly defended in April 1836 by a rear guard detachment led by Wiley Martin. Where Mexican pickets forced the company of 46 men to retreat across the Ford after a short skirmish. After Martin was maneuvered out of the position, Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna transported a portion of his Mexican army across the Brazos at the crossing. After Santa Anna's defeat at the battle of San Jacinto the site was used briefly by the Texas army. Troops under Thomas Jefferson Green, who were in pursuit of retreating Mexican forces led by Gen. Vicente Filisola, halted for a short time in mid-May 1836 at Fort Bend. Because Fort Bend had been the center of activity in the area its name was given to the county when it was established in 1837. The next year nearby Richmond, Texas was selected as the county seat and soon absorbed the smaller Fort Bend settlement. In 1936 the Texas Centennial Commission erected a monument to commemorate Fort Bend's role in the Texas Revolution.

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Old Three Hundred in the context of Sims Bayou

Sims Bayou is a 23-mile (37 km) bayou that flows within Houston in a primarily west to east movement. Its origin is in Southwest Houston near Missouri City, Texas, and terminates in Manchester, Houston approximately seven miles east of Downtown Houston, where it feeds Buffalo Bayou as a major tributary. Unlike all other major Houston bayous, Sims Bayou is contained entirely within the city limits. It is a major watershed for the City of Houston.

Sims Bayou is believed to be named after Bartlett Samuel Sims—a member of the Old Three Hundred. From 1990 through 2012, the Galveston District of the United States Army Corps of Engineers performed a widening and deepening of the bayou to reduce flooding. This allowed for new development in the southern portion of the city, and removed an estimated 35,000 homes and 2,000 commercial structures from a 100-year floodplain.

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Old Three Hundred in the context of Stephen F. Austin

Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario, i.e. a person granted the right to settle on land in exchange for recruiting and taking responsibility for settling the eastern areas of the Tejas region of Mexico in the early nineteenth century. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas, he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families and their slaves from the United States in 1825.

Born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri, Austin served in the Missouri territorial legislature. He moved to Arkansas Territory and later to Louisiana. His father, Moses Austin, received an empresario grant from Spain to settle Texas. After Moses Austin died in 1821, Stephen Austin won recognition of the empresario grant from the newly independent nation of Mexico.

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